Calvinist Witnessing

hope no one is offended. thought this was kinda funny.

i have moved

i am in the process of moving to wordpress. please visit my new site at adamhanauer.wordpress.com.

see you there!

griffey is gone

and i am sad.

two "paths" of thought

the following quote is from simply christian by nt wright, in describing what christianity is NOT about - brother george had it on his website:

Christianity is not about a new moral teaching as though we were morally clueless and in need of some fresh or clearer guidelines. … Christianity isn’t about Jesus offering a wonderful moral example, as though our principal need was to see what a life of utter love and devotion to God and to other people would look like, so that we could try to copy it. … Nor is Christianity about Jesus offering, demonstrating, or even accomplishing a new route by which people can “go to heaven when they die.” … Finally, Christianity isn’t about giving the world fresh teaching about God himself though clearly, if the Christian claim is true, we do indeed learn a great deal about who God is by looking at Jesus.

what is christianity about according to nt wright?

Christianity is all about the belief that the living God, in fulfillment of his promises and as the climax of the story of Israel, has accomplished all this … the finding, the saving, the giving of new life in Jesus. He has done it. With Jesus, God’s rescue operation has been put into effect once and for all. A great door has swung open in the cosmos which can never again be shut. It’s the door to the prison where we’ve been kept chained up. We are offered freedom: freedom to experience God’s rescue for ourselves, to go through the open door and explore the new world to which we now have access. In particular, we are all invited, summoned, actually, to discover, through following Jesus, that this new world is indeed a place of justice, spirituality, relationship, and beauty, and that we are not only to enjoy it as such but to work at bringing it to birth on earth as in heaven.

many christians understand christianity to be the first description of what nt wright claims christianity is NOT. but as i read through and studied luke 7:36-50 over this past week, i see what wright is talking about. the story of a prostitute who seeks out christ at a religious party to anoint his feet with her tears. a woman who encountered god in the flesh - and experienced first hand the radiant, magnificent love of god for herself and because of that encounter subjected herself to more judgement and condemnation just to express her love and adoration to the "god-man" who gave her, her very life back. the gospel is full of this type of "good news." the types of stories we read over and over, and totally miss the depth and scandal to be uncovered. reading the gospels has lead me to agree with nt wright, and begin to encounter this god, on his rescue mission, in my daily life. and every now and then, he allows me to even be used by him..........

words matter

heard this quote today.
"when we change the words we use, we change the people we are."

some know that i am not a big fan of how we use the word church. not because I don't like the word, but because how we refer to it, impacts how we think of it, and ultimately how we act. so, ask yourself the below questions and see of my responses are accurate.

how do we talk about salvation?
- transactional, one time event and getting to heaven.
how does the bible talk about salvation?
- ongoing, process, "walking in the light" and rescued.

how do we talk about church?
- place, institutional and what we do.
how does the bible talk about church?
-body of Christ, missional and community of called out people.

how do we talk about the kingdom of god?
- heaven after we die and sometimes the church.
how does the bible talk about the kingdom of god?
- it is at hand, we seek it, reign of god, the kingdom of god is like, revolution of hope where the lame walk, the blind receive sight, and the oppressed are set free!

words matter a great deal.

current book list

below is the current list of books I am working through:
-dissident discipleship
-the gospel according to Jesus
-god of the possible (open theism)
-surprised by hope

i am most excited about the first, third and fourth. i am reading the gospel according to jesus to engage a buddy in discussion.

tonight was the kickoff for vbs. kylie and j are sure to have a great time over the next several days. treasure hunt is the theme - hoping no major damage is done in the teaching on the kingdom. we tend to talk of the kingdom as if it is only something we are waiting for in the future. seeking first god's kingdom is not about seeking after heaven, but seeking after the amazing rule of god in our midst, and learning to be sensitive to what god is doing in the world.

side note: got tickets to brian regan for 9/6 in louisville. should be an awesome show!

i like to laugh

i couldn't resist sharing this one as well - listen to the english accent and tell me it is not one of the funniest things you have seen.