What do you do on the web?

[Guest]

And, frankly, the internet provides almost all of my "fellowship." I recently met some new Christian people and have gone to their church some. Yet I find it hard to get locked into a church because I just, well, I know so much theology; I just get bored easily in church (and seldom hear a preacher I agree with on details, and always think "I could do better than that" ... maybe this is pride?)...

Have you ever tried a church which practises "body ministry", that is, where every disciple is considered to be a minister, and the meeting is open to the disciples to minister as the Spirit of God inspires them?

It's hard to get "bored" in a church of that kind.

By the way, it's a good thing you don't agree with preachers on details.
Wouldn't church be REALLY boring, if everyone thought and believed exactly alike about everything? What could the ministering person(s) talk about?

[Guest]

Have you ever tried a church which practises "body ministry", that is, where every disciple is considered to be a minister, and the meeting is open to the disciples to minister as the Spirit of God inspires them?

This is bascially what my church does, although I didn't know there was a name for it, and we haven't ever really discussed being "ministers".

I attend a house church. We worship (ususally w/acoustic guitar), pray and read scriptures as the Spirit leads, study through books of the bible verse by verse, and have communion. Of yeah, and we eat!

The men take turns leading the discussion week by week. We just read a chapter, and then discuss it, debate if we disagree about something, and try to hear the Holy Spirit. We did Genesis, and it took a whole year! There is a good deal of diversity among our different opinions, though we share a good bit in common.

I have learned more there, than I could ever hope to learn from a weekly topical sermon (plus that usually pretty boring to me). I get most of my "teaching" from guys like Steve G.

As far as what I do on the net.

I spend most of my time here.

I read James White's blog most everyday.

Sometimes I post on a forum at CRTA, but I think they are ignoring me now, because I attend a house church (they seem to think I hate authority), and don't partake of the "sacraments" properly.

I usually check Greg Boyd's Blog, to see if he has put anything up.

I am probably on the internet an hour and a half a day. Sometimes more, if I am really into some topic on this forum. I try to put some thought into my posts, so somtimes that takes more time.

God bless!

[Guest]

I don't debate atheists online or in person.

My goal in doing it (which I stated up front to them) was not to attempt to convert them, but to challenge their misconceptions about Christianity. In most cases what they were "raving" against wasn't really God or Jesus but narrow, fundamentalist forms of Christianity which they had either been brought up in or exposed to. Some of the dialogs were actually quite cordial, but the incessant static of the less mature participants became tiring.
Examples (not for those with delicate sensibilities):
http://ravingatheist.com/qotd/2005/10/historicity.php
http://ravingatheist.com/archives/2005/ ... harity.php

[Guest]

I currently hold two jobs (billing auditor and film writer/editor) and both afford me ample leisure time with which to surf the web. I don't like using the internet at home because my books are at home and I find reading them more enjoyable. When it comes to relationships and fellowship, I need to get that "in person." The internet is really a poor substitute for that. Though I have many disagreements with the institutional church I attend, they still allow me to teach my "heresies" with their full endorsment which is a rare and attractive quality.

While I admit to being a "youtube" surfer, most of my time is spent downloading lectures from my favorite teachers. I stumbled onto Steve and this site through hearing him on Hank H.'s program a couple years back. I was a pre-trib dispensationalist (though I didn't know the term) before Hank purged that out of me. I later became turned off to that program when I got the feeling that Hank (who has an exceptional memory) was simply quoting himself with each answer. It got to the point where I knew what Hank was going to tell the caller (in his exact words) before the question was finished. Steve is more "off the cuff" and doesn't use pat answers, which I find liberating.

I also enjoy listening to Greg Boyd, even though I sometimes disagree with him on theological matters. The man is flat out the funniest pastor I've ever heard, usually due to his brutal honesty in dealing with religious issues. He definitely doesn't shy away from slapping the stereotype out of annoyingly fundie Christians. His stance on politics is also refreshingly different and quite similar to Steve Gregg's stance.

[Guest]

Michelle, Hiya,

I truly don't know how I started getting their emails, but I probably clicked on something or other. I would have appreciated their emails more if they were more substantial and gave me something to think about during the day. They were very light-weight, general feel-good messages. I haven't explored around the Beliefnet website, yet. Maybe I will soon.

Oic...Well, all I can say is you'll have to really surf to find the good threads. They're there tho. And you may have folks from virtually any worldview posting....(be prepared), lol

Actually I don't like talking on the phone very much, either. I DO like to talk, however. Maybe I'm just better when I can read the body language and facial expressions of the person I'm conversing with. I'm not really sure.

I LOVE to sit and talk theology with one neighbor I have. He's a self-taught theologian (no Bible college but you'd think he has a degree)! But between his 2 kids running back & forth (and his wife doing her best to keep them under control, bless her heart), the baby teething, cell phones going off, the tv blaring and so on...we don't get very far. So, I just come back to my lonely bachelor pad and get online for some serious theology!

"Knowing a lot of theology is a difficult thing to be humble about"...[and you replied]...."and yet so many are able to manage it"...

To me the hardest part is finding what the actual issues are. Then we have something to go by. People can manage to look at, discuss, and/or debate "you name it." I don't know...the word "relevance" pops to mind.

[quote="Re: fellowshipping with "heretics" you"]So do you mean that you find it possible to fellowship with people you consider heretics? Or do you mean that you need to keep looking for others with the same heretical ideas you have? That's what I meant...that there always seems to be more than one person who holds to any particular heresy. By the way, I watched the PBS program last night about translating the Bible into English. The program was interesting. Those men were considered heretics in their time, and there were a lot of them.[/quote]

Yes, good PBS program!

I couldn't, in a clear conscience, contribute financially to a church that teaches dispensationalism. Nor would I feel all that comfortable about inviting any (believing or non-believing) friends to it.

The only people I know who "have" my same (or similar) "heretical views" are far away in seminaries! Larry Hurtado, Margaret Barker, and Alan Segal (who is Jewish) are some of them. Hurtado isn't considered heretical (in terms of "orthodoxy") that I know of. However, some of the more fundamentalistic evangelicals see him as at least "liberal" in areas relating to inerrancy; which, to them, might qualify him as a heretic in their view. Hurtado is quite strong in his refutations of the Jesus Seminar (prolly the best ever!) and spoke at ETS (Evangelical Theological Society) last Novemebr. Margaret Barker is probably a few more notches to the theological-left than I as she fully accepts "The JEDP Theory" (of OT redaction or editing). I'm undecided on that. Her view of Ancient Judaism being polytheistic: I basically accept (but please don't tell anyone)! Alan Segal, while not being a Christian, is a leading NT Era and Early Christianity expert. He was on one or two of Peter Jennings' last "Christianity" specials on ABC.

Have a Nice Day, Michelle.

[Guest]

Paidion & Derek at the same time,

Have you ever tried a church which practises "body ministry", that is, where every disciple is considered to be a minister, and the meeting is open to the disciples to minister as the Spirit of God inspires them?

It's hard to get "bored" in a church of that kind.

By the way, it's a good thing you don't agree with preachers on details.
Wouldn't church be REALLY boring, if everyone thought and believed exactly alike about everything? What could the ministering person(s) talk about?

And how can you know if you agree with them if you don't hear them? lol

I was around during The Jesus & Charismatic Movement in the late 70's. You didn't have to "try" to participate...it was just a great moving of the Spirit of God! Back then, the spiritual gifts "just happened" & everyone was in ot it....I don't know how to else to describe it!

I know one pastor in my town is kind of like Steve Gregg: he welcomes disagreement if you have a Scripture for it. But I don't know if this is done in services or in private (only). I heard him teach that "Lucifer is the devil" once but didn't say anything as I was just visiting a Bible Study....

What Derek was saying too:
I have one friend who I don't know very well who is a member of an association of House Churches. He's invited me to come to his place. I'd take one of my guitars as I need to learn worship stuff. Anyway, I hear you get some chow after the service part...I may go just for the food! Wait -- didn't Paul say something about that in 1 Cor? Oh yeah: I should be okay as long as I don't go early and eat everything up!

P.S., Everybody:
Wow, I been on the internet for 6.5 hours! Maybe I should get some breakfast...it's only 5:30pm here, lol.............BBL

[Guest]

Paidion, I hope you are feeling well after your surgery. I know many
on this forum prayed for you.

If I could find a church/fellowship group such as you described,
I would attend. In the area where I live alot of the non-denominational
churches are "seeker friendly" to the max! I really dont care to attend
a church such as methodist, presb, luthern...I have tried to find a bible
study but most didn't bring a bible just a book someone else wrote...
Sad, but true.

I enjoyed reading your posts Rick and all the one's that responded...

Rick, are you a shut-in? You mentioned you do not get out very much.

[Guest]

MLH,

I enjoyed reading your posts Rick and all the one's that responded...

Rick, are you a shut-in? You mentioned you do not get out very much.

lol, I'm not really a shut-in...just don't have much money to do stuff.
Thanks for asking though. Btw, I wasn't on the web all day yesterday (which is sort of new for me)

Mort,

I hear what yer doin with those atheist folks: edumacatin em. Okay, cool, good4u

Allyn,

You were the first person on the thread to admit yer An Internet Addict.
And, as someone who's been through rehab & in AA......
They say, "Honesty is the first step in recovery!"
WTG Allyn!!!!

"Hi, my name's Rick and I'm a Web-O-Holic"...'cept I'm gonna go watch TV now.