Reformed rapper moves back into the hood

Dai Hankey URLA couple of days ago, I met with a young Welsh church planter who has moved his family into a hilltop "council estate" (American translation: "government housing project") that needs a tangible, relational, relevant proclamation of the gospel in their needy community. This couple has actually purchased a home in the middle of the estate, indicating the seriousness of their commitment. He's originally from Pontypool, but the last couple of years has been spent in reaching young people in a similar—but more urban—situation in Cardiff, the capitol city of Wales.

We're exploring the possibilities of working together for the foreseeable future, as part of my involvement with the Waleswide church planting initiative. I don't know yet how things will work between the two of us—the ball's in his court right now—but it's just so encouraging to see God's hand at work in this way. My new friend is teaching a group of street kids how to rap (go HERE to listen and read the lyrics), and it's opened up Continue reading

A Gospel with an excluded middle

Image © Mike KocurekHere's a challenging word from Jonny Woodrow over at The Crowded House blog:

If the gospel is about the past and the future then church simply needs to be a gathering outside of life that gets you to look backwards to the cross and what it achieved and forwards to future glory. It becomes a moment in the week where we leave life in the town and go up to the hills to look behind us and out in front of us. Sometimes we’ll invite our non Christian friends up to the hill to see the Continue reading

Are you a heretic?

Lollard's Pit © Leo ReynoldsThere's been a lot of activity in the comments section under my post regarding Brian McLaren. The word "heretic" has been thrown around quite liberally by someone who believes he is justified in doing so. In light of that, I've been thinking about what is essential and what is non-essential. If I'm a Calvinist (which I am) and you're an Arminian, am I justified in calling you a heretic? If I believe in a literal six-day, twenty-four-hours per day, view of creation (which I do) and you are a theistic evolutionist, can I shout "heretic!" from the rooftops, the newspapers, and my blog? Continue reading