Eugene Cho

Tuesday, March 1, 2011 • 12:11 am 18

what is the most important thing?

Over the course of this past weekend and my recent post about hell, universalism, exclusivism and other exclusive elititistic theological words and constructs, I’ve shared on numerous occasions both my deep appreciation for theology and simultaneously, the danger of theology. I wrote:

Theology is important. No matter what others may say or think, it has great value and importance. In fact, I would contend that one of the aspects that ails the Church is the lack of theological depth and substance. The [C]hurch are a bunch of lightweight theological dummies.

But my point is that while theology is indeed very important, it’s not the most important thing. If theology was the most important thing, we’d be screwed as salvation would rest in humanity’s ability to understand with absolute clarity.

Depending on how you approach the theological process, it’s understandable for people to formulate or arrive to the natural question:

“What then is the most important thing?”

and even more so… Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: bible, faith, Jesus, , ,

Monday, February 28, 2011 • 12:01 am 90

what the hell!? making sense of the fiasco with rob bell, john piper, and a book we’ve yet to read.

Sorry, I thought this was a funny and appropriate title for this post. Maybe not.

I am doing the world a huge favor because I know that no one has heard about the brouhaha that transpired this past Saturday over some dude named Rob Bell or rather, a book he’s written that is yet to be released and Gospel Coalition, John Piper, and the legions of “new-Calvinists” that see it as their convictions to defend and contend for orthodox Christianity. [Read Part 2, The Most Important Thing.]

So…this blog post about Bell’s upcoming book  pretty much declared Bell to be a universalist and that was the match that set off the firestorm. Perhaps, we should add Rob’s book to our list of Christian books that should NOT be published. ;)

What are your thoughts about the fiasco?

As usual, here are some of my random & vomitaceous thoughts:

Rob is a friend…

Now, let me go on the record and share that I like Rob. I’ve blogged about him – with praise and pushback. We’ve emailed several times. He’s shown some tweet support for One Day’s Wages. In short, I’m proud to call him a friend and a brother in Christ.

So, it pained me to see so much venomous stuff being written about Rob.

Me like the Universalist Post

This might be hard for some of you to believe Read the rest of this entry »

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

Thursday, March 12, 2009 • 2:03 pm 132

“new calvinism” as 3rd most powerful idea – according to time magazine

john_calvin_-_young

Time Magazine created a list of 10 new ideas that are impacting the world right now and #3 on their list – incredibly – is an old but new movement called Calvinism or “New Calvinism.”  Listed as some of the movers behind this new movement are John Piper from Minneapolis, my neighbor Mark Driscoll from Seattle, and Al Mohler.  I find it encouraging and phenomenal that this was on the list but think we’re missing something if we think the Holy Spirit is working exclusively through the “new Calvinists.”  Despite our cynicism and reports of the collapse of the evangelical church, the Holy Spirit is working…

Mark – on his Resurgence blog – listed the distinctions between Old and New Calvinism.  He cites four main differences:

  1. Old Calvinism was fundamental or liberal and separated from or syncretized with culture. New Calvinism is missional and seeks to create and redeem culture.
  2. Old Calvinism fled from the cities. New Calvinism is flooding into cities.
  3. Old Calvinism was cessationistic and fearful of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. New Calvinism is continuationist and joyful in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
  4. Old Calvinism was fearful and suspicious of other Christians and burned bridges. New Calvinism loves all Christians and builds bridges between them.

While I personally roll with the Covenant denomination, I am advocating that we never be an island to ourselves.  I spent most of my early years in Reformed and Presbyterian Churches including two years in Korea at what I perceive to be one of the most influential [but completely unknown to Westerners] churches called Onnuri.  I received my Masters of Divinity degree at Princeton Theological Seminary so I have a good deal of exposure and understanding of Calvinism and Reformed Theology.  It’s clearly shaped a portion of my theology and ecclesiology.

So having said that, I like to think that we’re really all part of One Larger Team called the Kingdom of God.  Thus, if those four traits are the characteristics and commitments of New Calvinism, we should all be BIG fans.  I would certainly be and would genuinely love to see my co-laborers in the New Calvinism team be committed to being Missional, Urban Minded [and not just the Suburbs], led by the Holy Spirit, and Bridge Builders. 

How about you?  Thoughts about the article?

Here’s the article from Time: Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: christianity, church, Jesus, ministry, religion, seattle, , , , ,

Monday, March 9, 2009 • 7:24 pm 43

piper and the female wrestler

Dr. John Piper has been an influential author in my life.  I came to faith at 18 years old and read a few books that impacted me during my early years.  His book, Desiring God, was one of them.  While my views have diverged from some of his views, I still have much respect for him and his ministry.  

Couple years ago, I finally felt comfortable enough in my own skin and in my pursuit of God that I chose purposely and intentionally to place myself  in a position that I can listen to many diverse and divergent voices.  These voices encourage me, sharpen me, push me, and often times in strange way, re-affirm my voice as I seek to honor Christ with my life.

I subscribe to the Desiring God blog and was intrigued by Piper’s article entitled, Over My Dead Body, Son.  Now, I wish that several of the blogs I subscribe to would leave their comments open.  I only respond to handful of my blog’s comments but in general, comments promote dialogue and that – in my book – is a good thing even if there are disagreements.

If you’re a regular reader, you know that I am in full support of women in all levels of leadership.  But simultaneously, I’ve chosen to engage in friendship and dialogue with leaders and pastors with different views – for various reasons and so, I tend to receive a few shots from both sides of the fence.  No biggie.  

But having said that, I lean on more ‘conservative’ or traditional ways on some contemporary issues.   Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: bible, religion, ,

stuff, connect, info

one day’s wages | video

my tweets

  • Blessed time with my mother-in-law. She prepared an epic meal for me. Clearly, she loves me! #dabak http://t.co/TWhdAkEQN4 || 2 hours ago
  • Beautiful how the citizens of Moore, Oklahoma are caring & serving one another.Thank you for showing us what it means to love your neighbor. || 14 hours ago
  • Thrilled to see ODW's micro-grant to @TheSoldProject fully funded. Prevention is key to fighting human trafficking: onedayswages.org/donate/org/sol… || 14 hours ago
  • "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed." ~ Psalm 34:18 || 1 day ago
  • To anyone who's thinking of saying something to link the Oklahoma tornado & God's wrath: Be wise. Don't do it. It's the last thing we need. || 1 day ago
  • In Seoul, Korea (my birthplace) for couple days.Walking around and remembering Oklahoma & North… instagram.com/p/ZlDPo4yWW7/ || 1 day ago
  • To anyone who's thinking of saying something about the Oklahoma tornado & God's judgement: DON'T DO IT. It's the last & worst thing we need. || 1 day ago
  • Right now as we tweet, there are people in Moore, OK - young and old - that are trapped and fighting for their lives. #PrayForOklahoma || 1 day ago

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