Today’s Buzz:  Naked Lutherans, Lee Roberson, Rick Warren and Porn, and ‘Peanutting’ Your Pastor

Orginally published on Tuesday, May 01, 2007 at 8:07 AM
by Todd Rhoades

In my summary of links today you'll read about some naked Lutherans; Rick Warren and pornography; Booing your pastor, wild west style; and the passing of Lee Roberson...

Naked Lutherans
Oh my… As many as 200 students decided to celebrate graduation at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN by skinny dipping in a murky campus pond early Monday.  A security officer tried to shoo the students out of the pond but they wouldn’t cooperate.  Moorhead police were called after students pushed the security officer’s golf cart into the pond. 10 people were identified because they left their clothes and wallets behind. More here...

QUESTION:  Ever been caught skinny dipping?  At a Christian college?  On campus?

Lee Roberson Dies at 97
This is a name from my past.  Lee Roberson may be known to many of you.  He was the founder of Tennessee Temple University; and the famed pastor of Chattanooga’s Highland Part Baptist Church.  He was quite the spiritual entrepreneur.  While at Highland Park Baptist Church he founded Tennessee Temple University in 1946, Temple Baptist Seminary, Tennessee Temple Academy, Camp Joy, the Union Gospel Mission, Zion College, World Wide Faith Missions and WDYN – FM Radio Station. Our condolences to the Roberson family.  More here...

QUESTION:  Any Temple grads out there?

Most Ridiculous Item of the Day:  Rick Warren’s Most Prestigious Parishioner Peddles Porn
That’s the headline of a recent blog post (I won’t tell you were, but I’m sure you can find it if you wish).  It all started with a comment that Warren made a couple years back about him being “Rupert Murdoch’s pastor”.  Rupert Murdoch is, of course, the head of Fox Entertainment and the owner of a huge media empire that among other things, published Warren’s Purpose Driven Life book.  In an open letter to Warren, the blog entry says “It has been a year and a half since the world first learned that you are media mogul, Rupert Murdoch’s pastor. We’d like an update to learn how Mr. Murdoch is progressing in his spiritual growth.” Just a few paragraphs down, they write:  “Pastor Warren, since you openly reach out to consumers of pornography, we’d like to know how you’re using your influence to help limit and reduce the supply of pornography?” How in the world do they make this leap in just a few paragraphs?  Well, it’s pretty easy:

1.  Rick Warren says he is Rupert Murdoch’s Pastor
2.  Rupert Murdoch is a media mogul that owns Zondervan AND publications that publish topless pictures of women
3.  Thus, Rick Warren ‘openly reaches out to consumers of pornography’.
4.  Because of this relationship, Rick Warren should make it his mission to ‘help limit and reduce the supply of porn’.
5.  We should expect Rick Warren to give us regular accountability updates as to Rupert Murdoch’s spiritual condition

The letter asks Warren, “Is Ruport Murdoch’s life changing? Is Mr. Murdoch more ‘Christ-like’ than he was a year and a half ago?  When can we expect to see the fruit of this change?”

Give me a break.  I would ask the writer of this letter the same type questions:

1.  Do you ‘pastor’ anyone who’s not a 100% devoted follower of Jesus Christ?  (Any fornicators, molesters, drunkards, liars, divorcees, smokers, or obese people)
2.  Why do you associate with people like this in your church?
3.  When can we expect a public spiritual accounting of these people, with a blow by blow renunciation of their sins and an update on their spiritual progress as a result of your pastoring skills?

Argh.

Booing Your Pastor
This tidbit was found in the “History of Churches in Cle Elum and Vicinity,” part of a 1955 History Report prepared as part of a community development study. “It was not uncommon for people from other denominations to attend different churches, throw peanuts at the ministers and boo them. The Wild West must have been trying at times for Men of the Gospel.” HT:  The Daily Record

QUESTION:  Ever been publicly ridiculed?  Let me guess… was it inside or outside of the church?  (my guess… inside)

MMI Link Buzz:
--TallSkinnyKiwi links to MMI from his post entitled:  Mark Driscoll and Paris Hilton and banned video rumors. Andrew addresses some of the rumors milling around the blogosphere in the past day or so:  RUMOR 1: Mark Driscoll and Paris Hilton were seen together.  TRUE: Mark Driscoll and Paris Hilton were seen together on Technorati’s top search list. Mark Driscoll at an IMPRESSIVE number 7 upstaging Paris Hilton at number 8. FALSE: Paris Hilton was NOT turned away from a leadership position in Acts 29 church planters network because she was a woman. In fact, Paris has not even heard of Acts 29.

--Philosophy over Coffee also links to us on his post ”Thoughts on Mark Driscoll and Tony Soprano”.

--Clive Smit picked up our post on 10 Observations on Churches Who “Get It.” This was after the article was picked up over at the Catalyst Blog.  (Thanks Brad!).  So did Focus on the Church and ”Bandits No More.”

--At least one blog is also discussing yesterday’s Pastoral Brain-Drain topic:  Rev Bill

That’s it for today… Have a great one!

Todd

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Hi... I'm Todd Rhoades. I'm a Christ-follower, husband, father and I love to connect leaders with other leaders. Hopefully you'll find something here at MMI you like and will return often. If you want, you can find out more about me or follow my every step on Twitter.

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