This last piece of research posted by Barna is the most heartbreaking to me. Scripture clearly says that you will tell a tree by the Fruit it produces, and the fruit blossoming on the limbs of Modern Christianity is causing no one to have a desire to eat from its tree.
The question first must be asked: What is the relationship between Christians and Culture supposed to look like? Some contend that because America is a "Christian Nation," we are to be the moral authority of society. We are to stand as judges on what is right and wrong with society and make sure than anyone not living within that frame of lifestyle should be shunned. Others take another approach along the same lines. They see that all things that culture produces (movies, art, music, etc) and inherently evil and therefore remove themselves from Culture. Some from this camp then go and create a sub-culture within culture and create art that is "counter-cultural" and more fitting to their standers of morality. This is where we get Christian Music and Christian Movies: a 'healthy' alternative that is 'relevant' to society yet completely removed from culture. With both of these viewpoints, Christians are either above culture looking down on it or have their backs turned as they run as far away as possible to maintain their "holiness" and "purity."
However, when we look in John 17, we find a different aspect of how we are to relate to culture. Rather than oppose or remove ourselves from it, we are to actualy be IN it to RESTORE it. As Jesus is praying for His disciples, he says the famous line that we all know: In the World but not Of the World. In vs. 15 he says something extremely powerful that will give us out idea of what it means to be a Christian in regards to culture: "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." As he says that we are not of the world, He makes a definitive statement that we are to be in the world with all it's sinfulness and brokeness. As we are in the world, we are protected from the evil one (vs. 15) and it is within the context of being within culture that we are sanctified by God's word (vs. 17). It is to the world that He sends us as His Missionaries to RESTORE all creation back to His original intent.
We must reclaim this posture in response to culture if we are to make any impact. Rather than above looking down on others, or running away from in order to "protect outselves," we need to be among the very people Jesus was among and seek the restoration of all of society. Rather than disregard anything that does not have the label "Christian," we should seek to understand our society so we can be better Missionaries in this fallen world. Am I saying Christian Music is bad? Absolutely not. But I am saying that we need to be able to understand our culture in order to reach our culture.
Lastly, Barna's research says something very interesting: "The most influential aspect of Christianity in America is how believers do--or do not--implement their faith in public and private." It is not the public portrayal of Christianity from the pulpit that is going to make the difference, it's going to be the daily living of EACH Christian that is completely transformed by the Gospel and in turn makes a impact in their world. People are watching, and it's time to show them the true love of Christ as we live our daily lives among all people. It is then that we will make a difference. And I'm glad to say that this generation will make that difference!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Barna Response #5: Post-Modernity Tolerance Vs. Christian Ideals....
According to Barna's Research, the Postmodern insistence on Tolerance is winning over the Christian Church. President of the Barna Research Group, David Kinnaman, wrote a book with Gabe Lyons called UnChristian (Amazon Link), one of the top items non-Christians have against Christians is that they are judgmental. Many know what Christians are against (Gay Marriage, Abortion, etc) rather than what we are for (Social Restoration, Wholeness of People, Christ Will on earth, etc). While I do believe the Bible speaks very strongly about the views of which Christians are against, I believe we in the church have taken the wrong stance as to how we communicate this and the importance of such issues in the.
For the previous centuries, the church was as the center of society. All news, life, events happened within the framework of Judeo-Christan Values. It was at this point that the Church was in "power" and could communicate and dictate what society should be for or against. In recent decades, the church is pushed farther and farther to the fringes of society. I just tell some people that I am an Evangelical Christian and they look at me as an ignorant person. You should try it some time : ) We are no longer in the mainstream of society and no longer have the right or power to dictate what should and should not be, even if Scripture is clear on the fulfilled life we are called to live is found in Christ-Centered Kingdom living. What what stance are we to take?
We must stop trying to force people to act within our moral framework (although it is the healthiest) because that just produces moralism. We must accept the fact that we are no longer the voices of morality. We must stop trying to "protect" our view, but rather take the stance of missionaries of the Kingdom of God for King Jesus. We are to be a SIGN of what His Kingdom looks like (generosity, love, compassion, justice, etc) and in doing so we will gain the respect of people and have an opportunity to share Jesus (1 Peter 3:15). Do I believe in Right and Wrong? Absolutely! But our posture as missionaries to first show Jesus' love (as he did with the women accused of Adultery in John 8) and then EARN the right to speak the Truth.
For the previous centuries, the church was as the center of society. All news, life, events happened within the framework of Judeo-Christan Values. It was at this point that the Church was in "power" and could communicate and dictate what society should be for or against. In recent decades, the church is pushed farther and farther to the fringes of society. I just tell some people that I am an Evangelical Christian and they look at me as an ignorant person. You should try it some time : ) We are no longer in the mainstream of society and no longer have the right or power to dictate what should and should not be, even if Scripture is clear on the fulfilled life we are called to live is found in Christ-Centered Kingdom living. What what stance are we to take?
We must stop trying to force people to act within our moral framework (although it is the healthiest) because that just produces moralism. We must accept the fact that we are no longer the voices of morality. We must stop trying to "protect" our view, but rather take the stance of missionaries of the Kingdom of God for King Jesus. We are to be a SIGN of what His Kingdom looks like (generosity, love, compassion, justice, etc) and in doing so we will gain the respect of people and have an opportunity to share Jesus (1 Peter 3:15). Do I believe in Right and Wrong? Absolutely! But our posture as missionaries to first show Jesus' love (as he did with the women accused of Adultery in John 8) and then EARN the right to speak the Truth.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Barna Research Response #4: Community Action Increase
Finally something positive! This is an aspect of the mega-themes that I find to be something we can be excited about the future. At first glance it is quite puzzling how of the 6 megathemes, two of them seem to be polar opposites (#2--Less outreach oriented vs #4 more interest in community action), but after a closer look one is about action and the other is interest. Although we may have an INTEREST in participating in community action, our ACTIONS show that we are more ingrown and less outreach-oriented. However, I believe if we capitilize on this interest with gospel-motivation and intentionality, we can have staying power.
Many people may ask the question, "Why worry about community action? Shouldn't our focus be on getting people saved?" The salvation of those within our spheres of influence should be of utmost importance, but I believe the action we put to our faith can be a sign to the Gospel. At an 30,000 foot view of the Gospel, you can see that the Gospel story has four parts: Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. Most of the time we focus on the first three portions and completely forget that within the Gospel is the aspect of God's nature to restore His beloved creation to it's original state. You find this in the life of Jesus as He goes about healing. These healings are a sign of His Future Restored Kingdom where there will be no tears, no pain or suffering (See Revelation 21) and creation will no longer be in birthpains (Romans 8:18-22). We don't do community restoration because it's only good for the here and now, we do it because it is a sign of God's coming and restoring all things to Himself.
Barna sites concern that this could have little staying power if only done our of a motivation to do good works. I completely agree. Our MOTIVATION behind doing this is as important as to what we are doing. If we do community action because it's cool, it won't be cool one day and it will all stop. If we do it becuase it is a religious action to earn God's favor, it won't last because we need to understand that we already have God's favor. This must be done because the GOSPEL DEMANDS IT! We have a Gospel-Motivation in restoring all things, including our neighbors foriegn and domestic as well as the physical aspects of our fallen world. Our motivation is based in the Gospel and, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we will make a difference in this world as a sign of what God will do for His people.
Here are a few sites of organizations that are trying to make a difference in the world. This list is not nearly exhaustive, but if interested you can take a look. Please leave Comments of other organizations that you are aware of so we can share ideas of how we can serve.
World Vision (http://www.worldvision.org/)
Charity Water (http://www.charitywater.org/)
Mission of Mercy (http://www.missionofmercy.org/)
Awakened Love Ministries (My Friend David Dodd)
Many people may ask the question, "Why worry about community action? Shouldn't our focus be on getting people saved?" The salvation of those within our spheres of influence should be of utmost importance, but I believe the action we put to our faith can be a sign to the Gospel. At an 30,000 foot view of the Gospel, you can see that the Gospel story has four parts: Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. Most of the time we focus on the first three portions and completely forget that within the Gospel is the aspect of God's nature to restore His beloved creation to it's original state. You find this in the life of Jesus as He goes about healing. These healings are a sign of His Future Restored Kingdom where there will be no tears, no pain or suffering (See Revelation 21) and creation will no longer be in birthpains (Romans 8:18-22). We don't do community restoration because it's only good for the here and now, we do it because it is a sign of God's coming and restoring all things to Himself.
Barna sites concern that this could have little staying power if only done our of a motivation to do good works. I completely agree. Our MOTIVATION behind doing this is as important as to what we are doing. If we do community action because it's cool, it won't be cool one day and it will all stop. If we do it becuase it is a religious action to earn God's favor, it won't last because we need to understand that we already have God's favor. This must be done because the GOSPEL DEMANDS IT! We have a Gospel-Motivation in restoring all things, including our neighbors foriegn and domestic as well as the physical aspects of our fallen world. Our motivation is based in the Gospel and, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we will make a difference in this world as a sign of what God will do for His people.
Here are a few sites of organizations that are trying to make a difference in the world. This list is not nearly exhaustive, but if interested you can take a look. Please leave Comments of other organizations that you are aware of so we can share ideas of how we can serve.
World Vision (http://www.worldvision.org/)
Charity Water (http://www.charitywater.org/)
Mission of Mercy (http://www.missionofmercy.org/)
Awakened Love Ministries (My Friend David Dodd)
Monday, January 17, 2011
Barna Research Response #3: Spiritual Principles Vs. Pragmatic Solutions
"3. Growing numbers of people are less interested in spiritual principles and more desirious of learning pragmatic solutions for life". (To read full article, click HERE)
I find it difficult to pinpoint the source of this because I am unsure if it is the chicken that came first or the egg. According to Barna, faith is significant to people, but they find it taking a back seat to the more practical issues of life (job, education, friednships, etc). Barna attributes this to the fast paced lifestyle that we find ourselves living in today where there is no time for spiritual disciplines like Silence, Solitude, Meditation, etc. Although I heavily agree with Barna that this fast paced life, although it has it's benefits, has done a great deal of harm to the Spiritual Well-being of the Church, I do not see this to be the root cause of seeking solutions over principles.
I believe that everything we do should and does find its root in the character of God. I believe our life and our understanding of Scripture goes through four theological identity guidepoints: 1) Who God Is; 2)What God has done (through the Person and Work of Jesus); 3) Who We Are (In Christ); and 4) What we are to do. The Church finds herself focusing so much on point 4 that we forget that what we are to do is determined by Who We are In Christ. Who we are in Christ is determined by what God has done through the person and work of Jesus, and this in turn is determined by Who God is. EVERYTHING in life can go through this (for example, We are to love each other because we are loved by God as his family, which was determined by Jesus' work on the cross in our place. Jesus went to the cross because of God's love for his children, so our love for each other goes back to God's love for the world).
This is where the chicken and the egg is difficult to determine. You scan through the bookshelves of many Christian bookstores and you find many, if not the majority, of books focused on What we are to do (Your Best Life Now, etc.). Pastors and Teachers focus on the practical so much that I'm not sure if they are creating the culture that desires the practical or if they are writing because the practical is so desired among the people. I am not saying the need for practical Biblical application is wrong, but I believe we need to put it back in it's proper perspective. Are the books creating the desire, or is the desire creating the books? Either way, if we continue to focus on the practical of life rather than bring our people to gaze at the wonderful face of Jesus, we will continue to find ourselves fighting this dillema. Let us who create the culture start focusing on the greatness of Who God is and What He Has Done through Jesus on the Cross! This will turn God's people lose!
I find it difficult to pinpoint the source of this because I am unsure if it is the chicken that came first or the egg. According to Barna, faith is significant to people, but they find it taking a back seat to the more practical issues of life (job, education, friednships, etc). Barna attributes this to the fast paced lifestyle that we find ourselves living in today where there is no time for spiritual disciplines like Silence, Solitude, Meditation, etc. Although I heavily agree with Barna that this fast paced life, although it has it's benefits, has done a great deal of harm to the Spiritual Well-being of the Church, I do not see this to be the root cause of seeking solutions over principles.
I believe that everything we do should and does find its root in the character of God. I believe our life and our understanding of Scripture goes through four theological identity guidepoints: 1) Who God Is; 2)What God has done (through the Person and Work of Jesus); 3) Who We Are (In Christ); and 4) What we are to do. The Church finds herself focusing so much on point 4 that we forget that what we are to do is determined by Who We are In Christ. Who we are in Christ is determined by what God has done through the person and work of Jesus, and this in turn is determined by Who God is. EVERYTHING in life can go through this (for example, We are to love each other because we are loved by God as his family, which was determined by Jesus' work on the cross in our place. Jesus went to the cross because of God's love for his children, so our love for each other goes back to God's love for the world).
This is where the chicken and the egg is difficult to determine. You scan through the bookshelves of many Christian bookstores and you find many, if not the majority, of books focused on What we are to do (Your Best Life Now, etc.). Pastors and Teachers focus on the practical so much that I'm not sure if they are creating the culture that desires the practical or if they are writing because the practical is so desired among the people. I am not saying the need for practical Biblical application is wrong, but I believe we need to put it back in it's proper perspective. Are the books creating the desire, or is the desire creating the books? Either way, if we continue to focus on the practical of life rather than bring our people to gaze at the wonderful face of Jesus, we will continue to find ourselves fighting this dillema. Let us who create the culture start focusing on the greatness of Who God is and What He Has Done through Jesus on the Cross! This will turn God's people lose!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Barna Research Response #2: Inward Focused
According to Barna's research, "Christians are becoming more spiritually isolated from non-Christians than was true a decade ago." With all the technological advances and even with the hightened Missional talk within the Christian world, we still find most Christians not only isolated but not longing to display and declare the Gospel to the unbelieving world. I believe this is a theological, philosophical and practical issue.
Theologically: The Sent People of God
If you were to go up to someone at a church gathering on Sunday and ask them if they knew a Missionary, they may say they know someone in Africa or have paid to support someone in the 10/40 window, but I highly doubt that many of them would recognize themselves as the missionary. We have understood missionaries to be those that go oversees (which is absolutely true and necessary) but we have lost the face that ALL Christians are missionaries sent into the culture to show the Gospel in their lifestyle and share the Gospel with their words. In John 20:21 the resurrected Jesus comes to His disciples and says, "As the Father has sent me, so I send you," (emphasis added). He breathes on them the Holy Spirit, and commisions them to go into the world. Many people think that this is just for the professionals, but this is far from the truth. To be honest, I sometimes wish I was not in vocational ministry because it would be so much easier to connect with those who don't know Jesus on a daily basis! The "ordinary" Christian needs to realize that they, just like the person in Africa, is sent BY GOD to seek and share with those in their lives.
Philosophically: Event-Driven Ministry
I believe the way in which we have lived life as the church has led us to this current predicament. We have viewed "church" as an event rather than as a people. It is that thing that happens on Sunday mornings at that specific building rather than the people of God as a family on mission together. Because we see everything through the lens of these events, we try to do everything we can to get as many people there as possible. These events have become extremely time consuming for people because if this is "church" then they need to be there at all tomes, which completely removes them from the lives of their non-Christian friends. It is no wonder that within 3-5 years new Christians lose any sort of meaningful or significant relationship with their friends that don't know Christ. We have completely removed the missionaries from the mission field! It is at these events where our friends can get saved. I once had a conversation with someone about one of their friends who didn't know Jesus and they were mentioning how they really wanted to get them to "church" because then the friend could hear about Jesus and get saved. In response I asked, "Why can't you tell your friend about Jesus?" only to receive a look of complete surprise as if that was a completely foreign idea. I don't believe this to be the intention of our current paradigm, but the unintended consequences are becoming very strong, as proven in Barna's research.
Practically: Feeding the Flock vs. Equipping the Saints
A look at the five fold ministry in Ephesians 4:11-17 shows us that the role of the leadership is to equip Gods people for works of service. These 5 roles include Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher. Our current model is extremely heavy with the Pastor/teacher and missing the apostolic figure to go into new territories with new concepts for the Gospel and His kingdom. With the heavy focus on feeding the flock, peoples needs are being met but not being challenged and equipped to live life on mission together. We need to see our role as not just feeding (which is important) but primarily equipping so that they can feed themselves and each other as they live life on mission together.
Theologically: The Sent People of God
If you were to go up to someone at a church gathering on Sunday and ask them if they knew a Missionary, they may say they know someone in Africa or have paid to support someone in the 10/40 window, but I highly doubt that many of them would recognize themselves as the missionary. We have understood missionaries to be those that go oversees (which is absolutely true and necessary) but we have lost the face that ALL Christians are missionaries sent into the culture to show the Gospel in their lifestyle and share the Gospel with their words. In John 20:21 the resurrected Jesus comes to His disciples and says, "As the Father has sent me, so I send you," (emphasis added). He breathes on them the Holy Spirit, and commisions them to go into the world. Many people think that this is just for the professionals, but this is far from the truth. To be honest, I sometimes wish I was not in vocational ministry because it would be so much easier to connect with those who don't know Jesus on a daily basis! The "ordinary" Christian needs to realize that they, just like the person in Africa, is sent BY GOD to seek and share with those in their lives.
Philosophically: Event-Driven Ministry
I believe the way in which we have lived life as the church has led us to this current predicament. We have viewed "church" as an event rather than as a people. It is that thing that happens on Sunday mornings at that specific building rather than the people of God as a family on mission together. Because we see everything through the lens of these events, we try to do everything we can to get as many people there as possible. These events have become extremely time consuming for people because if this is "church" then they need to be there at all tomes, which completely removes them from the lives of their non-Christian friends. It is no wonder that within 3-5 years new Christians lose any sort of meaningful or significant relationship with their friends that don't know Christ. We have completely removed the missionaries from the mission field! It is at these events where our friends can get saved. I once had a conversation with someone about one of their friends who didn't know Jesus and they were mentioning how they really wanted to get them to "church" because then the friend could hear about Jesus and get saved. In response I asked, "Why can't you tell your friend about Jesus?" only to receive a look of complete surprise as if that was a completely foreign idea. I don't believe this to be the intention of our current paradigm, but the unintended consequences are becoming very strong, as proven in Barna's research.
Practically: Feeding the Flock vs. Equipping the Saints
A look at the five fold ministry in Ephesians 4:11-17 shows us that the role of the leadership is to equip Gods people for works of service. These 5 roles include Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher. Our current model is extremely heavy with the Pastor/teacher and missing the apostolic figure to go into new territories with new concepts for the Gospel and His kingdom. With the heavy focus on feeding the flock, peoples needs are being met but not being challenged and equipped to live life on mission together. We need to see our role as not just feeding (which is important) but primarily equipping so that they can feed themselves and each other as they live life on mission together.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Barna Research Response #1: Theological Literacy of Christians
1. The Christian Church is becoming less theologically literate
The first Mega-Theme sited in the research is unfortunately not that surprising but possibly the most alarming. To speak to someone in a typical church gathering on Sunday and you will find this to be the case. The scary part is the trend: this is declining in literacy, causing the next generation, if trends continue, to be even less theological literate than today. But what has gotten us to this point?
I must state that I do not believe this to be a flaw in intentions. I do believe the previous generation of church leaders have desired their people to understand texts of Scripture and be able to apply it to their lives. But I believe the reason for our current state is three fold:
1) We teach the Head, not the Heart
Stemming from the Enlightenment was the concept that to attain the knowledge of something cognitively would result in changing of habits. The idea then leads to classroom settings where students are taught information about a subject rather than the apprenticeship model of previous generations. The assumption is made that when someone knows, they automatically do. The church's discipleship structure has looked like this for the previous few generations (Sunday School, Seminars, Classes, etc). However, this simply doesn't turn into action, and Scripture is best understood within a framework of action.
2) We focus on the How, not the why
As a pastor who speaks on a weekly basis, I have always found the statistic that within 72 hours of your message only about 10% of what you said is remembered. So much time and energy is put into this 30-45 minutes, yet it yields unfruitful results. During this time, you find many people finding exactly three points within a portion of Scripture (see, I even did it within this blog!). And typically these three points all have to do with how I am to act. Don't hear me wrong, I believe very strongly that what we believe will result in life change and action, however I see that the focus of our preaching/teaching has been how we are supposed to act (leaning towards Moralism) rather than Who God Is and how that effect us. It's as if unintentionally we have created a religious system that once you do 1-2-3 you will have attained perfection in that compartmentalized area and you can move on to the next, resulting in a people that is so focused on HOW to Act rather than WHY we act.
Recently I have been taught a concept that has transformed how I look at Scripture application. It is a four-fold approach: Who God Is, What God does (through person and work of Jesus), Who I Am (in Christ) and How I am to act. The focus of this is not action, but identity. God does not act outside of who he is (put another way, Who God is Determines How God Acts), and the same is true of us (Who I am In Christ determines how I am to Act). Rather than focusing on the why, I am now focusing on WHO God is and Who I am in Christ. Once someone grasps that this is who they are rather than this is how they are supposed to act, actions will be a natural outgrowth. This is the WHY.
3) We still act within the Modern Paradigm
Along with the first idea of teaching the head goes the concept of teaching points rather than story. Caesar Kalinowski of Soma Communities does an amazing job of explaining this in the video posted HERE . To summarize if you don't have time, most of what we learn is based off of Stories (think of your family heritage, how you share a vacation). In these situations, you don't take out an outline and share the three greatest things, but you tell stories and the stories are the connections that help you understand your frame of reference. If you look at Scripture, the VAST majority is in Story (Pentateuch, Historical Books, some of the Poetic books, Prophetic Books, and Gospels). We have gone away from this and relied on teaching Scripture primarily systematically. Again, there is nothing wrong with doing this, but if it is our primary focus, then we have misplaced priorities. Scripture is best understood within the the Greater Story frame of reference. If you have not seen this already, watch this YouTube Video of a 11 year old sharing how Jesus is in all of Scripture, and ALL of it points towards HIM. This greater story of Scripture is the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus, and seeing it with this lens will result in much more theological understanding.
The first Mega-Theme sited in the research is unfortunately not that surprising but possibly the most alarming. To speak to someone in a typical church gathering on Sunday and you will find this to be the case. The scary part is the trend: this is declining in literacy, causing the next generation, if trends continue, to be even less theological literate than today. But what has gotten us to this point?
I must state that I do not believe this to be a flaw in intentions. I do believe the previous generation of church leaders have desired their people to understand texts of Scripture and be able to apply it to their lives. But I believe the reason for our current state is three fold:
1) We teach the Head, not the Heart
Stemming from the Enlightenment was the concept that to attain the knowledge of something cognitively would result in changing of habits. The idea then leads to classroom settings where students are taught information about a subject rather than the apprenticeship model of previous generations. The assumption is made that when someone knows, they automatically do. The church's discipleship structure has looked like this for the previous few generations (Sunday School, Seminars, Classes, etc). However, this simply doesn't turn into action, and Scripture is best understood within a framework of action.
2) We focus on the How, not the why
As a pastor who speaks on a weekly basis, I have always found the statistic that within 72 hours of your message only about 10% of what you said is remembered. So much time and energy is put into this 30-45 minutes, yet it yields unfruitful results. During this time, you find many people finding exactly three points within a portion of Scripture (see, I even did it within this blog!). And typically these three points all have to do with how I am to act. Don't hear me wrong, I believe very strongly that what we believe will result in life change and action, however I see that the focus of our preaching/teaching has been how we are supposed to act (leaning towards Moralism) rather than Who God Is and how that effect us. It's as if unintentionally we have created a religious system that once you do 1-2-3 you will have attained perfection in that compartmentalized area and you can move on to the next, resulting in a people that is so focused on HOW to Act rather than WHY we act.
Recently I have been taught a concept that has transformed how I look at Scripture application. It is a four-fold approach: Who God Is, What God does (through person and work of Jesus), Who I Am (in Christ) and How I am to act. The focus of this is not action, but identity. God does not act outside of who he is (put another way, Who God is Determines How God Acts), and the same is true of us (Who I am In Christ determines how I am to Act). Rather than focusing on the why, I am now focusing on WHO God is and Who I am in Christ. Once someone grasps that this is who they are rather than this is how they are supposed to act, actions will be a natural outgrowth. This is the WHY.
3) We still act within the Modern Paradigm
Along with the first idea of teaching the head goes the concept of teaching points rather than story. Caesar Kalinowski of Soma Communities does an amazing job of explaining this in the video posted HERE . To summarize if you don't have time, most of what we learn is based off of Stories (think of your family heritage, how you share a vacation). In these situations, you don't take out an outline and share the three greatest things, but you tell stories and the stories are the connections that help you understand your frame of reference. If you look at Scripture, the VAST majority is in Story (Pentateuch, Historical Books, some of the Poetic books, Prophetic Books, and Gospels). We have gone away from this and relied on teaching Scripture primarily systematically. Again, there is nothing wrong with doing this, but if it is our primary focus, then we have misplaced priorities. Scripture is best understood within the the Greater Story frame of reference. If you have not seen this already, watch this YouTube Video of a 11 year old sharing how Jesus is in all of Scripture, and ALL of it points towards HIM. This greater story of Scripture is the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus, and seeing it with this lens will result in much more theological understanding.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Response to Barna Research
Over the next few posts, I am going to look through the startling Barna research(to see the full article, click HERE) posted recently and present what I see as both the deeper issues and resolutions. I do not see this as something that can be cured over night. There are deeper systemic and philosophical issues that have brought us to where we are, and those must be addressed.
Here are the 6 Megathemes from their 2010 Research.
1. The Christian Church is becoming less theologically literate.
2. Christians are becoming more ingrown and less outreach-oriented.
3. Growing numbers of people are less interested in spiritual principles and more desirous of learning pragmatic solutions for life.
4. Among Christians, interest in participating in community action is escalating.
5. The postmodern insistence on tolerance is winning over the Christian Church.
6. The influence of Christianity on culture and individual lives is largely invisible.
Here are the 6 Megathemes from their 2010 Research.
1. The Christian Church is becoming less theologically literate.
2. Christians are becoming more ingrown and less outreach-oriented.
3. Growing numbers of people are less interested in spiritual principles and more desirous of learning pragmatic solutions for life.
4. Among Christians, interest in participating in community action is escalating.
5. The postmodern insistence on tolerance is winning over the Christian Church.
6. The influence of Christianity on culture and individual lives is largely invisible.
Friday, January 7, 2011
2010 Books of the Year
These are my top read books of 2010. Note that not all of these books were published in 2010, but I came across them and were my favorites of the year.
Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet & Frank Viola
This is my book of the year. In the midst of all the conversation in our current context, it is so easy to lose sight of the ultimate goal for which we are created. It is not about movements or church planting (although both are EXTREMELY important), but at the end of the day it is all about Jesus! And this book brings that focus back in an amazing way. This was one of those books where I literally wanted to continue to highlight as there are amazing topics and statements made throughout. The authors have an amazing way of saying something in an artful way that captivates the reader. As they point us back to Jesus, they continually bring up practical lessons well fitting for our context, but the focus on on Who Jesus IS and What he is Doing through us. I will highly recommend this book to anyone, whether newly believing in Jesus or someone who has walked with Him their whole life. There will be new insights for all on the supremacy and beauty of Jesus. This book is all about Jesus, and it makes you want to draw closer to Him. Utterly Amazing!
The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller
Author Timothy Keller does an amazing job breaking down the fullness of the Gospel and how is teaches that not only to sinners need to repent of their sin, but religious people need to repent of their religion. Based of the Parable of the Two Lost Sons in Luke 15, Keller draws out the intentions of the reader to show that many (myself included) are just as lost at times then those that are far from God because we don't seek God with the intention of getting Him but getting his stuff. I did a series on this book for my youth and this was one of those series that truly changed me. A must read!
Total Church by Steve Timmis & Tim Chester
This was my paradigm shift book of the year. The authors take a practical look at all area of church life (ranging from Evangelism to Pastoral Care) and argues very well that all of them need to be focused on the Gospel and Community. To take one of these out of the equation is to miss the whole. This book truly played an impact in shiny the vision God is placing in my heart and I am grateful for this work!
Exponential by Dave & Jon Ferguson
This is my church leadership practice book of the year. Not only are the insights of the book great, it is extremely practical. It not only shows you the meat, it tells you how to cook and eat it. The leadership pipeline in the book is AWESOME and will truly help raise up future leaders. I love that they are not just helping to build a church, but launch a movement that is way beyond you. A GREAT read!
Movements that Change the World by Steve Addison
Author Steve Addison does a remarkable job looking at church history and noting common threads through each (White Hot Faith, Commitment to a Cause, Contagious Relationships, Rapid Mobilization, and Adaptive Methods). It is great for students of history but more importantly for those (like myself) who are interested in launching a movement of the Gospel.
Honorable Mentions
Church 3.0 by Neil Cole
Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick
Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet & Frank Viola
This is my book of the year. In the midst of all the conversation in our current context, it is so easy to lose sight of the ultimate goal for which we are created. It is not about movements or church planting (although both are EXTREMELY important), but at the end of the day it is all about Jesus! And this book brings that focus back in an amazing way. This was one of those books where I literally wanted to continue to highlight as there are amazing topics and statements made throughout. The authors have an amazing way of saying something in an artful way that captivates the reader. As they point us back to Jesus, they continually bring up practical lessons well fitting for our context, but the focus on on Who Jesus IS and What he is Doing through us. I will highly recommend this book to anyone, whether newly believing in Jesus or someone who has walked with Him their whole life. There will be new insights for all on the supremacy and beauty of Jesus. This book is all about Jesus, and it makes you want to draw closer to Him. Utterly Amazing!
The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller
Author Timothy Keller does an amazing job breaking down the fullness of the Gospel and how is teaches that not only to sinners need to repent of their sin, but religious people need to repent of their religion. Based of the Parable of the Two Lost Sons in Luke 15, Keller draws out the intentions of the reader to show that many (myself included) are just as lost at times then those that are far from God because we don't seek God with the intention of getting Him but getting his stuff. I did a series on this book for my youth and this was one of those series that truly changed me. A must read!
Total Church by Steve Timmis & Tim Chester
This was my paradigm shift book of the year. The authors take a practical look at all area of church life (ranging from Evangelism to Pastoral Care) and argues very well that all of them need to be focused on the Gospel and Community. To take one of these out of the equation is to miss the whole. This book truly played an impact in shiny the vision God is placing in my heart and I am grateful for this work!
Exponential by Dave & Jon Ferguson
This is my church leadership practice book of the year. Not only are the insights of the book great, it is extremely practical. It not only shows you the meat, it tells you how to cook and eat it. The leadership pipeline in the book is AWESOME and will truly help raise up future leaders. I love that they are not just helping to build a church, but launch a movement that is way beyond you. A GREAT read!
Movements that Change the World by Steve Addison
Author Steve Addison does a remarkable job looking at church history and noting common threads through each (White Hot Faith, Commitment to a Cause, Contagious Relationships, Rapid Mobilization, and Adaptive Methods). It is great for students of history but more importantly for those (like myself) who are interested in launching a movement of the Gospel.
Honorable Mentions
Church 3.0 by Neil Cole
Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick
Monday, January 3, 2011
2010 Influencers From a Distance...
To continue my post from yesterday, here is my list of those who influenced me, even if I have never met them or only have a few times. This list will seem to place me in the Reformed camp, but they are the members of the Body who are living mission extremely well and have been raised up by God to have a major impact.
Jeff Vanderstelt & the Soma Communities Team
I was first introduced to Soma in November of 2009 at CalibrateNW. I sat listening to what Jeff was saying and for the first time all the seemingly abstract ideas and concepts that I believed were put together perfectly for me to understand. That following month God really started to implant in me the vision he had for my life, and He continually brought me back to what Soma was doing. I felt the neede to spend a season digging deep into what they were doing, and I have not been disappointed. Their generosity is amazing (they posted EVERYTHING online for free), their depth is unmatched (not only is it philosophically rich but even more theologically great), and their impact is great. My understanding of who I am in the Gospel as a Family Member of God, missionary, servant and disciple has revolutionized how I live my day to day life. My understanding of Who God is and how it determined what God did through Christ and Who I am (In Christ) will determine What I am to do has helped more more than I can say. Their influence will truly play a major role in my life in the years to come, and I am thankful to God for them! www.somacommunities.com
Mark Driscoll
Although he can be quite the polarizing figure, he has played a great role in my ministry. A few of his talks have really done a great deal in my life personally: Ministry, Marriage and Mistakes; Marriage and Men; and Dealing with Positives and Negatives (his 40 point message in dealing with people). He has the ability to bridge the theologically deep with the practical that I admire.
Francis Chan
I've had the opportunity to read his books and listen to a few of his messages this year, but the example he has played as to what it means to be willing to sacrifice everything for what God is calling someone to do is amazing.
Steven Furtick
His Audacious faith and belief that God will use him to do great things in the world is inspiring. As one who one day desires to plant a missional network, his life and faith is an inspiration to us young guys. His Sun Stand Still is definitely worth the buy and read!
Neil Cole
I have been truly challenged by his outside the box thinking. His books Church 3.0 and Organic Church are amazingly challenging and truly refreshing (although they can tend to sound harsh). I have caught the 10:02 virus. At 10:02am, I pray Luke 10:2b to remind myself that I am on the mission field and that I need to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send more workers into the field.
Twitter Honorable Mentions: Tullian Tchividjian & Rick Warren
Literally every time I read a tweet from Pastor Tullian I am floored. I am drawn to the Gospel more and more by every deep thought. www.twitter.com/pastortullian
Rick Warren combines both wisdom from his years of experience and personal thoughts that I enjoy. definitely worth a follow! www.twitter.com/RickWarren
Jeff Vanderstelt & the Soma Communities Team
I was first introduced to Soma in November of 2009 at CalibrateNW. I sat listening to what Jeff was saying and for the first time all the seemingly abstract ideas and concepts that I believed were put together perfectly for me to understand. That following month God really started to implant in me the vision he had for my life, and He continually brought me back to what Soma was doing. I felt the neede to spend a season digging deep into what they were doing, and I have not been disappointed. Their generosity is amazing (they posted EVERYTHING online for free), their depth is unmatched (not only is it philosophically rich but even more theologically great), and their impact is great. My understanding of who I am in the Gospel as a Family Member of God, missionary, servant and disciple has revolutionized how I live my day to day life. My understanding of Who God is and how it determined what God did through Christ and Who I am (In Christ) will determine What I am to do has helped more more than I can say. Their influence will truly play a major role in my life in the years to come, and I am thankful to God for them! www.somacommunities.com
Mark Driscoll
Although he can be quite the polarizing figure, he has played a great role in my ministry. A few of his talks have really done a great deal in my life personally: Ministry, Marriage and Mistakes; Marriage and Men; and Dealing with Positives and Negatives (his 40 point message in dealing with people). He has the ability to bridge the theologically deep with the practical that I admire.
Francis Chan
I've had the opportunity to read his books and listen to a few of his messages this year, but the example he has played as to what it means to be willing to sacrifice everything for what God is calling someone to do is amazing.
Steven Furtick
His Audacious faith and belief that God will use him to do great things in the world is inspiring. As one who one day desires to plant a missional network, his life and faith is an inspiration to us young guys. His Sun Stand Still is definitely worth the buy and read!
Neil Cole
I have been truly challenged by his outside the box thinking. His books Church 3.0 and Organic Church are amazingly challenging and truly refreshing (although they can tend to sound harsh). I have caught the 10:02 virus. At 10:02am, I pray Luke 10:2b to remind myself that I am on the mission field and that I need to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send more workers into the field.
Twitter Honorable Mentions: Tullian Tchividjian & Rick Warren
Literally every time I read a tweet from Pastor Tullian I am floored. I am drawn to the Gospel more and more by every deep thought. www.twitter.com/pastortullian
Rick Warren combines both wisdom from his years of experience and personal thoughts that I enjoy. definitely worth a follow! www.twitter.com/RickWarren
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