tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11061404478101257562012-02-16T16:07:42.311-05:00E-Merging is my birth into the blogging world. The general purpose of this blog (and I am sure to stray) is to express some thoughts on the emerging church, the emerging conversation, my own journey of emergence, and other various and sundry spiritual and theological topics. I hope you enjoy, or at least are interested in what you interact with here. Welcome all!daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-45808651910733222352007-02-01T21:41:00.001-05:002007-02-01T21:41:58.223-05:00

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-81757051143563945702007-01-13T04:11:00.001-05:002007-01-13T04:11:51.606-05:00

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-530592464911357682006-12-07T23:21:00.000-05:002006-12-07T23:22:18.308-05:00

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-85495635935591328262006-12-06T00:02:00.000-05:002006-12-06T00:03:27.375-05:00

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-61205617900044189242006-12-05T23:19:00.001-05:002006-12-05T23:19:37.169-05:00

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-46056508679288380232006-11-22T00:31:00.000-05:002006-11-22T00:32:29.629-05:00

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-85614642692855949582006-11-11T20:39:00.000-05:002006-11-11T20:48:33.841-05:00

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-82557247751658232502006-11-05T19:28:00.000-05:002006-11-05T19:39:43.901-05:00

I don't really know how to feel in hearing the news of Pastor Ted Haggard's previous secret of crystal meth use and gay sex (I know, he only admits to getting a "massage"). Part of me wants to shout for joy, and part of me hurts for him and his family. As much as I think Freud to be wacko, he actually hit the nail on the head when speaking of deep "closet cases" such as Haggard. The good pastor

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-28443955851593100962006-10-29T07:48:00.000-05:002006-10-29T07:49:17.135-05:00

Here's a picture of our new chihuahua, Naruto....

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-32578589167471255652006-10-19T19:51:00.000-04:002006-10-19T21:37:53.642-04:00

Sorry I haven't been able to post with the regularity of last month. This month's teaching schedule has been busy, and I'm trying to finish my PhD dissertation. But, my love affair with Blogger continues....I think I've said somewhere before that I am addicted to labels, despite my postmodern midset. I suppose it's a leftover trait from my fundamentalist, evanglical days. I've been thinking

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-63863512853502679112006-10-10T02:01:00.000-04:002006-10-10T02:07:40.709-04:00

*The following additions come from a discussion I am having on a message board concerning the reliability of scripture in achieving absolute truth:The purpose of this reponse is not to vilify faith, but actually to strengthen it. Truth is not so easily obtained, and the more difficult truth is to obtain, the more faith is required. The criticism I have of the biblical writers is not a criticism

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-9114266499821162242006-10-08T23:40:00.000-04:002006-10-08T23:44:39.352-04:00

Sorry for the lateness of this post - the Chuseok (Korean) holiday just ended, and I am back to work. It is always encouraging to hear of the Amish consistency in being Christ-like when faced with situations of violence. This article from the AP shows yet again the seriousness with which the Amish take Christ's teachings of pacifism:Dozens of Amish neighbours came out to mourn the quiet milkman

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-74176452488445289822006-09-27T19:44:00.000-04:002006-09-27T20:49:45.747-04:00

My partner, Kihwan, and I went to a Jazz Festival in Jarasum, Korea this past weekend. We had some time to spare on Sunday morning, so we went to some gardens to eat lunch and take some pictures. These are some of the pictures that Kihwan took - I think he's a wonderful photographer, but perhaps I am biased:)Peace & Blessings.

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-83940228069756177032006-09-24T21:27:00.000-04:002006-09-24T21:28:05.772-04:00

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-50401505100655214362006-09-22T02:00:00.000-04:002006-09-22T02:53:19.692-04:00

Luke 718 John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" 20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?' " 21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases,

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-66438834905973739882006-09-20T23:05:00.000-04:002006-09-20T23:07:28.912-04:00

I just pray that I can eventually hear God's voice so clearly, and share it so eloquently, as does Erwin McManus. Let this sermon "barbarize" you.Peace & Blessings.powered by ODEO

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-22295694071672135192006-09-20T21:58:00.000-04:002006-09-20T21:59:52.133-04:00

Not sure what's up with the music at the beginning (I hate patriotic songs), but the panel discussion is a blessing. Enjoy!powered by ODEO

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-88944858113004027992006-09-20T21:16:00.000-04:002006-09-20T21:44:32.921-04:00

Ok - I can imagine that the title alone has already raised some red flags for some readers, and rightly so. It's one thing to talk about re-interpreting scripture, re-structuring the Church, etc. But don't mess with sin! I agree. Sin is a serious topic. Hang in a while, and I think you'll see that I treat it just as seriously as any evangelical would. My purpose here is not to reason away the

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-42572436802762517402006-09-19T23:44:00.000-04:002006-09-20T00:09:59.759-04:00

9About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-32976587096588389212006-09-19T07:45:00.000-04:002006-09-19T08:02:55.565-04:00

With all the examples of great fathers and mothers of the faith conversing, arguing, and fighting with God, I've always thought it strange that some people approach scripture as if God is finished speaking. What kind of relationship is so one-sided that for nearly two thousand years, only one side gets to speak, and the other must simply listen? The Bible is littered with examples of faithful

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-24238203505290588012006-09-18T20:49:00.000-04:002006-09-18T20:50:46.205-04:00

The Guidelines for Centering Prayer:1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God's presence and action within.2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly, and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God's presence and action within.3. When you become aware of thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word.4. At the end

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-7773914225719944192006-09-17T23:44:00.000-04:002006-09-17T23:59:17.215-04:00

4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew [a] you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." 6 "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child." 7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-73511487257900145842006-09-15T01:54:00.000-04:002006-09-15T01:58:30.016-04:00

powered by ODEO

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-84680502924008239992006-09-14T00:24:00.000-04:002006-09-14T00:55:46.717-04:00

I discovered jazz during my seminary years in New Orleans. Ah ... the Big Easy, the Crescent City. Of course, I had heard jazz before, either played well on compact disc, or played poorly by live bands in my hometown of Pensacola. But nothing prepared me for the spiritual encounter that was live jazz in the clubs of New Orleans. It was not just an auditory experience, but a whole body involvment.

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-19110183724654695472006-09-12T21:18:00.000-04:002006-09-12T22:33:33.174-04:00

The traditional mantra of evangelical Christianity since the Protestant Reformation has been sola scriptura, or scripture alone. Whether or not the original intention of this idea was to make an idol of the Bible, that has too often become the case in modern evangelicalism. Truth, as an objective reality, has been equated with the actual words of the Bible. Was this ever the intention of God, or

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-22992053179397940662006-09-11T01:36:00.000-04:002006-09-11T02:14:01.902-04:00

Most of us are aware, particularly our gay, lesbian and transgendered brothers and sisters, of the church's track record on the issue of homosexuality and other trans-barrier sexualities. Instead of being welcomed into the family of God as vitally contributing participants, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons have traditionally been ostracized and vilified as perverts - those not

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-57034831049958589602006-09-10T09:00:00.000-04:002006-09-10T09:01:50.917-04:00

Christus Victor is a view of the atonement taken from the title of Gustaf Aulen's groundbreaking book first published in 1931 where he drew attention back the early church's Ransom theory. In Christus Victor, the atonement is viewed as divine conflict and victory over the hostile powers that hold humanity in subjection. Aulen argues that the classic Ransom theory is not so much a rational

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-38000634899338797342006-09-08T02:09:00.000-04:002006-09-08T02:28:14.503-04:00

Sometimes, I think it would be good to borrow methods from other faith traditions in the ways of spiritual discipline. I live in Korea, and am surrounded by many Buddhist co-workers. On a recent visit to a Buddhist temple, I was drawn into the chants of the monks, though I had no idea what they were actually saying. What drew me were not the words, but the rhythm and level of concentration. From

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-82359584967633789282006-09-07T00:20:00.000-04:002006-09-07T00:51:26.911-04:00

I am so tired of theological labels, "emerging" included. I don't really mind them as a reference point, but it irritates me when the first question a person asks within a religious discussion is "are you conservative or liberal?" Labels seem to be used to box people into one point of view, and a person adopting a certain pre-made label feels constricted in the amount of room they have to

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-78823158125134259622006-09-06T00:00:00.000-04:002006-09-06T00:34:01.344-04:00

I suppose dogmas have always been a part of the organizational church since the times of the Church Fathers. Though there is much controversy surrounding the formation and use of the following passage from Philippians, it is considered by many scholars to be one of the first hymns used in the early church, and may also have served as a type of creed:6Who, being in very nature God, did not

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-73508007646160036402006-09-05T01:49:00.000-04:002006-09-05T02:02:33.657-04:00

Ever since my first encounter with the story of Christ, I have been a proponent of universalism. Even during the time I claimed to be atheist, I could not understand how Christians could limit the amazing grace that Christ offered through his death and resurrection. I use the word story intentionally, because I cannot view the gospel as a set of propositions. The way Christ lived his life on

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-17113223504741284592006-09-03T23:29:00.000-04:002006-09-04T00:11:29.448-04:00

If you know anything about open theism, you already know the main points I'm going to flesh out: (1) God is not omnipotent, (2) God is not omniscient, and (3) God is engaged in real war. Of course, most of the open theists within evangelicalism tend to want to keep the traditional terminology while re-defining what that terminology means. I think it's better to just discard the terminology for

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-3936848593871728032006-09-03T07:28:00.000-04:002006-09-03T08:15:41.493-04:00

In my opinion, there are three options to make sense of the existence of evil in the universe: (1) there is no good deity; (2) there is an omnipotent evil deity; (3) there is a real war between a good deity and rebellious creations. I say in my opinion, because there are myriad ways within traditional Christianity that have been attempted to explain away the problem of the existence of evil. The

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-41823816996576460932006-09-03T00:25:00.000-04:002006-09-03T00:42:40.069-04:00

I'm having a bad case of "mind-farts" today, so I'll let the experts speak for themselves:I won't take my religion from any man who never works except with his mouth. - Carl Sandburg, US biographer & poet (1878 - 1967)For centuries, theologians have been explaining the unknowable in terms of the-not-worth-knowing. -H.L. Mencken, US editor (1880 - 1956)Those who seek consolation in existing

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-7997487043321347102006-08-31T23:25:00.000-04:002006-08-31T23:55:15.897-04:00

I can see it now. The lights dim, people in their pews (chairs, whatever) waiting with bated breath for the ultimate smackdown. The mic descends slowly from the ceiling overhead the ring, a minister wearing black spandex waiting to make his announcement. D-Generation X blares over the multiple Panaray MB-4 modular bass loudspeakers strategically located around the periphery of the sanctuary. Mic

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-78676244994815097462006-08-30T23:39:00.000-04:002006-08-31T00:14:05.121-04:00

This isn't the first time I've seen this particular quote on a church sign. That the deep truth of it escapes the people of this particular church (and much of the Church in general) is beyond my comprehension. To many people, both followers of Christ and non, the church has become the one place to go to feel worse if you're already feeling bad. Beyond the humor of this sign lies a tragedy that

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-26678578103126549292006-08-30T00:15:00.000-04:002006-08-30T01:03:19.147-04:00

Wow! I apologize for that excruciating stream of consciousness that is my first post~ However, the rule I made for myself when starting this blog is that I would never delete anything I wrote and published, no matter how annoying or imperfect. It's part of the emerging process, which never really stops, not even at physical death. Anyway, if you got through that post, and are still reading,

daniel.emerginghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14644880958418062303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1106140447810125756.post-76000900169609271962006-08-29T06:03:00.000-04:002006-08-29T06:56:53.529-04:00

Until very recently, I never thought there would be a spiritual place to call home. Everything Christian seemed so entrenched in propositions, that mystery had lost its rightful place in the journey of faith. I wondered if there was anyone else in the world who saw God as Mystery and faith as journey. Enter the Emergent Conversation.Growing up in the deep South, a physical child of wonderful

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