I invited Brian McLaren to join us on Monday once it dawned on me that the date change for SGPF/FRPS would coincide with his trip here to Toronto. Sadly, his flight is leaving Sunday night, so he won't be able to make it. It helped in writing the paper to think that Brian might be at its reading - there is always a temptation to overstate a case and misrepresent an author (it is quite easy to do actually). I think writing with the knowledge that this author might be there helped to keep things honest. (And no, I am not going to go back and change things now that I know he is not coming!)
Please do note the date change: Meeting is at 10AM on Monday, April 10, 2006. [There is NO meeting on April 17!]
Location: Thistletown Baptist Church, Kipling Avenue, Toronto, [@ 2534 Kipling Ave. (Just north of Finch Ave. and Kipling Ave.)
Cost: Quite free and all are welcome.
Here is a teaser from the paper:
One of the skills of an excellent physician is the ability to quickly and accurately diagnose the illness. If EC has one skill, it is certainly this (with several caveats). If EC is nothing else, it is a reaction to sham Christianity and false spirituality. The examples of this are numerous, especially in McLaren. So, he can easily draw attention to artificial and schmaltzy church music; inattentive hearers of the Word that leave their pews to go back to living like the world; inauthentic Christian communities that breed fake and even destructive relationships; the cocooning of Christians into non-evangelistic lumps of selfishness; the false assumption that “Christian” means white-collar, suburb-dwelling Republican; and a revolting contentedness with surface answers to life’s most genuine and difficult questions.
I am REALLY looking forward to this paper, even though I'll need to slip out during the Q's. Your quote shows me that you will do exactly what I hoped you'd do - take the good and expose/leave the bad from EC. I need to think more though these things!
ReplyDeleteIan.
I cant wait brother...hhmmm...is there any way to view an advanced copy? :-)
ReplyDeleteLook forward to the meeting brother! Glad to hear that its coming along well!
David
Wish I could be there, Paul. Will you make your paper available after the meeting? Or will there an audio recording available? Your teaser points out some of the same things Phil Johnson pointed out in his seminar at the begining of March - the diagnosis is not ALL faulty. The problem appears to lie more in the remedy.
ReplyDeleteHi Dan!
ReplyDeleteWe wish you could be here, too.
The plan now is to publish the paper on our church website after the meeting (www.gfcto.com). I think I will also publish it section by section on this blog to allow for specific comments on specific sections.
The meeting will be recorded and we hope to have that recording put up on our sermonaudio.com site soon afterwards.
Thanks for your comment.
By the way, could you email privately about a separate matter? info@gfcto.com
Thanks!
Paul
I look forward to reading it!! I loved your "teaser" - knowing of course there was more coming that maybe I wouldn't love as much (sigh) - BUT hey, I'll read it with an open mind, as much as I can muster anyway, and look forward to finding out why everyone is so worried about my little church!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReneeM/