2.28.2006

That looks familiar...

So I was trying to find Evergreen Community Church's new "web log" and the search string turned up this: http://www.evergreenlife.org/
They the "Evergreen Community," a "holistic, missional Christian community." Although if you look at their "our beliefs" they seem to be pretty on-course(note the lower case spelling of "catholic".

"I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. "

Interesting. If they weren't in Portland, it would make it a lot easier to switch churches and still keep my Evergreen branded denim shirts!

8 comments:

Chris Dugan said...

That's pretty interesting. The word "missional" is just a buzzword and doesn't scare me but any church that brands itself as being "holistic" can expect to not have Dugar in regular attendence. Jesus didn't die so that we could all eat lentils and whole grain breads.

The Colonel said...

but whole grain breads are so tasty... and good for you too

Anonymous said...

Ahh... But Jesus did die so that His Body could be concerned with whole people- their physical and emotional selves as well as their spiritual selves.
Holistic has less to do with lentils and whole grain breads (though you really should eat better, Chris. You are not nearly regular enough...) and more to do with seeking (from our website) 'to integrate Christian faith into all areas of life instead of separating life into "sacred" and "secular". The claims of Jesus intrude on, infuse and revolutionize every area of our lives. We want to see people deeply connected to God in all of life; body, mind, and soul. We also desire to make a difference for people, not just spiritually, but emotionally, physically, financially, educationally, etc...'

Anyway, missional is more than a buzzword, it's an orientation and an important one at that! Too many churches are all about themselves...
And thanks for the props on the doctrinal statement! You recognize it's the Apostles Creed, right? Hard to get more orthodox than that...

Peace!

The Colonel said...

wow, chew on that topher

Cox said...

If there is anything Brian McLaren has taught us, it's that words don't mean a thing. He taught us that by throwing all sorts of words that, up until he used them, had actual meaning and people understood what that meaning was. Now, any word that BMcL uses is suspect as to it's true meaning.

That, my Western-Pacific dwelling brother, is what Chris is on about. Thankfully,the contect and "phraseology" of the Apostle's Creed is such that it's pretty explicit.

Thanks so much for taking the time to comment on my blog!

Budget Cuts!

The Colonel said...

Purple Burglar Alarm!

Anonymous said...

ahhh... I see...

Don't believe the hype.

:)

Chris Dugan said...

Not that anyone is reading this anymore but I disagree with the assertion that our atonement in Christ redeems our flesh. It doesn't. Paul makes it clear that our flesh is going to constantly be at war with our souls so I absolutely reject the notion the two can be melded in any meaningful way. Our hearts and our souls are what matter most to God.

I agree that our new life it Christ should cause us to change things in our behaviour in any number of external areas be they moral behaviours or otherwise. I just don't think ceasing to sleep with our girlfriends and living a life of servitude towards others equates with eating dietary fiber supplements.