In this week’s episode, Michael talks about the new school year and the season change into fall. He mentions his Amazon Wish List; I was the recipient of an ESV Study Bible back when those first came out. Michael “wished” for 8 or 10 of those and gifted them to ministry leaders and lay preachers he worked with at OBI. The bulk of this broadcast deals with the spiritual aspects of Christians and depression. Dr. Andrew Lester’s book “Coping with Anger” is discussed.
In this episode, Michael plugs The Theology Program from Reclaiming the Mind Ministries. If you are familiar with Credo House Ministries or the Parchment and Pen blog then you will recognize the name C. Michael Patton. He does all those things and more and is not hard to find online. Michael then responds to “Why all the Lutheran stuff?” The short answer has to do with getting the Gospel right. Then a segue into a discussion of The White Horse Inn which leads to the thrust of this podcast episode which is the post-evangelical experience. Is post-evangelicalism focused on individualism? Does post-evangelicalism work in a church based setting or will always look like one vs. the world?
Each podcast will mention a few brief items in the opening minutes then focus on a topic for the bulk of the session. In this episode Michael introduces some new (at the time) music, talks about his daughter moving back to Oneida to teach and discusses the difference between religion and the gospel based on Tim Keller. Then he gets into what to look for in a church if you are on the same post-evangelical journey that he was on. Michael Spencer adored worship, when done correctly, just not worship of the institutions.
Last week we speculated on the possibility of having two hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico at the same time. While that historic event did not occur, Hurricane Laura became one of the most powerful storms to ever make landfall in the United States. Laura was a strong category 4 hurricane, almost a cat 5. Katrina, for comparison, was only a 3. Pray for everyone that has been and continues to be affected by this storm. It will soon be time to put our differences aside and go be the body of Christ. So far the pandemic has not stopped people from being generous with their time and financial resources. That fact is at least encouraging. Continue reading
Michael Spencer was the original “Internet Monk” and he built a huge online community. It was not an audience made up of followers but a conversation that continues to this day. Chaplain Mike became the curator of the website/blog. He posts frequently but so a collective of individuals and as a matter of fact he wanted to promote this project and asked me to contribute a post which appeared yesterday on the Internet Monk website. Continue reading
Hostess Iced Latte is a real product btw, not a clever parody. They come in Ding Dongs, Twinkies, Honey Bun and sno balls flavors. Brought to you by 2020, the gift that keeps on giving.
Here are some other headlines, memes and true stories you may or may not have seen this week. Welcome to the Satur(day) Deja Vu. Continue reading
I met Michael Spencer in 2003, a few months before Teresa and I moved to Kentucky. I had the opportunity to sit in on his Bible class as part of our campus tour before committing to full time ministry at a private Christian boarding school. I was aware of his blog Internet Monk and looked at the Boar’s Head Tavern every now and then but I did not begin blogging myself until after the launch of Internet Monk Radio. Continue reading
In the post Because of Michael Spencer, I mentioned listening to some early InternetMonk Radio podcasts. A couple of fans expressed interest in those early episodes. I was mistaken about having the first 50, but do have podcasts numbering 48 – 81. Internetmonk.com only lists episodes back to #100. With a little technical assistance from one Cameron Nutter, I have added a page of vintage iMonk podcasts to The Master’s Table. Classic iMonk Radio is brought to you by special arrangement with Michael Spencer.
*Cameron Nutter is a brand new blogger, with his own post on Michael Spencer he would like you to read. He has a unique perspective of Mr. Spencer as his English and Bible teacher. He is brand new on WordPress, and a few visits/comments would do him some good. If you enjoy the podcasts, thank Cameron; he extracted the mp4 files from my iPod and uploaded them back onto the Internet.
The Master's Table 