Eugene Cho

Tuesday, February 10, 2009 • 6:38 pm 7

video interview with scot mcknight

One of my goals this year is to read 23 books and many of you shared some of the books you’re hoping to read this year in an earlier post.  I had the cool privilege of running into Scot McKnight recently – author of Jesus Creed and The Blue Parakeet [which is on my list].  He also happens to be one of my favorite bloggers although I suspect he may be taking steroids.  How else can he produce so many posts for his blog?  Random test, I say.  

But stupidity got the best of me Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: bible, christianity, church, emerging church, ministry, pastors, ,

Saturday, January 17, 2009 • 2:20 am 18

blind versus discerning submission

photo by cbc.ca

I received this comment last week regarding my supposed slandering of soon to be former President George W. Bush.  The funny thing was I was trying to defend him in that post about an Iraqi journalist throwing a shoe at him.  Okay, I know he’s not the greatest president and many can’t wait to see him out of office but we should give him some props.  Why?  His work and advocacy for Africa was signifcant and secondly, the reality of extremist terrorists is legit and he navigated the country through uncharted territories especially through post 9/11.  But I still don’t support the war in Iraq.

Anyway, read the comment below.  Good thoughts for rumination by the commenter who I don’t know.  I appreciate the respectful tone in which he communicated his concerns.  But honestly, I get very concerned about Christians quoting Scriptures instructing people to “respect our governing authorities and fall in submission to them.”  

Really?  Yes, let’s respect our leaders.  I agree that it’s important but please don’t blindly submit to your leaders.  Please don’t tell this Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: bible, christianity, church, justice, , ,

Thursday, January 8, 2009 • 1:10 am 58

there’s probably no god

Have you seen this picture [and article] of a London bus with the the following advertisement/banner posted to its side:

There’s Probably No God.  Now Stop Worrying and Enjoy Your Life.

They were placed on 800 buses and in the next few weeks, another 1000 advertisements will be placed in the subways systems in and around London.

Question: What do you think ?

photo from International Herald Tribune

Most Christians push back and get all riled up.  For starters, don’t even mention the word ‘persecution.’  This isn’t persecution.  Personally, I think this is good for three reasons:

1.  Christians shouldn’t feel entitled to anything. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: bible, christianity, faith, religion, , , , ,

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 • 1:24 am 23

I desperately need good news

communion

[photos by HageCreative]

Yesterday was a really sucky day.  A tough day for some reasons I won’t share here but I can share one thing.  I woke up to a phone call very early morning that our non-profit Q Cafe was broken into at some point in the middle of the night.  Whoever – broke in, made a little mess, broke into several office rooms, snagged a laptop, and took the cash from the cafe and live music venue.  We’ll get over the loss and damage but it just sucks bigtime to have someone rob your place. 

But in the scope of the bigger world, it’s nothing.  Even before the news of the break-in, I’ve been recently overwhelmed by heavy news: Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: bible, christianity, church, quest church, seattle

Thursday, June 28, 2007 • 5:03 pm 338

…the gay conversation

It’s been a busy and crazy day today. We’re rearranging our staff offices; I’m dealing with chicken pox at the home, dealing with a rock being thrown into our church office window [luckily, no one was in there because the pastor sitting there was home because of an ailment], getting ready to head out tomorrow to Sabbath for couple days, and blah blah blah. And it’s probably about to get a little crazier…

Last night, I finally had a chance to respond to an email I received from Dan Savage, the editor of The Stranger - wittingly described by a friend as “the alternative paper to Seattle’s alternative newspaper [Seattle Weekly].  As readers of this blog know, he authored what I thought to be a witty review of Quest Church in the paper’s last edition.  I was surprised that he posted my personal email and his response on The Stranger blog for the rest of the world to see.  Oh well.  My hope is not to engage in battle.  That is the farthest thing from my heart.  Most that know me will attest to this…  While many have assumptions that Christians are hate filled, bigoted and ignorant, it’s my hope that more will realize that issues of justice, compassion, and mercy are dear to the heart of Christians – because they are near to the heart of God.

I am first posting my latest email to Dan, and then posting my first email and then his response…I share this here [with some trepidation] knowing that anything can be said.  I guess that’s the beauty and beastly nature of blogs.  It’s my hope that my email to Dan will answer some of the numerous responses from his readers and because I know my email will be posted anyways on his blog.  Last week, I very much enjoyed reading the thread of comments from Scot McKnight’s [jesus creed] post about the church’s lack of compassion with the gay community.  I had no idea that I’d be smack in the middle of this conversation as the culprit of that bigotry…

Related Links: Listening; Gracious as All F#*k; and The Gay Dialogue

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: bible, christianity, church, emerging church, justice, religion

Monday, May 14, 2007 • 9:53 am 31

GOD questions

With permission, I am posting an email I recently received.  It’s fairly long but very much worth reading.  In sharing this post, my hope is that this 1) spurs dialogue, 2) elicits your thoughts, ideas, and quasi answers, 3) encourages the reader in their faith journey, and 4) personally blesses the person who sent me this email.  If I may, I’ll just call this person “Jane.”  I’ve enboldened her questions in bold so that they stand out.  There’s no need to address every question but perhaps to approach the ones that resonate with you.  I look forward to reading people’s contributions and I’ll eventually post my response to this person as well.  What we’ll likely discover is that people will have different views and ideas…and that’s OK.

copy-of-copy-of-quest_5yr_80.jpg

[beginning of email] I missed church two weeks ago and listened to your sermon online. I find myself very uncomfortable with attempts to explain what happened in the Garden of Eden and concepts like “the fall” and “the curse”.

Actually it’s not the concepts I have problems with, it’s the details. The concept of the suffering inherent in life being not something that God does to us but that we do to ourselves is one I can wrap my arms around.

The detail of an angry (disappointed?) God the Father punishing women forevermore with painful childbirth because Eve ate the forbidden fruit just seems way too human for me. Is God just a person, writ large? Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: bible, christianity, church, emerging church, religion

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