H  O  M  E          
Theological, Doctrinal, and Spiritual Musing - and whatever other else is on my mind when I notice that I haven't posted in a while.
Blogroll
 
T.U.L.I.P.
  • - Endorsed
  • - Indifferent
  • - Contested
 
I Affirm This
The Nashville Statement
 
Autobiographical
 
Profile
Daniel of Doulogos Name:Daniel
Home: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
About Me: I used to believe that evolution was reasonable, that homosexuality was genetic, and that people became Christians because they couldn't deal with the 'reality' that this life was all there was. I used to believe, that if there was a heaven - I could get there by being good - and I used to think I was more or less a good person. I was wrong on all counts. One day I finally had my eyes opened and I saw that I was not going to go to heaven, but that I was certainly going to suffer the wrath of God for all my sin. I saw myself as a treasonous rebel at heart - I hated God for creating me just to send me to Hell - and I was wretched beyond my own comprehension. Into this spiritual vacuum Jesus Christ came and he opened my understanding - delivering me from God's wrath into God's grace. I was "saved" as an adult, and now my life is hid in Christ. I am by no means sinless, but by God's grace I am a repenting believer - a born again Christian.
My complete profile...
 
The Buzz


Daniel's posts are almost always pastoral and God centered. I appreciate and am challenged by them frequently. He has a great sense of humor as well.
- Marc Heinrich

His posts are either funny or challenging. He is very friendly and nice.
- Rose Cole

[He has] good posts, both the serious like this one, and the humorous like yesterday. [He is] the reason that I have restrained myself from making Canadian jokes in my posts.
- C-Train

This post contains nothing that is of any use to me. What were you thinking? Anyway, it's probably the best I've read all day.
- David Kjos

Daniel, nicely done and much more original than Frank the Turk.
- Jonathan Moorhead

There are some people who are smart, deep, or funny. There are not very many people that are all 3. Daniel is one of those people. His opinion, insight and humor have kept me coming back to his blog since I first visited earlier this year.
- Carla Rolfe
 
Email Me
email
Friday, February 17, 2006
Mummery and Flummery
When I think of a mummer, I think of those medieval troupes of actors dressed in elaborate and motley costume. You know the ones with the horse heads, and antlers, and goatskins etc. The more pagan, motley or grotesque, the more likely it will be found in such a troupe. I picture a loud procession as such a troupe parades itself through some medieval village square, sending chickens, goats, and yapping dogs scurrying for cover. Into the cacaphony of the moment they dance and holler and whoop around - all for the purpose of drumming up some hype: hoping that this same hype will translate into a few "coppers" later on in the evening - when the townfolk come to see the show.

And when I think of flummery, I think of mummery. The two words are, in my estimation, synonymous.

There is a church in my city that I also think of when I think of flummery or mummery - and it is the church that my own parents attend. It is the standard, ultra-liberal, Trend Driven™ church.

My friend, whom I mentioned a few quotes ago (see Lottery Tickets), replied today to my published rejoinder, speaking about the sad estate of his own brother's faith. He apparently had a disagreement with his brother recently over the "prosperity gospel" that is being spoon fed to the mega-congregationalists over at his brother's mega-church (the same church as my parents.)

His brother is convinced that the "gab it and grab it" gospel is the real deal, and so he has spent the last couple of years trying to figure out why God isn't making him rich. Surely, since they also preach the "word faith" stuff there, he ought to be able to speak it into existence if God refuses to pay up.

It hasn't occurred to my friend's brother that his pastor is actually a mummer dressed up as a pastor, and frankly, that is the problem.

I think there should be a law that says if you are going to be a mummer, you should have to dress like one, so that the simple folk will see you for what you are.
posted by Daniel @ 2:12 PM  
4 Comments:
  • At 8:56 PM, February 17, 2006, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    But he is dressed up Dan, they just can't see or hear, we see and hear because we have been born from above. see you tomorrow Lord willing.
    Don

     
  • At 1:03 PM, February 18, 2006, Blogger Jim said…

    There is a lot of truth in what you say. "Church" is big business, adulterating the word of God for profit has been around since the early days.

    God bless,
    Jim

     
  • At 10:55 AM, February 19, 2006, Blogger Neil said…

    Prosperity gospel is maddening. It is so *not* what Jesus and the apostles preached.

     
  • At 11:35 PM, February 19, 2006, Blogger Gordon said…

    I have a good friend who has been caught up in the prosperity gospel for several years now. He has been through one business failure after another, yet he continues to plant "seed money" in the ministry of Creflo Dollar and those of his ilk.

    This has got to be one of the biggest blights on the modern church.

    Great post. Love the imagery.

     
Post a Comment
<< Home
 
 
 
Previous Posts
 
Archives
 
Links
 
Atom Feed
Atom Feed
 
Copyright
Creative Commons License
Text posted on this site
is licensed under a
Creative Commons
Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5
License
.