Theological Musings

n the absence of any deeper posts (or time to write them), I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to some blogs that I read. Many of them have appeared in my sidebar for a long time, but I’ve never taken the time to draw attention to them. I’d like to do that now (in alphabetical order, so no significance to the order of the list)…

21st Century Reformation is one I have had on my list for a while. Brad Hightower writes some really good observations about church in America. I’ll let his description of his blog suffice here:

21st Century Reformation is dedicated to the task of making disciples and building morally beautiful community. I aim to help people learn to “do church” and live the Christian life in a winsome and authentic way that witnesses to the Kingdom in our lives. I speak from a historically reformed perspective but with an emphasis on very practical issues of discipleship and kingdom living.

A Company of Friends is my latest addition (just added it yesterday, I believe) to my blogroll. Tomas Perez is fellow pilgrim on the path toward simpler church. My wife introduced me to his blog, and I have found his posts refreshing and enlightening. As I commented on his blog today, I sometimes feel like he is reading my mind, and yet at the same time, he speaks words that convict me.

Adrian Warnock is one of the “biggies” in the Christian blogosphere. I really appreciate Adrian’s tone and spirit. He’s located in England, but seems to have a style that very easily crosses the Atlantic. Adrian is a self-described “Reformed Charismatic”, and although we would probably differ on some of the aspects of the “reformed” part, I find his balance with regard to the “charismatic” part very encouraging. More than anything, Adrian has influenced me from afar in his attitude toward blogging, disagreements, etc. Some of you comment on my graciousness here, and I have to honestly say that Adrian is one that I have seen that in and have tried to emulate.

The Assembling of the Church — many of you may have seen comments here from time to time by Alan Knox. Alan recently completed his masters degree at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and is exploring some of the same concepts in “church” that I am exploring. Alan’s another gentle voice in the blogosphere, and I benefit greatly from reading his posts. Frequently, Alan will blog about word studies, etc. related to church life, and he manages dialogue well on his blog.

Cerulean Sanctum is hands-down one of the most unique blog names I’ve ever encountered. If you’ve seen a commenter named “DLE” on here (not to be confused with “ded” who is a very frequent commenter here, but doesn’t have a blog of his own), that is Dan Edelen. Dan is a free-lance novelist who likes to discuss issues related to American Christianity. Even though there have been some issues that have left me scratching my head and wondering where Dan is coming from, I can honestly say that most of the time, I find Dan’s posts very thought-provoking and profound. He’s definitely worth reading.

Emerging Grace is also a fairly recent addition to my list. “Grace” (not her real name) touches on some of the more personal aspects of what happens when church becomes unhealthy. Even though Grace only recently started appearing on my blog links, I have been reading her for quite a few months, and find her blog very touching. Not even knowing her real name, I still feel like Grace is a wonderful sister in Christ, and I am blessed to know her in this context.

Grace for Life is the blog of another dear online friend, Terry Rayburn. I first “met” Terry on another blog where I was embroiled in a bit of a struggle with the author of that blog. Terry sent me some personal emails encouraging me, and his comments were definitely a Godsend. One of these days, I hope to get to Nashville to meet Terry and his wife. They are gracious people. And I love the tagline on Terry’s blog: “Slaying the dragon of legalism. Because grace didn’t end with salvation.”

Heavenly Heartburn – Of all the friends I’ve made in the blogosphere, I think Gordon Cloud has become the dearest. Gordon and I have had some really wonderful discussions, even though there are quite a few things we disagree on. Gordon is a dispensationalist, while I am right in my eschatology. Gordon is a cessationist, while I have the correct biblical view of spiritual gifts. Just kidding!! But seriously, Gordon writes some very insightful posts on his blog. And then, on occasion, he’ll host debates about such deep subjects as whether the glass is half-full or half-empty. Great guy, wonderful heart, make him a regular stop in your blog reading.

Observations and Opinions – Although I haven’t seen my friend Ray around here in a while, I still consider him a very good friend. Ray and I met when we were trying to have a discussion in the comment thread of a very busy blog, and I offered to continue the discussion over here. And quite a few wonderful discussions followed. Ray has a heart for ministry and a passion to see God’s kingdom expand. I love that! Ray also has brought some very interesting Jewish perspective to the table, including a great series where he blogged through the parts of the Tabernacle.

Ray’s X-Change is a blog I recently highlighted here. Raborn Johnson is a very dear friend offline as well as online. I first met Raborn because he works at a local bookstore which carries my piano CDs. We hit it off and began to talk more and more when I would stop by the store. Over time, our conversations got deeper and deeper, and we started meeting regularly for lunch. Soon, I introduced Raborn to the blogosphere, and he’s been blogging some great topics, too. Raborn (as well as commenter “ded”) and I (along with our families) fellowship together quite often, and that is where we try to live out a lot of these discussions about simple church and organic fellowship.

Subversive Influence is another pseudonymous blogger. In fact, I got introduced to “Brother Maynard” (Monty Python fans, anyone?) through the other pseudonym I already introduced (“Grace”). While I’m not sure I understand the significance of the blog title (it sounds like I’m being brainwashed or something when I read it!!), I really appreciate this Canadian brother’s spirit in writing about many different topics.

The Broken Messenger, the blog of Brad Huston, frequently challenges me. Brad and I come from very different theological perspectives (like others I have mentioned here), yet both understand the importance of sane, calm dialogue. Brad puts up with my dissenting comments with patience and kindness, even when we talk past each other. And that’s always something that I can appreciate in a good blog. You won’t be sorry if you check out this blog.

The Internet Monk is a name I wish I had thought of for a blog! Of course, Michael Spencer was using this moniker long before I knew what a blog was. Michael is a very unique individual in the blogosphere. Loved by some, hated by some (well, ok, so that’s not really that unique among bloggers), sometimes not the easiest to figure out, but when it all boils down, as I mentioned on this blog very recently, Michael is a brother whom I appreciate. And when the figurative grenades are being lobbed across the bow of my blog, I want Michael on my side!

The JollyBlogger is in the same category, in my opinion, as Adrian Warnock. David Wayne, who created his blog’s title from a C. S. Lewis quote that he adapted for the situation, is kind, gentle, not easily angered…in short, a demonstration of the fruit of the Spirit in blogging. Both he and Adrian are guys I look up to in the blogosphere because I want Christ to show through in my blogging like He does in theirs. And if you happen to like the TV show “Lost” (which I don’t because I’ve never even seen it, and don’t ever plan to!), David’s your man! Who else would try to liveblog a TV show?!

We Need…a Blog Hero! And what better way to round out this list than something completely different, completely off-the-wall, completely fun? Carl Schaad, who happens to also be a great designer (he recently did a fantastic redesign of my Worship Keys music website) works at AccuWeather up in State College, PA. His blog defies all explanations and categorical description because it’s just wacky and fun! And that’s why I love it.

Before I sign off, I would definitely like to also point you to my lovely wife’s blog. I like the fact that my wife is involved in the blogosphere, too. We read many of the same blogs, and she definitely helps me shape my thoughts and posts, too. While her blog is hosted on HomeschoolBlogger, she often writes about other subjects, too. I think you’ll find her posts encouraging and challenging. (And Christy, I love you so very, very much, darling!)

So, if you’ve got some time this weekend, check out some of these blogs. You may make some new friends, find some interesting reading, or have a good laugh.

Until next time,

steve

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 19th, 2006 at 11:19 pm and is filed under Blog News and Info, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.