Emergent Tulsa Cohort

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

God sends shocking message to Emergent

No words. Except this guy is an ass.

Here's the
link.


Do I need to learn to love my enemies and be gracious. What's the appropriate response?

posted by mark at 10:47 AM

7 Comments:

  • I was horrifed by that article, yet it caused me to look at my own issues and offer this prayer.

    Lord Jesus Christ, in Your great mercy You prayed for the forgiveness of those who crucified You, and You taught us to love our adversaries, and to pray for those who persecute us. Lord, I pray that You teach me to forgive those who treat me unjustly and speak out against me, and that You bless them and guide them according to Your will. Take away any bitterness I may have in my heart against them. Lord, may Your forgiveness, goodness and love be revealed in all of us,and in Your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before You;
    through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

    By Blogger Monk-in-Training, at 11:24 AM  

  • You know what was always unsettling to me... is that just as monk-in-training prays those words to God, Paul Proctor (the man that wrote that heartless article) is probaly praying the same prayer, asking God to help him to forgive "his adversaries". (perhaps people just like monk-in-training)That thought is so frustrating to me.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:14 PM  

  • i sort of even don't know what to say, but it's very sad and quite disturbing to me. he said not to grieve for Kyle Lake but rather to grieve for all those who were being led astray. where's the love? I just don't get it! i pray that by His Spirit, Christ would continue to teach me to love even more genuinely and deeply, particularly my adversaries.

    By Blogger janiners, at 4:18 PM  

  • I guess I have farther to go than most. I think the guy's an idiot. First, he makes Kyle Lake guilty by association (it's doubtful that Proctor has anything to base his evaluation of Lake's ministry other than this one final sermon that was preached). Thus, all of the things Proctor doesn't like about Emergent he transfers to Kyle.

    Then he equates Kyle's ministry with liars, the sexually immoral and vessels of the devil.

    Proctor's a sad, sad idiot.

    Now, let those of you more gracious than I resume (and thanks, sincerely, for your words of grace. I wish I could find a way to express them, too, but I'm having a hard time doing so).

    By Blogger Paul, at 10:06 PM  

  • Paul,
    I definitely connect with what you are saying about how cruelly Procter has treated Kyle and his family and community. That being said, when examples of such bigotry and vitriol are exposed like this, I struggle to see Christ in that other person's wounded-ness. It is simply how I understand the Gospel, as imperfectly as I do.

    By Blogger Monk-in-Training, at 6:15 AM  

  • John, very glad to see you here!

    Everyone else, John Frye's blog should be required reading! Check it out, and then keep going back. You'll be glad you did!

    By Blogger Paul, at 8:48 AM  

  • Alright,
    I know that Doctor Proctor is an allusion to being anal but this guy goes far beyond the acceptable area of criticism. If he were to take the biblical situation in context along with the current cultural situation in context he may arrive at a different conclusion. The only problem with this guy is that he is too traditional to see the relevance of the gospel or its intended purpose. I have also been waylayed by an angry old lady after a sermon in which I used less than reverent language to pursue the existential equivalent of the situation to which the same traditionalists have also demanded I not spike my hair or have a beard as a minister. Having said all this it is quite obvious that Doctor Proctor suffers from a pharisaical wit that does not allow for the relationship he should be having with God to give precedence to his own presuppositions about the biblical truth's application to our culture. Perhaps recalling a situation in which Paul spoke to the Athenians in the book of Acts on a sacred pagan site may help us to see the relevance of the late pastor's sermon style and wording. Or may we too soon forget that to these people their philospohy of life did not allow for God to stoop so low as become one with what they saw as the epitomy of evil, flesh. May we not continue a simplistic and dogmatic religion out of habit but rather revel in the mystery of faith.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:59 PM  

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