i am a "gutless grace girlieman"
i am amazed at our critics. most misunderstand us so much that they place people like benny hinn, rick waren, and others into the camp of "emerging" - that's cool, but many do they miss the boat in how we think and what we believe - but recently it has been more of a "name calling" game on the part of our critics - we have been called "girly-men" or "sissies" - here is an example "headline" of a blog that is anti-emerging:
Emerging Church: bad as Gutless Grace Girliemen? Worse than Wrongheaded Wrightophiles?[wright, by the way, will be at soularize this year - you need to check it out] Sillier than Leaky Canoneers? — OR —Emerging/Emergent Errors; Puerile Pomo Prattle; Abominable Antinomian Aberrations; Novel New-Perspective Nonsense; Crazy Charismaniac Charlatanism; Sanctimonious Sacramentalist Superstitions; Cynical, Condescending Catholicity; Private Prophetic Phantasms; and Seeker-Sensitive Silliness: What Do They All Have in Common?
let me see if i can address one of their concerns - the one that appeals to me the most
"gutless grace girlieman"
as i stand with my hand in the air, i proudly proclaim that i am a "gutless grace girlieman." you see grace as something very important to my faith walk - i believe i should err on the side of grace, and never on the said of "law" - keeping in mind that the law is over and we are to live in grace - but those who are "anti-emerging" seem to also to be "anti-grace" - heck, they seem to be "anti-everything" even when they claim to be open and loving.
i am a guy comfortable enough in my "maleness" [which is a role defined by culture and not scripture] to believe that grace is the most important part of our faith - because when we live in grace we offer forgiveness, we can show love, we can accept people where they are and have honest, open and loving conversations with them - but when we live in "the law" we demand "justice" so forgiveness is out of the question - we only love those we like and we are unwilling to accept others who differ from us - so, while many may see me as a "girlieman," i see myself as a loving, caring, open and welcoming person of faith who walks in the light of christ - besides, at 6' 2" and 225 lbs with a chest bigger then my waist - there are not many willing to come to my face and call me a "girlieman" - interesting
now, as one "girlieman" to another - of all genders - let me say to stand proud in living by grace - know that as a follower of christ we are to live, breath, bleed and spread grace to all the corners of the earth - no matter the cost. what they seem to think is "funny" and insulting - i find truthful and supportive - i live in grace, and i would pray you do also.
7 comments:
Amen! Stand tall and proud girlie man ;)
I used to have this t-shirt that I would wear to Church all the time just to start coversations about grace, it said:
Nuke a Godless communist gay baby seal for Christ.
when they would ask me why I wore it, I would say: This is the impression of God, Jesus, and the Church that you are giving people. You're all about retribution, and God is all about restoration.
As with Paul in Romans, if after you have taught the grace of God some haven't accused you of giving license for sin, you haven't preached God's grace, you've taught some limited and diminutive creation of man's religious ideas that include his own works of well intentionalism.
Came here from Iggy. Here is a little post about grace:
http://judahslion.blogspot.com/2007/08/grace-so-misunderstood-lord-has-had-me.html
i am amazed at our critics. most misunderstand us so much that they place sites like Godtube, Xianz, and others into the camp of "church social networking" - that's cool, but many do they miss the boat in how we think and what we believe - but recently it has been more of a "name calling" game on the part of our critics - we have been called "christian rip-offs" of the original
;)
hey,
would you say Jesus came and fulfilled the law or done away with it?
In other words, is there no authority/relevancy in the law?
This hits home Bro. Thanks for the post.
too funny.
thanks for your ministry and blog. you should make a video in front of a flower garden and share your girlie grace theology.
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