Author Archive
"Church"? … unraveling the crisis
September 26th, 2009 by Dale Fincher
Continuing the theme of the previous post, I’ve appreciated several observations that I want to summarize. 1) Many Christians are discouraged with “church,” not just any “church,” but “church” in general, not only as irrelevant but unbiblical.2) Pastors and elders tend to blame the lazy and complaining people in the congregation for many of these [...]
Posted in christianity, church, emergent | Comments (0)
What Exactly is "Church"?
September 23rd, 2009 by Dale Fincher
We’ve all witnessed the onslaught of recent publishing. We’ve read the articles that speak to so many people leaving church. We’ve seen the books by people disillusioned with church. We’re heard the statistics decrying that most students won’t even attend church by the time they are out of college. Many leaders are fretting over the [...]
Posted in christianity, christians, church, emergent | Comments (0)
Beyond the Border: The Mystery of Mystery
September 20th, 2009 by Dale Fincher
When I began to take my faith serious in my late teens, few things made me feel more alone among God’s so-called people than when my Christian community discouraged me from testing and pressing into my faith. They would say, “Don’t think too much!” or in more disguised positive ways like, “You just have to [...]
Posted in christianity, christianity today, emergent, mystery | Comments (0)
When America was Humble
September 15th, 2009 by Dale Fincher
My cousin sent me this article today: High-Five Nation. The writer, David Brooks, reflects back on an earlier page in American culture–the day WW2 ended. Americans were sober, grateful, humble. I was encouraged to see a better time in American sentiment, when we didn’t think we were the best, when we just did what we [...]
Posted in humility, politics | Comments (0)
Thoughts on 9/11 – Are we free?
September 11th, 2009 by Dale Fincher
I was sitting in the kitchen of my soon-to-be fiance’s house in California… strangely enough I was living there, but that’s another story. (Eleven days later I would propose.) It was around 7am. At the kitchen table on September 11, 2001, I was eating cereal (maybe with some toast), when Jonalyn’s grandmother stepped in from [...]
Posted in freedom, sept 11 | Comments (0)
Is Apologetics Relevant? (+ free book!)
August 24th, 2009 by Dale Fincher
Some of you know Jonalyn and I contributed essays to Apologetics for a New Generation, edited by Sean McDowell. Sean wanted to give a justification for apologetics in a postmodern world as well as stave off detractors who think of apologetics as merely a one-dimensional answering machine. Today (Aug 25), Sean will be on ConversantLife.com [...]
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How Honest Are You? A reflection-review on Scott Peck’s _People of the Lie_
June 14th, 2009 by Dale Fincher
Going to a therapist takes great courage, says M. Scott Peck. He adds that exploring our souls through therapy is deeply human, a unique quality among creatures. But therapy fails to work for everyone; it only works for those who want to get better. Honesty is necessary for anyone serious with soul formation, Jesus changing [...]
Posted in evil, scott peck, sin, soul, truth | Comments (2)
A Very Serious Look at Reductive Science
April 16th, 2009 by Dale Fincher
Science is usually defined as the study of material things. Reductive science is the study of material things that add on the assumption that material things can explain everything else in the universe. Simple examples: our search for God is merely a problem with our parents; love is just a chemical in the brain; beauty [...]
Posted in love, naturalism, science | Comments (0)
Jesus as a Jew?
April 6th, 2009 by Dale Fincher
When you hear the name, “Jesus” what image comes into your mind? I’m not talking about the image you conjure up after you think what the right answer would be. I’m talking about the immediate image that floats on the screen of your mind. Let me know and let’s talk about it. Theological historian, Oskar [...]
Posted in jesus, jew | Comments (0)
Government Soul: Taxing Generosity – 3
March 5th, 2009 by Dale Fincher
The last two days, I’ve been discussing some of the tax hikes the Obama administration is planning, particularly those aimed at donations to non-profits (and I run a non-profit). What has concerned me most, however is the rhetoric that is geared to gain support from people unfamiliar with the real issues. This not only hurts [...]
Posted in government, soul, taxes | Comments (0)
