The Lion King: A Wolf

by The RevNo Comments
In my previous post I suggested a method for evaluating culture. We are going to begin with an evaluation of the beloved Disney film, The Lion King . EvaluationThe first question is, “What does this communicate about God?” The Lion King communicates very little about God. Actually, there is no sense of the divine. New Age philosophy is rampant where the created order is governed by the “circle of life”. As beings pass from life to death they become disembodied spirits and act as overseers. There is a mystical Ape shaman who provides insight for Simba throughout his adventure. The second question is, “What does this communicate about man?” The Lion King communicates much about man. It presents a picture of humanity as having little meaning or purpose. The main characters go through life seeking to find their actualized potential. This is done through their good deeds or works. But, there is no overarching purpose, for at the end of the day they...
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Calvinist, Baptist, Reformed…huh?

by The RevNo Comments
If you don’t live under a rock then you know that Rob Bell is coming out with a new book. This book is already causing a great stir among many in the theological realm. John Piper, Justin Taylor, and the like are all commenting on a book they have not yet read. David Fitch and others are using this as an opportunity to slam the “Neo-Reformed” “movement”.I will not write anything about Bell’s new book until I read it.I will write this: Calvinist does not equal Reformed.The “neo-Reformed” “movement” is a label that has been given to people who are Calvinist and young and Baptist. By definition, you cannot then label them Reformed.Why?Because, Reformed theology is Covenantal theology which is not held by Baptists. They do not hold to a unified understanding of the Bible (while some may give lip service to this, their praxis denies it). Covenantal theology necessarily requires one to come to a position of paedo-baptism in...
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The Questions Are…

by The RevNo Comments
Movies, music, TV, books, are all meant for our entertainment. Or are they? I would argue that while they may be entertaining, their primary purpose is to communicate. These are all means by which we as people communicate the stories of our lives.When you sit down to read a book, listen to an album, watch a TV show, or watch a movie you are peering into the heart and soul of another person. You are hearing from them what they most deeply believe about life and truth. We as followers of Jesus must engage with this cultural activity critically.We are a free people. We are also a called out and holy people.Jesus sent us into the world to be as innocent as doves and as wise as serpents (Matthew 10:16). Sadly most followers of Jesus pick one or the other. We need to be both. To be both means that we must learn to think and engage the world critically....
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Give Me a New Law!

by The RevNo Comments
Derek Webb sings, don’t teach me about politics and governmentjust tell me who to vote for don’t teach me about truth and beautyjust label my musicdon’t teach me how to live like a free manjust give me a new law (from “A New Law”) This tends to be how the average Christian implicitly lives. Not many of us would say it aloud but we live this way. If it’s a “Christian” band then it’s good. If it’s rated “G” then it’s good. If it’s rated “R” then it’s bad. If it’s “secular” then it’s bad. We have created a new law to replace the one that Jesus freed us from. We have done so because we don’t want to learn “how to live like a free man”. To be sure this is not a recent development. Paul was dealing with it in the first generation of Christians. In Galatians 5 he writes, For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not...
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Are you…Radical?

by The RevNo Comments
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=danielmroseco-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=1596449381I just finished reading David Platt’s Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream. It’s a good read and really challenging. David successfully puts the ideas and concepts of books like Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat’s Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire into terms that the average 40+ person can understand. His metaphors are great. His passion is obvious. I think for the most part his exegesis is solid too. Nothing really stood out as problematic. I really appreciated the clarion call throughout the text to abandon all and follow Jesus. For this alone the book was worth the price of admission. The place where I think the book really wins is the emphasis on discipleship. I am reminded again that Robert Coleman nearly 50 years ago really did know what he was talking about with The Master Plan of Evangelism . I hope that we who have read this book will take the Biblical command to multiply our lives through discipleship seriously. It is...
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Why Dad?

by The RevNo Comments
On our way home from school I decided to break the news to Ethan. He had only one question, “Why Dad?”Listening to all the talk about Miguel Cabrera and thinking about my own family’s history with alcohol and drug abuse, I am realizing that all of us are asking the same question. We feel a lot like this:[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQveng3Wxz8?rel=0]You know what though? We don’t want to hear the answer. Why would a man who has a great wife sleep around? Why would a person with a family who loved him turn to drink? Why would a kid with everything in front of her slice up her arms? Why does a kid with a great future waste it away sitting on a couch getting high?We are constantly left with the question, “Why Dad?”The answer, while simple, is profound. The answer, while simple, sounds weak coming off the tongue. The answer, while simple, is not what we want to admit to. The answer...
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Dear Miguel

by The RevNo Comments
Dear Miguel,I don’t know you. I have not ever met you. I have watched you play baseball every summer since your arrival in Detroit a few years ago. You may be the best baseball player I have ever seen. Every night before I go to bed I see your life sized poster hanging on Ethan’s, my nine year old son, bedroom door. You are his favorite player. He’s never met you either. Ethan and I cheer for you. We feel like we know you because you are in our home nearly every night from April through September (hopefully October too). Ethan wants to be a baseball player when he grows up and you are one of his heroes.Today as I drove into work I heard on the radio about your DUI. My heart broke and my eyes filled with tears. I thought this is stupid, I don’t even know him. My heart is broken because I know that Ethan when he watches Sportscenter...
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Your GPS is Broken

by The RevNo Comments
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=danielmroseco-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=0470486724Missional Map-Making: Skills for Leading in Times of Transition is one of those books that jumped out at me as one that I needed to read. First, it was penned by Alan J. Roxburgh who has been a key player in the missional movement for a very long time. Second, the title alone highlights the fact that Roxburgh is not just talking recipes but is seeking to dive deeper into the heart of what is happening in the church today.The text is broken out into two parts. The first is entitled, “When Maps No Longer Work”. In this first part Roxburgh makes a cogent argument that the world is not changing but has changed. The shift has occurred and our culture has moved from the “enlightenment/modern” understanding of the world to the “post-modern”. This means that our entire way of understanding the cultural terrain is broken. Roxburgh uses maps as his key metaphor. He argues that each of us have internal...
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Create. Creation. Creative.

by The RevNo Comments
Creation: the act of producing or causing to exist; the act of creating; engendering. We are all little creators. We are designed to create. Some of us may do this ways we would call “creative”; poets, artists, authors, or painters. Regardless of how creative you feel, you as a person created in the image of God, are to create. This is what it means when the Scriptures talk about the “subduing” and having “dominion” over the creation. We are to leave the world better than when we found it. We are to build, shape, mold, and design. This is what it means to be human. This is the distinctive difference between us and the animal kingdom (and opposable thumbs). To be human is to create. To be Christian should mean to create at the highest level. Sadly the creatives among us are largely ignored or cast out. A friend says that we plucked out the eye of the church (although we like musicians because...
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I “Liked” it = I “Did” it, Really?

by The RevNo Comments
We live in a unique time in the history of the world. If you don’t believe me check out this video:[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8]Did I mention that video is a year or so out of date? Regardless. The reality is that the world is a very different than it was just a decade ago. We live in a time where our world is more interconnected than ever through mediums such as Facebook, Twitter, and Wordpress. We are able to express our thoughts and ideas to the globe in a keystroke. This is for the most part, in my opinion, a very good thing. It’s good because for those of who are seeking to make change we are able to express our ideas to the world at large in a way that is fast, nimble, and easily accessible. There is a darkside. A very darkside. One that I think is something we must begin to unravel or it could become so epidemic that change will be...
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