Replies

This author is not exactly an unbiased observer. He has his own blog, called “NetMonk” or some such. He’s Catholic.

He maybe a Catholic, he may also have a point to prove, like many of the catholics on FreeRepublic, however (and I say this as a proud Protestant Christian), the author is correct.

The more the Evangelical movement used tools of the World to try and lure young people into church or in their parlance "reach out to them in ways they understand" the less effect the church has had.

Preach the Truth, (Jesus Christ crucified, Repentence and Faith, the New Birth or Justification), without adornment and your efforts will be met with actual success (salvation of sinners). Everything else turns your church into a feel-good social meeting hall.

from bio on his website (http://www.internetmonk.com/):

Michael was born in 1956 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, where he was voted the cutest baby in town. By the time he was four, his parents moved to Kentucky, where he’s lived ever since.

Michael attended public schools in Owensboro, Kentucky. At age 15, he made a profession of faith in Christ at the Hall Street Baptist Church where his uncle, Rev. W.O. Spencer, pastored for many years. Later that same year, he started preaching in churches, and has been preaching ever since. This is his thirty-sixth year of preaching the Gospel.

In 1974 he graduated from Owensboro High School. He attended Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Kentucky for one year, then moved back home to Owensboro, worked in retail and in churches, then returned to school and graduated from Kentucky Wesleyan College, where he was greatly influenced by Old Testament scholar Dr. Edward Beavin. He graduated with a degree in Philosophy, Religion and English in 1978. The same year he married Denise Day, and they celebrated 30 years together this year.

Michael started working with students in 1976, and worked as a youth ministry specialist in four different Southern Baptist churches over a period of thirteen years. In the same time, he graduated from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1984 with a Master’s degree in Theology. He took every philosophy course available and is much indebted to his time with Drs. Richard Cunningham and Timothy George. He returned for post-graduate study in 1987.

Michael and Denise have two wonderful, talented and funny children. Noel Spencer Cordle, 24, and Clay, 21. Noel, an Ohio State University graduate, married Ryan Cordle and they live and work as teachers in southeastern Kentucky. Clay and his wife Taylor live in Lexington, where Clay is finishing a degree in English at the University of Kentucky.

In 1988, Michael left youth ministry and became a pastor. Michael enjoyed preaching, but the rest of the pastorate wasn’t his game, so he soon figured out that God had something else in store. In 1992 the Spencers moved to Southeastern Kentucky, where they live and work in ministry today.

Michael started Internet Monk right after the November 2000 elections, and has been blogging ever since. Internet Monk is consistently rated in the top twenty Christian blogs in the world. It was recently voted the number 12 blog read by Christian leaders. His work has been noted on blogs around the world and published in newspapers and magazines, such as The Christian Science Monitor and Modern Reformation. He was featured in the September 21, 2006 edition of Time Magazine for his blogging on Joel Osteen and was chosen as a featured blogger by the Dallas Morning News. He has been cited and linked by Glenn Beck, CBN, GetReligion, Out of Ur, Yahoo News, Andrew Sullivan, Daily Kos, Rod Dreher,National Review Online and Real Clear Politics, among many others.

In 2008 Michael was awarded a sabbatical grant from the Louisville Institute to pursue his interest in “Contemplation and Balance in Life and Ministry.” He has been a seminar presenter and panel moderator at Cornerstone ‘08 and ‘09. He is a regular guest at Steve Brown, Etc. He has been interviewed on numerous radio programs and magazines. He also podcasts the popular Internet Monk Radio podcast.

Michael is much more opinionated on paper than in person. He describes himself as a New Covenant, Reformation-loving Christian in search of a Jesus shaped spirituality. He has great appreciation for the ancient church, missions, Christian community and theological underdogs.

Michael could be described as a libertarian-leaning conservative politically and an adventurous pilgrim theologically. He owes a lot to Baptists, the Apostles’ Creed, Raymond Brown, Ed Beavins, Eugene Peterson, Robert Capon, C.S. Lewis, the Gospel of Mark, Michael Horton, N.T. Wright, Shakespeare, his Dad, several pastors and always Martin Luther. Now that his kids are out of the house, he would love to move to a little church near a good uh….coffeeshop and a minor league ball park, work with university students and cook Italian food for the mob.

Catholic? Not so much - he is a Southern Baptist (his wife is a newish convert to catholicism