Calvin & Hops: March 2020

Thursday, March 5, 2020

The Great Divide

Image result for the great schism

"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

- 1 Corinthians 1:10

Thursday, 25 June 2020 from 1800-2000(ish)

Casa de Hadding

With Protestantism several thousand denominations strong, not to mention the several hundred various Catholic rites and a myriad of "Independents" (Mormons, JW, Scientology, etc.), Christianity would seem to be quite divided today; just a drive down Highway 90 is quite the study in differences of spiritual opinion. Moving in the other direction is a hyper-ecumenicalism as seen by advocates like Pope Francis denying hell for non-believers (Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc.). So where does that put us?

Questions:

What did Paul mean in John 17:21 and Ephesians 4:3 when speaking of "unity" and "being one?"
How do we determine what churches/denominations/faiths constitute the "bride of Christ?"
What are legitimate reasons to split/cease fellowship over?
What are legitimate reasons to come together over?
Are there issues that larger schisms can be overcome (i.e. abortion, borders, homosexuality, etc.)? Does that single-issue unity create more problems than it portends to solve? Can we join hands with those outside of the Christian faith over single issues?
How do we live out ecumenicalism in our daily lives yet maintain the necessary distinctives of our faith?

Listen:

False Unity, No Bueno (Fight Laugh Feast Network, AD Robles)

Readings:

A Warning Against Division in the Church (Ligonier Ministries, R.C. Sproul)
Is Ecumenism Biblical? (Got Questions)
My Sunny, Ecumenical Side (Blog & Mablog, Doug Wilson)
Ecumenical Incorrectness (First Things, Mats Wahlberg)

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Why we're here

The Philosophy Behind C&H,

One of my all-time favorite quotations comes from John Wayne. “Life is tough…it’s tougher if you’re stupid.” Though not necessarily related to stupidity, there exists a common failure on the part of Christian men to humbly sharpen their reasoning skills and learn from one another. We, like much of the heathen world around us, fall into the trap of failing to ever challenge one another’s thinking either because of personal cowardice or for unreasonable fear of causing offense. While I do not advocate offense for its own sake, I do advocate the sharpening of one another in the bond of true Christian love, toward the end of excellence in spiritual warfare with the forces of darkness around us. Let us help each other “take every thought captive to Christ!”

Calvin and Hops is a monthly (generally) meeting of men from a variety of Christian churches in the Bossier City/Shreveport area in an informal setting to discuss a topic of general interest. Our primary objective is to grow in knowledge and wisdom and the ability to reason, for the sake of the gospel. Christ is Lord of all, and we need to be able to communicate that to others. This is true whether we are discussing Biblical canon or homosexual "marriage". But, I ask you, which is the more likely subject in your workplace? Which is the more likely "hook"with the unbelievers around you that you can use to lead them to the fear and wisdom of the Holy One?

I will establish the topic of the evening as indicated on this blog. However, the topic of the evening may be trumped by another “hot” topic if it seems appropriate. Please use information posted on this blog to prepare for meaningful discussion. Also, I’m always soliciting for topics of interest; just contact me using the blog contact form, email, text, phone call, carrier pigeon, or just telling me at church/work/other.

Please mark your calendars and feel free to pass this on to other men you think will be interested. If they want to be on the mailing list, they’ll need to send me an email address and a name.

In Him,

RTR

P.S. This is a men-only meeting, as we need to be free to discuss things as men, the way men do. However, for those of you with young sons, I highly encourage you to consider bringing them, as long as you deem it appropriate given their age and maturity level; we would also change the venue if this is an issue. I think that our sons can learn much from the accumulated wisdom of older men, teaching them to follow (and think about) Christ effectively).

How We Work

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT:

1. Don't bring it weak; participate, don't merely spectate

2) Have a thick skin

3) No personal attacks (ad hominem), either given or received

4) No sidebars...it's just plain rude.

5) No texting/phone use (unless you have young children/family that must reach you)

6) Define & clarify your terms - ambiguity serves both the speaker and listener poorly

7) Never, ever, walk out the door offended or offensive - keep short accounts and our spears aimed at the common enemy rather than each other

8) Always think about how this applies to you, your family, church, neighborhood, city, region, state, country, and world (roughly in that order)...change starts in the heart/head and works outwards.