Comments for Josh Crain

Comment on Ancient Community in NYC by Paula

Paula — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:13:00 +0000

in that hellhole?

Comment on Ancient Community in NYC by Jozzlyn

Jozzlyn — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:24:00 +0000

That’s great. The way it’s supposed to be…. reminds me of Acts.
Joyce (Rider)

Comment on Book Review: The Pastor by Q Practices – Day One | Josh Crain

Q Practices – Day One | Josh Crain — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 01:03:25 +0000

[...] Book Review: The Pastor Leave a comment [...]

Comment on God and Steve Jobs by sharayah longoria

sharayah longoria — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:49:00 +0000

great point. i know there are times when i’ve been flippant in my responses towards questions posed by youth. may i be more conscious as well!

Comment on Help Me Doubt by Hannah Cottrill

Hannah Cottrill — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:48:00 +0000

I wish I would have understood the phrase “live in the light you have”. I wish I would’ve understood that more of the things I learned in East Texas as “black and white” really aren’t. I wish someone would have helped me to get that God is more mystery and wonder and transcendence than formula, church culture, and rules. I wish I would have been called to pour myself out for others in love instead of not associating with “those kind” of people for the sake of my own image/reputation/etc. I wish I would have realize that experiences in which one has truly encountered God are meaningful and personal and to be remembered/cherished forever so that WHEN (not if) you do doubt, you can recall those moments and be reminded that no matter what the passing tide brings, Christ is alive and he is risen and it’s all true. I wish I would’ve been introduced to the works of CS Lewis sooner and been told it’s okay to ask those tough questions.

Comment on Help Me Doubt by Josh Crain

Josh Crain — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:04:00 +0000

Thanks, Bekah, I think that’s helpful. I was completely clueless about that in high school as well and I think Christians have to stop being so afraid about their kids reading differing opinions. If we believe something is true then we should be comfortable dissecting it, criticizing it, and even being willing to walk away from it if it turns out we were wrong.

Comment on Help Me Doubt by Matt Tuckey

Matt Tuckey — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:03:00 +0000

Josh, we haven’t met yet, but I’ve heard many good things about your new role at CBIC. Congrats. We were members there for 5 years and have served at a BIC church plant called Engage for the last 3. I, too, went to Christian school. I, too, almost completely lost my faith as I journeyed through College. I attribute most of this to a lack of understanding my identify in Christ. In short, that I am his beloved. That I don’t have to earn his favor. That my work and efffort may be well serve to support the work he is already doing, but it does nothing to earn me position at his table. I love this quote by Ann Voskamp (written as a prayer for her daughter): “May she be dead to all ladders and never go higher, only lower, to the lonely, the least and the longing. Her led of the spirit to lead many to the cross that leads to the tomb wildly empty.” I spent to many years climbing ladders. I recently had a conversation with another pastor friend of mine and we talked about how the current church culture can tend to convey to youth the same salvation by works message, but instead of religiosity and rules, it’s framed in service. Service (always going lower to the least and the lonely) is good, but again, won’t earn God’s grace, his salvation, or will serve as an avenue to our contenement and peace. I’m still learning that freedom is only found in a restful place of God’s freely-given grace. I can’t earn it or control it. But, I must surrender myself to find it. So, yeah, I wish I would have explored this idea a bit more in High School instead of spending too many years after seeking contentment in things other than God and via ladder climbing. Hope that’s helpful,

Comment on Help Me Doubt by Rebekah Holmes

Rebekah Holmes — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:32:00 +0000

I wish someone had told me it’s ok to question and that questioning doesn’t make you any less admirable or any less intelligent. I wish someone had told me to read differing opinions. I loved reading, but I always thought that reading something contrary to what I believed was wrong. That it opened me up to bad influences. Also that being open to new ideas is not in and of itself a bad thing, not only can new ideas strengthen what you know, but they can correct where you’ve been wrong. I also wish someone had said to read nonfiction. Other than textbooks, I did not read much nonfiction, now it’s all I read and I wish I had started earlier.

Comment on Help Me Doubt by Dcalavan

Dcalavan — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:03:00 +0000

I wish I had known that my parent’s beliefs didn’t necessarily have to be mine. That I was free to form my own opinions about matters of theology and that was okay as long as I grounded them in scripture.

If I had went to a state school, it probably would have been good to know the historical reliability of the New Testament at least. Fortunately, I got this because I went to a state school, but I have many friends who aren’t Christ followers who learned in their history classes things about the New Testament that just aren’t true, things like it wasn’t written until over 300 years after Christ and there was no accepted Cannon until Constantine made one.

Heading these things off early is important I feel.

Comment on Help Me Doubt by James G.

James G. — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 04:06:00 +0000

My college president once said that the opposite of faith is not doubt, it’s disobedience. I think this is important because a recent survey of young churched “leavers” found a trend of doubt having been treated in a harsh, condescending, judgmental and overall unsatisfying manner within the church. People would “confess” doubt and, rather than be met with gentle and honest answers or any kind of relational approach, were met with denial and disregard. So, doubt isn’t something that should be shunned. It should be dealt with.

I think there’s types of doubt. There’s academic doubt, where someone has trouble integrating faith with their intellectual (not emotional) understanding of philosophy, science, history, etc. There’s empirical doubt, where someone has trouble accepting Scriptural truth due to the lack of vivaciousness and morality (or even downright hypocrisy) in their close experiences with those of the faith. There’s also implausibility doubt, where someone has trouble accepting Scriptural Truth because of the counter-cultural socio-political ramifications thereof (e.g. sexual ethics, bioethics, political stances, etc.).

I had most of my apologetics arguments in online forums while at a Christian college. I think I would have been better prepared for them if I had a deeper understanding of the purpose of the Bible’s Truth. I was too worried about 6-day Creation, the worldwide flood, and using Scripture to justify political and other menial stances when I should have been following the overarching themes of evangelism, loving servanthood and cultural flourishing. Perhaps the most historically-verified miracle is that of Jesus’s resurrection. It inspired the disciples and the largest “religious growth” in history. It should do the same for me.

Also, Tim Keller’s “Reason for God” is a good book. It’s a relational apologetic that is well-informed of pretty much all the questions people ask about Christianity today. (And this is coming from a guy that doesn’t read too many Reformed authors).