Who Are Some Christian Authors/bloggers You Still Respect?

[LifeCycle]

 

Yes, Spong tries to salvage a nonexistent baby from the bathwater we have thrown out. If we ignore a good portion of the Bible we can disguise the resulting religion as a kinder, gentler Christianity. In my view, he is no Christian at all but he is still pushing for a new Christianity that essentially ignores much of the book it's based on. Regardless, Abrahamic religions are built upon the belief in an old Middle Eastern god of war. The New Testament attempts to take some of the sting out it and people like Spong try to sanitize the New Testament even further in order to keep people from abandoning (as they should) the religion altogether, at least in name. I don't see the point.

 

100% agreed.

 

I started studying Spong's books before I ever joined EX-c. I also I also studied many preachers who had dropped out of 'real christianity' to teach the much 'softer' version of  'all inclusive', which is very nice... but it's just another way of trying to make sense of the bible. I think some day, most of these new teachers who are trying to sell us the 'new' christianity will come out of the closet and become non-believers. In their own way, they are already questioning the bible big time. I have to give them all credit though.

 

I remember the fallout that hit Higher Dimensions here in Tulsa when Bishop Carlton Pearson started preaching his inclusion theology. His church was big in number of members but its influence was far greater... TV shows, revivals, seminars... He was all over the place preaching everywhere. You prompted me to think of him so I went to his page to read up on where's he's at in his journey now... Check it out. 

 

Seems to me he's mostly let go of the Christian faith and is now some kind of spiritual "guru" or some shit. Not sure if it's his way to hold onto a career or if he genuinely believes those things... But that's pretty much the way it is when money is involved with anything these days.

[LifeCycle]

He's not an author nor a blogger, but Rich Mullins. He was not only an incredible musician, but also a humble person in general. My Aunt had dinner with him and some friends once in the 90's, and said he was very humble and quiet in conversation.  Keith Green is also a musician that I highly respect.

 

Here is a song about Jesus's love by Mullins:

 

Here is a song about love between a man and his wife by Green:

I remember when Rich Mullins died. It was pretty fucking horrible too. He was thrown from a Jeep during a crash and then hit by a semi... This was devastating to the faith of tons of people - mine included... Hell, if Rich Mullins wasn't safe, nobody was. Thanks God!

 

With that said, it was clear that Rich Mullins was the real deal. A true humanitarian that genuinely loved people. He was an asset to humanity and although his faith may have been misplaced, he was in it for the right reasons. I was truly saddened when I heard of his passing.  

[Margee]

 

 

Yes, Spong tries to salvage a nonexistent baby from the bathwater we have thrown out. If we ignore a good portion of the Bible we can disguise the resulting religion as a kinder, gentler Christianity. In my view, he is no Christian at all but he is still pushing for a new Christianity that essentially ignores much of the book it's based on. Regardless, Abrahamic religions are built upon the belief in an old Middle Eastern god of war. The New Testament attempts to take some of the sting out it and people like Spong try to sanitize the New Testament even further in order to keep people from abandoning (as they should) the religion altogether, at least in name. I don't see the point.

 

100% agreed.

 

I started studying Spong's books before I ever joined EX-c. I also I also studied many preachers who had dropped out of 'real christianity' to teach the much 'softer' version of  'all inclusive', which is very nice... but it's just another way of trying to make sense of the bible. I think some day, most of these new teachers who are trying to sell us the 'new' christianity will come out of the closet and become non-believers. In their own way, they are already questioning the bible big time. I have to give them all credit though.

 

I remember the fallout that hit Higher Dimensions here in Tulsa when Bishop Carlton Pearson started preaching his inclusion theology. His church was big in number of members but its influence was far greater... TV shows, revivals, seminars... He was all over the place preaching everywhere. You prompted me to think of him so I went to his page to read up on where's he's at in his journey now... Check it out. 

 

Seems to me he's mostly let go of the Christian faith and is now some kind of spiritual "guru" or some shit. Not sure if it's his way to hold onto a career or if he genuinely believes those things... But that's pretty much the way it is when money is involved with anything these days.

 

 

 I read Bishop Carlson's first book after he fell from grace in the fundi's eyes. I loved it back then. I loved the theory of 'all inclusion'.

 

  I remember when I started to question christianity, I was living in another part of Canada that was known to be an almost 75% 'born again' community. An x-pastor (very well known to all the fundamentalists on TV and all the higher upper's) dropped out and started teaching the 'all inclusive' message. Apparently he stared bucking everything the fundamentalists were preaching and he got kicked to the curb.

 

When Mike Williams posted that he was coming to town, the christian churches started to say that if you went to one of his seminars, you weren't welcome back to their church. Well, I couldn't wait for him to come because I had so many questions for him at the time. So I 'snuck' off to a 4 day seminar and it was one of the most interesting 4 days I ever spent with an x-fundi preacher. He had had a nervous breakdown and landed up in a hospital where he did some investigating to find out that a huge percentage of people who land up in hospitals with breakdowns were born again christians.   I told him I was almost there myself. It was interesting to say the least and he made me feel 1000% better about my walk with god after those 4 days. 

 

But then I took the questions further and further... and landed up here at Ex-c. 

 

 He is now doing the same thing that Bishop Carlson is doing. http://gospelrevolution.com/

[hockeyfan70]

He's not an author nor a blogger, but Rich Mullins. He was not only an incredible musician, but also a humble person in general. My Aunt had dinner with him and some friends once in the 90's, and said he was very humble and quiet in conversation.  Keith Green is also a musician that I highly respect.

 

Here is a song about Jesus's love by Mullins:

 

Here is a song about love between a man and his wife by Green:

Good choices.

 

My last senior pastor knew Rich personally, in his college days. I saw a concert of his when I was in college and had every single one of his albums.

 

I liked Keith Green, too, but not to the same degree as Rich.

[LifeCycle]

 

 

 

Yes, Spong tries to salvage a nonexistent baby from the bathwater we have thrown out. If we ignore a good portion of the Bible we can disguise the resulting religion as a kinder, gentler Christianity. In my view, he is no Christian at all but he is still pushing for a new Christianity that essentially ignores much of the book it's based on. Regardless, Abrahamic religions are built upon the belief in an old Middle Eastern god of war. The New Testament attempts to take some of the sting out it and people like Spong try to sanitize the New Testament even further in order to keep people from abandoning (as they should) the religion altogether, at least in name. I don't see the point.

 

100% agreed.

 

I started studying Spong's books before I ever joined EX-c. I also I also studied many preachers who had dropped out of 'real christianity' to teach the much 'softer' version of  'all inclusive', which is very nice... but it's just another way of trying to make sense of the bible. I think some day, most of these new teachers who are trying to sell us the 'new' christianity will come out of the closet and become non-believers. In their own way, they are already questioning the bible big time. I have to give them all credit though.

 

I remember the fallout that hit Higher Dimensions here in Tulsa when Bishop Carlton Pearson started preaching his inclusion theology. His church was big in number of members but its influence was far greater... TV shows, revivals, seminars... He was all over the place preaching everywhere. You prompted me to think of him so I went to his page to read up on where's he's at in his journey now... Check it out. 

 

Seems to me he's mostly let go of the Christian faith and is now some kind of spiritual "guru" or some shit. Not sure if it's his way to hold onto a career or if he genuinely believes those things... But that's pretty much the way it is when money is involved with anything these days.

 

 

 I read Bishop Carlson's first book after he fell from grace in the fundi's eyes. I loved it back then. I loved the theory of 'all inclusion'.

 

  I remember when I started to question christianity, I was living in another part of Canada that was known to be an almost 75% 'born again' community. An x-pastor (very well known to all the fundamentalists on TV and all the higher upper's) dropped out and started teaching the 'all inclusive' message. Apparently he stared bucking everything the fundamentalists were preaching and he got kicked to the curb.

 

When Mike Williams posted that he was coming to town, the christian churches started to say that if you went to one of his seminars, you weren't welcome back to their church. Well, I couldn't wait for him to come because I had so many questions for him at the time. So I 'snuck' off to a 4 day seminar and it was one of the most interesting 4 days I ever spent with an x-fundi preacher. He had had a nervous breakdown and landed up in a hospital where he did some investigating to find out that a huge percentage of people who land up in hospitals with breakdowns were born again christians.   I told him I was almost there myself. It was interesting to say the least and he made me feel 1000% better about my walk with god after those 4 days. 

 

But then I took the questions further and further... and landed up here at Ex-c. 

 

 He is now doing the same thing that Bishop Carlson is doing. http://gospelrevolution.com/

 

Wow! Yeah, I attended youth and the big services at "Higher D" for a time as a teenager. I was a weekly attendee at "The Power House" which was the youth location. It was off the chain! A fellow member here can attest. Those were the good days at Higher D. After I graduated high school I still attended the main service and this was when Carlton Pearson started to teeter. I saw it with my own eyes... The members were not pleased... Any type of departure from the usual Charismatic theology was not going to work here in Oklahoma in the mid to late 90s. No fucking way. In my ignorance I disagreed as well... But what did I know other than the traditional and accepted teachings of the baaaawble that were taught to me? But yeah, his leadership and staff abandoned him despite their comfy careers at a very successful church. I'm sure their traditional convictions and the reactions of the members were all the reason they needed. 

 

But I respect Carlton for his decisions. That's not easy and I think most mask it and just live life in secret... Maybe in secret with their spouses and family even... I'm sure they do... But he laid it all out there and gave no fucks. Kudos for that. Those are the people I truly respect.  And I have to kind of retract what I said above about what he really believes... I don't want to align him with the rest of the snake oil salesmen as I think this change in perspective when your career is involved adds so many levels of complexity that I don't want to say that he's being disingenuous. He always has seemed honest and selfless to me and I hope that hasn't changed. But maybe I want to believe that? I dunno. 

 

Anyway, I'm rambling now. Ahh... Those were some good memories (prior to the fallout). It was a good church. I think we all have things we miss with regards to the faith... I definitely miss old skool Higher D.