This morning the International Mission Board, meeting in Ontario California , finished out the last plenary session in inspiring fashion. It ended with a testimony of how God is working in the hearts of believers in countries we cannot even speak about. The session was one of the best we have had since I have been on the board.
It was in this meeting that our board issued certificates to each of the 44 missionaries being commissioned. As is the case in every meeting, the incredible testimonies of these amazing young men and women is an experience I wish everyone in our congregation could have. The stories of radical sacrifice and passion are beyond anything I can compare here in the states. As Piper says, "the missionary is the ultimate Christian hedonist."
I come away from each of these meetings with a renewed commitment to do all I can in leading our church to support the great commission cause around the world. We have set a goal of 8000 missionaries by 2010. To accomplish this, we will need to more than double our current number annually. God has blessed us with resources, it is time for us to call out those who are being moved toward missions.
Vice President Gordon Fort finished out the session by inviting one of our mission strategists to share a story of how young Cuban believers recently became so overwhelmed by the stories of how God is working in East Asia, that they spontaneously raced down the aisle during the closing prayer to give offerings of cash, jewelry and even shirts off their backs to support the work there. The board was presented bags of old shirts, many with patches on them, that these students have sacrificially given. The board was so moved that we spontaneously responded by pouring cash into the plastic sacks on top of the shirts. Over 2800 dollars was collected on the spot.
For those who feel discouraged by what has been happening on the board, I would say simply that there is a kind of outpouring of the Spirit that is taking place. I believe this will be a very positive year for us. Walls of division are beginning to come down. People who were not talking before are beginning to talk and dialogue.
The subcommittees responsible for bringing a response regarding the controversial policies on baptism and private prayer language will not be ready to present their report until March or maybe even May. Every indication is that these groups are working very diligently and are getting input from a wide variety of viewpoints across the convention. I believe there will be some positive outcomes there as well.
Do not make too much of the official response from the board regarding the Wade Burleson issue. The response was written in joint agreement between staff and board. Specifically, everyone needs to understand that Jerry Rankin was given significant input into the issues involved. As far as the board is concerned, it is about as much of a response as could be given.
More later.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007
off to the imb
I am heading out Monday morning early to attend the IMB meeting in Ontario California. I have felt somewhat out of the loop lately as I was unable to attend the last meeting in November. But I am somewhat encouraged by the tone and tenor of our previous meetings. Our ad-hoc committees assigned to evaluate the IMB policies passed a year ago will bring their report. This long anticipated report I hope will reap positive results.
For those of you who don't know that background (I can't imagine who that would be!), suffice it to say that our board has had to deal with quite a bit of conflict and controversy over the past year as a result of two new policies that have drastically impacted the way prospective missionaries are chosen.
I am prayerful that whatever comes out of these committee will effectively address the issue. They had a difficult assignment, as emotions are running high on both sides.
Of course, in my opinion, the best possible outcome would be a change of language in the policies that would not exclude missionary candidates whose doctrinal beliefs and strong convictions are in line with the 2000 BFM and yet are not cessionist in their eschatology or landmarkist in their ecclesiology. I have maintained all along that cooperating Bapists must stick to these parameters and not less. The way we do cooperation in SBC life today will greatly impact future generations. We MUST get this right.
Anyway, pray for our IMB this week.
Teri and I will be celebrating our 20 year anniversary at the end of the week- it's hard to believe it has been 20 years! We are looking forward to some time off by ourselves.
I have asked Neil Franks to preach for me next Sunday out of John 21- and to share in that a testimony about what God has taught him in his 4 1/2 years at Council Road. It will be Neils last Sunday, as he has accepted the position of Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Branson Missouri. He will leave a big hole- but we know that God has great things for both churches.
For those of you who don't know that background (I can't imagine who that would be!), suffice it to say that our board has had to deal with quite a bit of conflict and controversy over the past year as a result of two new policies that have drastically impacted the way prospective missionaries are chosen.
I am prayerful that whatever comes out of these committee will effectively address the issue. They had a difficult assignment, as emotions are running high on both sides.
Of course, in my opinion, the best possible outcome would be a change of language in the policies that would not exclude missionary candidates whose doctrinal beliefs and strong convictions are in line with the 2000 BFM and yet are not cessionist in their eschatology or landmarkist in their ecclesiology. I have maintained all along that cooperating Bapists must stick to these parameters and not less. The way we do cooperation in SBC life today will greatly impact future generations. We MUST get this right.
Anyway, pray for our IMB this week.
Teri and I will be celebrating our 20 year anniversary at the end of the week- it's hard to believe it has been 20 years! We are looking forward to some time off by ourselves.
I have asked Neil Franks to preach for me next Sunday out of John 21- and to share in that a testimony about what God has taught him in his 4 1/2 years at Council Road. It will be Neils last Sunday, as he has accepted the position of Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Branson Missouri. He will leave a big hole- but we know that God has great things for both churches.
Friday, January 26, 2007
groupthink
"The man of integrity walks securely" Proverbs 10:9
A friend recently sent me this youtube video that humorously demonstrates how a well organized group of people can affect the perception of reality and create a new reality. When I was a college student a group of friends and I would play a variation of this game on an elevator. A group of four or five of us would get on an elevator and face the wrong direction, toward the back wall. Anyone who got on the elevator with us, especially if they were alone, would subsequently face the wrong direction with us.
We are all impacted by the perceptions of the people around us.
One can observe this kind of group behavior in almost any organization. It is consequently the reason you will hear about a board of directors, a church committee or staff or corporate planning team make decisions and set policy that drastically contradicts common wisdom.
I recall a meeting several months ago in which I was completely caught off guard by the (obviously) well planned and meticulously organized action of a group of people. It felt very much as if I was one of the only people in the room who was not in on the ruse. The result was very powerful. In fact, the video examples linked above are not far off from what I experienced emotionally.
Groupthink is a term coined by Irving Janis in his 1982 book, "Victims of Groupthink: Psychological Analysis of Policy Decisions and Other Fiasco's". It in, Janis concludes that groupthink is the result of a group not exploring all of it's options, but convincing itself of it's own reality.
The process in which well educated and rational people can come to obviously irrational decisions is of course much more complex. In his excellent blog on this subject, Dr. Denny Gunderson, who is both a clinical psychologist and a preacher, expands on this subject by concluding that there are really three different stages of groupthink:
1. Allegiance or dependence. An unhealthy allegiance to or dependence upon a leader who is seen as the authority on the subject.
2. Unilateral decision making. Either the leader or a group of insiders feels that they are the ones who should make the decisions for the group. After all, it is for the "good of the group".
3. Insulation. The group insulates itself from outside accountability and resists it at all costs. With insulation comes isolation. When a group isolates itself it is then very easy for deception to take root. Gunderson writes, "Should an inside member of the group dare question the validity of the group or its leadership, that person must be dealt with quickly in order to make clear that dissent will not be tolerated."
When the process of groupthink is complete, it is important that the group maintain it's sense of isolation by the use of propaganda. The propaganda is what fuels the deception.
My experience is that not even well intentioned, educated and faithful Christians are immune from the affects of groupthink.
A friend recently sent me this youtube video that humorously demonstrates how a well organized group of people can affect the perception of reality and create a new reality. When I was a college student a group of friends and I would play a variation of this game on an elevator. A group of four or five of us would get on an elevator and face the wrong direction, toward the back wall. Anyone who got on the elevator with us, especially if they were alone, would subsequently face the wrong direction with us.
We are all impacted by the perceptions of the people around us.
One can observe this kind of group behavior in almost any organization. It is consequently the reason you will hear about a board of directors, a church committee or staff or corporate planning team make decisions and set policy that drastically contradicts common wisdom.
I recall a meeting several months ago in which I was completely caught off guard by the (obviously) well planned and meticulously organized action of a group of people. It felt very much as if I was one of the only people in the room who was not in on the ruse. The result was very powerful. In fact, the video examples linked above are not far off from what I experienced emotionally.
Groupthink is a term coined by Irving Janis in his 1982 book, "Victims of Groupthink: Psychological Analysis of Policy Decisions and Other Fiasco's". It in, Janis concludes that groupthink is the result of a group not exploring all of it's options, but convincing itself of it's own reality.
The process in which well educated and rational people can come to obviously irrational decisions is of course much more complex. In his excellent blog on this subject, Dr. Denny Gunderson, who is both a clinical psychologist and a preacher, expands on this subject by concluding that there are really three different stages of groupthink:
1. Allegiance or dependence. An unhealthy allegiance to or dependence upon a leader who is seen as the authority on the subject.
2. Unilateral decision making. Either the leader or a group of insiders feels that they are the ones who should make the decisions for the group. After all, it is for the "good of the group".
3. Insulation. The group insulates itself from outside accountability and resists it at all costs. With insulation comes isolation. When a group isolates itself it is then very easy for deception to take root. Gunderson writes, "Should an inside member of the group dare question the validity of the group or its leadership, that person must be dealt with quickly in order to make clear that dissent will not be tolerated."
When the process of groupthink is complete, it is important that the group maintain it's sense of isolation by the use of propaganda. The propaganda is what fuels the deception.
My experience is that not even well intentioned, educated and faithful Christians are immune from the affects of groupthink.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
a tale of two leaders
Greg Jesson, a PHD candidate at the University of Iowa, has written an interesting comparison between Saddam Hussein and Gerald Ford. I think his insights into the difference between a man who lives his life to please self as compared to a man who lives for a greater purpose are very insightful.
Not long ago, somewhere in turbulent, war-torn, Baghdad, a man sat in a prison cell. At some point, an ominous red card was handed to him, and because this was his signature way of informing prisoners of their looming execution, he knew what that card meant. He once had liked the idea of robbing those he murdered of their last shred of hope. For twenty-five years, he ruled Iraq with absolute power, commanded the eighth largest army in the world, and was feared by all around him, but on Saturday morning he sat alone, reflecting on the meaning of that red card. His name was Saddam Hussein.
Six thousand miles away, the funeral was underway for Gerald Ford, 38th president of the United States. Despite Chevy Chase’s tiresome and exaggerated impressions of President Ford falling over everything, he was the most talented athlete in history of congress and the presidency. As center and linebacker for the University of Michigan football team, he was voted the most valuable player by his teammates in 1934. He was an Eagle Scout, and graduated from Yale Law School in the top third of his class, while working his way through school. Even in his formative years he was accomplished. Many would have let such successes taint their character.
Ford was not a remarkable president. He was not an adept strategist like Clinton, nor a gifted communicator like Reagan, nor a dashing visionary like Kennedy. More significantly, both in terms of his character and to our nation, he was a great human being. As an impetuous teenager, I was angry at Ford for pardoning Nixon. Unquestionably, Nixon was guilty, and simplistically I thought he should be imprisoned. Courageously, amidst a firestorm of controversy, Ford pardoned him, allowing Americans to contemplate healing rather than retribution. He knew that law without justice is destructive, but that justice without grace is soul-killing. Time has proven Ford’s compassion correct. Since then, I cannot remember hearing a single comment maligning Ford. Typical of Ford’s uncommon decency were his Bipartisan breakfasts and lunches for members of Congress to come to the White House and talk with the president face-to-face. Ford was as plain, and yet as profound, as a cup of water—in a word: refreshing.
Like all people, Hussein and Ford spent their lives forming their characters. Ford died surrounded by loving friends, and a grateful nation, whereas Hussein died surrounded by unbridled hatred, and a nation self-destructing. Neither man was the product of his environment; each could have gone the opposite way. Every cultural environment is always the product of the choices of its members, not the other way around. Character never emerges by chance; it is always the cumulative result of conscious decisions. One man chose selfishness; the other chose service. One was a dictator; the other was a defender of democracy.
Selfishness and democracy are incompatible, because to believe in democracy just means that one must grapple with the reasons and desires of others. Many around the world misunderstand why Congress, and Americans in general, are always immersed in spirited debate—but this is the dialogue of democracy. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that one of these men never bothered to debate, and the other spent his entire life in respectful, but often tough, debate.
We should pity Saddam Hussein but not Gerald Ford. Why?
Hussein wasted his life by living only for himself. He left this world incapable of seeing the monster he had become. His lust for power and wealth ran unchecked by the suffering of others, including his own fellow citizens. When the end came, Hussein said, “My conscience is clear,” but that is the problem with conscience; if ignored in the early stages of ethical deliberation, it fades, and finally disappears. Conversely, if one follows what is known to be right—even in times of great personal cost—this contributes to an increasing insight into living a genuinely good life.
In contrast, Ford lived (of course not perfectly, but certainly intently) for others. Athletic and political friends, as well as rivals, always found him to be fair and gracious. By not being self-absorbed, Ford learned what makes life worth living. He knew who he was, and what is eternally valuable. Life is about forming one’s character—everything in life either contributes to that end, or is a diversion from it. Countries don’t require remarkable leaders to survive, but they do require remarkable human beings. Never think that wasted lives are exclusive to tyrannical dictators; they exist at every stage and in every station of life. Finally, don’t pity Gerald Ford; he gladly submitted his life to a Faith, which quietly and beautifully touched all around him.
We should do as well.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
sometimes nice guys finish first
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12)
Tony Dungy's pastor, Ken Whitten, once told the story of how Dungy ministered very effectively to a teenage boy who was contemplating suicide, telling him, "I lost my own son in a tragic way, and I will do anything I can to help you..." The boys desperate father had called Dungy's office and asked if he could speak to the coach. The man had heard about Dungy's own son and wondered if the NFL coach could help. The result was that Coach Dungy agreed to try and eventually was able to turn the boy around. At the end of one of their conversations the young man asked him, "what team do you coach anyway?"
The fact that Dungy and Smith are the first two African American coaches to go head to head in Superbowl competition will be what gets all the press in the next two weeks. But another distinction worth noting is that both of these men are committed Christians whose coaching style is in stark contrast to the throwback coaching style of Parcells and Belichik. These guys are not the ones that explode and fume on the sidelines. You don't see them screaming at players or barking orders and demanding perfection and conformity. They don't demand that everyone around them fit into their control freak system. They are not vein popping short fused tyrants- these guys are what real men are supposed to look like. They are the kind of men who are terrific examples to our kids.
They love and believe in their teams and lead by example. For them it's not win at all costs, it's win at the game of life first, and occasionally the game on the field will work out as well.
USA today wrote this about Lovie Smith:
Lovie Smith, a self-described Christian with a calm temperament, seems
well-equipped to handle criticism. He has built a wealth of experience in rising from college position coach to NFL coordinator to the Bears' choice in 2004 to replace head coach Dick Jauron. The results have increased Smith's credibility. Since the start of last season, the Bears are 24-7, showing how well Smith and general manager Jerry Angelo have meshed as the key decision-makers. Angelo, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers personnel director when Smith broke into the NFL as the team's linebackers coach in 1996, raves about the coach's comportment in dealing with the inevitable adversities that strike NFL clubs. "All good leaders are strong internally," Angelo says. "They create sobriety during the storm. That's Lovie, and the art of his job. When there's a storm, he offers hope."
Dungy's Christian walk is well documented as well, like this March 2005 article on chatanooga.com:
Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy told an audience of more than 1,200 at the Convention Center on Tuesday night that his Christian walk is even more important than sports. "That is really the main element in my life. Athletics is
important, but without the Christian part it is empty," the famed coach said.
One of the things we will hear a lot about in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, is how these men are breaking new ground in eliminating the racial barrier for head coaches. Let's hope that in addition to that very important accomplishement, that their mature, calm and graceful coaching style will also break new ground in a sport that desperately needs it. Let's hope that the message for leaders (of any "sport") will be that to succeed in life you need not be a wild eyed control freak, that winning isn't necessarily everything, that winning with character is even more important.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
thoughts for worship leaders
It is always a struggle to plan worship. How does one plan for something that is not for the sake of the one who is in the pew but instead to bring honor and glory to God? It certainly is not about performance, but more about giving God our best and leading others to bring their best as well.
One of our worship leaders, Jayme Thompson, pointed me to this excellent post by Greg Wilbur:
• Worship is not performance
• The role of leading and facilitating worship is for the purpose of encouraging the congregation in worship, not to worship “at” them
• Arrangements and songs should be chosen that are ecclesiastically appropriate—what is appropriate in other venues may not be appropriate for corporate worship• The criteria for what is ecclesiastically appropriate refers to text, music, the combination text and music, arrangements, and execution
• Worship should be accessible yet excellent
• As musicians, we should be growing in skill and depth—musically and theologically• Craftsmanship is a biblical concept; originality is a humanist concept
• How we play and lead should be different than how we play and sing at a recital, coffeehouse, or concert• God is the standard of beauty and excellence—our worship should seek after biblical excellence and objective beauty, goodness, and truth
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
is cyber church a church?
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective (James 4:16).
The gospel changes us. It moves us from "me" to "we".
The church in scripture cannot be recalibrated in any other way. It is about a gathering of Saints living in biblical community under the authority of spiritual leaders who exhort teach and minister to them and with them.
I bring this up because I've talked to several young adults lately who have bought into the idea of what I call a "me" church. The kind of church that is articulated in George Barna's new book "Revolution". What Barna and others seem to be saying is that individual experience will be the guiding philosophy of the future church. After all, people want choices. People don't like to go to church. People want their needs met, and the internet generation will demand a cyber church. Therefore the church as we have known it will die a slow death as people engage in a kind of individually interpreted spirituality. We won't have church buildings per se, but clusters of Chrsitians who are living for God's glory in kind of a self orientation.
Is he serious?
On page 39 of his book, Barna writes:
Whether you become a Revolutionary immersed in, minimally involved in, or completely disassociated from a local church is irrelevant to me (and, within boundaries, to God). What matters is not whom you associate with (i.e. a local church), but who you are.
On pages 26-27 he says:
This mission demands single-minded commitment and a disregard for the criticisms of those who lack the same dedication to the cause of Christ. You answer to only one Commander in Chief, and only you will give an explanation for your choices. Do whatever you have to do to prove that you fear God, you love Him, and you serve Him – yes, that you live only for Him.
What Barna seems to be leaving out and what makes me nervous about the "revolution" he describes, is the plain and (i might add) prolific biblical teaching of accountability and community.
Contrast the quotes above to Phil. 2:3-4 as just one example:
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Recently I talked to an impressive newly married couple about church. They both grew up in a Baptist church in another state. They describe themselves as committed Christians. They told me that they really enjoy a local church in town, because most Sundays they can just stay at home and watch it on the internet.
Can you really "belong" to a church like you belong to ebay?
Hardly. Scripture plainly teaches that we are to be in each other’s lives in intentional accountability. That we are to serve one another, instruct one another, love one another, bear each other's burdens. How are we to “spur one another on” if we have not arranged our relationships in a way that gives people permission to ask the important questions? How are we to find the spiritual balance necessary for life in Christ if no one tells us truthfully and objectively how we are doing? The concept of a self oriented spirituality is not even contemplated in scripture. In fact, scritpure deals harshly with the "self".
A more important issue is our blatant disobedience to the teaching of Scripture when it comes to arranging our Christian friendships without honest accountability.
Genuine Christian community is not a place where people can hide and feel empowered by their false selves - no matter how pure their intentions. It is also not something you can simply observe on a high resolution computer screen. It is a place where lives are connected by biblical doctrine and where famlies get to know each other and where love is expressed and where sin is exposed and where people live together in such genuine community that spiritual gifts are discovered and used and when you mess up- someone is in your face. When you become a Christian, you go from "me" to "we".
Tim Keller put it this way:
The context for a gospel-centered life is never merely individual. The gospel creates a new community, a unique community. "One of the immediate changes that the gospel makes is grammatical: we instead of I; our instead of my; us instead of me." (Eugene Peterson, Reversed Thunder). This kind of new community is not an optional thing, an "extra" for the Christian; instead it's part of the overall purpose of God's kingdom. A new community is both the end of the gospel and also the means of spreading the gospel. God's promise in salvation is to create his "holy nation", a people that dwell with him forever. I will be your God and you will be my people." (Lev. 26:12, Jer. 30:22). So Christians, who are eternally united to Christ, are therefore eternally united to one another.
If you are not in a biblical community where people tell you the truth about the way you are living, you are not in a true church. If you are not in a community of people who hold up the scripture as their final authority and are guided more by theology than they are guided by culture you are not doing church. If you are not in a biblical community where people love you and know you and pray for you and want to see you become like Christ, even if it means occasionally hurting your feelings, you haven't found a church yet.
There is a reason God wants us in this kind of community. We need it! We are only as sick as our secrets, and secrets are easy to keep. People normally have to get really sick before the truth comes out. This is the reason God gave us the church. The church community is to be a place where people’s lives are laid open before the spiritual balm of Christian fellowship.
The gospel changes us. It moves us from "me" to "we".
The church in scripture cannot be recalibrated in any other way. It is about a gathering of Saints living in biblical community under the authority of spiritual leaders who exhort teach and minister to them and with them.
I bring this up because I've talked to several young adults lately who have bought into the idea of what I call a "me" church. The kind of church that is articulated in George Barna's new book "Revolution". What Barna and others seem to be saying is that individual experience will be the guiding philosophy of the future church. After all, people want choices. People don't like to go to church. People want their needs met, and the internet generation will demand a cyber church. Therefore the church as we have known it will die a slow death as people engage in a kind of individually interpreted spirituality. We won't have church buildings per se, but clusters of Chrsitians who are living for God's glory in kind of a self orientation.
Is he serious?
On page 39 of his book, Barna writes:
Whether you become a Revolutionary immersed in, minimally involved in, or completely disassociated from a local church is irrelevant to me (and, within boundaries, to God). What matters is not whom you associate with (i.e. a local church), but who you are.
On pages 26-27 he says:
This mission demands single-minded commitment and a disregard for the criticisms of those who lack the same dedication to the cause of Christ. You answer to only one Commander in Chief, and only you will give an explanation for your choices. Do whatever you have to do to prove that you fear God, you love Him, and you serve Him – yes, that you live only for Him.
What Barna seems to be leaving out and what makes me nervous about the "revolution" he describes, is the plain and (i might add) prolific biblical teaching of accountability and community.
Contrast the quotes above to Phil. 2:3-4 as just one example:
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Recently I talked to an impressive newly married couple about church. They both grew up in a Baptist church in another state. They describe themselves as committed Christians. They told me that they really enjoy a local church in town, because most Sundays they can just stay at home and watch it on the internet.
Can you really "belong" to a church like you belong to ebay?
Hardly. Scripture plainly teaches that we are to be in each other’s lives in intentional accountability. That we are to serve one another, instruct one another, love one another, bear each other's burdens. How are we to “spur one another on” if we have not arranged our relationships in a way that gives people permission to ask the important questions? How are we to find the spiritual balance necessary for life in Christ if no one tells us truthfully and objectively how we are doing? The concept of a self oriented spirituality is not even contemplated in scripture. In fact, scritpure deals harshly with the "self".
A more important issue is our blatant disobedience to the teaching of Scripture when it comes to arranging our Christian friendships without honest accountability.
Genuine Christian community is not a place where people can hide and feel empowered by their false selves - no matter how pure their intentions. It is also not something you can simply observe on a high resolution computer screen. It is a place where lives are connected by biblical doctrine and where famlies get to know each other and where love is expressed and where sin is exposed and where people live together in such genuine community that spiritual gifts are discovered and used and when you mess up- someone is in your face. When you become a Christian, you go from "me" to "we".
Tim Keller put it this way:
The context for a gospel-centered life is never merely individual. The gospel creates a new community, a unique community. "One of the immediate changes that the gospel makes is grammatical: we instead of I; our instead of my; us instead of me." (Eugene Peterson, Reversed Thunder). This kind of new community is not an optional thing, an "extra" for the Christian; instead it's part of the overall purpose of God's kingdom. A new community is both the end of the gospel and also the means of spreading the gospel. God's promise in salvation is to create his "holy nation", a people that dwell with him forever. I will be your God and you will be my people." (Lev. 26:12, Jer. 30:22). So Christians, who are eternally united to Christ, are therefore eternally united to one another.
If you are not in a biblical community where people tell you the truth about the way you are living, you are not in a true church. If you are not in a community of people who hold up the scripture as their final authority and are guided more by theology than they are guided by culture you are not doing church. If you are not in a biblical community where people love you and know you and pray for you and want to see you become like Christ, even if it means occasionally hurting your feelings, you haven't found a church yet.
There is a reason God wants us in this kind of community. We need it! We are only as sick as our secrets, and secrets are easy to keep. People normally have to get really sick before the truth comes out. This is the reason God gave us the church. The church community is to be a place where people’s lives are laid open before the spiritual balm of Christian fellowship.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
the american church in crisis
From a special report in "Christianity Today":
"If present trends continue, the percentage of the population that attends church in 2050 is estimated to be at almost half of 1990's attendance—a drop from 20.4% to 11.7%. (Church planting researcher David) Olson's projections for the years leading up to 2050 are less than encouraging. He estimates a drop to 16.6% in 2010, and 15.4% in 2020.
He notes that while church attendance is projected to increase from 50 million in 1990 to 60 million in 2050, because the U.S. Census estimates that America will grow from 248 million in 1990 to 520 million in 2050, the Church can't keep up with population growth if it stays on its current course.
Clearly, the future looks less than bright for the Church in America; nevertheless, countless stories of transformed lives remind us that God is using, and wants to continue to use, the 330,000 U.S. Christian congregations to draw others to Him and strengthen believers for His work in a hurting world. In the words of the late author Henri Nouwen, the Church maintains the vital connection to Christ:
"Listen to the Church," he writes in Show Me the Way (Crossroad). "I know that isn't a popular bit of advice at a time and in a country where the church is frequently seen more as an 'obstacle' in the way rather than as the 'way' to Jesus. Nevertheless, I'm profoundly convinced that the greatest spiritual danger for our times is the separation of Jesus from the Church. The Church is the body of the Lord. Without Jesus, there can be no Church; and without the Church, we cannot stay united with Jesus. I've yet to meet anyone who has come closer to Jesus by forsaking the Church. To listen to the Church is to listen to the Lord of the Church." "
"If present trends continue, the percentage of the population that attends church in 2050 is estimated to be at almost half of 1990's attendance—a drop from 20.4% to 11.7%. (Church planting researcher David) Olson's projections for the years leading up to 2050 are less than encouraging. He estimates a drop to 16.6% in 2010, and 15.4% in 2020.
He notes that while church attendance is projected to increase from 50 million in 1990 to 60 million in 2050, because the U.S. Census estimates that America will grow from 248 million in 1990 to 520 million in 2050, the Church can't keep up with population growth if it stays on its current course.
Clearly, the future looks less than bright for the Church in America; nevertheless, countless stories of transformed lives remind us that God is using, and wants to continue to use, the 330,000 U.S. Christian congregations to draw others to Him and strengthen believers for His work in a hurting world. In the words of the late author Henri Nouwen, the Church maintains the vital connection to Christ:
"Listen to the Church," he writes in Show Me the Way (Crossroad). "I know that isn't a popular bit of advice at a time and in a country where the church is frequently seen more as an 'obstacle' in the way rather than as the 'way' to Jesus. Nevertheless, I'm profoundly convinced that the greatest spiritual danger for our times is the separation of Jesus from the Church. The Church is the body of the Lord. Without Jesus, there can be no Church; and without the Church, we cannot stay united with Jesus. I've yet to meet anyone who has come closer to Jesus by forsaking the Church. To listen to the Church is to listen to the Lord of the Church." "
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
the times, they are a changin
"If current trends continue, only 4 percent of teenagers will be 'Bible-believing Christians' as adults. That would be a sharp decline compared with 35 percent of the current generation of baby boomers, and before that, 65 percent of the World War II generation. 'I’m looking at the data,' said Ron Luce, who organized the meetings and founded Teen Mania, a 20-year-old youth ministry, 'and we’ve become post-Christian America, like post-Christian Europe. We’ve been working as hard as we know how to work — everyone in youth ministry is working hard — but we’re losing.'" link
For yet another example of how North America is becoming more "post-Christian" every day, check out this latest Candadian television drama series here.
For yet another example of how North America is becoming more "post-Christian" every day, check out this latest Candadian television drama series here.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
new year's prayer
Christ, as a light
illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield
overshadow me.
Christ under me;
Christ over me;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak;
in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light;
Christ as a shield;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.
SOURCE: Jesus Creed - Prayer for the New Year
illumine and guide me.
Christ, as a shield
overshadow me.
Christ under me;
Christ over me;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Be in the heart of each to whom I speak;
in the mouth of each who speaks unto me.
This day be within and without me,
lowly and meek, yet all-powerful.
Christ as a light;
Christ as a shield;
Christ beside me
on my left and my right.
SOURCE: Jesus Creed - Prayer for the New Year
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