A Barista Named Chad
At Starbucks I work with Chad Mondragon who is the administrative pastor at Providence Community Church, in Lexington, KY. Chad is theologically solid and I enjoy talking theology with him. Chad has a ton of blogs/websites I have listed them below (in alphabetical order of course!) with a brief description of each. Seriously check these out.
Chad and Melody: This is Mondragon family site.
Providence Community Church: This is the church’s website, hence the name, and there is a lot of good stuff here. If you live near Lexington watch this site for updates as they just did a conference on a Biblical Theology of Creation, with two guest lecturers from the Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Virginia Beach.
Providence Community Church Blog: This is the church’s blog check here for sermon notes and other goodies.
South-Side Community Group: This is the blog for Providence Community’s south-side small group study. They are currently studying through Ephesians and there are some maps and other resources dealing with that on this blog
Biblical Counseling
This semester I have had the privilege of taking a biblical counseling class at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary taught by Stuart Scott and it has profoundly impacted my understanding of both pastoral and lay ministry within the church. Because of this I hope you will take the time to look at the Christian Counseling & Education Foundation and the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors. Both of these websites are loaded with free resources to help you do the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11-14).
Books
Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist’s Journey with the New Calvinists, by Collin Hansen, profiles the rise of Calvinism, or Reformed Theology, among young Christians. I am young, I am restless, and I am reformed so this looks to be a fantastic read. Tim Challies has reviewed the book and it is available here. Prior to its development into a full-length book the brief article “Young, Restless, Reformed: Calvinism is making a comeback―and shaking up the church” was published in Christianity Today.
Culture
Why Americans Never Vote for What They Really Want: This article by Der Spiegel addresses the tension that exists because American voters want to have their cake and eat it too. From the article, “The findings are clear: the desires of American citizens contradict their fundamental convictions.” Yesterday I had a conversation with Nick Cooper about celebrities who tout their concern for third-world countries when their weekly earnings could rival many of these countries GNP. Yes, American’s want the world to become a better place up to the point that it actually costs them something.
Ethnonationalism: With racial tensions in America, ethnic cleansing and genocide in Africa, and sectarian violence in the Middle East it is clear that these tensions profoundly affect us at the interpersonal, national, and global level. I am sure that many of us are aware of the interpersonal and national issues arising from this but what about the international effects of ethnic prejudice? Jerry Z. Muller examines ethnocentrism and ethnonationalism at the global level in his recent article US and Them: The Enduring Power of Ethnic Nationalism.
Evangelism and Biblical Theology of Work
Over at Provocations & Pantings there is a lengthy series of posts addressing a biblical theology of work. Because of our inherited sin nature we tend towards laziness and a work ethic that does not glorify God. The unbiblical dichotomy between ministry and secular vocation―like when an individual says, “At work I am an architect but I am really a minister of the gospel”―has devastated numerous individuals understanding of employment. From my observations I think this error characterizes evangelicalism at large and in all likelihood has affected your understanding of work as well. This is why I recommend that you take the time to read the following posts:
· The Cross Isn’t Sexy: A Dying Man’s Confession
· Putting in Time or Preaching the Truth: What’s More Valuable?
· Witnessing at Work: Sacred vs. Secular?
· Churches, Affirm the Importance of Work and Mission
· Note: As more posts are written in this series I will simply add them to this list so come back and check for updates.
Missio Dei 