* First, on behalf of the ReKnew team I’d like to thank all of you who contributed to our fundraising campaign and who have been keeping us in prayer. Our goal was to raise $20,000 to match the $20,000 raised from the ReKnew leadership team, bringing us to a total of  $40,000. Well , thanks to the  generosity of people from all over the world, we raised over $66,000!!! We’re all blown away! This will allow us to complete the ReKnew web site, hire a ReKnew staff person and get an earlier-than-planned start on several of our ReKnew Projects. Thank you!! As ReKnew moves forward we will need people who share our vision of the magnificently beautiful God and his kingdom to help support us over the long haul, so please consider becoming a regular partner.

* It looks like the ReKnew site will be ready to go public by the end of March. It is turning out AWESOME by the way.

* I’m about four or five months away from completion of The Crucifixion of the Warrior God: A Cruciform Interpretation of the Old Testament’s Violent Portraits of God (IVP). If I can finish this by June it should be published Spring 2013. But there are a lot of variables, so please be patient. It’s encouraging that so many people have inquired about this book. This project has been an exciting journey. I’ve never written a book in which the thesis evolved so much during the research-writing process. This is NOT the book I set out to write three years ago! Paul Eddy (who has been critiquing drafts of this work as it’s evolved) said recently. “This is either revelation or madness.” I sometimes feel like I bounce between the two.

* Finally, I want to tell you about Kòt a Kòt (formerly Providence Ministries) and an upcoming gig/dance with my world famous band, Not Dead Yet! Kòt a Kòt is a ministry that has been close to my heart for the last 15 years. We have raised six beautiful girls who are now dreaming of their future after high school. Some of them will be attending college soon and others are considering trade school or even the possibility of continuing the work of raising at-risk girls like themselves. Providence Ministries recently changed their name to Kòt a Kòt, which is Haitian Creole for “side by side” in order to reflect the changes in the girls’ role from ministry recipients to partners with us as they are equipped to reach out to their communities. We hope many of you will join us at Woodland Hills Church on Friday, March 2nd from 7-11pm to raise funds for this amazing ministry. There’s a suggested donation of $5/person or $20/family. WHC will be selling refreshments and all ages are welcome. It’s gonna be a blast, and I hear the drummer will blow your mind!

Peace & ROCK & ROLL,

Greg

Late last year the board of Christus Victor Ministries (CVM) teamed up with some enthusiastic supporters to strategize how we might fulfill our vision more effectively.  The place to start, we agreed, would be a massive transformation of our website.  This new website would not only serve as the foundation to propel the vision of CVM, but also enable us to speak more powerfully and efficiently to a much larger audience.

We also agreed that, although “Christus Victor Ministries” means something to a Christian academic audience, it doesn’t resonate well with a larger audience.  (I’ve seriously been asked by people, “Who is this Victor guy?”) So in addition to making plans for a new website, we decided to rename CVM.  I’ll come back to that in a moment.

To give you some context as to where we are in the 12-year story of CVM, we feel strongly that our message is needed now more than ever.  The Good News of Jesus Christ continues to be crowded out by religion, politics, apathy, fundamentalism and theological determinism.  We remain passionately called to promote:

• the incomparable beauty of God as revealed in Jesus Christ

• the awesomeness of divine sovereignty that is not threatened by human freedom

• the intellectual integrity of a biblically informed faith, unafraid of hard questions, uncertainty, or thinking outside the box

•  the unique attractiveness of a humble, self-sacrificial Kingdom that has not been co-opted by worldly agendas.

To give you a brief sketch of our plans, we are launching a new website that will serve as a social hub and central repository of information, interaction, and inspiration for the many hungry searchers out there:

• thinkers with legitimate questions that modern Christianity is failing to answer

• believers increasingly uneasy with the inconsistencies in contemporary theology

• Jesus-followers alienated from a church that is overly focused on politics and power

• broken souls wondering where God is in the midst of their suffering.

In addition to being a repository of sermons, essays and research notes, we plan to eventually provide access to broader resources like rapid-response to current events, tours / conferences, even live-stream seminars and Q&A sessions. Also, in partnership with the growing number of other like-minded ministries who share our vision, we want to help fund writing and research projects that communicate our vision to both academic and lay audiences.

You see, I started this ministry because, at various times in my life I have fit into all four of the above mentioned searcher categories.  To one degree or another, I always struggled with my faith – even giving up on it completely at one point in my life.  I’ve also felt completely alienated from much of mainstream Christianity with its addiction to politics, power, and certainty.  And I know what it is to suffer while being handed shallow clichés like “God is in control,” “Everything happens for a reason,” and “It’s not for us to question why.”

In fact, these struggles are why I’ve dedicated my life to answering these problems head-on.  And if you have supported and/or followed this ministry, you no doubt share this dedication with me.

Yet, I’m reminded that Jesus himself asked his followers, “Who do you say that I am?”  He knew that as beautiful as his message was, it would not easily pierce the fog of human brokenness. In his day as well as our own, people wanted him to be a political savior, a nationalistic savior, a military savior and a religious savior.  Yet he was – and still is – so much bigger and better than that!

The goal of this ministry has always been to help people know God through Jesus. We want to help people see that, behind all the co-opted versions of God that humans use to control each other, there is an unfiltered Gospel of love, goodness, self-sacrifice, forgiveness, healing and hope that sets us free.

Our message is simple: “Welcome to Jesus – all over again.  Look again.  Think again.  Get to know him as if for the first time.  Renew your picture of God.”

And now I can finally give you a peek at our new name:

Hats off to my group of enthusiastic supporters for coming up with this!  I can’t wait to unleash this vision!

Now, as many of you know, I’m terrible at raising money.  Terrible.  Which is why, for the most part, I resist asking for it – which isn’t exactly smart when you’re trying to grow a non-profit ministry.  Despite my deficiency, however, I am thrilled to report that the above-mentioned enthusiastic supporters have offered a $20,000 match towards our effort to relaunch CVM as ReKnew! This has given our renewed vision a great jump-start, but we now need to raise a matching $20,000.  In addition, we are looking to raise support for the on-going operation and expansion of this vision. This is where you can play a huge part.

If this ministry has personally impacted you and you wish to see the message and vision of this ministry impact others, I’m asking you to prayerfully consider making a one time gift and/or to become a regular contributor. Our conviction is that with a little investment from our many like-minded supporters, we will together have a far greater impact for the Kingdom.

Will you consider partnering with us to achieve the goals of this ministry?  No gift is too small and (in case you were wondering) no gift is too big!  CVM is a registered non-profit ministry, so all donations are tax-deductible. We promise to make every penny count for the Kingdom.  Click here to join in our effort.I am truly grateful for your help.

Let’s work together to further the Kingdom and “ReKnew” people’s picture of God to look like Jesus!

Your friend and co-worker for the King,

Greg

My band, “Not Dead Yet” (NDY) will be playing at the Dugout in Mahtomedi THIS FRIDAY (Sept. 9) from 8:30 to 12:00!  Suggested donation at the door is $5.00 and all proceeds go to support young women in Haiti through Providence Ministries.  If you need any other reason to join us other than this great cause, come for my angry hollering part in Green Day’s hit “Holiday”(”Zieg Heil to the president gasman bombs away is your punishment pulverize the Eiffel towers…etc…”).  THAT alone is worth the price of admission donation, if I do say so myself.

If you’re in the Twin Cities, or even if you’re in France and have frequent flyer miles, THIS is where you ought to spend this Friday night.

Peace-

Greg

With Love-

Your CVM peeps

ANYWAY, this post is going to be a bit different from anything I’ve done before. I’m going to share an interview I did with my long-time friend Darrell Rohling regarding his soon-to-be-published novel, Ashes, Ashes. 
Here’s what I wrote as an endorsement of his book.

“Is it possible to find faith when one’s life has become a nightmarish hell? In the tradition of Dostoyevsky, Conrad and Koestler, Rohling’s gritty and compelling debut novel brings readers to that existential point where the line between faith and despair becomes razor thin and one is forced to choose out of the depths of one’s soul. Ashes, Ashes is that rare sort of novel that is at once spiritually disturbing and authentically hopeful. A must read!”

And here’s the interview.

G.B.  Thanks for doing this interview, Darrell. Probably the thing that most grabbed me about your novel was your gutsy depiction of your main character, Rev. Hamilton Ford.  This certainly isn’t one of those nice-and-tidy “faith triumphs over pain” stories.  Can you tell me what drove you, as a Christian, to write a story like Ashes, Ashes?

D. R.  It’s a privilege to do this interview with you, Greg. Many thanks. Well, I guess I was driven to write a story that put a “man of God” —a widely popular megachurch pastor, no less—through an unthinkable horror in order to see whether or not he could keep his faith and emerge on the other side of it. I honestly wasn’t sure when I began this novel that the Reverend’s faith would survive, probably because I’m not sure my own faith would survive what this guy went through.

G. B. What Ford endured was about as bad as anything life could dish out to someone. And I have to say your portrayal of Rev. Ford as a megachurch pastor hit a little close to home.

D. R.  Sorry about that! But there are similar stories found throughout the Bible, as I know you know. Most people are familiar with poor Job, but he’s hardly alone. In fact, many of the “heroes of faith” in Hebrews 11 got a pretty raw deal.

G.B. You’ve got that right! Floggings, starvation, stoning, sawed in two…not the “blessing” most of us would want. One of the things I appreciated the most about your novel was that you didn’t sugar coat anything. You faced the problem of evil head on. What inspired you to deal with this problem so graphically and in a narrative format?

D.R . Well, I’ve always been fascinated with the concept of narrative, with the mysterious power of human language and its transmission into the written form. It’s such a powerful medium. Think about it. This very second we are moving our tongues and mouths, pushing air from our lungs into our voice boxes and then putting little black symbols down on paper.  From a communicative process like this people are informed, encouraged, anguished, moved to faith or doubt, love or war. It’s powerful! It seems to me that, as people of faith, we have a massive responsibility with how we communicate! Novels can be more than entertainment: they can make a significant difference in how people think and live.

G.B  Preach it! So in Ashes, Ashes we have a “man of God” with a wonderful “blessed” life who suddenly finds himself in a virtual hell, right? And the question your novel raises so forcefully is basically — Can a person find faith while going through hell? Is there anything else you’d like to share about Ford’s journey as we bring this interview to a close?

D.R. Well, I think it’s worth noting that a central aspect of Ford’s journey revolves around his conception of God. His nightmarish experience turned his understanding of God on its head. The pastor begins to encounter God as an invading force that he suspects may be as malevolent as he is just. He feels haunted by God, and it drives him to the brink of insanity. But Hamilton Ford also experiences moments of hope, often from very unexpected sources.

G. B. And folks will just have to read Ashes Ashes for themselves to see how things turn out. I want to thank you, Darrell, for writing such an imaginative and provocative work. And thanks for sharing your thoughts today.

D. R.  Always my pleasure Greg. Thank you!

If any of you would like to get a signed copy of Ashes, Ashes, you can request a copy at djrohling@aol.com.

One last thing.  You’re all invited to hang a while with Darrell at a novel-launching & book-signing party on Saturday, June 4th, 7:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m, at Throwback’s Grille & Bar, 1690 Woodlane Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125.

Want to jump up and down to loud, pulsating, contemporary club music with raunchy lyrics that you can’t understand anyway?

What’s your problem? Seriously!

If you have class, however, and thus enjoy listening and dancing to some pretty decent renditions of rock classics from the 60’s (”Born to be Wild,” Steppenwolf ) to the 70’s (”Play That Funky Music ,” Wild Cherry ) to the 80’s (”Any Way You Want It,” Journey) to the 90’s (”Real World,” Matchbox Twenty) up to today (”Holiday,” Green Day), then have we got a party for you!  NDY (Not Dead Yet) will be playing at O’Gara’s in St. Paul Minnesota, this Friday from 8:00-12:00. The suggested donation is $15.00 or $25.00 for a couple and all proceeds go to support kids in Haiti (through Providence Ministries).


If you live in or around the Twin Cities, want to have a lot of fun and do something great for Haiti, invite your friends and come on out Friday night.

Hope to see ya!

PS. Here’s me doing a drum solo. Mad man progression. I sound better than I look. Really.






-Greg

Hearing this prayer makes me wonder how God feels about the Church right now. I honestly don’t think it requires much speculation. The Church has splintered into thousands of competing and sometimes angry factions. In some circles — and, unfortunately, they tend to be the most vocal and the most public — sisters and brothers who dare to color outside the lines are flippantly bid “farewell” and assigned the label “heretic” — or perhaps even consigned to hell. Though Jesus hoped the Church would be the proof that he’s for real, the Church today has become the best argument that he’s not! Instead of the means of getting people into the kingdom, the Church is the main obstacle keeping people out. Christians are known in the broader society for a lot of things, but their depth of love for one another — let alone for “sinners” and “enemies” — doesn’t make the list (see Kinnaman & Lyons, UnChristian). In this light, the beautiful vision of the Church that Jesus expressed in his prayer on the night he was betrayed — the vision of a Church that reflects the perfect love of the triune God — almost sounds comical.

So what should we do? Whatever else might be said, I honestly don’t believe we’ll even begin to move in the right direction until we resolve that loving one another (and everyone else) is a higher priority than proving, protecting and enforcing the rightness of our doctrines.

I’m almost certain someone just now had the thought — “Here we go again, compromising correct doctrine in the name of love.  More fluffy, post-modern, sentimental garbage!” Was I right?

The thing is, there’s absolutely nothing fluffy, post-modern or sentimental about placing love above doctrinal correctness, for this conviction permeates the NT! Truth be told, we shouldn’t even contrast “love” and “doctrinal correctness” in the first place. We should rather regard the command to love as the most foundational doctrine of the church and thus the most important doctrine to be correct on! Peter says, “Above all, love each other deeply, for love covers a multitude of sins” (and alleged “heresies”? I Pet. 4:8, cf. Col 3:14). If love is to be placed “above all,” then there simply can’t be any other command or doctrine or agenda that competes with it for the top position. It must stand on top alone. Paul makes the same point, but even more emphatically, when he tells us it doesn’t matter how right we are, how spiritually gifted we are, how intelligent or wise we are, or even how much faith and service we display: if these aren’t accompanied by love, they are  a noisy gong or clanging cymbal (I Cor 13:1-3). In other words:

Correct doctrine - love= worthless noise!

If we take this teaching seriously, it means that nothing – absolutely nothing! — matters if love isn’t present…which means that love is the most-important doctrine we can ever embrace…which means that our willingness to love is the most important criteria of orthodoxy…which means that, if ever it is appropriate to label anything “heresy,” it is the failure to love.

And now you have to wonder why millions of people have been tortured and murdered by Christians throughout history for espousing “heretical” views about baptism, communion, the church and a very long list of other doctrines, while not one person (so far as I know) has been officially  disciplined — let alone accused of “heresy” — for failing to adequately love (as when they tortured and murdered others in Jesus name, for example). We can have all the right doctrine in the world, but if we fail to love as  Christ loved us, we are all “heretics.”

And now I have to confess that I am guilty of “heresy.”  I am. I haven’t consistently loved everyone like Christ loved me.

I suspect I’m not alone.

Which maybe should make all of us hesitant to slap the label on anyone else. Whatever “heresy” they’re guilty of, its nothing compared to our own (see Mt 7:1-3).

Live in love (Eph 5:1)!

Blessings-

Greg

Displaying his signature genius, Jesus found a way to affirm the Torah in principle while undermining it in practice. “Let anyone who is without sin cast the first stone,” he said (vs. 7). In agreement with the Torah, Jesus affirmed that sinners like this woman deserve to be executed. Yet, he added, only a sinless person would be justified in carrying out this sentence. Since none of the woman’s accusers were sinless, they ended up dropping their stones and walking away.

Since all people are sinners, it seems to me that Jesus’ teaching in this episode applies not just to this particular accused sinner and to this group of sinful accusers, but to all accused sinners and to all sinful accusers. And if you think it through consistently, this entails that none of the Old Testament’s commands to carry out capital punishment should ever be acted on! Indeed, for followers of Jesus, it entails that no command to carry out capital punishment should ever be obeyed, regardless of where it is found or who it comes from.

The command itself may be just, but unless you are without sin, you’re not  justified putting it into practice.

Think about it, and have a blessed day!

gb

Greg

Question: If God always does the most that he can in every tragic situation, as you claim in Satan and the Problem of Evil,  how can you believe that prayer increases his influence, as you also claim?  It seems if you grant that prayer increases God’s influence, you have to deny God was previously doing the most he could do before people prayed.

Answer:  I don’t believe there’s any inconsistency believing that God always does the most God can do, on the one hand,  and believing that prayer sometimes changes God’s mind, on the other, if one believes, as I do, that God has bound himself to work within the variables the condition free will.   One of the most important of these variables, I believe, is prayer.  As I argue in Satan and the Problem of Evil,  because God wants a “bride” who co-rules with him on earth (Rev. 5:10), he has set up things such that, to some degree, his will shall not be done except when his bride aligns her will with his in prayer. Since he’s all good, God is always doing the most he can do to maximize the good and minimize the evil. But God’s involvement in the world is genuinely conditioned by the prayers of his people. When they prayer, God can do more than he was doing previously.  This isn’t about him gaining more power. It’s about God creating a world in which agents genuinely share power and responsibility with him.