Open Forum

Re: Globalization, economics, theology, and people in the church
I'm away for the July 4 weekend in colorado and will like to return to this
conversation when I get back to books and other files.
I have read Grace and Globalization and Max's suggestion to read it is a
good one. It does have a summary of the first three books in the series.
Max even suggests to readers who have read the first three books to skip

Re: Globalization, General Synod, Robinson, etc..
Rick,

Just returned from being out of the loop for a week and "Amen" your
welcome of Max and suggestions about globalization discussion here. It
converged with what I think was proposed at the General Synod--that
there be a Church-wide conversation on this subject. (Perhaps someone
who was at the Synod can report here what transpired in the discussion

Re: Globalization, economics, theology, and people in the church
Max,
I think this is an important topic and I'm hoping we can get the
discussion going again here. I will order the relevant books, and
maybe even review the newest one, since I have a long-standing
tradition of doing that going back to my days as a book reviewer for
the then excellent, and now diminished, Berkshire Eagle.

Re: Request of Vince!
address changes

PO Box 114
Spencerville OH 45887

rev...@gmail.com

Vince Lavieri

Re: Prepare Three Envelopes: A Parable about Pastoral Ministry
Tom,
Glad to see you in the meeting. It is good to have an ANTS person taking breaks in this group.
I like the story of the new efficiency manager of the local factory who was going around cutting cost by various methods.
The manager walked through one section of the office and he saw that a man was seated on a chair with his legs on another chair. He approached the secretary and asked what the man's name was. She told him that it was John Smith.

Re: Prepare Three Envelopes: A Parable about Pastoral Ministry
Rick,
Great story. I like the refection on the church that is all caught up in
procedure over substance. I heard the story of the three envelopes years
ago with a variation to it. The second envelope didn't say "reorganize."
It said "blame the denomination." There have been those times when many of

Osiander and Finney
Battle's translation of Calvin's  INSTITUTES Volume I
"Osiander laughs at those men who teach that 'to be justified' is a legal term; because we must actually be righteous. Also, he despises nothing more than that we are justified by free imputation."  (page 738)
I only know what Calvin (& Battles) write about Osiander but this dislike of imputation surely is something that later found its way into Finney, though Finney probably did not know it.

Re: Globalization, economics, theology, and people in the church
Jane
What? IBM 30 years, & still fulltime while working on a theology PhD! I guessed your age as 29! So you're 29 because I said so: take it as a compliment:
you have the eager mind of
a 29-year-old, or maybe
19, or maybe
9. Yes, 9 would be best for your God-given curiosity.
And thanks for putting on Open Forum two more Thinksheets. So much thread-competition right now: Robinson, globalization,.... But maybe we'll have some responses.

Re: Prepare Three Envelopes: A Parable about Pastoral Ministry
Both of these are hilarious...perhaps because they both hold more than a
little truth..Thanks so much for sharing!!
Wanda

Re: Prepare Three Envelopes: A Parable about Pastoral Ministry
I clicked on the link for the blog, but my server says the page is not
available. Can you give it to us as an attachment?
Janet
----- Original Message -----
To: <Confessing-Christ@googlegroup s.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 2:31 PM
------------------------------ ------------------------------ --------------------

Re: *Sum, ergo sentio, ergo loqui, ergo cogito* (I am, therefore I feel/speak/think): NOT *cogito, ergo sum* (Descartes)
Dear Al
You ask, "Why do you suppose that God gave people minds and the ability to think?" As your question is in response to my 6.30.09 to "Jane" (who was troubled that she could get everything I write on Our UCC Confessing Christ Open Forum), it's engaged, not innocent. But I'll treat it here as a (somewhat) innocent question.

Re: Prepare Three Envelopes: A Parable about Pastoral Ministry
Love the story! Reminds me, somehow, of another one my dad told:

Every day the pastor of a particular church left his study at exactly
11:00, walked a few blocks to the train station, and sat on a bench by
the tracks. The train passed, and when it had gone, the pastor stood
up and walked the few blocks back to his study.

Re: Prepare Three Envelopes: A Parable about Pastoral Ministry
Mike,
You may not need envelopes. Notice I never mentioned God, Jesus, the
Trinity, the Bible, preaching, the sacraments, creeds, doctrine, etc.
It's a funny shaggy dog story, but intended as parable to evoke the
modern congregation that is all procedure over substance.
Sadly, such congregations are all too common.

RE: Prepare Three Envelopes: A Parable about Pastoral Ministry
Rick,
Now THAT's funny! Thanks for sharing it.
Makes me wonder what envelope I should be opening these days as I enter my
tenth year here.
Mike Frost
Zion's Stone Church
West Penn Twp., Schuylkill Cty, PA
[link]
-----Original Message-----
[mailto:Confessing-Christ@goog legroups.com] On Behalf Of Richard Floyd

Prepare Three Envelopes: A Parable about Pastoral Ministry
Indulge me in shamelessly promoting my blog, but I think many of you
will get a kick out of this:
[link]
Rick
Richard Floyd
rfl...@berkshire.rr.com

   
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