The Thinklings

"In spiritual matters there really is no 'Third World.' It's all Third World."

- Dallas Willard

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Posted by Jared @ 11:31 am CDT
Filed under: The Gospel

"Your danger and mine is not that we become criminals, but rather that we become respectable, decent, commonplace, mediocre Christians. The twentieth-century temptations that really sap our spiritual power are the television, banana cream pie, the easy chair and the credit card. The Christian wins or loses in those seemingly innocent little moments of decision."

-- Raymond C. Ortlund, Sr.

Via my friend Ray Ortlund, Jr.

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Comments on "Those Seemingly Innocent Moments":

1. Enkurio - 06/16/2009 12:36 pm CDT

Ahh, the lukewarm Christian analogy. I see his point, however this January, I plan on watching the Super Bowl in my easy chair. I'll put all my food on the credit card and I may have to serve up banana cream pie now ;-) I feel completely free in Christ to do so.

2. Jared - 06/16/2009 12:52 pm CDT

Me too, although I don't think totally denyong one's self the enjoyment of life's pleasures is what he's getting at.

Right below his post on this quote on his blog, Ray has a YouTube video of The Four Tops. :-)

3. ruben - 06/17/2009 11:22 am CDT

I get his point, complacency and comfort are negative influences. However I'm wary of messages like this, some pleasures are given to us by God to enjoy and praise Him for. Taken with the right spirit, these comforts renew and sustain us. Jesus himself was described as a glutton once in the Gospels, so apparently he did not abstain from life's little pleasures...

4. Bob Sacamento - 06/17/2009 3:45 pm CDT

OK, I know there is alot of "subtext" here that makes this, in the sense meant, a great quote. But, if I can say, it is words just like this that almost drove me to distraction back in my fundie days.

5. Paul Walton - 06/17/2009 7:16 pm CDT

Hey Jared, don't mess with the people's banana cream pie, dude. That's some anointed food we saints need!

6. nhe - 06/18/2009 12:24 pm CDT

As one who sees too many movies, and probably watches too much tv, I take this to heart.......I'm very conversant on pop culture (for my age) but I don't see it really making me "more" effective.

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