Building Faith For College Life and Beyond

The LEGOs of God

2012-03-09T11:02:00.001-08:00

(no LEGOs were damaged in the writing of this blog)

One of the great blessings of kids is that a self-respecting adult gets to continue to play with LEGOs without attracting unwanted attention. But just in case anyone would be so foolish as to question my obsession with the brightly colored blocks, I have discovered that the fundamental principles of good LEGO construction have a great deal in common with the three anchors of faith. These three anchors are the necessary minimum for a growing, healthy life in Christ.

Anchor 1: Devotional Life

For in Scripture it says:
"See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame."
-1 Peter 2:6

Every good LEGO building begins with that first brick. It is the reference point for the foundation. You count the bricks from that point, making sure you plan the corners just right so the overlapping bricks will give the foundation strength. Each door and window must be taken into account so the structure will not crumble in your hands.

Jesus is that reference point for our lives. Not merely Jesus' teachings, his view of life,or his philosophy, but Jesus himself. Study, obedience, discipline, and service are all important, but they flow out of relationship. Jesus gave us his Spirit as a personal companion. Through the Spirit, the Triune God actively interacts with us, but we need to make room for conscious interaction if we want to experience all that Jesus died to win for us. Only in this way does Jesus become the cornerstone of our lives.

Anchor 2: Community

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: [10] If they fall down, they can help each other up. But pity those who fall and have no one to help them up! [11] Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? [12] Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
-Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

A pile of LEGOs is easily scattered, but when you interlock them, pressing them together so that each block on a line spans the break in the blocks below, they become strong. A foundation of LEGOs can take quite a bit of pressure and punishment when they are properly interlocked.

The same is true of the community of God. Together, we strengthen, encourage, embolden, and whole. We are not called to be single candles shining in the dark, but cities of light. Community needs to be realized through committed, sacrificial love rather than merely a few chance meetings and occasional fellowship gatherings.

Anchor 3: Responsibility

A pile of LEGOs has great potential, but they are not meant to remain a pile forever. They are meant to be built into something. Leave the pile long enough and it becomes waste and missed opportunities.

We are the priesthood of believers, a people empowered by the Holy Spirit and called to lay down our lives for Christ and the people he loves and is reaching out to. At some point, we need to reach out and take our part. Responsibility means that we accept our role as Spirit-empowered servants. We will never personally experience the full power of God's love and grace until we allow that love and grace to flow through us as we minister to someone else. Obedience to Jesus' call is not just an act of self-control and belief. It is also a life of self-giving and hope offered.

There is more that can be said about these anchors, more that can be defined and developed in our life of faith, and more that can be known about God's work of establishing his kingdom, but these three anchors are an essential minimum once we have given our lives to Christ. Our churches, youth gatherings, and Christian fellowships of all types need to emphasis these as our central anchors. If these are all a Christian concentrates on (and there is more that God offers), then they will remain healthy.

(I am indebted to Mary Gautreaux and Pete Bullette for their thoughts on the three anchors)

Spirituality or Church?

2012-03-05T11:28:00.003-08:00

The U.S. has been long known as very spiritual and ethical nation. Some would contest this fact, but in the end, their point isn't whether people are spiritual and ethical (at least in belief if not in practice), but their complaint is in the nature of their neighbors spirituality and ethics. It's important that we recognize the difference. Spirituality is on the rise, but church attendance is in decline. Why is that? I think there are two reasons: the rise of spiritual humanism and the need for personal encounters with God.

First, spiritual humanism. Atheism is not a major factor on the national scene. It has flatlined at about 4% of the population for a couple of decades now. On the other hand, spiritual humanism has been on the rise. This is the belief that life has a spiritual element, but we are in control of the content of that spirituality. We discover, define, and shape what is spiritual for us.

We are born into a world where we had no say in its composition. We didn't get input on the laws of gravity, the color of the sky, or the age of the earth (young earth distortions aside). We had to adjust to reality. Spiritual humanism sees spiritual life as less "real" than the rest of creation. If God is included at all, then God is seen as our servant, fulfilling our wants rather than guiding us into wisdom and love that moves us beyond ourselves. In essence, we see ourselves as our own gods and spirituality is a resource we can exploit.

Spiritual humanistic beliefs look a lot like debry picked up by a tumbleweed, bits and pieces of ideas picked up here and there but seldom thought through. In the end, it is the blind leading the blind, hoping to find some wisdom within, that will solve the problems of life. If the solution was within us already, I suspect the world would be a much happier place. Jesus' contention is that the solution must be found outside us, coming from the very real and self-defined person of God as Father, Son, and Spirit.

There is a second connection between the rise of spirituality and loss of church attendance. Spiritual implies a personal encounter with the spiritual. When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the Jewish temple that separated people from the presence of God was torn. Now ordinary people had personal access to God through Jesus. Many people today believe that Christian churches have rehung the curtain.

Over the last decade, lower church attendance has lead many churches to employ the tools of marketing. This has often placed the emphasis on tighter, more controlled church services, multimedia, and the size of their parking lot. These are all important, but not if there is no longer any space for authentic, personal experience with God. As I travel, I experience fewer churches where unscripted times of prayer are a part of services. Most worship has become a string of upbeat choruses with little pastoral leadership or variation to make worship an authentic encounter with God. Everything is focused toward the front of the church. We may have become too polished for our own good.

I believe that good teaching, knowledge of Scripture, planning and shared community time is essential. We do these things so we don't just waste people's time, but they mean nothing if they don't begin, point to, and end with personal encounters with God.

I left the church in high school because it seemed centered on nothing more than rules, philosophy, and self-help. I see a rise in that today, even among Pentecostals. I returned to church after I met a group of Christians who believed that they could intimately encounter Jesus and gave time for that experience in everything they did. Then there was a reason to gather.

For many today, they just want to protect the next generation, their youth, their sons and daughters, from the world. That's not enough. What's the use of protection from the world if they haven't encountered Jesus? Church should never be too safe or controlled. Don't make people choose between true spirituality and the church.

Follow Your Heart?

2012-01-24T12:15:00.003-08:00

Much is written today about Atheism. More than is needed in fact. How can I say that? Isn't the goal of apologetics to explain and defend the faith to those far from God? Yes, it is, but our apologetics and outreach should focus on the real people around us and not a fictional audience. Atheists only make up between four to six percent of the U. S. population. Some of them may keep a high profile, but they haven't been all that effective. Their numbers have not significantly grown in recent history. We should not ignore them altogether, but we should be giving more time to the major enemies of faith at work around us.

Chief among these is Romanticism. Romanticism is a philosophical and artistic reaction to Enlightenment with its narrow focus and trust of reason. In response, the Romantics triumphed the power of the emotions and insight. They believed that society and reason often undercut and twisted us, but if we listened to our heart we could live authentically. While most Americans know little or nothing about formal Romantic philosophy, it has invaded every part of our culture and become dominant in our thoughts.

Some examples would be useful. When someone says, "I am closest to God when I am out in nature," they are repeating a Romantic idea. The emotion of awe and pleasure that some people experience is interpreted as a religious experience even though there is no real belief or a personal focus of worship. The emotional experience itself is seen as a religious experience. When someone expresses their opinion about a factual topic by beginning the statement with "I feel" rather than "I think," it is an unconscious appeal to Romantic ideals. "If it feels good, do it," "always go with your heart," and "finding yourself" are all Romantic ideas.

So what's the problem? Jeremiah 17:9 highlights the problem:

The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?

While Romantic philosophers balanced Enlightenment thought somewhat, they are at odds with reality. They believed in a basic goodness in humanity that would allow us to trust our hearts, our emotions, in all things. That is at odds with all we learn from God about ourselves, and it be honest, it's at odds with what we see around us. We don't have to look far to see the train wrecks that have been caused by blindly following our heart.

Far more people are led astray by Romanticism than by Atheism. More important, though, is the degree that Romanticism has replace Biblical theology within the church. Emotions are often confused with the voice of the Holy Spirit. If I have an emotional peace about something, then it must be okay. That kind of peace most often results in mediocracy or disobedience. Statements such as, "I don't care what the Bible says, I have a peace about my decision," reflect that confusion.

But didn't Jesus take care of all that once I became a Christian? Actually, no. We are told that we find salvation and forgiveness when we come to Christ, but that is a beginning point of God's work of transformation. Our healing will not be complete until our resurrection in the age to come. Now, we are to cooperate with the Holy Spirit as we put off the old self and put on a new self (Col. 3:1-17). My heart still needs watching. I don't feel a emotional peace about the risks that God legitimately calls me to, and it's hard to "find myself" when I'm still being formed.

I don't despise emotion, and I don't try to pretend that God didn't make me an emotional being. It does mean that I look to Scripture and the Holy Spirit to build in me the character that I was not born with. In addition, I recognize that I am an active agent in building my character. God does not do it for me, but through Christ my deceitful heart has a cure that was impossible without him.

A Good Idea at the Time

2011-12-24T12:28:00.000-08:00

(This is a Christmas related story I wrote a few years ago based on middle of Luke chapter 2)

It seemed like such a good idea at the time.

The stone slaps a slow, tired rhythm against my flat feet. It sounds like the tired waves that fall to the shore on a too hot day that make you wonder if creation will have the energy to go on. Like the rocks along the shoreline, the stone beneath me that was once chiseled sharp and clean has been worn smooth by a thousand feet. But my path through it is the deepest. Time has worn me down as well. I'm not made of the stuff of stones. I should never have tried to play its part.

I was young then and full of life like a rutting ram. I didn't believe in old age then. Not my own, anyway. But I did believe in grander themes. I believed in a God who had made us a blessing. Not that we are such a prize. True, we are a proud, sturdy people. That's part of our problem. We are so proud that sometimes not even the very voice of God can call us away from our own plans.

But we are also a frightened people. Our fears are the fears of old men. We have built great cities and fought great battles, but the world has grown in and over us and we fear that silent time in the middle of the night when the wind comes and whispers in our ears, "Who are you? What will become of you now that your knees grow weak and your eyes have dried out?" Hard questions and uncomfortable for a practical people. We like our feet planted firmly on the ground. It's easier to push these questions aside and ask, "Where is our next meal to come from?" and pretend we are fearless.

I remember the day it all changed for me. I came to the temple as usual—well, perhaps not quite as usual. I was in a foul mood. I'd been cross with Ruth about some money that was missing. I accused her of being careless, but I found the money before I had left home. It was there where I'd put it and forgotten. Too stubborn to admit any fault, I didn't say anything to Ruth. I was still brooding, trying to find some way to avoid the blame. I went to the temple because it was the right thing to do—my father and all Israel's fathers had gone since we settled this land--but in my heart, I was not all that I could have been. I'm telling you all this so that there will be no mistake. What happened was not because I was such a good man.

If I had told anyone this back then, they would have laughed. I would have been accused of giving way to the vain visions of the young or worse, the visions of too much wine. Now, I've been here too long for anyone to laugh. All my friends have died and no one here remembers a day of their life when old Simeon wasn't shuffling around in the corner. There is no one left who knew me young.

That day my God sent his Spirit to me. There were no lights, the earth did not shake, but there was no mistaking the Spirit. It was like laying with a woman for the first time. The air was bright and alive like a cold, flowing stream. Each breath had to be bit off, swallowed and held down as if I had been plunged naked into that same stream. My heart threatened to burst my ribs. And there was a voice. It spoke in a whisper backed by the power of thunder. My people had been promised a day when God would visit us. On that day he would give us a new spirit. Our stubborn, rocky hearts would be worn away and we would be given a new heart that could rest with God and do what is right. It would be the beginning of a great peace. It would be good, and while we lived with hardship now, we all stretched out our necks out toward that day. The Spirit came to me and caressed me and promised. It promised that I would not taste death until that day came to pass.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. I was young and elastic. Now, my skin is stretched and flinty, my arms are thin and the wind taunts me with every step. It exposes my bony knees and picks at my dry eyes and laughs. It has been too long. Ruth is gone. The friends of my youth are all dust. In my youth, I would never have believed that there would come a day when I would long for, hurt for, that last, long sleep.

But just now, when my hope was as frail as my bones, I saw her. The whirlwind of people around the entrance to the temple parted for a moment and there she was. She clutched a small bundle of a child to her breast. Beside her was the husband carrying two doves. A sacrifice for the child, a consecration for the first born son. They weren't much to look at and I would have passed them by, but the wind pushed me forward. The mother looked up into my eyes from across the court. The voice of the wind whispered in my ear and I knew. This was the child.

I stumbled forward and caught the woman's arm. The husband moved to catch me, but she motioned him to wait. She unwrapped the child and held him before me and the world before me grew transparent like the ghostly vapors that play across the dessert in the late afternoon. I saw through the stones around me to what lay beyond. There was a whirlwind mounting that would strike my people. This was the child that would usher in everything that God had promised. It seemed too small a bundle to carry so much. When the whirlwind finally struck, it would raise many of the low and cause the high and proud to fall. That came as no surprise. When you have lived as long as I have, you realize that the world is in need of being turned upside down. But what I saw next made me want to crumble to the ground and hide my face and weep. This child was to be the glory of Israel, but Israel would speak against it. In the end reject it. But even though we would reject God's gift, God would not reject us. He would make a new Israel around this child with men and women from every nation. We would not be forgotten.

I realized that I had been standing, trembling before this young woman and her child like some senile old man. I put on a brave face and spoke words of blessing over the child. I described the good he would do before the bewildered parents. Surely they had to know that this was God's Son sent to save us from our pride and stubbornness and bring us back to God. But I wanted to spare them from the rest. Why bring tragedy to such an important day? Then for just a moment's time I saw her face as it would look that day when they broke her son. When God spoke the truth to my forefathers, he always spoke the whole truth. Nothing less would be honest. I spoke of her pain. Maybe it would lessen it a little if she were warned. But then I remembered that I had children of my own once. Nothing could have lessened my pain.

When I finished I felt as though the force of the earth bending my body down to the dust had been released. I almost believed I could fly. God had made a promise to me and he had kept it. My time was finished. There were tears of relief and joy in my eyes as I thanked the woman for her time. But there was awe at my last glimpse of the child's eyes. For the Spirit showed me one last thing. They were the eyes of a child and you could see the child behind them, but God was in there too.

I go away to die now. It's not a sad thing. There is no one left to say good-bye to. I'm tired and I want rest. I will see God soon. It really is comforting. Once it would have been frightening, but today I have had a preview. I've seen God's eyes and there is love there.

Stagnation is Cool... Then It Stinks

2011-12-16T13:09:00.001-08:00

As a kid I loved exploration, poking and prodding the things that made up the life around me. One of my favorite activities was capturing and watching, bits and pieces of my environment. I had cans and bottles and jugs filled with a bit of the stream that ran through our backyard or of a lake or filled with random ingredients. I'd watch them to see what would become of these samples.

There were glorious surprises. A can with a bit of peach juice in the bottom would grow luxurious strands of grey mold. Swamp water would grow swarms of single-celled animals large enough to see with the naked eyes. Strange, wiggling life forms would begin to emerge from algae-choked jars of water.

It was great for a couple of days, but then the inevitable happened. Decay set in. The stench of death dimmed my fascination. The wiggly things turned out to be mosquito larvae, and I didn't want to be around when they morphed into winged predators with a taste for my blood.

Stagnation has a limited appeal, and what was true for my early nature experiments is true for faith. I have a goal. It has actually sparked concern and alarm among traditionalists at times. I want my view of the world and of God to go through some radical change every two years or so. If not, I feel nervous.

Why? Because I don't want to stagnate. I'm not looking for some new and radical truth that no one else has ever been able to figure out. Originality is not my goal. I'm looking for understanding that is new to me. God is so big, his wisdom so vast, his understanding so far beyond me that I never want to be content with what I already know.

Spiritual stagnation comes when we stop exposing ourself to fresh opportunities for insight. What was in my jars died because they were cut off from new nourishment. They had become a closed system unable to survive. Each little environment consumed itself and died. My spiritual growth is dependent on an open system. Nourishment comes from God and his Spirit. That may seem sufficient, but it is not. God has chosen to work through his people to add to our, (if you will allow me to stretch out the analogy), spiritual nutrition.

The ‘me and Jesus’ model of spirituality can't be found in Scripture. Instead, we are given people who are gifted as pastors, teachers, and more, to instruct and train us (Eph 4:11-13). We are gifted by the Holy Spirit to minister to each other (1 Cor 12:7-11). These influences come from those immediately around me, or have been preserved by the writing of people such as Augustine, Luther, N. T. Wright, Timothy Keller, or Andy Stanley (This is not a comprehensive list).

God's truth is eternal, and my understanding is eternally lacking. If I don't work to push out the boundaries of my understanding, then I'll merely consume what I already know. If I don't challenge my assumptions, then God will not be able to correct the half truths that I carry with me. Tradition will replace a dynamic life. If I don't continue to ask, seek, and knock, if I'm not willing to test what I think I know while being open to be proven wrong (while God is proven right), then I will stagnate and never know the true meaning of abundant life.

Christmas: Focus Beyond the Family

2011-12-05T13:22:00.000-08:00

The practice of celebrating Christmas began as a community festival to celebrate the birth of Christ much like Easter was already celebrated. It was a worship gathering and a festival to be shared. In our individualistic culture it has shrunk from the community celebration to a family gathering. This has changed the celebration in many ways and taken some of what is special and redemptive out of Christmas.

Jesus' birth marks the beginning of a new people a new stage in God's work to establish his Kingdom on earth. Jesus' life exemplifies Jesus' love; his death and resurrection establish the possibility of being united with God; and the gift of his Holy Spirit unite us together as the new community of God. As Paul says when describing communion, "And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf." (1 Cor 10:16-17) Our individual commitment to Jesus leads to a new corporate reality where love, care, and forgiveness are actively practiced.

The celebration of Jesus' birth should be a celebration of his mission. No wet blanket here. Celebrations are a good thing. God gave Israel feast days to celebrate and remember his great works. The work isn't finished, but that doesn't mean that we should be miserly in our celebration of Jesus' decisive and game changing acts. God's promises were fulfilled in Jesus and the angels heralded Jesus' birth as the day everything began to change.

But Christmas is also a day to remember that the Kingdom has not yet been fully established. Many believers come from broken, damaged, and damaging families. As a community we encourage, heal, and give hope. As individuals, people remain alone. Many twenty-somethings are separated from their families due to jobs, education, and even missions. Young professionals today tend to be more isolated. Many of this generation are now labeled nomadic Christians because they have ceased to belong, but maybe our focus on the nuclear family, orphans those who don't have a nuclear family of their own. Families are important, but the New Testament places its emphasis on the gathered community of God.

Christmas was also a time to remember the poor and the abused. To include the outsider. It was not seen as the one day to make up for ignoring the poor the rest of the year. Instead, it was a reminder that God's justice was meant for all, a reminder of how we were to live the rest of the year. It was a reminder that God expected more of us than to be good capitalists. The pagan villain of Dickens', A Christmas Carol was a great capitalist. He would have made modern writers like Ayn Rand proud.

I don't reject capitalism. It has much to commend it. But any "ism" must be tempered by God's wisdom and love. God's love doesn't only extend to the poor, the forgotten, and the abused, but it even embraces my enemy. And it extends - and this is hard in today's protective political climate - to the stranger, the immigrants among us.

How do we celebrate and care for those around us without wearing ourselves out or giving up in despair? We do it together as communities. Christmas doesn't really have to be less than a feast, a time with family, and even a football game. But it can be so much more. Presents aren't necessarily an evil, but people are more important. Together, Christmas can be an active celebration of God turning back the curse, of love breaking into the world, and a foretaste of what God has in store for us. Christmas was meant to be a public, community feast and celebration that reminds the world who we hope in and what we hope for. Enjoy it together.

Lessons from C. S. Lewis for Today (His Birthday)

2011-11-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

Today marks the 113th year since C. S. Lewis was born, and his writing is still making a major impact on the lives of people throughout the world. PreChristians and Christians alike read and are influenced by his work while much of today's Christian writing and media does not engage the world. Why is that?

The first reason is that C. S. Lewis wrote for the world. He was not writing for the already convinced. He was not writing for Christian bookstores and Christian critics. He was writing to inspire the imagination of people who did not agree with him. He wanted to inform people who were skeptical. Too often today, our communication is aimed at the convinced. When that is the case, we take too much for granted, we assume too much prior knowledge from our audience, and we become combative rather than inspirational.

Most of Lewis' work first appeared in public media. He had to connect to an unbelieving audience or the paper would stop asking him for his columns and radio stations would stop giving him air time. Captive audiences inspire laziness and inhibit creative and persuasive thought. Good outreach, inspiration, teaching, and communication is most likely to happen when we are competing to be heard along with all the other voices in the world. Then we need to push our creativity, our ability to find common ground with others, and our ability to relate to felt needs and interests. C. S. Lewis became a master of this. The power of his writing comes in part to the fact that he wasn't singing for the choir.

Lewis also had a strong respect for the truth. He wasn't interested in propaganda. He wanted God to peel back the curtain and reveal to him what was real. In this, he was never guilty of a secular/sacred split. All truth was God's truth. This meant that he went to the Bible to understand who God is, who we are on a fundamental level, and what are purpose in the universe is, but he didn't limit himself to the Bible. He was a professor of literature and knew that art was a powerful tool to explore truth. He drew quite a bit from history and philosophy and, somewhat, on science. He had little patience for people who thought they could learn science, medicine, engineering from scripture. Scripture is the highest authority on those things that God directly addresses, but we are made in the image of God and are given other tools to explore the ordered creation that God has provided us with. This added credibility to his writing.

C. S. Lewis did not neglect his Christian learning, though. He once said that nothing he wrote was original. I thought this was just false modesty until I began to read the Christian classics. More often, than I would have imagined, Lewis is translating the thoughts of Augustine or Aquinas into modern language and applying them to our current situation. Lewis' grounding in the Bible and Christian thought was the bedrock of everything he wrote. Originality is highly valued today, Lewis applied originality only after he had walked the well trod path of Christian scholarship.

I think the most powerful tool that Lewis brought to the table was his imagination and love of story. It seems that most of our communication today reflects the cold logic of the modern era. The Bible is a story, Jesus conveyed most of his message in story, yet we tend to turn the dynamic story of the gospel into a set of philosophical principles. Lewis loved and respected logic, but he loved passion, story, imagery, and metaphors more. Logic points to truth that can be contained while story and metaphor speaks of mysteries that cannot be contained. It is the latter that inspires. I'm not sure how you can communicate the wonder of the gospel unless you love story. If you don't appreciate fiction or history I can't imagine how you connect with or inspire those in the world. I don't think C. S. Lewis could either, and I'm thankful for that.

Typewriter or Laptop?

2011-11-26T10:57:00.001-08:00

Okay, let's have a show of hands. If you had to write a term paper, and you had access to both a laptop and a typewriter, who would choose the typewriter? Of course you would choose the computer. I remember the days of correcting fluid and carbon paper, of stuck keys, and old ribbon. Who would want put in all that work just to have one hard copy that was easily eaten by the dog?

Okay, I have a few friends that would stubbornly holdout for the typewriter, but that says more about their character, their desire to stand out just for the sake of standing out, their need for an excuse to fall back on when they don't complete their paper, their belief that suffering is an end in itself.

Where is the source of my strength? One of the reasons I follow Jesus is that he brings a computer to the table when life only offers a typewriter, but that does me little good if I just keep right on using the typewriter. Jesus brings more to the table regardless of how good my life may seem at the moment, but I must choose to pursue the strength he offers.

God's strength comes from three sources: Scripture, personal prayer and worship, and the Christian community. Scripture is the primary way that God's Spirit communicates with us, revealing his will, encouragement, and guidance. God shapes and molds us through personal prayer and worship. We get to recognize his voice and touch so he can guide us throughout the rest of our lives. And, surprisingly, it's through the gathered Christian community that God chooses to minister to us individually.

1 Corinthians 12 - 14 describes God's desire for dynamic communities whose members actively care for each other. Where we gather with gifts supplied by God to fulfill each need while others come with gifts for us. It is God's decision that he will supply most of our strength, growth, encouragement, and healing through each other. The God of love has decided that we will participate in his works of grace. In this way, we learn to love each other as we learn to love God. There was a day when we looked toward a place, the mountain of God, to see where our strength would come from. We still look to that same God, but now he no longer works from a distance. He works intimately through a combination of Scripture, prayer, and his community.

If we look anywhere else for our strength, then we have chosen the typewriter when God has provided us with a laptop. Of the three, I think the community is the one most neglected today, although all three are suffering as we choose politics, social engineering, culture wars, and peer pressure over God's guidance (I am speaking to Christians here). Among younger Christians we see the rise of nomadic Christianity, the idea that we can live our life apart from the church and still love God. This cuts them off from one of the main sources of strength.

I don't blame them too much, though. For many, church is an activity that is done once or twice a week. It is more a performance to be attended, a lecture to ingest, than it is an active time of interacting with each other. There should be times of teaching and community worship, but there should be more. A community shares in each other's lives, cares for each other, suffers through each other's mistakes and growing pains, shares each other's joys and suffering, doubts and insights. A community is dynamic.

If you are a follower of Jesus, community is not a suggestion but a command. Flee authoritarian, bitter, controlling communities, but don't give up on God's plan, on God's values. If you have been burned, then start with just a few trusted friends. If you go to church, then start with a few from within that group and begin to live the church. If not, then you better like carbon paper and correction fluid.

Community, Strangers, and Old People's Snacks

2011-11-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

I didn't like church as I was growing up, and it didn't grow on me over time. In fact, the tension grew until I could leave it behind.

I didn't particularly like dressing up on Sundays. I wasn't into sitting still for an hour or more while the adults participated in something I didn't quite understand. The music was strange, and the coffee hour was full of old-people's snacks.

But that wasn't what bothered me most. The biggest problem was spending time with people I didn't know. The only time we saw each other was on Sundays. Somehow, our paths never crossed during the week. There were no social calls, no shared events, no shared missions... except work day at the church once or twice a year.

The message was simple. The church meeting was important, but the people? Not so much.

The idea that the church could be described as a building is alien to the New Testament. A persecuted group doesn't hang a big sign outside a regular meeting place to advertise to the authorities where they can be found and gathered up for prison.

Equally alien would be the idea that the church was a denomination or a system of governance. Even a quick reading of Paul's letters shows that the early church was out of its depth and still trying to work through this new thing God had done.

In Scripture, the church is people. It is a group of people who have given their lives to Jesus, have been united by the Holy Spirit, and are called to love and serve each other as they work together to establish the Kingdom of God.

Today, we hear a lot about nomad Christians. An emerging generation who accept Jesus as their Lord, but have abandoned the church. This is a problem for at least two reasons (in fact, there are several more). The first is that the call to committed community is Jesus' idea. It is his intention that we come together to serve each other and serve the world in a cooperative fashion. To say that Jesus is Lord and then not follow him is a contradiction in terms. Jesus called us to reform our priorities and our way of life.

But another problem must be addressed. Are we the church or are we just having church? Many youth are walking away because their church experience looks a lot like mine did growing up. If church is impersonal, driven by activities that keep people busy without them connecting personally, divided up into small speciality groups (age, activity, interest) so that a larger community doesn't emerge, if it's all about information transfer instead of encouragement and a shared, personal journey then it will become impersonal. If the emphasis is on right doctrine, but there is no room to share doubts, struggles, or to question, then personal growth has taken a back seat to "getting a good grade" in church.

We have "focused on the family" when God asked us to focus on the community. Jesus told us that families would be divided because of their belief in him, but he came to create new community. Which is the priority then?

There is no Christianity without the gathered, connected people of God. "For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body---whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free---and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." (I Corinthians 12:13) There must be a real, personal connection to the body. But we must ask two questions: First, am I really willing to respond to Jesus' authority and follow him? Second, has church become another activity and obligation like work or soccer practice, or is the church part of my relational identity, a group of people I work to get to know and love, people I've included in my larger life?

If the faith that Jesus established is still going to be influential for the next generation then these questions have to be dealt with.

No More Bite-Sized Gospel

2011-11-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

The gospel is not something you can explain in three minutes. You can introduce it in three minutes, but if you can explain it that quickly, your gospel is too small. I believe it is the practice of presenting the gospel as a small thing, to be consumed in bite-sized pieces, that partially explains why the church is losing so many youth as they move from high school to adulthood.

The Bible is more than John 3:16 and the twenty or thirty favorite stories we like to repeat. God has used this scripture to inspire great writers such a Dostoevsky, J. R. R. Tolkien, Annie Dillard, T. S. Eliot, and Waker Percy. It has shaped great thinkers such as Augustine, Pascal, Kierkegaard, and contemporaries such a Peter Kreeft. It has inspired great art and influenced the shape of modern science, medicine, and law.

A small gospel doesn’t seem to stand up well against worldviews that have been well thought through (they may contain error, but they have been given thought). The tragedy is God has given us so much more to chew on, has addressed all the great questions of life, and presented us with more than enough to feed and inspire us for a lifetime.

Real classes and teaching need to replace our short commercial moments for God.

I know the first objection, because I get it often. Youth have the attention span of a chipmunk. Really? Are you sure.

Several years ago I was asked to teach at a large youth retreat. I’m a college missionary, and I hadn’t felt comfortable with high school students. To make matters worse, this retreat included middle school students. I never thought I connected well with this audience, but I agreed to speak.

I brought some musicians and a drama team for a “hip” factor. I don’t do hip well.

I was given several 90 minute teaching blocks. 90 minutes? Even with music and drama, that still left me with over 45 minutes to fill. As the youth groups began to arrive, each youth leader pulled me aside. “Our group only has about a ten minute attention span,” they warned. I was polite, but inside I wanted to ask, “Then why did you give me 90 minute teaching blocks?”

I approached this retreat differently, though. I remembered my audience. I know what they talk about among friends at school. We tiptoe around topics that they talk about openly elsewhere, and it makes us sound naive and foolish. Worse, it makes God seem naive and foolish. I decided to talk to them like they were college students, to be frank and shoot just a little over their heads. I talked about things that mattered to them in straightforward, frank terms.

The result was that I had a group of middle school and high school students that were engaged and focused throughout the long teaching blocks.

Content matters. If you have a few that don’t engage, then create something else for them. But don’t keep aiming for the least interested. You will lose the majority for the rebellious few. Reward faithfulness and you will create faithfulness. Focus your best attention on the slackers and the message is clear: slackers mean more to you than the faithful. Find a way to reach both, but give your best to the faithful. That’s Jesus’ model.

If the idea of diving into these topics deeper, of reading the great theologians, or wrestling with the big questions just makes you feel tired, then you don’t really believe in the life-giving qualities of God’s truth. Devotion to God is... well, devotion, commitment, taking the place of the students before we simply cover our preconceptions with religious trappings and present it to the world as God’s truth. That may seem harsh, but if we treat God like a hobby, then we will have little to offer.

Saint Steve Jobs and “Buddy Jesus”

2011-10-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

This should be my last blog about Steve Jobs for a while, but today, CNN has collected a group of writers to consider the question, “Is Steve Jobs a saint.” But perhaps the first question should have been what is a saint.

The definition of saint used by most of the writers is synonymous with fame and celebrity. My problem here is not the elevation of celebrity, but the devaluation of faith and its objects.

What does the word “saint” mean? For many, it means a really good person. Someone better than you. Someone who God needs to sit up and take notice of. For others, it represents dead people who lived such good lives before God that they now have God’s ear. They now have spiritual leverage, so you want them on your side. This second definition implies that God, himself, is distant and aloof.

The Bible has another definition altogether. A saint is a follower of Jesus. A saint is special because Jesus has made them special. As saints grow, they don’t revel in their perfection, but they understand their falleness, and how short they fall when compared against Christ (the only comparison that matters). As they understand their shortcomings, they begin to understand God’s gift better. “God made him who had no sin (Jesus) to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God.”

Everyone who has responded to Jesus’ call to follow him is a saint because of God’s grace displayed and bestowed to us through Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. It all points back to God.

That’s my problem with our use of saint today. It’s too casual, and it points the wrong way. When sainthood is equated with celebrity it points back to us. There is nothing wrong with being a fan. But hero worship and true devotion are in a completely different league.

My main concern is not with hero worship in itself, but the trend to pull our admiration for Jesus down to the same level. In Kevin Smith’s film, Dogma, the church is worried about young people leaving the church, so a new advertising campaign is initiated. Throw out all the seriousness, commitment, and call to serve. Instead, a new “Buddy Jesus” image is presented. A more relatable, “he’s just one of us,” happy go lucky, celebrity Jesus.

Jesus is not a celebrity. He is God, and that puts him in a completely different class.

I am a fan of Star Wars and Star Trek and Farscape. The inner geek in me rejoices. I am not a fan of Jesus. I’m a devotee of Jesus. I have given my life to Jesus. I’ll give Star Wars a bit of my time, but I’ll never give my life to it.

Saints are not marked first by innovation, how charismatic they are, or the recognition of others. None of that is bad. We should work hard and set our sights high. A saint is marked by his or her devotion to God, by obedience, by embracing God’s love and sharing it in a life of service.

Don’t market God as though he were Steve Jobs, Jonny Depp, or a new deodorant. Promote him as the Lord of Life, the Creator, the Beginning and the End, as God. He doesn’t want fans. He wants devotion.

We don’t make Saints. We don’t decide who becomes a saint. It’s a gift of God that raises us beyond the trivialities of fandom into a new life as a new creation. Only God makes a saint. Celebrities follow the trends. Saints follow Jesus.

The Source of Steve Jobs Confidence

2011-10-24T10:03:00.001-07:00

Steve Jobs' authorized biography hits the stores today. A sign of his legacy (and that of a select few), it hit the Net first through the Kindle, iBooks, and the Nook. It is a portrait of a very human man, warts and all. Many will read the book looking for the warts, but more will be looking for those things that motivated him and inspired his genius. After all, we'd all like to be able to learn from success.

Walter Isaacson shared a surprising but understandable piece of Steve Jobs’ motivation. In an emotional moment, the adopted Jobs asked his parents why he was rejected by his birth parents. His parents response was, "No, you don't understand. We specifically picked you out."

Jobs reflected, “From then on, I realized that I was not—just abandoned. I was chosen. I was special.” Isaacson reflected, "And I think that's the key to understanding Steve Jobs."

This is no small thing, and God knows it. It is easy for us to feel rejected in this life, to think that God has thrown us away because of our past or God’s indifference. King David realizing his crimes against God says to God, “Don’t throw me out with the trash.” (Psalms 51, The Message) I think we all have a desire to be needed, but I know we all need to be wanted.

This is why Jesus wanted his disciples to understand, “You did not chose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last...” (John 15:16) This comes right after Jesus tells his disciples that they are not servants but friends. The two things that Jesus points to, when telling them they are his friends, is that he has shared his plans with them, and he wanted them to be with him, he chose them.

That’s great for those first disciples, but what about us? When Jesus died on the cross, he died for the sins and the salvation of all. This is the strongest way that Jesus could say, “I want you.” The New Testament gives witness that Jesus did not die for generic humanity. He died for each and every one of us as individuals. Jesus wants us.

Humanity has abandoned God, but God has not abandoned us. Instead, “when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” (Gal 4:4-6)

Jobs was right. He was special, he was loved, because he was chosen. We need to be wanted. He was wanted by his parents, but how much more worth do we experience when we realize we are wanted by God? We can work forever to be needed, but it is a clutching desire that is seldom fulfilled. On the other hand, to be wanted is a gift. That gift makes us special.

When Jobs realized that he was wanted and special, it motivated him toward higher goals for his life. It gave him a confidence, a confidence that sometimes slipped into arrogance, but confidence none the less. The same will happen for us when we take Jesus’ love for us seriously. Confidence is sprinkled with humility when the God of the universe is added to the picture, but it is an enabling confidence. Jesus chose us and chose us to bear fruit for him. This is a gift as well. He has already decided that we can be part of what he is doing, and he has gifted us to accomplish great things. Great things? Yeah, we need more confidence and gratitude to take up the promise and run. After all, “all you who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

Of Shakespeare & UFOs

2011-10-17T13:34:00.001-07:00

The soon to be released movie Anonymous is a tale of intrigue revolving around the true author of Shakespeare's plays. Yes, conspiracy theory lovers unite! Shakespeare may be a well-established historic figure, but there has always been a small number that question his ability to write. After all, he was a noble, people question his education, and he...well, he wrote so many plays. Surely one mere mortal couldn't have achieved such a feat. Maybe it was a group people, or several hundred trained monkeys (but then, the typewriter hadn't yet been invented, so that's out of the running), or Francis Bacon (he could do anything).

So what do UFO's have to do with Shakespeare? For the same reason that some people have a hard time accepting Shakespeare's genius, people propose that aliens built the pyramids. How could we ever believe that humans could create something as cleaver as the pyramids? Of course humans couldn't have made it to the moon on their own, ancients couldn't have formed glass skulls, and what about that iPad?

Each case offers a small and petty view of humanity. Instead, we should be celebrating the unique wonder that is man and woman. We are the only animal on this planet capable of abstract reasoning. Other animals solve problems and make tools, but instead of jumping around a problem poking and prodding until we stumble on a solution, we sit down and think through the problem first (okay, I confess, when it comes to my computer, I start with picking and prodding). We are the only animal that makes tools to make other tools (think about it). We are the only animals that create our own, diverse political systems. For other animals it's hard wired into them. We are the only animals that practice fine arts (art that builds on itself from generation to generation). We adapt the environment to us as well as adapt to the environment.

All in all, that's pretty amazing. We have been made in the image of God. We are animals infused with the gift of spirit. The difference is worthy of celebration wherever we see it. Of course we could build the pyramids, go to the moon, even create the iPad (did I mention I was writing this on an iPad?). The gifts of God are to be appreciated.

It is the wonder of this gift that makes our use of it so tragic. There is so much power in this gift. The power to sail across space, and the power to destroy nations. We have done both, but we weren't created for both purposes.

The fact that we can do such harm does not mean that we need to run down or deny our humanity. The gift is good. We need to look for the problem elsewhere. The power that comes with the image of God requires divine wisdom, knowledge, and guidance to wield it properly.

Absolute power does not corrupt absolutely. God's wisdom, balance, beauty, and love are incorruptible, but ours is not. We lack the perspective and the perfection. God gave us the gift along with his guidance, but we decided we were wiser. I would suggest that history has already proved us wrong. But that doesn't mean the gift is evil in and of itself. We best celebrate our humanity when we return to its source. When we surrender to God's guidance, his wisdom, grace, beauty, and love. We find the fulfillment of humanity in the one who gave it to us in the first place.

So, I'd love to find a flying saucer in my backyard, but the Egyptians didn't need one to create the pyramids, and I don't find it difficult to believe Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven plays (they weren't all good plays after all). I choose to celebrate and fear this amazing gift we have been given by pursuing the One who gave it to me.

Advance Love First

2011-10-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

We are all damaged goods. I think it is essential that we remember this. The fruit of pride and rebellion is pain. There might be the moment of pleasure, of defiance that feels like freedom, momentary consolation, or fleeting power, but after that fades, we are still left with pain - the pain we inflict, and the pain we carry away. Sin is crippling in many ways, but perhaps the greatest is the fear and distrust it imparts that makes it hard for us to receive love.

I believe the first task that Jesus has given us is to help people learn to receive love. It is not the only task, but it's where we need to start. Before someone can agree with God, before they can repent and begin to set their lives straight, before God's renewing love can bring freedom and health there must be a surrendering to God's love. This is more than an intellectual exercise. It requires trust and vulnerability. Two of the things sin crushes.

We have other tasks. There are actions and philosophies that we are called to oppose. We are to be watchful of error and deceit. We are to call out and oppose injustice. But all of that is meaningless if it doesn't advance love. That's the root cause of self-righteousness. We defend causes and ideas while forgetting why God sent us out in the first place. It starts with God, but then it's all about people.

Our continuing freedom is wrapped up in this as well. Sin is still at work. We want to judge. We want power. We sometimes fear what the world fears: loss of possessions, outsiders taking our place, being left behind, becoming insignificant. We are tempted to take matters into our own hands, circle the wagons, and return to our oppressive ways. We all struggle with sin, but our release is still the same as the one we offer the world. We again trust and surrender to God's love. We continue to let God channel his love through us.

"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them." (1 John 4:16) This is the first lesson God gives us and the one he returns to again and again. It was God's love that inspired him to send Jesus. It was his love that led him to raise Jesus from the dead and won our salvation. It was his love that motivated him to send his Spirit to us. It was his love that hunted you down and brought freedom to your life. It is his love that is healing our scars and teaching us how to better receive love so that we might be freed to give love.

The first step of salvation is to open up to God's love for us, so our first task is to help people receive love. They have been hurt, selfish, prideful, and sometimes downright deceitful, but none of that will change until the walls that hold out love come down. Most people believe deep down that they don't deserve love - and they are right. Love is a gift and not a wage. We need to love first, often, and in creative and surprising ways. We need to love until a hurt, damaged person finally is able to receive the single most powerful truth in the universe: they are loved by us and, most importantly, by God.

This isn't easy for us. It cost Jesus his life. But this is part of the reason God sent his Spirit to us. The Spirit is here first to continue to express God's love and intimacy to us. We are not forgotten after we respond. But that same Spirit empowers us to love beyond our means, and that's where the real adventure starts, where we begin to experience the true power and faithfulness of God - and where we begin to really understand the greatest truth of all: God is love.

Inspired by Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T10:15:00.000-07:00

Creative people change the world. The critics have their moments, the bitter and the power-hungry leave scars, and the takers eventually vanish into obscurity, but it is the acts of creativity that shape the world. It's for that reason that we should take note of the life of Steve Jobs.

Some Christians will argue that it is dangerous to hold up as examples people who are not known for their faith, some even feel the need to run them down, but that only reflects a poverty of spirit and a lack of respect for the image of God in each of us. We can celebrate the gift of humanity without diminishing or ignoring the need for salvation.

Like many of my generation I count creative people among my heroes. Jim Henson, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Steve Jobs are all high on that list, and they all teach one important lesson: Creativity is more powerful than critique. It's not that critique is unimportant, but it never built anything. In the end, we fail if we don't build more than we tear down. That's an important message for the church today. We need fewer angry old men (and many fewer angry young men) and more people of vision.

Steve Jobs inspires me because he was a man of vision. He had a picture of the future he wanted to share with the world. I have no idea how long we have, but I need to live my life as if we have another thousand years before Jesus ushers in the next great age of humanity. Inspiration comes from people of vision. If you believe it's all over and we just need to hold on until the final curtain comes crashing down, then you will waste the gift of life you have been given. With Jesus it's about life, living, and vision.

Even when Jobs had made his fortune, when he was comfortable for life, and when he was ill, he still gave his life to create. Vision added meaning to his life. Our vision may look small or large to others, it may touch a neighborhood or a continent, it may be directed to toward the forgotten or the masses - that doesn't really matter - what matters is that you have a vision, that you have given yourself to create something in someone's life.

One of the important life lessons that Steve Jobs learned was that vision is not accomplished on his own. He had two careers. The first was innovative, but self-centered. People were obstacles to be conquered or workers to whipped into shape. He lost Apple as a result. When he returned, he returned a bit more humble. He highlighted the accomplishments of the team and began to focus attention on others. He became a man known for bringing men and women (corporations are in the end just groups of people) together to bring music, film, TV, books, magazines, and newspapers into the digital age. Vision is accomplished by community. Communities need leaders, many leaders of many types, servant leaders who do not see themselves as the answer, leaders who value community. The lone rebel makes a noise for a time, but communities change the world.

Creativity changes the world. If we are too poor in spirit to celebrate creativity wherever we see it, then we are most likely to become smaller, bitter, withered. If we fail to see and honor creativity, then we are unlikely to recognize the extent of Jesus’ creativity, generosity, and vision. That would be tragedy because we would be left with a vision of Jesus as stingy and judgmental rather than the generous Lord of light, love, joy, and vision. Jesus should guide and shape our creativity, but celebrate the creative - celebrate vision.

Jesus without the Church?

2011-10-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

Students often tell me that they are okay with Jesus, but they don't like organized religion, therefore they don't attend any church (I am tempted to ask their opinion of disorganized religion, but I'm sure I'd get a confused stare). Today, there is a growing group that seem to affirm faith while disconnecting from other believers. Rather than an affirmation this is a rejection of Jesus' work and intentions for mankind.

First, let me say that I understand that some people have been hurt by impersonal, bureaucratic, and authoritarian churches. Always hear someone out before you respond. At the same time, church is not an optional extra for disciples of Christ.

A church is not a building or a corporation. Scripture describes the church as people who have been united by faith and the Spirit of God. All believers are part of a universal church, but that universal reality must be realized personally in some setting if we are to be obedient to Jesus' call.

Paul instructs the Corinthians that "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body---whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free---and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many." (1 Corinthians 12:12-14) We are not only baptized in Christ, we are also baptized into his body. Communities of the redeemed who care for each other and work with each other to redeem the world are part of God's plan. If we are disciples of Jesus, then we go where he leads us, and he leads us into caring communities.

Jesus has come to establish his kingdom, the way God intended life to be lived. Under Jesus' Lordship, we find wisdom, creativity, and love. Love doesn't come naturally for us (Time to be real). We need the Holy Spirit to teach us and empower us to become more than we were before we met Jesus. Love cannot be experienced in isolation. It must be experienced together. God brings us together as a forgiven and humble (at least we are if we are honest about why we needed to be forgiven) people. Together we fumble around learning to support and encourage each other. We often fail, but as a community united by Jesus' forgiveness, we learn to apologize and ask for forgiveness. More importantly, we learn to extend that same forgiveness.

If we can't extend grace to each other, the grace that builds up, liberates, and forgives, then how can we ever represent Jesus to a world that doesn't know him?

But there is a larger issue here. Can we claim to be Christian, to be disciples of Jesus, if we refuse to follow him, if we refuse to gather together as he instructs us? Most of the students I meet who claim to follow Jesus, but aren't interested in "organized religion", are really saying that Jesus isn't important enough to change their life for. Church on Sunday is inconvenient. In most cases they don't want anyone telling them right from wrong. Not even God.

Jesus is never just okay. He's either the gracious and powerful Lord that leads us into a better life, or he's an advice columnist that you periodically consult. Jesus' teaching were divisive because he defined himself as God and never as a consultant. His love inspired him to tell the truth, and we should never water them down. We should make sure our words represent Jesus' love and grace, but there is nothing loving about hiding the truth. It's a package deal. Jesus and the church come as a package deal. You walk away from one and you walked away from the other.

Investing in the Faithful

2011-09-20T10:41:00.001-07:00

Does your campus outreach, youth group, church reward the faithful? We've all heard the saying, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you live by that saying than you are going to end up with a lot of squeaky wheels. You build what you focus on.

The problem with a one-size-fits-all approach to ministry is that it always descends to the lowest common denominator. If you want to build strong disciples, if you want your youth to maintain their faith into adulthood, you need to offer additional opportunities for the faithful.

This was central to Jesus' personal ministry. He preached to the multitudes, he pastored many, but he poured himself into the faithful. This group included the apostles, but it didn't end there. He also gave extra time to Mary and Martha, his mother, and several other faithful women. We hear of one group of seventy-two that Jesus trained in outreach (Luke 10:72). Individuals from these groups traveled with him, shared meals and campfires, and were offered additional training and opportunities.

I care for the fringe and the lost. I want to see people transformed for the first time, but those who have been reached must be rooted in their faith and equipped to minister. Anything less is failure.

Failure? That seems like a strong statement, but look at Jesus' command. He didn't command us to make converts. That's not enough. He called us to make disciples. Outreach is not complete until the convert is ministering at your side. Effective ministry is not measured by the public activity of a leader. It's measured by the fruit of those he or she disciples (Mat 28:18-20).

You set the bar low, and you will not be disappointed. On the other hand, if you set the bar higher, reward faithfulness by giving the faithful more attention, you are likely to be pleasantly surprised and more people will be reached because you will have created a partner and a coworker.

Students that come out of this kind of background will become influencers rather than the influenced, and they will survive into an adult faith. Jesus pastored the many, but he poured himself into the faithful. We should do nothing less.

Are You Working for the Wrong Side?

2011-09-14T12:33:00.001-07:00

It's when we fight the world's systems that we are most likely to be controlled by them. This is a hidden danger that we don't often recognize and many in the church have fallen to it.

We are to fight the systems of this world. Not for the sake of the fight but to free those who have been held captive by these systems, actions, and beliefs. This is an important distinction. If we lose it than our battle turns on people (flesh and blood) rather on the spiritual powers that create the deception (Eph 6:12). We begin to destroy people rather than strongholds. Sadly, that has too often been the practice today, and the gospel has been disgraced. But even when our focus is right, we are open to manipulation.

When we confront the beliefs and systems of the world, we must begin by stepping back and consulting with God first. The powers and principalities that entrap and deceive don't play fair. If they only lied, they would be easy to confront, but they make the task harder by mixing truth in with their deceptions. If we simply react before we consult with God, then we will inevitably throw the baby out with the bath water. We will reject the truth along with the error, and that is just what the enemy wants. He wants to unconsciously recruit us to his cause by tricking us into opposing truth as well as error.

God taught us the principles that led to scientific method, but because some people have misused science to try to prove there is no God, many Christians have rejected those God-given principles. The Scriptures have a great deal to say about the stewardship of nature, but because some extreme environmentalists have tried to diminish humanity through distortions of Biblical principles, many Christians have rejected Biblical stewardship. Even though social justice is perhaps the most reoccurring theme in both the Old and New Testaments, because some people have attempted to build new systems of justice based on worldly opinion, many Christian oppose social justice in general.

In each case, Christians have become pawns of the enemy when they thought they were doing the right thing. Why? Because they didn't stop first and consult with God. We must go to Scripture and test the challenges. We must separate the truth from error, so that we don't throw away God's truth while opposing the enemy's lies.

I know it's tempting to say that the issues are so important that we can't waste time with things like study. The perceived urgency of the moment is one of the enemy's greatest weapons. Who or what is in charge? Does the situation or God rule our lives? If it's God, then we can afford the time to consult with him. Not just try to find a few proof texts to support our preconceived ideas, but time to wrestle with the truth. God honors those who put in the time. The apostle Paul gives us a great example: "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (Acts 17:11)

We live in a fast food world, and I think that has rubbed off on us. God's truths are not self-evident. Sin has blinded us. It takes work to throw off worldly common sense and replace it with the wisdom and knowledge of God. Too many today try to take on the world while their Bibles and theology texts gather dust. When that happens, God is no longer in control. Satan is now leading us by the nose as we react to his carefully laid plans. It's past time to repent and do the hard work of reclaiming God's truth and put away the false, fast food theologies of reaction.

The Power of Grace on 9-11

2011-09-10T08:48:00.000-07:00

Swift, mindless, and violent retribution. That's what tends to come to mind when everything we love is put into danger. From Walking Tall to The Patriot the message from Hollywood is that you hurt those who endanger you and yours, and that revenge is justified and noble. I'm thankful that on 9-11, I saw behavior that looked nothing like Hollywood. On that day and the days that followed there was a vision of hope on campuses as well.

I had been in the D. C. area for about a week conducting outreaches on several campuses. Harvey and Sally Herman were city directors there, and I was staying at their place. That morning a prayer meeting was scheduled and campus missionaries had begun to arrive. I fired up my trusty MacBook and logged onto AOL (yes, those were some of the early days of the Internet). As the welcome screen came up, there was a picture of one of the World Trade Centers and the now famous gaping, smoking hole. We turned on the television just as the second tower was struck. There was the Pentagon strike, close enough that we heard and felt the impact, and the nervous hours until all the remaining planes were accounted for.

The prayer meeting went on, but the agenda had radically changed.

The images of destruction will never be forgotten. The collapsing towers, the sight of the Pentagon smoking for several days, the military personnel who could bear to look as we passed the broken building, and the military Humvees on every corner. But it was the student response that was a hopeful surprise.

Very quickly after the disaster there was a fear of violent retribution toward anyone of Middle Eastern descent. The first reports, though, were not of violence but of American students seeking out Middle Eastern students to form protective shields for them. In most cases, those were Christian students.

There was a need for food, clothing, and blankets for those displaced by the disaster. College students went to work and had begun collecting supplies while most of the country was still sorting out what had happened.

Chaplains on campus began collecting people together to process what had happen. I was part of a crowd of thousands at American University. Around me I could hear people talking about family members and friends that worked in the Trade Center or the Pentagon that had not been heard from. I heard people remark that they had been bumped off the fatal flight from D.C. I was amazed by the close connection between D.C. and the people of New York. This was personal.

The Christian and Jewish chaplains worked together with the Islamic chaplain. The goal that day among Christians was to make sure that Jesus' teachings were upheld: "You have heard that it was said, `Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Mat 5:43-48) It is interesting that it was people of faith who did the most to comfort, unite, and mobilize people on campus.

I returned to American University one year later to publicly discuss the differences between Islam and Christianity with an Imam. The strongest difference is that the god of Islam is a god of justice and judgement that will never be close or intimate with his followers - grace and mercy should not be expected. While Jesus so loved us that he got as close as possible to and demonstrated both justice and mercy by paying the price of sin through his own life. What I will remember about those first days after 9-11 is that the grace and mercy of Jesus was shown to be more powerful in a disaster than prejudice, hatred, and revenge. Hollywood was wrong and Jesus was right.

Of Orange Trees and Theology

2011-09-06T13:09:00.001-07:00

I have eaten oranges and consumed orange juice all my life, and yesterday I learned I knew almost nothing about oranges and what little I knew was wrong. I began reading John McPhee's book, Oranges, yesterday. McPhee is one of America's greatest nonfiction writers. I wanted to learn from his writing style, so I chose Oranges because I wanted to see how he could sustain the reader's interest through a whole book on just one fruit. The answer? Oranges are pretty interesting

How can something so familiar be so unknown? I never questioned the existence of oranges, where they came from, how they work into human history, or ever what color they are (Orange right? It's right there in the name, right? Turns out thats not really the case)? Curiosity may have killed the cat, but I can guarantee that cat's short life was richer for the exploration. And what kind of society are we that we made up such a morbid saying about the desire to know more? And whose cat was it anyway?

What's true of oranges is true about a great many things, including theology. If you don't ask questions, dig deeper, and risk an untimely, feline death, then the Christian faith and the things of God seem pretty dull after a while, and the dullness is infective. I am surprised about the lack of hunger to learn more about God, the Scripture, and the history of the Christian faith that I see around me today. But it is understandable. Many sermons, Christian classes, and books are little more than self-help guides, moral lists, and dry Cliff Notes versions of Divine truth.

Who wants Cliff Notes when they can have Shakespeare? Actually, that's easy. The uninspired, the lazy, and the mediocre. The people who are content to have what is given to them by others but never question for themselves. Toadstools rather than explorers. People who waste their life watching other people go through the motions on reality shows rather than experience life for themselves.

That sounds a bit harsh, but that is the legacy our ministries leave unless we are willing to bring the fact forward, unless we are willing to dig deeper to have more to offer, unless we welcome and encourage questions.

Did you know that ripe oranges are not necessarily ripe? An orange needs a cold spell in order to turn the color orange, but that has nothing to with its ripeness. In fact, oranges are one of the few fruits that can only ripen on a tree. It doesn't contain the starches that apples and pears have that allow them to ripen after they are picked. So if you avoid green oranges in the store, you are passing up perfectly ripe oranges. In fact, some oranges turn the color orange and then go back to green as they ripen. That's a meaningful fruit fact. It could keep you from starving in an orchard of green oranges.

Did you know the Christian faith got it's start in cities? That the wealthy and educated were among the early converts? That the early church warned people strongly against taking the Genesis creation account as a scientific, literal picture of how God created the earth and man(while affirming God as Creator)? Do you know how the religious festivals that were a backdrop to most of Jesus' public miracles deepened the meaning of those miracles? Did you know that Moses' body was taken up into heaven by an angel (One of four bodily ascensions into heaven? The other three were still alive. Lucky them).

The wonder is in the detail not the generalizations and the quick and easy outlines. Writers such as N. T. Wright and John Walton (The Lost World of Genesis One) are good at bringing these details to bear and there are many more authors that I will recommend later. Unlike that unfortunate feline, curiosity about God brings revelation, knowledge, life, and enough fascination for several lifetimes. Why settle for less?

Reinventing Jesus in Our Own Image

2011-09-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

Selective Attention: to focus on those things that are consistent with our opinions, beliefs, attitudes, and felt needs.

It's how we are wired. We can't take everything in at once, so our brain edits what's around us to make it manageable. Without this mechanism, we would be so overwhelmed with information as we raced down the freeway that survival would be questionable. Unfortunately, selective attention is always at work trying to shape Jesus to meet our expectations.

Ask someone to draw a picture of Jesus and they will draw a Jesus that looks like them. He will be black or white, Asian or European, barefoot or sandaled, clean shaven or bearded based on what the budding artist is familiar with. Selective attention has led to the familiar portrait of a blue-eyed, light-haired, pale-skinned Jesus that could never have been of middle-east birth. In many cases this is harmless, but in others this distortion has left racism unchallenged.

Labels such as conservative, liberal, traditional, radical, and middle of the road can be dangerous when we are approaching Jesus and the Scripture. First, they are vague, confusing labels that mean radically different things to different people, but their greatest danger comes from the fact that they are all social labels that are culturally informed by the times we are living in. Cultural expectations are formed by what we already know. Jesus' wisdom is based on eternal truth that we are still learning. Culturally conditioned faith fosters the belief that we have already captured the truth, but the apostle Paul tells us that living faith involves an ongoing activity of taking off the old man with his old understanding and assumptions, and putting on the new man as Jesus continually reveals himself (Eph 4:22, Col 3:9,10).

Are you stuck in a rut? Has it been a long time since you have been surprised by something Jesus said? A long time since you have disagreed with something in Scripture and had to wrestle it out with God? If so, then you have been making Jesus in your own image. If you doubt this could happen to you, then you underestimate our tendency to wander and the deceptiveness of sin.

We need to be surprised by God. We need to wrestle with Jesus as our prejudice is confronted. We need this because Jesus brings a liberation that leads to love, joy, peace - and a meaningful life. We may feel safe with what is comfortable, but it's a trap set up by the enemy. He loves us to be comfortable if comfort acts as a cage to keep us from God.

So how do we escape selective attention? I'll suggest three ways, though I'm sure there are more.

1) Study the Scripture with others. Small group Bible studies mean there are more eyes on the page, more chances of seeing what we usually miss. This is especially true if you make sure the members of the study are from different backgrounds, professions, and even racial groups.

2) Read Christian authors who have stood the test of time. Most of the Christian books written today will not be remembered again after six months. That's because they merely reflect our time and prejudice. They just tickle our itching ears. But some books last because they convey eternal truth in a way that has been challenging and accessible to several generations. Add some of them to your reading list.

3) Break the bubble. We tend to listen to and read people we already agree with. Let yourself be challenged by other voices. You may still disagree after you have heard them out, but you will have gained something. No one is completely wrong, so you will take away some truth, but more importantly, you will come to Scripture with new questions. New questions always bring a positive response from God.

You may have noticed that Scripture has been at the center of this discussion. That's because without the regular study of Scripture you will be trapped in your preconceptions, and you will miss out on the riches that God has to offer. Ruts may seem safe and familiar, but they represent the broad way that leads to destruction. Jesus' narrow way has few ruts because few choose to travel it, and that's sad really. The view is so much better.

Smart Christians?

2011-08-30T09:24:00.001-07:00

Conventional wisdom seldom consults the facts while stereotypes thrive on ignorance. When unchecked both create a reality distortion field that skew our good intentions and derail earnest ministry... And screw up the life of our youth.

Conventional wisdom says that the dim and the ignorant are more likely to have faith, so beware of book learning and distract people from deep thoughts and rational inquiry. Yet the facts say something very different. A recent University of Nebraska-Lincoln study shows that likelihood of someone attending a religious service increases by 15% for each year of higher education he or she completed. In addition, the likelihood of reading the Bible also increases 9% for each additional year of education. That's significant when you take into account that Biblical illiteracy is now so high even among evangelicals.

Also contrary to conventional wisdom, the group leaving the church in the greatest number are those without a higher education. I need to note here that a college education does not define a person's intelligence. Some are bright enough that a college education is redundant. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, philosopher Mortimer Adler, and a number of people I've meet in my life and travels attest to this, but they are the exception rather than the rule.

Learning is important. The majority of the U. S. population over 24 and under 40 is now college educated and that number is continuing to rise. We are commanded to love the Lord with our mind as well as our heart, soul, and strength (Luke 10:27). A tension develops, though, when pastors, youth leaders, and parents try to teach information that is not accurate, especially concerning history and science, and when they belittle learning.

Some pastors and teachers go so far as to edit Scripture to undermine the idea that study is important. They teach that Paul's outreach in Athens was a failure because he reasoned with his audience (according to Acts 17, he started a church there), downplay Peter's command for good apologetics (1 Peter 3:15), and present the Apostles as a group of simpletons. God has shaped learning, art, literature, laws, values, and more through the brilliance of his Word to us. It's okay to see the entry point of the gospel as simple, but God's message to us is not simplistic. Scripture never says, "Stop thinking and everything will be okay."

We should be ministering to the poor, the needy, and the uneducated (the three are not necessarily the same), but not because we are unwilling to do the hard work of ministering to the majority around us. Throughout most of the last two thousand years, Christian leadership was known for the hard work of learning and then communicating that knowledge to others. Pastors were expected to know Scripture and to personally devote themselves to God through prayer, worship, and service. In addition, they were expected to be knowledgable in science, philosophy, history, and literature at the very least. It was a high calling to be sure.

Intellectual laziness kills. It creates false tensions between what some say Scripture demands and what is readily observable. It is a false tension since the conflict doesn't result from Scripture or the correct observations we make but from passing on bad interpretations and misinformation that result from pop theology, short-lived Christian bestsellers, or the current Christian superstar. There are real answers to the tough questions of life. There is wisdom and understanding to be found in sincere and honest searching. Learning is not more important than the other parts of the Christian life, but neither is it less important.

The numbers show us that education and faith go together, but they also tell us that if we are too lazy to meet the challenge of this generation, they will go somewhere else.

Invite Jesus Into Your Conversations

2011-08-27T13:21:00.001-07:00

One of the first ways to bring Jesus into your conversation is to keep up with the news. CNN has a religion blog on their Website and NPR often has positive discussions of Christian issues. Their reporting can be a good starting point as in: "CNN just reported on a huge national study that reveals that you are more likely to go to church the more educated you are. I was a little surprised by that. Are you very religious?"

I'll have to talk about this report later, but it shows that less educated Americans are leaving the church in the largest numbers. Each year of higher education makes it more likely that you will become a faithful church member. I like this because the truth violates the stereotype. It's one of those facts that people go, "Hmm..." It has great potential to lead to a longer conversation.

You should be always looking for these kinds of conversation starters, but be careful where you search. You are looking for positive, surprising information and insights. Fox News, Focus on the Family, and Christian radio stations are not good sources. Not because they are necessarily unreliable, but because that media is aimed mostly at people who already agree with the attitudes and information being expressed. It's not persuasive to the unconvinced.

The primary reason that C.S. Lewis has remained interesting and persuasive for so long is that all of his writing was for a general audience. He wrote for newspapers and radio, not for Christian bookstores. There are similar writers today such as Timothy Keller, N.T. Wright, and Rob Bell.

I also recommend that you talk more about you spirituality. Spiritual exploration, development, and growth remain popular in our culture. Be willing to start there. Too many Christians make every discussion into an all or nothing treatise on theology. It's often too much too soon and doesn't address the questions people really have. If you've just come back from a retreat, talk to your friends about your spiritual growth weekend. Spiritual insights you have received from a good book, say those of Henri Nouwen or Eugene Peterson are appropriate to bring up in conversation.

What makes most Christians nervous about bringing Jesus into their conversation is the belief that we have to go for a full-court press every time he's mentioned. Pepper your conversation with your spiritual life and see where it goes. Sometimes people will want to go deeper. Sometimes you'll just move on to the topic of discussion. What you will have demonstrated is that you are comfortable talking about God. This means that your friends will know that you are the one they can go to if they have questions or they need help.

PreChristians talk about God a whole lot more than we think. Take a look at the current crop of TV shows and movies. When science fiction and supernatural shows are popular (and they are right now), it means that people are interested in the big questions of life. Unfortunately, it's Christians that make spirituality a taboo topic by pushing too hard, too often or by avoiding the topic altogether out of fear. Just remember that every discussion doesn't have to be persuasive. Bring Jesus into the conversation and don't be too pushy, and people will start asking you questions.

I'm not done with this topic. More next time.

The Life of an Explorer

2011-08-25T11:14:00.001-07:00

(Note: I promised some practical input on talking to others about Jesus, but as I was praying, God directed me to begin with this practical advice.)

Humanity was created with a sense of adventure. Since the dawn of civilization we have wondered what was over the next hill or across the ocean. We have dreamed of strange new people, exotic animals, and giant carnivorous plants (they always seem to show up in stories of exploration). We have dared to dream of and seek out new adventure, experience, and understanding. To boldly go... We seek to discover a universe large enough for our imagination. And if you don't like adventure and are content with this side of the hill, then you're not going to like Jesus very much.

There is a reason that Star Trek, Star Wars, and Doctor Who resonate so deeply with so many. They all reflect that desire to discover and explore the world around us. We intrinsically realize that we grow larger as our world grows larger. The fact that Doctor Who values the discovery of a new person as much as the discovery of a new planet has made him, perhaps the most popular fictional character in modern history (You don't have to like any of these shows to be a Christian. Insert your favorite explorer, but if you don't have a favorite explorer or innovator... Well?).

As we share our faith, we need to be sure it's a living faith that people can get excited about. There are many religious systems, including Christian religious systems, that try to tame God and make him manageable. Religion is used to control the lives of those around us so no one will rock our boat.

These systems create deep, safe, predictable ruts that are presented to others as the will of God, but really these ruts are there to make us evade the challenges God brings to our lives. That means that even Jesus must be kept at arms length because he's all about rocking our boat. It is easier to try to make Jesus into a self-help guru or a political pundant, than embrace him as the Lord of life who is making us into a new creation.

We should be hungry for the mysteries of God, looking forward with expectation for God's next surprise, looking forward to see what new thing he is building in us. We should have a holy discontent as we strain ahead to see what Jesus will reveal through us, to see the wonders he will preform through us as he touches others through us. That is the adventure of the gospel.

Jesus is not boring, comfortable, safe, a proponent of the status quo, an American, a conservative, or a liberal. He is Jesus. The most creative being in the universe, full of love, mercy, justice... And most of all wild love. Intentional love. Faithful love. Trustworthy love. Serving love. But wild love.

Jesus invites us on an adventure to change the world by sharing in his quest to bring his wild (intentional, faithful, trustworthy, serving) love into the lives of those around us.

Jesus thoughts are not our thoughts. They are wiser, grander, and larger. So much so that they seem like foolishness to those who have not given their hearts, minds, and strength to God. It's scary to think Jesus' thoughts also seem foolish to those who hide behind religion that keeps our boats from being rocked, who dislike adventure, and aren't sure they are willing to go where Jesus leads. That kind of religion makes cowards of us all and looks to the world like the limp, dead thing it is.

This may seem harsh, but our gospel needs to be authentic if we expect people to be intrigued by it. Religious conservatives hated, literally hated, Jesus in his day. Jesus calls to obedience rather than chaos and self-indulgence, but I choose to be Biblical in my obedience rather than to attach myself to the manmade systems that are labeled conservative or liberal. Instead, I am hungry to know what I don't know and to experience in Christ what I haven't yet experienced.

Life is motion and change. I want that change to be directed and empowered by God. I don't want to find a comfortable place and just sit. That only brings the disease of nostalgia, and nostalgia is no gospel.

If you want others to consider your witness then it needs to be a witness to a living gospel, a gospel worthy of an explorer.

Talking About Jesus

2011-08-22T13:01:00.001-07:00

After the challenge from the last blog to talk about our faith with others, I have had several requests to offer some practical guidance about talking to people about Jesus. So I'm going to take a few blogs to do just that. I hope it helps, and please, keep the feedback coming.

Attitude is the first practical concern. What we say and how we say it is shaped by our attitudes. I'll start with the two most common: political correctness and the belief that you actually save people.

Political correctness is a polite way to say peer pressure. It is an attempt by others to tell you what you should be embarrassed to talk about. In all honesty, many churches have done this for centuries and now the world has caught up. Ideas are not dangerous to talk about responsibly, but the censorship of ideas are. Political correctness is the last refuge for the lazy, the thoughtless, and the tyrant.

Relationships also suffer in a culture of political correctness. Instead of honesty, people are always frightened they will accidentally insult someone, be misunderstood, or be labeled for something they have said. It's like wearing a spacesuit. It may be safe, but it gets in the way of any real contact.

Political correctness is great for mindless sheep, but it's a debilitating trait for leaders, influencers, and friends. Honesty is a virtue. Fear is not.

I'm not recommending tactlessness. Being polite and sensitive are virtues as well. They can both be used in service of truth and love. Political correctness just means that you are letting other people control what you believe and say. If you bow to the power of political correctness, then you will find yourself in conflict with Jesus. Our culture tells us we should be embarrassed to talk openly about our religious beliefs, but Jesus says, "If any of you are ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38)

The opposite attitude is also a hinderance to sharing. If we think it is our place to force others to believe, then we will most likely do more damage than good. I cannot change anyone's heart. Only God can do that. My job is to tell Jesus' story, to tell my story, give answers when they are requested, love, and serve.

If I believe it's all up to me, then each time Jesus comes up in a conversation, it becomes an all or nothing proposition. There are times when you will sit down and spread out the whole story of redemption before someone, but more often than not, it starts with bits and pieces. You make a comment here or there or someone asks a couple of questions about your faith but doesn't go any further. That's fine. People process information a piece at a time. Curiosity develops over time. You are letting them know you are comfortable about talking about your faith and that you won't leap on them every time they ask a question.

If you think you save people, then you will push too hard. You will try to dominate others. You will back people into a corner. You are responsible for your decisions and not for other people's decisions. Don't try to live other people's lives for them. That's not love. That's not friendship.

So if you choose to give other people the space to make their own decisions while rejecting the political correct idea that spiritual indifference is somehow loving, you will find you will become a better communicator and a better friend. You will find gentle honesty to be freeing. The first, practical step in sharing effectively is to examine your attitudes and let Jesus deliver you from the fears that can rob others of the opportunity of new life.

Next time, I will look at practical ways to bring Jesus into your conversations.

Good Advice from a Chief Atheist

2011-08-17T11:35:00.001-07:00

Last night Penn Jillette of Pen and Teller (the magicians) fame was on Piers Morgan Tonight. Pen is a very talented, compassionate, moral man who is also an outspoken atheist. He has recently written the book, God, No!: Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales. This may surprise you, but I think we need to take his advice.

Morgan, a theist with a Catholic background (he didn't say much about his current beliefs), told Pen that the title of his book angered him. Pen replied that was not his goal and that respectful discussion was important to him. He took pains not to make fun of anyone in his book. Pen's desire is not to shut anyone down but to get people talking. "I am a huge fan of proselytizing," says Pen. "I am a huge fan of speaking your mind. The only way we can share the universe, to share humanity, is by talking very strongly about what we believe."

I think we would do well if we had the same attitude. While extremists seem to have no problem being vocal, I find that too many Christians take truth lightly. I want to encourage normal, caring, compassionate Christians to be at least as vocal as the insensitive and the rude.

We're fine at being vocal when we are together, in fact we're often too good at taking pot shots at others when they are not around, but we are too silent today when it comes to making Jesus known. Far too much polite Christian conversation today is about morality, America, and politics. There needs to be more talk about Jesus and what he thinks and teaches. The founding fathers are fine, but Jesus is the author of truth and compassion.

I understand most of the overriding fears we have. I share many of them. I actually do care what people think of me, and I am very sensitive of making people uncomfortable or pressured. I don't want to be callous and drive people away from the gospel, but if I never breach the topic or tell Jesus' story, then there is no chance that I will be involved in leading anyone closer to Jesus either.

I spent several years doing open air preaching on college campuses around the country. No, it's okay. You don't need to back away. I'm not frothing at the mouth.

I loved and hated open air work. At the time, hateful, name-calling, and often apostate open air preachers were a common occurrence. I didn't want to be associated with them, but I also didn't want their voice to be the only one heard on campus. The activity made me nervous. I would have lost my breakfast on those days, so I didn't eat breakfast. But I don't want fear to control my life.

I loved those times because once I started God was right there. The fear would leave because I was focused on the people who stopped to listen. I used a question and answer format, so I never really knew what was coming next. I still use that format even in my teaching. I found that if I treated people with respect and listened to them that people would treat me with respect. Heckling was easy with someone who was rude, but no one wants to be the jerk first. If we belittle people and make cheap jokes about their beliefs, then we should expect rejection. But that is not really an option for us. We are commanded to share with "gentleness and respect." And we are called to share. Disciples of Jesus are called to be "fishers of men." Jesus' last command to us was to "make disciples of all men." This was not a call to pastors or apostles. It was a call to all his followers.

I am not asking you to all start preaching on street corners. The campus is unique and made for activities like that. But Jesus asks us to talk to the people around us. I do challenge all of us to follow the advice of one good atheist and start "speaking your mind." Just make sure that when you do it, you don't sound like Howard Stern, Rush Limbaugh, or Al Franken. Try for Jesus' voice. I hope compassion drowns out the noise of the disrespectful and the mockers, but that will only happen if the compassionate speak up.

Campus Ministry and the First Weeks of College

2011-08-15T13:36:00.001-07:00

Prepared to be surprised. Whatever you know about your faith, there is more to learn. You stop learning and you stop growing and you begin to wilt. College brings new and healthy questions. Questions that God wants you to confront in order to grow, but you don't grow alone. That's where campus ministries come in. If you seek out a healthy ministry from the start, you'll find your college life will be much more dynamic.

A college fellowship will blow out the walls of your faith. Your life is about to get a lot bigger. Classes will expose you to ideas, information, and concepts that you never considered before. Those new ideas, questions, and even the challenges will lead you to ask new questions about God, and, surprise, God has answers. I guarantee you that your picture of God is too small. You have been content with small answers because your questions have been small. That's all going to change, and if it doesn't your faith will not fare well.

Campus ministries are full of believers going through the same challenges and exploring the same issues as you are. They will be a great source of strength and encouragement. These groups are led by campus pastors who will help you navigate the Scriptures as you grow and help with practical guidance.

I often tell our students that you won't survive adult life with a Sunday school faith. I'm not putting down Sunday school, but it's goal was to help children begin to understand the faith. You are no longer a child and now you need stronger stuff. Campus ministries will supply that.

You also need spiritual friendships. People you can trust who will be there to listen, to pray, and to drop everything if you need help. You also need to be that kind of spiritual friend to others. It's how God created us to function together. So you should look for a group that encourages small group ministry and discipleship. It is not unusual for life-long friendships to emerge from these groups.

I am part of Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, and we offer these things. So does Intervarsity, Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ), and Navigators. We are four large national ministries, but you will find others that fit the bill if these are not on your campus.

You should seek out a church near your campus, but I don't believe that is enough. You should fellowship with Christians within the campus environment for several reasons. First, because time passes differently on campus. A lot of life is squeezed into every week. Growth happens quickly, and it is often hard for things off campus to keep up. Secondly, college life deals with a unique set of questions, pressures, and challenges. You should surround yourself with people who have successfully had to deal with them. Third, outreach is central to the Christian life. You should plant yourself in the middle of this rich mission field and minister to those around you. Campus ministry is strategically positioned for this.

You should make the decision before you arrive on campus as to whether you want your faith to thrive or wilt. Wilting is easy. You only have to neglect your faith. If you want to grow, then plant yourself in a healthy campus ministry. Check them out during your first weeks and then commit yourself to one. You will be surprised by the results.

Romance in the First Weeks of College

2011-08-12T11:43:00.001-07:00

Let's be honest. You arrive on campus, you don't know anyone, and your homesick. I don't care who you are, this makes you relationally vulnerable. First and second week college romances are the norm. So is the fact they almost never work out. They start for all the wrong reasons. You are lonely and looking for friends.

The best course of action before you arrive on campus is to commit yourself to finding some good friends and decide that romance is out until at least the first few weeks have passed. Hook up too soon, and you will miss out on a lot of potential friends. You want to meet many new people instead of focussing on one person right away.

Friendships are important. In fact, building good relationships should be one of your main focuses for the first half of your first year. Those friends will be with you throughout your college life, and you will need them as much as they will need you. I still have friends that I have stayed in contact with since college. Your college life will be richer for good friendships.

On the other hand, do you want to spend most of your relational energy on a stranger you met at a relationally vulnerable moment only to have them (or you) lose interest a couple weeks later when you have both adjusted to college life and exit your life perhaps to never be seen again? This happens all the time. You just need to decide if you want it to happen to you. If you like drama, I suggest a soap opera. It's less painful. If you meet someone interesting, just give it a few weeks. If he or she has the right stuff, then they will still be around. If not, well, who needs the pain.

You need to know that sex is readily available on campus without the messiness of a committed relationship. But there are several catches. The first is that you are not made that way. Sex is meant to enhance a committed relationship where trust is involved and security is present. Graduates have become more vocal about the fact that their indiscretion during their college years has screwed up their married lives. The study in book form, Premarital Sex in America by Mark Regnerus and Jeremy Uecker, contains many testimonies to this effect from the preChristian community.

Another huge catch is that one in four premarital sexual encounters involves a sexually transmitted disease. Some of these are quite serious and currently incurable. I have been warned by campus nurses that female infertility is a far more common result of sexually transmitted disease than most people think. They have had to tell far too many women that they will never have children because of a one night stand.

It is not unusual for healthy, life-long relationships to develop during college, but they seldom develop in the first weeks of school. If you protect your romantic and sexual life then you will retain more freedom that you can use on good choices later.

Preparing for the First Weeks of College

2011-08-10T14:44:00.001-07:00

This is for both parents and students. It is important to think through and discuss how to deal with the unique challenges that come with the first weeks of college or university life. For students, you need to know what is ahead and make decisions before you find yourself caught in a situation you wished to avoid. For parents, you have a responsibility to help your son or daughter prepare. You won't be there, and you can't control the decisions that are made, but you can give wisdom and advice. Just one note on tone. Don't come in as the authoritarian. Come in as one who had to deal with the same decisions, temptations, and pressures. But forewarned is forearmed, so here are the pressures we see students dealing with.

These issues need to be discussed before college, but it's important to note that all these issues begin in high school and in some places even during middle school. It would be best to discus them earlier, but make sure it happens before college.

I'm going to start with parties because decisions here can have huge consequences.

You are a stranger when you arrive on campus, and you want that to change as soon as possible. There is a strong social component to the first weeks of school, and parties are part of it. There are many kinds of parties that will go on the first weekends. Their not all bad, and their not all alcohol based. In any case, you need to know what you are getting into.

It's okay to ask about any function you are invited to. What will be going on? What will it cost? Will there be drinking? Where is the activity? How will I get back to campus if I want to leave early? You are investing yourself in this activity, so ask.

It is okay to leave if you are no longer comfortable. Other people should not make major decisions for you. Always have a backup plan so you are free to choose.

To drink or not to drink? Students who have never drunk before are more vulnerable than they realize. The effects of alcohol will be stronger than expected, and they will not be used to effects of impaired judgment. First of the year parties are not the place to experiment. The first parties of the year always result in a number of students being sent to the hospital with alcohol poisoning. This is serious and life-threatening. Every student should know about the effects of alcohol. Don't exaggerate in an attempt to frighten students away from alcohol. Students can sense exaggeration and will dismiss the advice. Instead, just be frank. That will be respected.

Unfortunately, date rape is a real concern on campuses. If you choose to impair your judgment, then you make yourself vulnerable. Also realize that others are trying to impair you. Don't ever lose track of your cup unless you want it spiked with a date rape drug. Don't expect parties to be a source for long-term relationships. The norm today is the one-night hook up. People cruise parties primarily for one night stands. Most barely remember who they slept with the night before and really don't care if they see that person again in any other setting.

That may sound like a harsh over exaggeration, but sexual ethics have changed. Sex is often seen as merely a recreational activity without any greater significance until someday in the far future when marriage is considered.

You don't have to drink. There are many students who just say, "no." in fact the number of recovering alcoholics on campus has grown. Campus based AA groups can be quite large. Most students will respect your decision. It's not politically correct to pressure anyone else. If you are pressured, it is a sign that the person pressuring you is uncomfortable with his or her own activity. Don't let other people's insecurities influence your choices.

Underage drinking is illegal even on campus. There are still consequences when the police are called in. But most of all, is that the situation you really want to find yourself in? There will be many health alternatives where you can build strong friendships, healthy relationships, and not regret what you did the next day.

A Matter of Perspective

2011-08-08T09:47:00.001-07:00

In the critically acclaimed 1976 film, Network, a failing newscaster shots to the top of the rating by declaring, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore." He taps into and fuels arising national frustration with the state of things, but he has no answers, only aimless frustration. The result is that his frustration is open to be aimed by others, and he is easily exploited by others.

It has been a rough summer in the news, and it's not over. But sadly, this is not new news. In a world of sin and rebellion against God, chaos, pain, and injustice is the rule. The real news is that God continues to heal, to bring freedom, and to meet real needs. Our perspective will determine how we respond to the crisis around us.

If God forms our perspective then three things need to be held onto:
1) The world is in a mess because of sin.
2) God is at work to bring healing and life.
3) He's recruited us to help him.
4) We're not in this alone.

This last point, that we're not in it alone, needs to be unpacked. This does not only mean that God is with us individually, but that God is with us collectively. "Just me and Jesus," is not a formula for success. We are not only baptized into Christ, we are also baptized into the body of Christ. God ministers to us through each other. We cut ourselves off from the body, and we cut ourselves off from the resources God has given us.

If we try to take on the problems of life on our own or just as a family, then we will suffer needlessly. There is a great deal of talk about the family being the basic building block of society, but I don't read that in Scripture. The body of Christ, locally gathered, is meant to be that basic building block. Only on that scale are our needs and the needs of others met.

But I think we have to go a step farther. Only through the body of Christ will the world's ills be cared for. We have become too dependent on others solving our problems. This is especially true of our expectation that government will show us the way forward. That is our job. We need to meet together and creatively seek God to see how we would lead us forward to meet the crisis around us.

That world has changed in some significant ways. For decades and decades the population of the United States has consumed about 80% of the resources extracted from the earth. Now that other, large nations are developing a middle class, those resources will need to be shared. If we don't share them, then we will find ourselves in opposition to God (James 5:1-6). Compared to most of the world, we are the rich.

But we do not need to indulge in American bashing. We have our faults that need to be dealt with, but we have been a generous people. We have cared for those beyond our borders as well as those in need close to home. We have room to grow, but that is true for every people and nation on the earth.

The issue today is that there are new challenges in this changing world, and someone has to seek new and creative ways forward. In the past those changes did not come first from governments and think tanks. They came from Christians working together to meet the needs God directed them towards. As those solutions offers by God began to gain traction then governments and think tanks took notice.

It is a matter of perspective. Who do we trust to bring us answers? God or governments? I will put my hope in Christ, but that means that Christians must come together to seek God, to share council with each other, and to creatively serve the needs around us. God has a positive way forward for us, but we need to be listening. We don't need the world's permission to do what's right. Nations will rise and fall, but God will be with us till the end. We can choose to hide from the adventure and follow the world into the abyss, or we can faithfully follow God and lead the world.

Hope That Kills

2011-08-06T06:28:00.000-07:00

How can one of the most hopeful nations on earth also be one of the most disillusioned and cynical? Hope is a dangerous thing no matter how you look at it. False hope kills dreams, while investing hope in something solid kills disillusionment, cynicism, and fear.

The world loves blind leaps of faith. Go with your gut, just do it, make the leap, and follow your heart are cultural bylines. Infatuation takes the place of romance in most of our fiction. Infatuation are those feelings we have for someone we don't really know yet while romance is a slower, committed exploration of another person. It only grows based on an investment of time, honesty, shared experience, shared sacrifice, and loving service.

The entertainment industry thrives on easy hope. In most films people go from losers to heroes, loveless to fulfilled, and poor to rich in two hours based on infatuation and leaps of faith. But you only need to look at Hollywood headlines to realize that these false hopes don't even work for those who espouse them. False hope leaves people bitter, disillusioned, cynical, and—sadly—loveless, but the problem isn't hope. We need hope. Without it, what's the point? We all need something to live for.

I believe that the opposite of infatuation is romance. Infatuation are feelings based on ignorance while romance is an investment that leads to greater understanding and knowledge. Romance can apply to anything: a mate, a career, a hobby, family, and learning. It definitely applies to the Christian faith.

When faith is an infatuation it has more to do with feelings and little to do with knowledge. It is a faith that focuses on the experience and whims of the moment, and sadly, it doesn't deliver. Some eventually walk away in disillusionment. Others keep running after an emotional high while never gaining any depth. It all becomes Precious Moment statuettes and velvet Jesus paintings without the cross.

Faith should be a romance. True lovers invest everything to draw closer to each other. They take the time to get to know each other. Their emotional, financial, physical, and mental resources are focused to strengthen their romance. Without the investment, the hope of romance dies. The same is true of faith. It is participating in the divine romance. Faith begins in love, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:10)

Jesus promises a great deal. He gives us something, someone, to hope in. But that hope requires an investment. To be sure, Jesus' offer of life is a gift,something that we can't buy. We must surrender and accept the gift of discipleship. But if we want a hope that doesn't disillusion, then we must throw off infatuation and enter into a romance with God. We read Scripture not merely as medicine, but as a love letter written to us and for us, going back to it again and again. We pray and worship because it brings us closer to our most faithful lover. We serve alongside God because we want to share life with him and invest in what he loves. We study because a lover wants to know his or her beloved more each day. All that leads to a solid hope that will not fail.

Infatuation faith will not move a dishrag, but the faith of a lover will move mountains. False hope kills, but true hope gives life and never disappoints.

The Dangerous Myth of a Christian Nation Part III

2011-08-01T14:15:00.001-07:00

The idea of a Christian nation is dangerous to our youth because it gives the illusion that they are growing up in an environment that is naturally friendly to the gospel. It gives an feeling of false security.

Regardless of the culture we live in human nature as well as spiritual agents are always at work to inhibit or twist the truth of God. This will be the natural state if things until Jesus returns. The idea of a Christian nation builds a sense of false security. The battle starts in our hearts and then is joined by our culture and by spiritual forces. In Christ, we find that his strength is greater than forces amassed against us, but only if we are constantly aware of the danger and constantly dependent on Christ. The idea of a Christian nation implies that our culture and it's principles are redeemed and always working for us. God warns us that will not be the case until he returns.

The idea of a Christian nation also contains the idea that our culture will train our children in righteousness even if we don't. I am amazed at how many Christians promote common sense, cultural or worldly wisdom, rather than searching out God's wisdom. It is not the job of our culture or of our schools or of our government to teach the truth of God. That is the role of the community of Christ.

Just because someone grows up in America does not make them a disciple of Jesus. The same is true of growing up in the church. Our youth will not learn the truth by just hanging around us. They will only learn the truth if we take the time to teach it carefully and often. Paul shares the Biblical mandate to pass on what we have learned in Christ: "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others." (2 Tim 2:2)

Our youth spend most of five days a week in school, as many as 21 hours a week watching TV and playing video games, a couple hours a day texting and interacting on social media networks, but few churches offer thoughtful, systematic Christian education for even an hour or two a week, but more to the point, there are too many parents who see such education as an optional extra to be despised of if it becomes inconvenient. There is a value clash here. Youth need to work hard at education that will get them ahead in the world, but God's truth is an optional extra. What message do we think that sends to our youth?

Youth groups are a good, but most are evangelistic in nature. That's a good thing, but it's no substitute for good theological education.

It may be true that not every parent cares enough about their children's faith to help them attend educational opportunities, but our ministries should not be aimed at the lowest common denominator. A one size fits all ministry often sinks to the lowest expectation. The opportunity should be there if only for a few. They will eventually inspire others as others see the fruit worked out in their lives.

Each generation must be reached anew with the gospel. We must always remember that the gospel is always one generation from being lost to any people group. I hope our communities, our schools, our entertainment, and our government will reflect the values of Christ, but that will only happen if we are the ones who assume the burden of teaching the truth.

We need to be careful to train the next generation. My biggest fear from the fraudulent idea of a Christian nation is that it really means we are letting our nation train our youth.

The Dangerous Myth of a Christian Nation Part II

2011-07-30T10:26:00.001-07:00

Polls show that as many as 80% of Americans consider themselves Christian. How is this possible when church attendance is shrinking, Biblical illiteracy is at an all-time high, and the moral climate in the U.S. has slid as much as it has? The primary reason is that the definition of what it means to be a Christian becomes distorted when we mix it with nationalism. Unfortunately, Christians are largely to blame for fueling this distortion.

For far too many, the picture they hold of Christianity is equated with American middle-class values. It makes sense. If America is a Christian nation, then the actions of its people must reflect the call of Christ. And that's the reason believers should never refer to any nation as Christian.

The confusion is compounded when Christians identify any political party as being expressly Christian. There may be Christians within that party, and you may like and support what that party stands for, but it is a fallible, human institution and it’s leadership and values may change at any moment. Jesus was careful not to identify himself with any political agencies. God never gives us a model for a perfect political organization. Therefore, we move beyond the teachings of Scripture when we advertise a political party as God's perfect choice, and we confuse a needy world.

This doesn't mean that we cannot be politically active. Our society needs our influence. But we identify with Jesus and his church (an imperfect human institution that points to Jesus, not itself, as the answer while actively serving Christ by serving the world).

The Bible works against the idea of a Christian nation. That idea was abandoned through the work of the cross. Now there is God's Kingdom made up of those who believe and follow Christ. We are now salt and light for the nations, cities, and communities we live in.

When we declare America as a Christian nation, we too closely identify ourselves with the world and it's standards, and we begin to lose our saltiness. When we speak of Christian nations, we are allowing the nation to flavor us, and we are no longer flavoring the nation. That is why the majority of Americans can call themselves Christians while living for the world.

The answer is to see our communities as mission fields. We need to acknowledge that a nation changes when the hearts of it's people change. We should be involved in politics, but it should never be our focus. Reach enough people and politics will take care of itself. In a democracy, our politicians reflect the people who vote. That's a hard pill to swallow because we would like to think they are nothing like us, but remember we put them in place. Jesus never said the Kingdom would come through impersonal politics. There is no buffer. The Kingdom of God comes because we risk with our neighbor. We love. We serve. We share the gospel. Jesus gave us no other way.

The concept of a Christian nation not only confuses people, it also creates an excuse for us to keep our hands clean from the hard but, rewarding and life-giving, work of the gospel. The concept of a Christian nation is both unbiblical and a cop out.

I'll visit this topic one more time on Monday to confided who this effects our youth.

The Dangerous Myth of a Christian Nation

2011-07-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

The Kingdom of God does not look like any other kingdom or nation. It does not have physical borders and can be found on no map. Ephesians 2:11-22 demonstrates that national and racial prejudice are barriers to God's intentions for us. Jesus steps in and unites us by his Spirit, erasing these false boundaries. In Christ we become part of a new country/kingdom that is made up of those who have given themselves to be disciples of Jesus.

Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, `Here it is,' or `There it is,' because the kingdom of God is in your midst." (Luke 17:20-21)

The Kingdom of God was never meant to identified with a human-inspired, physical nation state. When we do, we open ourselves up to error, arrogance, and idolatry.

Error is inevitable when God's Kingdom is confused with human governance and a specific culture. We begin to think that American ethics equals God's ethics, that the way things are done in America naturally reflects God's desires because we are a Christian nation. In some cases our founding fathers are given the status as prophets.

While the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America were influenced by Scriptural ideas, they were not divinely inspired, nor were their authors prophets. We should reflect on the nature of faith of these writers. Thomas Jefferson rewrote the Bible to reflect his beliefs. The Jeffersonian Bible or "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth" was Jefferson's attempt to purge the Bible of any supernatural references concerning Jesus. He believed Jesus was a good teacher, but denied his spiritual nature. Jesus' morals were to be followed, but he was not to be acknowledged as God, Lord, or Savior. That legacy is still strong in American culture.

The idea of America as a Christian nation leads to arrogance. Are we open to the teaching, rebukes, and corrections from Christians of other nations, or do we believe we are the one light of the world? It is our nature to be somewhat blind to the faults of our culture. Outsiders sometimes see what we do not see. Are we willing to hear prophetic words from beyond our national boarder even though they originate from within God's Kingdom?

Perhaps the biggest danger is idolatry. "My country right or wrong" is always an affront to God. We are called to help our neighbor and our nation prosper, but we are also to call it to justice and righteousness. We are to serve our nation, but we must always make sure that we don't mingle patriotism and faith. We cannot serve two masters.

Perhaps the most vivid example are the pictures of Jesus draped in a flag. A mantle is a symbol of authority. We speak symbolically of placing the mantle of Christ's authority on our shoulders, but it is idolatrous to think that Jesus would place the mantle of America's authority upon his shoulders. This, along with red, white and blue Christmas trees, thoughts of America as the New Jerusalem, and our political leaders as (past or present) prophets all mix up our national history with God's story in such a way as to invite idolatry.

We are first citizens of the Kingdom of God. Christ has allegiance before any flag. I will love and serve the people of this nation because God commands me to. I will participate in this nation because it's my obligation as a citizen. But the Kingdom of God comes first, and whenever cultural wisdom, common sense (worldly wisdom), or the actions of this nation violate the righteousness and justice of God, I will side with God's Kingdom. Not through violence or revolution, but through the love, service, and truth that Jesus has called me to express.

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33)

In the next blog, I will continue this theme with one more danger: the Loss of the Next Generation for Christ.

Social?

2011-07-26T12:21:00.001-07:00

Trends and technology can change our perception. We have to be alert to these possible changes so we can make conscious choices about them. One current change is in the definition of social. Seattle pastor, Bill Berger, pointed me toward an interesting article ( http://on.msnbc.com/ ). Sales and marketing database NetProspex has just released its list of the most and least social cities in the U.S. Seattle topped the list while Anchorage, AK was at the bottom. What was fascinating about the list was how they determined the ranking.

The ranking was solely based on how many employees were using Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

When we measure how social a community is, we are measuring human interaction. In the past this interaction had to do with connecting personally and physically (as in being in the same room, on the same street, within yelling distance). The phone allowed social contact over distance but was usually seen as a secondary choice over close interaction. Even more distant was television. Although some people may believe they are socially involved with the Housewives of Orange County when they tune in each week, most of us understand it's a weak substitute for human interaction.

This is not a diatribe against Facebook and Twitter. I make a great deal of use of each, but their use does not necessarily make me social. I love the fact that I have some contact with people I am separated from by great distance and by years, but if given a chance, I would trade a tweet for a visit in a moment. I also know that I have to guard myself from allowing computer contact to substitute for close, personal contact.

Relationships are inconvenient. They mean that I have to go out of my way to look up people. I have to change my schedule to accommodate others. I have to clean up after throwing a party or hosting a gathering. Acquaintances are just a little annoying, friendships are disruptive, and marriage...? Well, the word exponential comes to mind. But the joys, the benefits, and the riches of life together grow with the bother.

I've been to Anchorage, AK. I was born in Alaska - and I find it hard to see it as an antisocial city. Those long winter days with little sunlight demand interaction. Otherwise cabin fever sets in (It explains all the bowling alleys).

In the end, your social life is not measured by how many friends you have on Facebook. It's measured by whether or not you bend your life to get to know the people who live around you. The lost and the lonely don't post their need on Twitter. They may not even have an account. They are connected with, loved, and healed in person.

Keep connect and in touch on the Web. I think it's a great gift. But it's far too clean and filtered to deal with our deepest social needs. The most social city is the one where it's citizens are the most hospitable. Where they inconvenience themselves for the sake of fellowship. Where they aren't too busy to stop and talk face to face, or share a Pepsi (I am not compensated for product placement), and where they choose to party together. I'll keep up with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, but I hope I never use them to define my social life.

Abandoning Our Love Affair with Boxes

2011-07-23T12:31:00.001-07:00

It's understandable that we want to understand ourselves, but there is a difference between understanding who we are at the moment and using personality tests as if they are horoscopes that predict our future. I have heard many of my colleagues tell me they are a Sanguine or a Melancholy as though that explains their lives to date and defines their calling for tomorrow. We now label generations with a set of characteristics to both tell us who we are and who we will become.

American culture has long encouraged us "to find ourselves" as though we were born with a set on inflexible skills and interests that have to be discovered in order for us to find ourselves. We look for boxes to fit ourselves into. Interestingly, God's focus is on growth rather than discovery. Jesus came to bring us freedom from who we "are" while living a sinful life so that we can become someone we never dreamed of being through life with his Spirit.

Paul tells us that the Christian life entails taking off the old man and putting on the new man (Eph 4:22-24). An assessment can give me insight on how I act and function in different situations right now. I think that's helpful. But as soon as I begin to use those assessment labels to describe myself generally, I'm in trouble. I have become a new creation in Christ, and, if I am following Christ in obedience, I'm being constantly transformed. Those labels can make me believe that I am fated to remain as I am forever. At that point, they might as well be zodiac symbols, but as a Christian I believe in growth rather than fate.

Who are we becoming in Christ? That should be our first question. How can we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in our growth?: should be our second. Scripture guides us through the answer to both these questions.

There are at least two ways to see life. In one, life is like a road that has already been laid down. There is one perfect course for each of us. One job, one perfect mate out there, one set of personality traits, etc. If we can discover it, then we might be okay. The problem is that one step off that road messes up everything. The other view is that life is dynamic. We are born into situations that we couldn't choose, but what we do with life, how we respond, and who we become is a cooperative work that we are deeply involved in.

Our choices are limited without Christ, but with him many new possibilities open up. Fate loses it's place as a meaningful explanation for life. Instead, the Spirit comes alongside us and offers us a new creative collaboration.

In 1992, Neil Howe and William Strauss wrote Generations. It was the first book to describe the different generations of American history and how they impact each other. Much of our current labeling of different generations is based on their work. I highly recommend their work. They didn't write their book as a straight jacket for the future. It was their hope that an understanding of how each generation influences the next would lead us to break the cycle rather than reinforce it, but we seem to enjoy pigeonholing more than growth. Jesus is about breaking the cycle, about new birth, about growth.

We should understand the impact that our past and our environment has on our future, but we shouldn't be slaves to those forces. Your life is a road, but it hasn't been built yet. It's still being built. If you build it with God's Spirit, then you will find he has the power to create in you a life that leaves the labels behind while you continue to grow. In Christ, you don't find yourself. You become yourself.

Speaking the Truth in Love

2011-07-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

Political correctness and civility are two very different things and have two different outcomes. Political correctness is about power. It is telling people they are not allowed to say certain things or express certain opinions because someone in power has told us it's wrong or because a belief might offend someone or make them feel bad. Political correctness cares little for the truth.

Civility has to do with how we communicate truth. It is the practice of discussing truth in a way that affirms human dignity; that takes into account that the people involved in the discussion are made in God's image; and acknowledges that God died for these people and holds out a saving hand of grace to them.

Truth is important if we are going to be truly civil because love, rather than control, is at the heart of civility. I might meet someone at the edge of a cliff who believes it will make no real difference whether they step forward or backward. If there was a chance that they would be offended by my warning and explanation of the truth and consequences of gravity, then political correctness would say leave them be. But that is neither the loving or the civil (civilized) thing to do.

God has placed on us an obligation to seek truth and to communicate truth. We are called to make disciples of all men and women (Mat 28:19, 20) It is the right and the loving thing to do.

I was a lifeguard for several years. Not everyone at the pool liked the rules, but they were important for survival. Some people may not have liked the rules, but no one drowned in that pool. Love and care go together and there they saved lives. I don't have the authority of a lifeguard in other people's lives (so I won't pretend to have that authority), but I still have the responsibility to speak the truth in love.

Political correctness stops the discussion. It gives us the illusion that ignorance is fine as long as we feel all right and sincere about what we do or believe. Returning to the cliff for a moment, someone might sincerely believe that if they step off the edge they will float without falling, but regardless of their sincerity, they will be sincerely wrong. They might feel fine about the decision to step off, but they will feel far worse at the bottom.

It also stops the discussion when the truth is not spoken in love. Our communication consists of more than just propositional truth. Truth spoken, reflecting attitudes other than Jesus', can alienate others from the very truth we hope to communicate. A great deal of the book of James is devoted to this topic, but you can also find it in the most basic book on persuasive teaching. We are to tell the truth with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).

To speak the truth in gentleness and respect, though means that we still need to tell the truth. Currently, our culture tells us it's rude to talk about politics and religion. It may be politically correct to avoid these topics, but it's not civilized. Civilization is the result of honest and open discussion. We need to make sure that we don't become cowards, afraid to ask and discuss the great questions of life. It is not loving to withhold the truth that has been offered us, but just like political correctness, rudeness, name calling, and disrespect shut down the conversation as well.

We speak the truth in love because God has called us to share the truth; because he has called us to love others as we love ourselves; and because without love, we really aren't going to get a hearing.

Blame is Not a Solution

2011-07-19T13:22:00.001-07:00

People need to be held accountable for their actions, but we must never lose track of our goal as Christians. We identify problems so that we can help people grow through them and prosper. Too often the goal of blame is to "put people in their place," which most often means putting them somewhere beneath us. Blame is most often about power.

Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10) he came as a doctor for the sick (Luke 5:31). This means that Jesus did not come to humiliate people or crush them under his heel. He came to love, act, and serve in such a way that people could prosper.

Not everyone (an understatement) welcomed Jesus' help or his definition of prosperity (we still try to wedge our definition of prosperity into his words), but Jesus' goal was to act and communicate in such a way that he wouldn't create additional barriers to repentance. Jesus did not humiliate people , but those who understood who he was and what he was trying to do, gladly humbled themselves before his wisdom and authority.

In a passionate moment, one of my friends in college declared that he would love to see an especially vile singer burned on a stack of his records. He was wise enough to recognize that his attitude was not Christ-like. He humbled himself before Jesus and began to pray for him. If he hadn't lived a thousand miles away, the next step would have been to find ways to serve and speak to this singer.

So now the tough question. Do you want to see Obama fail? Or during the Bush presidency did you want to see him fail? I'm not asking if you disagreed, but did you want them to go down in flames, to be publicly humiliated, broken? Did you make jokes about them? Call them names? If you did, then most likely those same attitudes were directed toward other people you consider problems in your life. People notice.

This is where the rubber meets the road. Jesus gave up his life that we might live, and he has called us to do the same.

"But this is different," we might complain. "These people deserve our contempt."

James states, "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water." (James 3:9-12)

Can the same mouth that belittles and slanders others, whether President or next door neighbor, truly worship God? Would Jesus treat others this way? Are these actions led by the Spirit of God or the spirit of man?

Blame and bitterness kill. Blame is not the same as a solution. Jesus' solutions bring life rather than just leave victims. This is one of the reasons so many youth are leaving the church. They can tell the difference between the truth used as a club and the truth spoken in love.

How Far for Jesus?

2011-07-16T10:06:00.001-07:00

There are important Scriptures that are ignored because they seem to clash with our tradition ridden faith, and they are ignored at our personal peril. There is religious wisdom that is neither from God or wise that robs us of both the adventure and power of faith. One of these often overlooked passages is 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.

"Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."
1 Corinthians 9:19-23

We are to identify with those in need, but the temptation is to distance ourselves. The Pharisees complained when Jesus got close to sinners in a party (Luke 5:27-32), when he let a prostitute touch him (Luke 7:39), when he favored tax collectors and "sinners" with his presence. They believed they were better than others and would be polluted by with them. Sadly, the same is often true today.

Paul has learned that to live in obedience we must identify with those God is reaching out to. If we distance ourselves, then we are not following Jesus example or command to us. In other words, we are rebelling against Jesus. But it doesn't stop there. We are not only to identify with them, we are to become like them.

Really!?! In what way?

Paul says, "I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some." first, that phrase, "by all possible means", is important. From the rest of Paul's writings we know this means that he avoids active sin. While I can minister in a bar without sinning, I cannot minister in a topless bar without sinning. That's just the way I'm made. So I avoid that. If I struggled with alcoholism, I would also avoid the bar. I will also avoid becoming drunk in response to God's command. Wisdom is not thrown to the wind.

What Paul is saying is that he becomes as much like the people he ministers to as possible. He adopts their customs, their food, their speech. This doesn't mean that he begins to curse around those who curse, or that he believes that he has to drink to fit in with those who drink, but neither will he flee from those who curse or drink. Too often today, Christians are uncomfortable with those who merely disagree and will avoid them. How short that falls from Paul's definition of active faith.

Paul has a reason for his actions. He has given himself to Jesus. Jesus is now his Lord. He wants to follow Jesus. And what is Jesus doing in the world? Why did the Son come to earth in the first place? He came to reach the lost. He inconvenienced himself for the sake of others, and he calls us to do the same.

A faith that revolves around personal salvation alone seems pretty selfish when compared against Jesus' call. He has called us to become fishers of men and women, and we are to alter our lives to be true to that call. Anything less and we miss out on so much of what Jesus has to offer. A life of faith is not safe or convenient. It clashes with the American dream so often. But it is dynamic, powerful, and, every time God touches someone through us, incredibly intimate. What seems like sin to some of the "religious" turns out to be the holiness of God.

How close are you to the people around you? How many preChristian friends do you have? How often do you invite them into your life, or respond to their invitations? How often are you in the party with Jesus?

Your Date with the World

2011-07-14T10:47:00.001-07:00

Imagine the following date:

Charley doesn’t really like Sara very much. He has said so on many occasions to anyone who would listen. This dislike has led him to spend a great deal of time to find reasons to defend his dislike. He even went so far as to write an editorial complaining about the annoying way she sucks her teeth in public.

One night, Charley shows up on Sara’s doorstep with a book in hand. The book is entitled 100 Things Sara Needs To Change To Become A True Human Being. He rings the doorbell.

When Sara answers the door, he shoves the book at her startled face and declares, “I’ve decided it would be best for you if we date. When you finish reading this, I’ll be waiting in my truck.”

Or perhaps we can look at Sam’s love life.

He is attracted to Cheryl, but he has never gotten up the nerve to tell her. After all, who knows how she might react? She might laugh in his face and tell him to get lost. She could suddenly sprout fangs and, with a voice of sulfur laced sarcasm, tell everyone else what a pathetic worm he is. Or worse yet, she might say nothing, confirming once and for all his worst fear that he is not worthy of even the slightest notice. But even though he is held back by fear, he continues to dream.

Finally, the dream is too much. He has to act. He has already rehearsed her every objection. He has prepared a series of witty responses. But he still can’t risk facing her. He might lose his nerve. So, late at night, he stands in Cheryl’s front yard and yells up to her second floor window all the reasons that she would be stupid not to love him.

So why the voyeuristic glimpse into these two dates gone wrong? Because they resemble a great deal of modern Christian evangelism. In many cases preChristians are made to feel like undesirable irritants that need to be dealt with a lot like mosquitos. No one wants to be treated like pests. Far too much Christian media is aimed at making Christians feel good about themselves by slamming anyone who disagrees, making them look silly, stupid, or evil. This is the especially seen in talk radio in most of its manifestations. This attitude is a poison for the soul, far from the example and attitude of Jesus, and should be avoided.

The second example reflects a growing fear that many Christians have of preChristians. Jesus has planted a love in us for those far from him, but we have let irrational fears planted by the enemy grow in us. These fears distort our neighbors in our eyes. We begin to believe that they will respond like monsters at the mere mention of Jesus. Our comfort and reputation clash with the love of God. The tension can lead us to explode in inappropriate, and often very distant and impersonal, blasts of communication.

Evangelism is central to the call of Christ. I'll examine that in the next blog. But evangelism does not have to come in the form of harsh "turn or burn" diatribes. In fact it shouldn't. Our communication of Christ's love should actually reflect Christ's love. We should be working on our dating habits.

Tolerance Gone Bad

2011-07-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

Definitions are important. Words shape our understanding, and words used poorly distort our thoughts and actions. When intolerance of people who do not yet have faith becomes a virtue, we have left the gospel of Jesus far behind us. I have already written on this (Tolerance is not Approval). But when we make tolerance in matters of truth a virtue, then we have left productive thought behind. We can value pluralism in matters of opinion, but never in matters of truth.

Open-mindedness means that we are willing to explore and test new ideas. Open-mindedness is not the belief that everyone's grasp on truth is equally accurate. That is usually defined as gullibility (not one of the great virtues). Just because you believe something does not make it true.

Truth is something that conforms to reality and demonstrated or arguable facts. Truth does not allow for contradictions. The idea of a square circle is just as unacceptable as saying there is only one way to God (as Jesus did) and many roads lead to the same mountaintop. Either there is one way to God or many. While both could be wrong, they both could not be right. They contradict each other.

We should be tolerant of opinion where opinion is appropriate. Your taste in food, clothes, and music are matters of taste. While I may have different tastes, my tastes are not better or worse than yours. This same tolerance does not extend to matters of truth.

Intolerance to error does not mean we live a life with blinders on, hiding from new or different ideas. I am not God. I don't possess perfect knowledge. I need to continually challenge what I think I know. Truth exists outside of me. I am an explorer. I search out and expose myself to thoughtful people and new cultures in hopes of growing while at the same time I poke what I think I know with a stick to test its strength.

One of the great dangers here is that we combine an intolerance of error with an intolerance of people. We are to persuade and convince each other while still demonstrating God's love and service. "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." (1 Peter 3:15-17)

It is also important to remember that intolerance of error is a private matter. We should not be at work to suppress or censor false ideas. There is moral conduct that is harmful and should be suppressed (rape, for example), but we should not be involved in the suppression of ideas. Instead, we should discuss and argue false ideas and give people a reason to abandon them. As Christians we should be thinking, growing people; unafraid to test new ideas; while presenting the truth in love. We should be loving and tolerant of people while intolerant of error, beginning with ourselves.

The Virtue of Compromise

2011-07-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

There are two types of compromise. One is a necessary virtue and the other a weakness to be avoided. Today, there is a tendency to villainize all types of public compromise while turning a blind eye to personal, moral compromise until it blows up in scandal. This reversal of values and practice has led to public division and an erosion of character.

Compromise is necessary whenever two or more people interact. We each have goals and desire that often encroach on each other's lives. If we demand our way in all things, then we each become petty dictators at war with all those around us that interfere with what we want. Compromise is reached through communication and understanding. It's finding a way to live peacefully with each other by balancing and curbing our desires. It is an essential part of love... And of growing up.

Marriage is a good example. Two people come together who have a lot in common but are still bound to have competing goals, habits, and desires. In order to experience the best that marriage has to offer, they must communicate, decide what is most important to them, and bend a bit to make room for each other. We've all seen couples that refuse to do this. One or the other acts as a controlling bully, aggressively lording it over the other.

We see this in modern politics when a party insists on getting its way and "winning" instead of finding solutions that will work for the people they serve, but in all honesty, this also reflects a lack of civility that is growing throughout our society. The Christian values of love and service - even to our enemies - are seen as weak. Uncompromising dominance has become a perceived Christian virtue, and one which - make no mistake - God opposes. Paul was obedient to God by becoming all things to all people so that he could reach as many people as possible (1 Cor 9:19-22). Too often today, Christians are demanding others act just like them before they will even talk to them.

I desire to follow Jesus before I follow my desires or my culture's mandates (I wish I was better at it, but that is the growth point in all our lives). He desires that I reach out in love to reach those far from the gospel. I can't do that if my uncompromising nature has built walls against those who don't agree with me. A culture with room for diversity and different views may be messy, but it allows me access to those who still need to hear the gospel.

Compromise becomes evil when it is the compromise of my personal values and convictions, when I know what is right, but tell God I'm the exception. Jesus comes to us as Lord as well as savior. In fact, he only becomes our savior when we surrender to his Lordship. It is only in those things that would insist on behavior that would violate my relationship with God that I can't compromise.

But here's the rub. If I refuse to compromise with those around me so that we can live in peace (as long as the compromise does not include active sin on my part), then I have placed my wants and comforts before God's desire that I be salt and light. In other words, in rejecting relational compromise, I have compromised my personal relationship with God. That's getting it backward. That's sin.

What Do You Desire?

2011-07-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

I often hear two extremes within the Christian community when it comes to the subject of dreams and desires. One is that humility demands that we abandon our dreams. We should give up ambition, desires, or plans that would make us stand out. Mediocrity is wrongly associated with humility, but our God is not a mediocre God. On the other hand, there is a popular theology that God is there to make all our heart's desires come true. Unfortunately our heart can be misinformed and deceitful, and our desires can be in conflict with God. Neither of these extremes reflect the truth of God's work in our lives.

I want to take the second extreme first. The world is constantly feeding us dreams and desires that are at war with God's wisdom and righteousness. This is especially true when faith and nationalism are mixed. The American dream has much to be said for it, but we must never forget that it was the invention of fallen men. No matter how well informed any founders are, their vision must still be developed, adjusted, and transformed by the gospel. The desire for peace and prosperity can become excuses for selfishness and abusive self-protection if they are not tempered by a strong desire to see God's justice realized for all.

Too often, today's American dream is shaped by consumerism. We are told in numerous commercials and billboards what success is. We are sold an ever-changing and superficial image of beauty to sell products (compare the magazine images of women from different decades to see just how much our vision of beauty is manipulated). We are told daily what we should desire if we want to be seen as significant.

God is a good father who gives good gifts. He will not give us everything we desire because he knows some of those desires will diminish, twist, and even kill us. We need to take time to slow down and bring our desires out into the light. Sit down in prayer, with paper and pencil, and let God help us see what is driving us. God is kind and gentle. His goal is not to humiliate us, but to help us see what is driving us, so we can make conscious decisions about our lives. The harmful, dark, and conflicted desires will be weakened by the light, and the power of his Spirit will allow freedom and growth.

But this doesn't mean the death of dreams. We are made in the image of God. We are to be creative and loving people that make a difference in the world. Too often democracy is twisted into the idea that no one should stand out or do better than anyone else. In fact, we are gifted to stand out in very different ways. We are one body with individual gifts that add value to each other.

I work with students who dream of curing major diseases someday. That's a good dream and should never be hidden. I have also known men and women who have used their gifts to transform neighborhoods, to serve in PTAs to help shape the lives of students, or as scout leaders. They have changed the character of the life around them and should never be dismissed because others thought their ambitions too small. The body of Christ, the village, the city, the nation, even the world needs it all. It's all significant.

That's why dreams and desires are so important. It is important that we choose them well, because they have the power to build up or destroy. They define so much about you. It is also why we don't rank each other's dreams if they are from God. We don't despise a dream because we think it's too grand or to ordinary. If they are from God, they fit and they are important.

Our dreams are too important to be neglected or to leave them unexamined. "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." (Proverbs 4:23) Dreams shape our heart. If you take your dreams out, examine them with God, and ask for his guidance, he will shape your dreams. But you need to take the time.

"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37:3-4

Awash in the Image of God

2011-07-05T15:24:00.000-07:00

Last night I joined 800,000 people along the banks of the Charles river to watch the 4th of July fireworks. I was awash in a sea of humanity that had gathered together to celebrate all we had in common. When the program was over and the applause faded away, that sea of humanity became a sudden flood of people moving through the streets like a river that had jumped its banks. That is the part of the night I like best.

The subway is free after the fireworks, but it takes forever for 800,000 people to squeeze down the stairs and then try to force their way into already filled train cars. I opt to walk a bit further. Starting at MIT, we walk from Boston to Cambridge to catch the train at Harvard Square. That walk is incredible.

First, Boston is a town that rolls up the sidewalks at 9:00 PM. Outside of Fridays and Saturdays, there aren't many people about. But on the 4th the streets are full of people. Every kind of person imaginable. Boston has always been a city of immigrants. There are still well-defined Italian and Irish neighborhood, although the old European lines are fairly blurred. Today add Brazilian, Ethiopian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Australian, Nicaraguan, and... you get the picture. The city is a riot of diverse dress, food, language, and custom all brought together by the desire to prosper together, and on this night, they all move together filling the midnight streets.

I walk with them, and I am fascinated. So many different hopes and dreams. So much creativity. So much love, hope, and - sadly - despair. So much of the image of God displayed in its many facets. It must make Jesus smile.

We often under rate humanity as though it were a mistake that God made on one of his less than inspiring days. But God is an amazing Creator. He never has an off day. He made us as a work of art in his own image. We disrespect God when we see others as a blight, an inconvenience, as enemies, invaders, or just a drain on resources. We honor God when we treasure his image in others. Love is at the center of all he commands. Love for God and love for others - even those who go out of their way to be our enemies.

Human sin doesn't let us off the hook. God so loved sinful humanity that he sacrificed his own Son for them. For them? For us. Those of us who don't recognize our own sinfulness and the great generosity and sacrifice God expressed to meet our need are not yet able to pass that grace on. The main point James wants to make in his book to us is that our faith begins with a powerful act of grace that transforms us into gracious people. If we are not gracious people, then James questions if we know faith yet.

I see too much fear and self-protection in America today, even in the church. This nation is at a crossroads. Do we wrap our fears in religious language and become hostile? Do we prejudicially decide the nation between Democrat and Republican, fifth generation immigrant versus first generation immigrant, free or slave, Jew or Gentile?

Jesus is our peace who has broken down every dividing wall (Eph 2:14) uniting people from every tribe and nation through the new life he brings.

Are you fascinated by the people around you? Do you want to get to know them? Do you desire to have God meet their needs through you? Does the idea of walking through streets filled with people of every color, language, and culture excite you? Then you have been touched and transformed by the kiss of God. Pass it on.

Summer Reading Fun

2011-07-01T10:18:00.001-07:00

Summer and reading go together. Hopefully, you get some break in your normal routine to relax and pick up a book, so I thought it might to be helpful to throw out a few fun suggestions. The books that made this list had to be an enjoyable read. If you need an encyclopedia next to you in order to get through the book, that's not a fun summer read. I also chose books that were upbeat and inspiring for this list. I think those are good ingredients for a summer read. Oh, and they tend to be shorter books. No 800 page books here.

Generous Justice, by Timothy Keller. Keller did his homework on this one, but he didn't feel it was necessary to display all of it (there are footnotes for fact checking). Justice is a central theme of both the Old and New Testament. Justice shows that God really does care. As always, Keller focuses on and enlightens the gospel demonstrating once again that God is good.

The Christian Imagination, by Thomas C. Peters. G. K. Chesterton was an imaginative and witty Christian writer. He was known for both his fiction and nonfiction. Peter uses Chesterton's words and stories to explore the value of imagination in a Christian's life. This selection of Chesterton's thoughts is a humorous, creative, and insightful window into one of modern Christianity's most influential writers... and it's short.

Finding Darwin's God, by Kenneth R. Miller. For the scientifically inclined Miller, a Christian professor at Brown University, lays out a simple to understand picture of modern biology's current understanding of our human genetic history. He also explores what the Bible has to say about human origins. This could have been a contentious book, but Miller's tone and respect for those who might disagree with him (while never abandoning a strong defense of truth) make this an enjoyable read.

Fiction is always my favorite. Here's a few fun reads:

The Man Who Was Thursday, by G. K. Chesterton. An imaginary fantasy romp through early twentieth century London. There are spies, disguises, anarchists, and mysterious masterminds enough for anyone. All this while exploring significant theological issues on what it means to follow God.

Monk's Hood, by Ellis Peters. For the mystery lover, Peters created one of the great detectives, the monk Cadfael. A soldier, adventurer, and great sinner turned monk, Cadfael solves mysteries that often contain theological and moral significance.

Monsignor Quixote, by Graham Greene. An probable descendant of a fictional character goes on a cross country trip with a communist mayor. During the trip they discuss God, conviction, and the purpose of life. This comedy explores just what windmills are worth titling with.

For the essay lover, I offer one of my favorites: Teaching a Stone to Talk, by Annie Dillard. Most of these essays come from a period when Dillard was a visiting professor at my alma mater, Western Washington University. This is a series of witty, creative, and startlingly insightful essays about our response to God. It's not unusual to hear God chuckling as he reads over your shoulder.

Just a few ideas. I hope they are helpful.

Double Standard

2011-06-30T12:12:00.001-07:00

Don't ever mistake God's love for passivity. God cares, but his ways often conflict with conventional wisdom. He's not about "common sense." His wisdom is seen as foolishness by those who depend on the world's common sense. This is the case with the double standard God asks us to adopt.

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside." (1 Corinthians 5;12-13)

The issue here is how we respond to unrepentant sin with the community of Christ. The Corinthian church has a couple in flagrant and very public sin. They are unrepentant and Paul is concerned it will quite literally destroy their lives. He is also concerned about the Corinthians first century political correctness that values not rocking the boat more than the couple's welfare.

The confrontation of sin within the Christian community must be done carefully and lovingly so the guidance can be excepted and health can be reestablished. The Corinthians have to be reminded of this when the church refuses to reestablish the couple after they had repented (2 Corinthians). Whenever judgment is destructive or used to elevate ourselves over others it is sin.

But what about those outside the community? Paul reminds us that judgment does not bring life to those who don't yet know Jesus. Here grace, love, service, and truth are key. They are key inside the church as well, but judgment does not make sense to those apart from Christ. I don't expect preChristians to act as though they believe, and I don't expect them to conform their life to a God they do not yet believe in.

Judgment is a separating act, and we are not to separate ourselves from those who are far from God. Paul is clear about that. "I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people--- not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat." (1 Cor. 5:9-11)

There is a clear double standard here, and it's inspired by Jesus. He came to heal the sick, so he had to get close to the sick in order to minister to them.

Does this mean that we turn a blind eye to sin? Not at all. We are to give our lives so that God can use us to free people from the death and slavery of sin, but this must be done God's way rather than the world's way.

Do people caught in sin disgust and repel you? Do you go out of your way to keep the godless out of your life? Then you need to repent. Paul tells us that we are to associate with sexually immoral people, with the greedy, swindlers, and idolaters. How else will the power of God come into their lives and bring change? How many preChristians are a part of your life? How many do you invite over to dinner? How many do you invite to join in socially when you and your Christian friends get together?

We need to be careful that we don't become the next generation of Pharisees criticizing Jesus because he's in reaching out to sinners where they live, while we stand outside and watch the world go to hell. Love never stands by. It's never passive. It offers new hope rather than condemnation. In the end, when the time is right, God will bring the necessary judgment.

I Want THAT

2011-06-28T13:19:00.001-07:00

I know, I promised to address A Christian Double Standard today, but that will have to wait till tomorrow. Exploration brings unexpected surprises, and that is why I try to do so much of it.

I was watching a lynda.com tutorial on designer and illustrator Stefan G. Bucher today. It's less of a tutorial than an exploration by the artist, of his influences and his art. At one point he talks about his decision to study at the Art Center of Design.

"I went to interview at two schools in Germany," he shares, "because I thought, well, I'm a German student, I live in Germany, I should go to college in Germany. And then I interviewed with them, and their like, 'Oh, yeah. This is great stuff. You're excepted. Sure, no problem.' And I thought, 'Okay. That was too easy.' Then I came here (Art Center of Design),and I thought, you know, I was kind of looking eye level, and then I was like... (Bucher look up toward the ceiling) 'Oh, I see.' and that's what I wanted. Like, I wanted (looks up again and smiles) that. I didn't want this (he looks straight ahead). I wanted THAT (once more to the sky)."

Bucher expresses a sense of wonder about life, and he has chosen projects that challenge him and make his life bigger. That's what I think faith should look like.

Christianity should not be a safe option. Faith is about moving into new territory. It's about enlarging life. If we see faith as building a fence around us to reign us in like cattle, then we have it all backwards. It is sin that blinds us to a larger world and robs us of the potential and beauty that life offers. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Gal 5:1) Jesus has brought us into a larger world to explore.

In order to enjoy it, though, we must explore it. The Holy Spirit is here as our guide, and his primary means of guidance is Scripture. Scripture should be seen as much more than moral council. It is God's way of removing our blinders and helping us to see the world as it really is. There are so many Christians around me today who live a small faith because they haven't taken the time to meet with the Holy Spirit through the study of Scripture. We can speculate on God all we want, but only Scripture will open our eyes to all that's offered.

Christianity is not safe because Jesus asks us to risk our lives. There are people in need all around us. People God loves. We are called to leave our safety zones and take a chance by serving and loving those around us. To quote Merlin in Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy, "I want to get in God's way, so he has to work through me." I want to know God intimately as he reaches through me to touch others.

We are to risk by telling others about Jesus so that they might have their lives enlarged, too. It is an amazing thing to be there when someone finally realizes that Jesus is real, when they realize that God loves them, when they experience new life. It's an experience not to be missed.

I follow Jesus because I'm not satisfied with life at eye level. Anyone can have that, and it gets stale after a while. I want... (okay, I'm looking up now) THAT.

(lynda.com is an amazing site that teaches you how to use the software you own, or will soon want to own, to do amazing a practical things. Go check it out. It's the most painless way to learn software I know of.)

Recognizing the Age You Live In

2011-06-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

This is the age of grace. Judgment has it's time, and it isn't now. These are sweeping statements, but they are essential if you are to represent Christ in a way that gives honor. In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a parable about a field that is planted with wheat by a farmer. In the night an enemy plants weeds in it. As both grow up together, the farmer's workers ask if they should pull up the weeds. The farmer's response is, "No, because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn."

Jesus tells us that this is the reality of the present age. Jesus has scattered good seed, but Satan has also spread bad seed. We live in a world where both good and evil grow up side by side. That's not much of a revelation. What follows is. The religious of Jesus' time would have said that we should avoid and shun those who do evil. We should not only keep them at arms length, but try to remove them from society. Jesus disagreed.

There will be a time of judgment at the end of this age, but until then, this age is about reaching out in grace to everyone around us that they might know forgiveness and redemption. Judgmental attitudes and actions separate us from those who most need the touch of grace. We don't fear the weeds because we believe that God's Spirit within us is greater than the Spirit of this world (1 John 4:4). We are careful about how we speak about those who don't believe because they are made in the image of God (James 3:9) and God loves them. And we don't avoid those caught in the world because we are obedient to God's desire that we go into the world to minister to those who are without hope (John 17:18).

This does not mean that we are passive. This is the age of grace, and we have been called to extend that grace. God so loved the world that he sent his Son into the world that we might know salvation (John 3:16). Jesus so loved the world that he called us to be fishers of men and empowered us with his Spirit to be witnesses to the gospel (Mat 4:19; Acts 1:8).

The opposite if judgmentalism is hope. Judgmentalism tries to label people, freeze them in amber, and discards others as unworthy. Hope believes that Jesus can transform any life. Hope inspires us to pray, serve, and speak to others. It is the recognition that we were hopeless until Jesus entered our lives. Out of gratitude, we spread the blessing.

This doesn't mean that we don't judge at all. We are also called to stand up for the oppressed. That means opposing the oppressors. That's righteous. It also means that we communicate truth and argue against evil, but we do it with gentleness and love. We are trying to persuade others with the truth, not merely shut them up. If our arguments do not exhibit love, dignity, and grace, if they are designed to prove our righteousness while degrading others, then we are not representing Jesus. Instead we are only exhibiting our fallenness.

Too much time is spent by American Christians trying to separate the wheat from the weeds. Too often people who do not yet believe are ridiculed and reviled in a way that kills love and hope. That's not our job. It never was our job. It will never be our job. In fact, it's sin.

God will bring proper judgment when the time is right. Now, we are to be active in making Jesus known through our words and our actions. We are to be the light in the darkness, the city on the hill, the hand extended to a world in need. In the end, it is our love that proves we have been touched by Jesus.

Interestingly, we have been called to a double standard when it comes to judgment. I'll address that next time...

Peter Falk and Wings of Desire

2011-06-24T16:10:00.001-07:00

Today marks the passing of Peter Falk. His acting talent will be missed. Of course, he is known everywhere as Columbo. To others he is remembered for The Princess Bride. But if you have never seen Wings of Desire, you have missed a treasure. Here’s a review I wrote a few years back.

Wings of Desire is a film that explores the theology and the beauty of what it means to be human. It does this by comparing the life of angels and humans from the perspective of an angel, Damiel, who gives up his angelic existence to experience humanity firsthand.

As an angel, he doesn't have a body or the material senses a body possesses to smell flowers, see colors, or touch the curve of a woman's neck. Living in the eternal now that angels exist in, he has never felt the flow of time. He longs to be surprised by the unfolding of the future. He has understood humanity as an observer, interacted as an alien, but now he longs to experience humanity for himself. After wrestling with the question of mortality, his wish is granted.

The movie works through the gift of humanity in three movements. It begins mostly in black and white. This represents the intellectual experience of angels that don't experience our sensual life. Damiel talks to his friend Cassiel about the pretense of angels taking on temporary human guise. Going through the motions of eating, but never touching or tasting. The lack of color also adds to the contemplative mood, removing distractions while we think about the questions the angels pose. In contrast, the human perspective is presented in vibrant color and pushed along by a greater consciousness of time.

The third movement follows him as he explores the world of the senses with a child-like innocence and a sense of wonder at a world that is suddenly all new to him. But exploring the world is only the first step. As an angel, he becomes enraptured with a woman. Now, he meets up with her in the flesh. Their meeting forces both of them into the next stage of their life, the third movement. Now they must give up some of what it means to be a child in order to understand and experience love. This movie never leaves us with simple answers, though. There is an old story-teller, Homer, who wanders through the movie reminding of the dangers of forgetting the sense of wonder and the value of the small, natural things that comes easily to a child.

One of the surprises of the film is the sudden appearance of Peter Falk later in the film. He plays an actor (no big stretch there) who can see the angels and recognizes Damiel’s current situation. He is a delightful character that adds additional wonder to the movie.

This is a movie that tackles several complicated themes while remaining clear in its content and never losing sight of its characters. In fact, it is character that drives this film. The representation of the angels is about as biblical as possible given the limitations of film and the needs of the plot, which is refreshing in a time when folk tales have seemed to replace the biblical idea of angels, even among Christians. But it is the thoughtful content that allows the movie to be viewed several times without exhausting what it has to offer. You'll need to view the film at least twice since the actions of Peter Falk's character takes on a whole new meaning after you learn his secret. This movie is a treasure. Don't let it pass you by.

Common Ground

2011-06-22T12:56:00.001-07:00

What do you, as a Christian, have in common with your preChristian neighbors? If you answered, very little, then look again. It is our common understanding that is the beginning place for persuasive conversation. If you can find no topic of agreement, no shared experience, no shared interests with those around you, then you will have little influence. If you are looking for those connecting points, then you have a chance to be heard.

You see this in Scripture. When Jesus meets the woman at the well, he strikes up a conversation. This shouldn't be an easy conversation. There are huge racial and religious tensions that exist between them, but Jesus doesn't start there. Instead, he listens, learns how she sees the world, and discovers her felt need. He doesn't deny her felt need, but he uses it as a starting place to reveal her deeper need and then offers himself as the solution to her lackluster life.

When Paul is in Athens, he is incensed by the populations slavery to idols. He decides to confront the error and enters into a public debate. Where does he start? With common ground. He knows that if he stands up and immediately blasts everyone for their ignorance, they will just turn away and stop listening. Respect is an important part of persuasion.

Paul begins with a compliment. He has observed the people he is addressing. He knows their religious fears as well as their quest for truth. He has noticed an altar to an unknown god. Paul uses this as an opportunity to describe the one true God. Then just before their eyes glaze over, he quotes one of their own teachers. The crowd is engaged again. Paul knows that he has entered into a debate by two rival schools of philosophy. Now everyone is listening closely. Whose side is Paul on? Then Paul quotes a teacher from the opposing camp.

Paul has taken the time to study each school's teaching, not to find their errors - that was too easy - but to find what they had right. Paul knew that persuasion begins with what we have in common rather than in our differences. God has communicated truth throughout the world. We have to find those places of agreement and affirm them if we hope to lead people to truth.

When I share the gospel, I begin with listening. I want to know how the person I'm talking to sees the world and how they communicate. I want to know what truth God has planted in their life. If I can't find something they believe about which I can say, "Yes, I think you right there", then I am unlikely to get an open and thoughtful hearing.

Yes, Jesus had to jar the religious of his day by pointing out their shortcomings and their differences with God. Jesus didn't run from a fight, but he also didn't look for them. He began with inspiration and understanding, especially when dealing with those far from God. Jesus' harsh words were reserved for the religious leaders, but only after he had tried a softer approach. He took the time to explain himself to Nicodemus. He talked over supper with Pharisees. Jesus never started from a position of pride. He knew who he was and didn't have to prove anything to anyone, but he chose to humble himself and relate to them in a way that helped them to listen and respond. He started with them like he starts with us all. He entered their world, to share their experiences, to find common ground, and then, to lead them to truth. His desire is to continue that work through us if we will let him.

Jesus is at Home on Campus

2011-06-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

I have a movie screen in my head. Don't look so surprised, so do you. We all have pictures that flash to mind at the mention of a topic, person, event, or idea. When people ask me how a student could possibly keep his or her faith at college, I think I know the picture that is reflecting off their grey matter: a country scene (adjusted to their region) with a small, white steepled church bathed in a single ray of sunlight. It's a picture shaped by our culture. The church, the people of God, flourish in simple, slow, uncomplicated settings. That is our culturally conditioned picture of the church, but it clashes with the picture Scripture and history give us of the early church.

For almost three hundred years the church was all about cities. Jerusalem, Ephesus, Athens, and Corinth were crowded, busy, flourishing cities. They were seats of commerce and learning. In the early centuries of the church all ministry was directed toward cities. In fact, our modern word "pagan" originates from the ancient word for country folk.

If our current understanding of the Christian faith includes a fear of the diversity, complexity, learning, and issues of city life, then our picture doesn't match that of Jesus and his early disciples. Not only did Christians seek out the cities, they flourished there. If our faith is up to the university, then it's a faith shaped by culture rather than Scripture, and there lies the problem.

We are finding that more and more Christian students enter college with beliefs that are shaped more by culture and opinion rather than by Scripture. It's not their fault. They have been raised in churches that have not taken their Christian education seriously. Entertainment and pep talks have taken the place of careful teaching. This trend, more than anything else, puts students at risk.

The cure is easily within reach. Christian education needs to be taken seriously parents and church leadership. You have a responsibility: "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others." (2 Tim 2:2) each generation has a responsibility to the next.

Students can easily improve their situation. Begin with Scripture. Bath yourself with the words of Jesus. Become familiar with his character and voice. In addition, read sound theology. Writers such a Timothy Keller, N. T. Wright, Eugene Peterson, and John Stott are a good place to start. Avoid trendy, pop theology for belief that has stood the test of time. Commit yourself to campus fellowship which have committed themselves to good teaching and learning.

The second cure is to actively apply what Scripture teaches. Discover the nature of Jesus' ongoing mission and add your strength to the effort. Prayer, worship, fellowship, and your life in the Spirit gain meaning and value when you allow Jesus to touch the world through you.

The city and the university don't scare us. It's where it all began. But a soft, intellectually weak, selfish faith cringes at the thought. If your faith doesn't fit the challenge, then let God adjust your faith to match his vision. If we do, then God's strength will replace our fear.

Civility: Honoring the Image of God

2011-06-17T13:34:00.001-07:00

I have found that I have need to repent as of late. That's no real surprise in and of itself. It's the subject of the repentance that took me by surprise. Like others, I follow politics. Like others, I have opinions and passions about our country. Like others, I sometimes disagree with President Obama or Sara Palin. And like others, I sometimes say... Well, unkind things about them. And there's the problem. I'm not supposed to be like others.

In his book, Generous Justice, Timothy Keller writes:

"The Bible teaches that the sacredness of God has in some ways been imparted to humanity, so that every human life is sacred and every human being has dignity. When God put his image on us, we became beings of infinite, inestimable value."

He notes a couple examples of this from Scripture.

"And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man... for in the image of God has God made man." - Genesis 9:5-6

"...but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness." - James 3:8-9

It is part of our witness of the gospel that we affirm the value and the dignity of each person because they are made in the image of God. This is more than just good manners. This is worship. How can we say we honor God if we don't honor the image of God?

In the negative, we live in a culture that seems to enjoy tearing each other apart. It's one thing to disagree with someone and to voice that disagreement. Regardless of what our politically correct culture may say, discussion, debate, and disagreement are healthy and necessary if we are to live and work together. But it's a sign of the schizophrenic nature of our cultural wisdom that we insist on political correctness when it suits us and then we resort to name calling and the tearing down of people's reputation when they disagree with us.

God takes this seriously. We don't murder people because they are made in the image of God, and we don't (shouldn't) tear people down, make them fell insignificant, or call them names - again because they are made in the image of God. The world will pursue it's foolishness. We will be on the receiving end of this destructive foolishness because we follow Christ. But we need to take care that we never follow the world's example. When we do, the world sees the people of God abusing the image of God and even the unredeemed can sense something tragic is occurring.

On the positive side, if we bring love, acceptance, and dignity to others, we will be like a cold glass of water to one dying in the desert, we will be a bubble of peace in the battleground of clashing, insecure egos. We will be meeting people as Christ met us.

To love, accept, and bring dignity to others doesn't mean you agree with their error and their way of life. It is unloving to affirm those things that are destructive. But it does mean giving them your time and energy, not for what they can do for you or for their achievements, but because they are valuable in themselves because they are made in the image of God.

The first step begins with our tongue. You may not agree with President Obama or with Sara Palin (or Richard Dawkins, or Bill Maher, or...). That's fine. Debate and discuss the differences, but the moment you start tearing them down, make demeaning disrespectful remarks about them as people, refer to them in ways that try to rob them of dignity, then you are tearing down the image of God. James is shocked that the same tongue that can praise God can curse the image of God. We are not to follow our culture's lead. We are to be witnesses to the glory and grace of the God who met us in our sins, sacrificed himself for us before we even knew him, and gave us the gift of dignity, love, and salvation.

Being civil is God's idea, not ours.

Invite Others to Change the World with You

2011-06-16T13:25:00.001-07:00

An event took place during my senior year of high school that changed by life. I was asked to help some Christians on one of their projects. I was interested in, and still am, in film and drama. Reading, film, stage, and storytelling are among my strongest passions. This group was building a TV studio for a kids show that they were going to produce. Someone in the group knew of my interests, and I was invited to help put the studio together.

I was a bit weary. While I had some church experience, I did not consider myself to be a believer. I had been dropped off at Lutheran conformation classes, and I remember the day my class stood before the church and recited our belief in all that Christ had done. Not only wasn't I really sure who Jesus was or what he had done, I was pretty sure I didn't believe what little I knew. But what was I going to do? I was standing up there in front of everyone. I read my lines.

If this group of Christians knew that I hadn't yet embraced their most cherished beliefs, would they still want me there? Turns out the answer was, "Yes." Turns out I hadn't pulled the wool over their eyes. They knew I wasn't an insider, but they hoped that I might change my mind if I could see the faith up close.

They didn't make me pray with them or go to church with them. They just let me help. As a result I discovered something new. They got tired like everyone else. They got irritable like everyone else. They hit their thumbs with a hammer and then yelled at each other like everyone else. Then they came back, confessed their sin to each other, asked for forgiveness and then received forgiveness like nobody I had met before. Something made their lives together different. Something empowered them to move beyond their own weakness. As I listened to them talk to each other sharing their fears, concerns, and hopes, I discovered that something was a Someone. The experience intrigued me enough to pick up a Bible for the first time and figure out who this Jesus person was.

We need to share the story of Jesus with everyone. We are all to be fishers of men and women, but words are often not enough. God is using us to change the world. At least he is if we are faithful. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27) If our faith does not show itself in ministering to the needs of a fallen world, then we don't yet know Jesus (James 2:18-20). One of the best ways to witness and engage those who don't yet know Jesus is to invite them to help with the work God has called us to.

What? Invite unbelievers into the important work of the gospel? Isn't that inviting trouble?

I'm here today because a small group of Christians believed, "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4) If you want to see changed lives, let people get close. Let them belong before they believe.

Now, if you have no service projects or ongoing work to better the world that you can invite people to join you in, that's a different story. You need to take some time to reread the gospels and be reintroduced to the Lord of love. He will change your life.

Change Through Beauty

2011-06-15T08:52:00.001-07:00

How do you change the world? Perhaps the first question should be, why would you want to change the world? Some want to change it for personal power or prosperity. Others are motivated by ideology. Jesus is motivated by people. We live in a world where people are ground up by neglect, poverty, slavery, abuse, and addiction; where people find their life leached away by the controlling power of sin. Jesus works to overturn the status quo because it's killing people. This shapes how Jesus works to change the world. His primary work is to bring beauty into the world, and that should be our mission as well.

Some people try to change the world by focusing on what they want to get rid of. This doesn't work. While we need to deal with the problems of the world, you bring change by focusing on your target, on the change you hope to achieve. Paul exhorts each of us to, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things (Col 3:2)." He then unpacks the idea. We are not to live by our culture's rule. We are to throw off selfish and destructive behavior and to follow Jesus' example of life-giving love. We are to bring beauty into the world.

Confession time. I grew up as a Boy Scout. My father was a scout master, and there is a newspaper clipping from an Alaskan newspaper with me at age four standing next to my Dad in a specially made scout uniform (Yeah, it explains so much). The scouts have a goal to do at least one good deed a day, and while some people make fun of that, the practice was based on Jesus (Boy Scouts began as a Christian outreach). If you want to express Christ to the world, you do it with acts of love.

You are not going to change the world by complaining about it. Protest and violence spark fear and hatred rather than inspiring action. Peer pressure lasts only for the moment. We can't force love through politics (although we can and should protect people through the law). We are to speak out against injustice and ignorance, but we bring change by majoring in love rather than focusing on sin.

You want to change the world for Jesus? It begins with small things. Listen to an ignored person. Share with someone in need. Stand between the oppressed and the oppressor. Visit the forgotten. Help the sick. Give hope to the hopeless. You don't have to look far. I can look around me on the campus I work on and there is a lot of need. You can't minister to all the world's need. You're not asked to. Every day, your asked to touch someone.

Beauty is contagious. Just look at Jesus. Who else has inspired so much good while only living in the public spotlight for just three short years? Yes, people have done evil in Jesus name and that is wrong, but so much more good has been done. Love and beauty are the main themes of both the Old and the New Testament. It should be ours as well. Be purposeful. Look for some way to bring beauty into someone's life today. Change the world.

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion---
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
Isaiah 61:1-3

Tolerance is not Approval

2011-06-14T11:26:00.001-07:00

Tolerance is a virtue that seems to be in short supply these days. There was a day when the defining issue was whether you were a Mac or a PC. The platform wars waged among an informed few while everyone else just shook their heads and got on with their lives. Today there are bold lines drawn between many people based on political views, nations of origin, scientific ideas, sexual habits, and even whether or not you recycle. Judging and ridiculing other people has become a national pastime, but there is no place for this among the people of God. We are to be a people of tolerance.

Don't get me wrong. Judgments need to be made. There is a path that leads to life and one that leads to destruction. There is right and wrong, good and evil, but our understanding of what is right and wrong comes from God and not our culture. Tolerance does not mean that we approve the wisdom of culture. Tolerance means we accept and love the people around us. Tolerance is the act of putting up with someone who is irritating or unpleasant. It is the act of putting up with and enduring hardship. As a disciple of Jesus, I am not tolerant for tolerance sake. I am tolerant so that I may minister to people who do not know yet know the love of God. The intolerance that draws lines between people is a barrier that hinders love and darkens the revelation of Christ in us.

There is one story that is repeated in all the synoptic gospels (Mat 9:9; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27). Jesus call Levi, a tax collector, to follow him. Levi expresses his excitement and gratitude by inviting all of his friends to a party with Jesus. Jesus didn't correct him. He didn't tell Levi, "These are the wrong kind of people to be seen with." Instead, Jesus gladly went to the party. He wanted to meet Levi's friends. He wanted to get close enough to them that they might know him and find life.

The Pharisees saw this and confronted Jesus' disciples. They asked what Jesus was doing hanging out, partying with tax collectors and sinners. This was not the approved activity for a religious man. There were lines that needed to be drawn. People that should be judged rather than related to. Jesus' famous response was, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Jesus didn't accept or defend their ideas or their lifestyle. In fact, he was working to change these people's lives, but God's wisdom is that lives are changed by love, involvement, and by treating people with dignity. When we judge people and keep them at arms length, it means that we have no desire to see their lives changed for the better. Instead, we are communicating to all that we see others as irritants, problems, and pests.

It's a good thing that Jesus is tolerant because compared to him we are all losers. Christ didn't embrace me because I am such a prize. He embraced me because he loves me. That love has changed my life. Out of gratitude and by his power, my life has changed, and the changes are far from over. Jesus tolerated me, but he did not accept my sin. He forgave my sin at a high cost. He also called me to a life that was not possible until I acknowledged him as Lord. But none of that would have been possible if God hadn't loved me enough to send tolerant believers into my life to communicate God's love for me.

So each time I am tempted to dismiss someone because they are a Democrat, a Tea Party member, or a Republican - every time I am tempted to see someone who speaks with an accent or in another language as a problem - every time I am tempted to shrink from someone because they live a different lifestyle or follow a different belief - I try to ask myself whether I would have been out on the sidewalk with the Pharisees or in the party with Jesus? Am I willing to endure hardship so that someone might know truth and life? Or will I walk the same path of sin and failure as the world around me? I hope I always choose tolerance.

War or Conversion? The New Social Gospel

2011-04-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

Metaphors matter. Are you committed to a culture war or to the conversion of the lost? Is our battle against the people who disagree with us or against the spiritual powers that work to enslave humanity (flesh and blood or powers and principalities)? Do we succeed through power or by God's Spirit? Are we for the world or against it? Our images of success shape the way we live our lives, and they affect our message to the next generation.

How do we deal with a world that opposes God and destroys lives? This was the question in Jesus' day. Rome had conquered God's people and were occupying Jerusalem. They represented both spiritual and moral evil. How were they to be dealt with? The Zealots chose violence. The leadership of Israel favored resistance ranging from cautious bureaucratic maneuvering to outright rebellion.

God's answer has always been different. When Babylon conquered Israel and took them into exile, the Israelites acknowledged God's judgment but decided they were going to make life difficult for the Babylonians. They would separate themselves, do as little as possible, and become an irritation the Babylonians would long to be free of. But God had different plans. He commanded the Israelites to move into the city, mingle with the people, and serve them so that Babylon would prosper and miss them when they were gone. (Jeremiah 29)

God not only loved Israel, He loved Babylon as well. He had always intended Israel to be a light to all people. Israel needed discipline for its own good. He hoped Babylon would benefit as well. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) Is God for or against the world? Are we to be for or against the world? We do not agree with the world's philosophies, systems, or behavior that separates people from God and destroys lives, but we are for the people who live in the world. Do we want to see our enemies redeemed or disgraced? The answer to that question determines whether we are with Jesus or not.

We are told that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn it, but to save it. The world was already condemned for its rebellion. If God wanted us destroyed, then he didn't have to do anything. Instead, he intervened in love. He won life, freedom, and dignity for us. He was, and still is, for us.

We need to take our cues from God and not the headlines. This is the age of grace. The weeds and the wheat will not be separated until Jesus returns. Paul's words might startle us today: "What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside." (1 Cor 5:12,13) Jesus pushes us to extremes: "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." (Luke 6:27-28) Do we bless those who curse us, or do we curse them right back? And do we make heroes of the spiritually obnoxious? Have we become the new Pharisees? If so, what does that say of our allegiance to Christ?

Is our view of reform based on Scripture or a social gospel? The question is important. A social gospel is shaped by a human perception of current events. It is often a reaction based on cultural hopes and beliefs, like the liberal social gospel, or based on our fears and self-protection like the new conservative social gospel. Both had a little truth, but relied on culture more than Christ for their guidance.

Why is this important? Because social gospels are poison for our youth. We need to stop blaming the world for our failures. The world will always work against us. It always has. The reason we are losing our youth is not because the world has changed. It's because we have changed. I don't choose to be liberal or conservative. I choose to be a disciple of Jesus. If we want to save our youth, if we want to save the world, we need to follow Jesus and repent from our social gospels.

Political Disgrace

2011-04-06T11:58:00.001-07:00

Youth learn more from our example than our teachings. Why? Because our actions reveal what we actually believe. Consciously or unconsciously we all know this. What does this have to do with politics? With a new political season beginning (there seems to be little rest between each race), our behavior will demonstrate to the next generation what we really believe.

Political discussion has become divisive, polarizing, and downright mean. We are told that there is so much at stake that we can't afford to be civil. The ends justify the means, and that's the problem. Jesus taught a very different message. The means are the end according to Jesus. He declared himself to be the way. He came to do more than point us toward a destination. He told us the way we journey is important.

Love is more important than who is in the White House. The fact that we might even question this demonstrates how far we have fallen from God's will. We are not to grumble or complain as we join in Jesus work of reaching the world (Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life... - Phil 2:14-16). We are called to avoid the lifestyle of the mocker (Psalm 1:1). That should challenge us if we are adherents to radio shock jocks of either the right or the left. And we are called to explain our hope with gentleness and respect (But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. - I Peter 3:15-17).

Peter's words take us right to the heart of the issue. What is our hope based on? Is our hope built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness? To listen to many Christians speak today, you would have to question this. There seems to be more talk of politics than evangelism. Political power is exalted over the Holy Spirit's power. And love and civility seems to be a casualty. If we are called to love our enemies, those trying to do active harm to us, then how are we to treat those who merely disagree about this year's candidate?

Jesus really is the answer before all other things. My political involvement is secondary at best. My party right or wrong is a dangerous form of idolatry. I belong to God's kingdom before I belong to this country.

Jesus calls us to a way of life that seems like foolishness to those around us. Self-protection and fear rule our culture at the moment. Is there room for God's love, service, and sacrifice? The way we answer that question reveals what we really believe about life. Truth is important, but when it is conveyed in anger and self-righteousness, it becomes false. Our culture is currently suffering from a lack of grace. We will solve nothing by following our culture. There is a better way offered by Jesus, a life seasoned with love, truth, and grace, and it is a disgrace to Jesus if we abandon God's eternal way for the concerns of the moment.

The next generation is watching, and many of them are already turned off. With Jesus the means are as important as the ends. We could gain the White House and lose our youth.

What a Host is and Isn't

2011-04-04T15:10:00.001-07:00

First of all, a host is other-centered. The host is concerned that strangers feel welcome. An outsider feels like an outsider until we bring them inside. The first way we do this is by letting them know we are glad they came. This is the first obstacle for preChristians. The way we talk, the assumptions we make, and our actions can push people away. If my conversation is laced with prejudicial remarks about preChristians, about how difficult my life is because of unbelievers, and sweeping comments about the beliefs and actions of nonChristians, then a stranger is not going to feel comfortable around me. They will not feel welcome.

Many Christians today mix their faith in God with other parts of their lives, giving them equal value. You may be a Republican or Tea Party member or a Democrat. That's fine. You should be involved, but when we equate political affiliation with the will of God, we do two things. First, we sin because equating that political movement with the Word of God is idolatry. Second, we alienate people based on something other than Christ. The gatekeeper judges people on secondary issues, using these issues to erect a barrier between them and Jesus. This reflects the self-righteousness of the Pharisees and needs to be avoided as the sin it is.

A host connects people. It is difficult to be the stranger, to not know anyone in the room, to be ignored. The host does not need to do all the relating. Instead, he or she puts people together, introduces the outsider to others, and helps start the conversation. I am always watching for the people at the edges. I need to go to them and help them enter enter the group.

A host doesn't wait for someone else to make the first move. I have no problem that churches give badges to a small group of people and calls them greeters. I do have a problem if we think that fills the need. We are all hosts. We are to be witnesses to Jesus and his character, and Jesus was the ultimate host.

This makes a huge difference to students. They don't want to be the fish out of water, and they don't like to feel overexposed. If they do, don't expect to see them again.

As a host, you want people to feel welcome, I want to help them connect with others, I want to help them navigate expectations so that they will not be embarrassed, and I want to be myself. I am to adjust to my surroundings (be all things to all people), but I should not apologize for my faith or for Jesus being the focus of Christian instruction. Being a host doesn't change my goals.

This is important. As a host, I am helping other people fit in; I am helping them become comfortable; but I am not trying to win their approval by trying to match their expectations. I am not trying to diminish the call of Christ or pretend that Jesus asks for just a subtle course correction for our life. I meet people where they live, understand them where they are, and welcome them with open arms because God loves them (Jesus met us where we live, understands us, and welcomes us) and in the hope that Jesus can use my life and service to bring them into new life.

I am not just a host for an event that I have to put on. I am a host for Jesus. If I am a host for a party I did not throw, then part of my task is to make sure that everyone who comes through the door meets the master of the ball, the one who threw the party. As a host, I don't want to meet people's expectation. I want to exceed them. I want them to meet Jesus. I don't want to get so wrapped up in the job of host that I forget why the event is taking place in the first place.

Gatekeeper or Host?

2011-03-21T11:23:00.001-07:00

Are you a gatekeeper or a host? The way you answer this question will mark your interaction with students, the way they interact with the world, and finally whether your ministry will bring those far from Christ closer to him.

Gatekeeping is about... gates, really. Gates, fences and barriers. The job of a gatekeeper is to make sure the wrong people don't get in. They have the task of checking people's papers--peoples dress, behaviors and beliefs--before allowing entry. A gatekeeper's job is to be suspicious. After all, you don't want the people inside to mingle or associate with the wrong sort.

A host has a different task. A host throws a party and then invites all to attend. A host's job is to make people welcome and make sure the experience, as much as it is in their power, a positive one. When a host is combined with a teacher or an evangelist, then the goal is to create a welcoming environment that brings in all sorts, so that growth and transformation can take place.

It's all about contamination. The Gatekeeper wants to protect weak, vulnerable Christian's from contamination. The host believes that Jesus has unleashed a new kind of love and power (new to us, but eternal with God) and hopes to contaminate the whole world with it. The gatekeeper believes that God's work is fragile, the Holy Spirit easily intimidated, and the world is stronger. The host is confident that God's Spirit within believers is greater than the spirits in the world, that Jesus really meant it when he told us to go out into the world and make disciples, and that the Holy Spirit is strong and active, and that God's people can be a greater influence than the voice of this age--provided that God's people are close enough to the world to be heard, their service felt, and their love experienced.

There is a tragic difference between a gatekeeper and a host. A gatekeeper not only keeps the world out but keeps believers in. The fence, the wall, and the barrier work both ways. This work of keeping the world out and believers in has more to do with Satan's goals than it does with God's. In fact, it flys in the face of God's commands and conflicts with Jesus' work on the cross.

There is a graciousness in Jesus that is not always seen in his people today. Outsiders should know more about what we are for than what we are against. This does not mean we ignore or demean the warnings of Scripture, but it is a matter of focus. We should major in the good news and minor in the bad news. Inspiration is more powerful than fear and dread.

The gatekeeper really calls into question whether Jesus won on the cross. There is much that could be said about fear and self-protection (and I will return to this soon), but what is important here is that fear and self-protection imply weakness and defeat. This is not the stance of the host. The host works from the confidence that Jesus has made us more than conquerers and that his Spirit in us is greater than the spirit in the world. A host is not arrogant because he or she knows that the greatest in the Kingdom of God is the servant of all. A host works with God inviting all who will listen to the great banquet that God has laid out for us.

In the end, we disciple through our lives. If we are gatekeepers, then we teach students that God is weak and that we have much to fear. If we are hosts, we teach students to share the gracious gift of God and teach them that perfect love casts out fear. But most of all, we choose to let the greatest host build his character in us.

Heroes Matter: Expanding the List

2011-03-14T09:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some additional examples of Christians who have reshaped our world. This is by no means an exhaustive list. These names will lead to others.

I am always looking for ordinary people who made an extraordinary difference through the power of Christ. In a culture that is always highlighting the mistakes made in Jesus name, we need to be ready to show the very real difference Jesus has made through his people. I never want to sweep the mistakes under the rug, but the good far outweighs the mistakes. Your students should have many real-world examples of Christ's work to carry with them.

Health Care
Saint Basil - established the first hospital in Caesarea 369 AD. This was the first of many resulting from a decree from the Council of Nicea. In the end, the work the Council began lead to hospitals throughout Europe and eventually to our modern system of hospitals.
Florence Nightingale and the founding of the Red Cross.

Prison Reform
Elizabeth Fry worked with women in prisons and led the way to major reform.
Chuck Colson's work in prisons. Colson began his prison experience as an inmate after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges during the Nixon administration. This led to his conversion to Christianity and a life-time devotion to bringing the gospel to prisoners.

Artists
Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and Rubens.
Writers such as Annie Dillard, Walker Percy, Flannery O'Conner, Leo Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Madeline L'Engles.

Music
Avoid the modern Christian contemporary music scene if you want to make your point. Musicians who create for a general audience are the ones who have made the greater difference in the world.
Bach, Handel, Mendelssohn, Haydn.
On the contemporary scene, Bruce Cockburn is a great example of a popular musician who has added to the art while influencing a new generation of musicians and at the same time expressing his faith and its application to modern events and politics.

There are so many Christians we could choose from, but this is a good start. As you explore these names you will discover many more.

None of these people are perfect. That quality is reserved for God. I am not looking for perfect people, but flawed people that God did good things through. A good thing too. Since I am not perfect, it gives me hope that God can work through people like me.

I would highly recommend two books by Rodney Stark. The Victory of Reason and The Rise of Christianity give many examples of Christian virtue. The modern, cultural explanation for the growth of Christianity is that it came through military violence. That was not the case and these two books give an accurate picture of the spread of Christianity.

A Few Heroes

2011-03-07T11:35:00.000-08:00

Students need examples of people who have made a difference for Christ in the world. These examples should come from all walks of life. Here are a few examples and resources connected with them.

The Internet has some excellent resources but always take them with a grain of salt. Make sure you can back up claims made on Web sites. Wikipedia remains an excellent source for biographical information.

Vocational Ministry
J. Hudson Taylor - missionary to China.
Books: Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret, by Dr. And Mrs. Howard Taylor. Taylor's autobiography is available at amazon.com for digital download for $1.00.
William and Catherine Booth - founders of the Salvation Army. The founding of the Salvation Army is a story of faith and social justice. The couple realized that their evangelism trips into poverty ridden neighborhoods were ineffective. In order to minister effectively, they needed to share the lives of the people they hoped to reach. The result was an effective worldwide ministry. There are many surprises in this story. I found the Salvation Army's roll in World War I and India especially interesting. Catherine's work is a good example of women in ministry.

Science
Galileo Galilei - his story highlight the conflict between faith and science. While placed under house arrest for claiming that the earth orbited the sun (many theologians believed the earth was the center of the universe due to bad Bible study and the adoption of Aristotle's writings), he maintained his faith and described many features needed for a good relationship between faith and science. Amazingly the same mistakes that forced his house arrest still exist today.
Books: Science Held Hostage: The Galileo Connection, Charles E. Hummel
What's Wrong With Creation Science and Evolutionism by Howard J. Van Till, Davis A. Young and Clarence Menninga

Francis Collins - a good contemporary example of a healthy pursuit of faith and science. He headed up the Human Genome Project and is now the Director of National Institutes of Health as well as an outspoken believer.
Books: The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, Francis Collins
Website: biologos.org

Miscellaneous:
John R. Mott - Involved in the early days of the Student Volunteer Movement and the YMCA (when it was still a Christian outreach), he gave his life to organizing world missions. He also used his contacts to help with relief work during and after World War I. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work for the gospel.
Resources: His Wikipedia entry is a good place to start. From there you can find entries concerning his Nobel Peace Prize. His Nobel Peace Prize speech is of special interest.

I'll add a few more next time.

Heroes Matter

2011-03-02T18:35:00.001-08:00

Too often the Christian faith is presented as a series of mistakes. The Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the Salem Witch Trials, and angry evangelists yelling insults on the corner are offered as typical examples of the fruit of Christian faith. But that is far from the whole story. It is our responsibility that students get a bigger picture of what God has done through the life of his people.

I have heroes who are not Christian, and I don't discourage that. Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Steve Jobs have been an inspiration on many levels. Heroes are not perfect. Only God fits that description. These people all have flaws, just like I do, but that doesn't negate those parts of their lives that have made me dream bigger dreams.

That said, we need to teach each generation that great things have been done in Jesus' name. There is much to be admired in both Saint Patrick's very New Testament approach to mission work as well as the fruit that came from the effort he inspired. The commitment, struggles, and insights of J. Hudson Taylor are inspirational. As are William and Catherine Booth, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thomas Aquinas, and many others.

While it is important to pass on the stories of missionaries and clergy, I think it is vital that we give even more examples of Christians who were not clergy and made a difference in the world. Galileo had many faults, but his Biblical defense of science in the face of persecution was brilliant. Elizabeth Fry reformed the British penal system and returned hope to many who had been cast aside. That reform helped shape American Law. William Wilberforce used his political position to work for the abolishment of slavery in Britain based on Biblical grounds. It took most of his life to accomplish, but in the end success was achieved without a shot being fired. George Washington Carver started his life as a slave and ended it as an advisor to Presidents. He used his gifts to make discoveries so that fewer people would go hungry. His ethics, his understanding of science, the way he spent his life were all directed by the God he overheard white people talking about. The God that he was so intrigued by that he taught himself to read so he could read the Bible for himself. These are only a few of the people who were not clergy but used their gifts to help establish the kingdom of God.

Too often, vocational ministry is the model held up to students as a way to serve Christ powerfully. We may remind them occasionally that God uses everyone, but unless we have examples to give them, to feed them regularly, that message seems to be little more than an afterthought.

Our students are given a few examples of evil done in the name of Jesus. It's our job to supply them with the bigger picture, with all the good God has been able to do through us in spite of our shortcomings. They need specific examples, though, rather than vague statements. Our mistakes are exposed in excruciating detail, as they should be. The good deserves just as much attention to detail.

In the next blog, I'll offer some names and materials to help you introduce students to some heroes of faith.

One Way? Which Way?

2011-02-28T09:11:00.001-08:00

There are a lot of ways to get to Boston. We live on a sphere. If you have the resources you can even start out in the wrong the direction and still get there. There are a number ways you can achieve your career goals. There are even a lot of ways you can go about becoming my friend, but there is one important ingredient you must include in this last goal - me.

If we see the goal of Christianity as getting to heaven or being moral so God won't get mad at us or being able to answer some key questions correctly, then there could be a number of ways to achieve that goal. But Jesus told us his goal was to reconnect us with God, to establish the relationship of love that man and woman first experienced with God before they tried to become their own God.

Jesus came to build friendship with God. Since Jesus is God (the second person of the Trinity) that friendship can't happen without him. We can only take the stance that there are other ways to God only if we misunderstand the goal or misunderstand Jesus. Both happen often. It is important that our students understand Jesus' identity and the objective for our lives.

It may seem that the concept that Jesus is God is a given, especially in the church, but that would be wrong. The things that seem obvious are often skipped. I was involved in a two year class leading up to my confirmation (okay, I missed quite a few classes, but still...). One of the things I didn't learn was that Jesus was God. I suspect that it was seen as such a basic truth, it was assumed. It would be years before I learned that vital piece of intel.

Students need to understand why we believe Jesus is God, but I will leave that for a future blog.

One thing we need to guard against is making, as C. S. Lewis once said, second things look like first things. If we talk more about morals, heaven, politics, and social justice more than we talk about Jesus, then all these things will seem to be more important than Jesus. He can begin to seem to be a means to another end. You need Jesus so that (fill in the blank) can happen. That's backward. We need Jesus because he is everything: the Alpha and Omega, our beginning and our end. The rest is important, but it flows out of our relationship with Jesus. They are not the reason for our relationship with Jesus. They are second things.

When we forget this, secondary things become gods. They begin to lead and guide us instead of Christ.

There are many errors that can take place when second things are treated like first things, but one of the biggest is that we realize there are many ways to accomplish second things. If they become the ends, then Jesus becomes merely another competing means.

We see this today when political parties and agendas (both conservative and liberal) become central. When middle class values take the lead then the Scripture becomes a self-help guide (5 Steps to a Good Marriage, Eight Steps to Financial Freedom, Property Improvement for Christ, etc.). None of these issues are unimportant, but we have to ask if they are the tail wagging the dog.

It's easy to stray, but effective ministry to students is Jesus centered. If not, then we accidentally reinforce that Jesus is just one road to other goals.

The "A" Word

2011-02-21T13:37:00.001-08:00

"Young people today are apathetic." That often heard refrain is usually followed by self-centered and self-absorbed and always spoken as though it were some new insight on the state of society - and I don't believe it for a moment.

First, I'm not much of a fan of the "A" word. I believe it's my job to inspire the next generation. I need to introduce them to the love of Christ and spur them on to love and good works. Most of all, it's my job to introduce them to Jesus himself so he can reveal the hope his grace brings. That's not always easy and, sure, there will be the occasional slacker or-dare I say-sinner, but if the overall effect of my ministry is reflected in an apathetic response, then I need to re-evaluate what I'm doing. I don't allow myself or my co-workers the cop out of blaming student apathy for a lack of fruit.

Second, these words have been used to describe every group of teenagers from the mid-fifties to the present. Each generation seems to make the pronouncement forgetting that it was once made about them. The wisdom of descriptive cliches is questionable at best.

But the biggest reason I don't accept this time-worn description of today's youth is that I have spent time with them. This is not an apathetic bunch. It is true that they don't protest in the streets or make a big noise to make their demand heard but don't mistake that for apathy. The generation that is just now coming of age, just now entering our colleges and universities is a generation of builders.

They understand that the world is screwed up, but they lack faith in the ways previous generations have addressed the problem. Their solution is to quietly roll up their sleeves and work for change. This is a volunteer generation. Organizations such as Peace Corp have more volunteers than ever before. Students on campus are at work getting clean water and food to emerging nations. Many take their spring breaks to do physical work to improve the lives of others. I know students (many students) who have waited in line two days (two full days!) to get into one of the spring break relief trips that are organized by the university. Some high schools are offering after school clubs to write grants for the needy. Many schools now have volunteer clubs that do work within the community.

They don't spend a lot of time on protest, because they don't believe other people will fix the problem. If they want to see change, they must be responsible and act. Today's student is looking for more than moral philosophy and upbeat worship services (neither is bad). They want to see the church making a real difference in the world. They need activities that allow them to roll up their sleeves and serve. They need to experience their faith as more than study, as a way of life, as an investment of love.

The danger of describing any generation is that it will be a generalization. You will find many exceptions. The danger in ignoring the trends within a generation is that you may miss that generation and even alienate them.

Most of today's student want to make a difference. If your depiction of the gospel begins and ends with personal salvation and does not change the world, then don't expect it to be inspirational for today's students. The question I am most often asked is, "What difference does God make in the world?"

Jesus has come to establish his Kingdom. What does that mean? Personal salvation is the starting point of our discipleship, but our discipleship itself is the act of following Jesus as he continues to fulfill the work that was initiated with his resurrection and Pentecost. That work will not be finished until Jesus returns, but that doesn't mean that we can't make progress today

Jesus calls us to stop complaining and grumbling and, instead, roll up our sleeves and act through love and serve both those inside and outside the church. We need to include students in the work of bringing the Kingdom of God into this world. We need to be doing the kind of work we can ask students to roll up their sleeves and join in with. Then they will see what difference Jesus makes in the real world.

Nostalgia Kills Vision

2011-02-16T14:28:00.001-08:00

There is one thing that I have little patience with and thats when people start talking about the good old days and how we need to bring them back. I'm in good company in this. It seems that God has little patience with this either. In Ecclesiastes 7:10 we read, "Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?' For it is not wise to ask such questions." Not only is it not wise, but it is disastrous when ministering to emerging adults.

About nostalgia, Will Rogers once said, "Things ain't what they used to be and probably never was." Former UN Ambassador George Wildman Ball went straight to the point when he said, "Nostalgia is a selective liar." But perhaps Billy Joel said it best, "The good old days weren't always good, and tomorrow's not as bad as it seems." But worst of all, nostalgia forgets that time is a river. Each moment is unique, and there is no stepping back. To yearn for what cannot return just makes you sad, bitter, and ultimately hopeless.

Sin has been at work since Adam and Eve tried to become their own gods. Each generation looked nostalgically back to a illusionary,simpler time. Grumbling would appear to be an inalienable right of each generation if weren't for the fact that God calls us to stop complaining (Phil 2:14). There's nothing wrong with becoming old men (some say it can bring wisdom), but there is something wrong with becoming bitter, complaining, grumbling old men who are always talking about how good it used to be. God says it's foolish and to be avoided. In other words, such behavior is godless.

It's also uninspiring. The world is full of sin. It has been since the fall. It is into this world that we are called to minister the gospel and work to build the Kingdom of God. That work cannot be completed without the return of Jesus, but that doesn't mean that progress can't be made in the meantime. Too many students have heard that they turned up too late. All the good work of God is done, and it's all downhill from here. That may sound good to the hard and the bitter, but it only convinces the young that they need to find their inspiration elsewhere.

Nostalgia also makes it hard to hear from God. He works to meet the needs of every generation in the situation they find themselves in. There are great things that God has done in the past, and I can learn a great deal from them, but I don't expect him to work the same way in new situations. Jesus warned us that new grace requires new wineskins. His character is eternal, so I can count on that. On the other hand, God is creative. He will work differently to address different problems, different sins, different generations. We need to look forward to what God is building and not just backward to what he has already built. Too many past movements followed God as he revealed new wineskins only to later fold their arms and declare that what they experienced was the last word from God.

The question that is most asked on campus today is, what difference does Jesus really make in the world today? If we are looking backward and only find our hope there, then our answer has to be that Jesus makes no real difference. On the other hand, if we listen to Jesus, then we believe that he still changes lives and through changed lives transforms communities, and through changed communities transforms nations, and we have hope to inspire a new generation.

Practical Discipleship

2011-02-14T12:46:00.000-08:00

We are disciples of Jesus, but we are to follow Jesus together. We are baptized into the body of Christ. We are personally responsible to God, but our life and growth is to take place in community. So, we can, and should, work together as we follow Jesus. We do this through teaching, encouragement, exhortation, love and service. If we take this seriously, then we are responsible to create a discipleship structure for students. It should be flexible, changing over time, but it should be planned.

During their grade school years, my kids were involved in a Follower's program at our church. The program was created by the education pastors. It involved one afternoon a week where the youth that wanted to be involved met together. They were assigned small groups with a college student or adult who led the group. They worshiped together, had a short teaching together, and then worked it out personally in the small group.

My kids loved it. The personal time and the answered questions were important (never underestimate the questions of a fourth grader). They built positive bonds with their small group leaders. They began to carry their Bibles around with them, read their assignments for the following week (yes, assignments), and eagerly looked forward to the next meeting.

Was it for everyone? No, and that's the point. There was a rather traditional youth group, but this was an option for families who were willing to invest a bit more in their children's growth. While it wasn't for everyone, the first cycle brought in about thirty kids. That's significant. It will be these students that will later have an impact on their peers.

There is plenty of material available for high school students and twenty-somethings. Much of it can be made applicable to middle school students with just a little work. We will have material coming out the ministry here a Boston in the near future, but for the present Intervarsity, Campus Crusade for Christ, and Navigators puts out a lot of quality material for small groups, classes, and one-to-ones. They all offer topical and inductive series that include both member and leader material.

Students who are ready need the opportunity to move forward in their faith. If we build all our programs for the lowest common denominator or with the goal of 100% involvement, then you are going to lose those with the greatest interest. Again, pastor the many, disciple the willing, the eager, and the faithful. If you do this, you will find that you have trained the next generation of leaders who will stand beside you and take the work of the gospel forward. That sure beats a generation of students who drop out because they are bored, never got their questions answered, and have come to believe that the church is just a moral, political action group trying to run the lives of others. I'll work to create disciples any day to stave off the alternative.

Is It Real or Is It Photoshopped?

2011-02-09T16:31:00.001-08:00

I have been telling my students at Boston University that the pictures they hold in their minds are important. They shape the way we interpret the world and our experiences. As a result, it's important to check their internal pictures against reality.

Quickly, picture the Pilgrims in your mind's eye. What are they wearing? The picture most of us will come up with is a group pressed in black with white cuffs and ruffles. The women will be wearing bonnets and then men will be wearing ridiculous tall hats with, of all things, belt buckles. We've seen them depicted like this often. Yet, they never dressed that way in reality.

In reality, they wore shirts and pants and dresses (the women anyway) in solid colors. Yes, they liked color. They wore single colors because they had not been able to bring looms over yet. The men wore hates, but they were mostly stocking caps. A few wore floppy brimmed hats. The women wore bonnets when they worked to keep their hair clean.

Where did our modern picture come from? The nineteenth century to be exact. The picture was created about the same time our modern picture of Santa Claus was formed. Both wore buckles because people thought they were quaint at the time and they looked good on greeting cards. The Pilgrims must have been especially quaint. They got an extra buckle on their hat.

Many of you were taught that people opposed Columbus' trip across the Atlantic because they thought the world was flat and they would fall off. I think this picture originated from a combination of lazy teachers and American cartoons (curse you Bugs Bunny). In fact, we have known that the world was round (or roundish) since the ancient Greeks. The math had long been worked out. The reason people opposed Columbus' expedition is that they thought his numbers were wrong, that he thought the world was too small. They feared his crew would starve. They were right. Columbus' math was extremely off. If there hadn't been an extra continent sitting there,that Columbus knew nothing about, his crew would have died.

The one that really bummed our students had to do with the Vikings. What do you think of when you think of Vikings? Helmets with horns of course! Yet, there is no evidence that Vikings ever attached horns to their headgear. I blame opera and, again, Bugs Bunny.

These are not earth shattering revisions, but they point to bigger things. How many of our pictures are wrong? Do you see Thomas Jefferson as a strong Christian? Do you know that he rewrote the New Testament and cut out the miracles of Jesus because he did not see Jesus as divine? Most Christians think their eternal future is in some etherial, and very Platonic, heaven while the Scriptures tell us we will be resurrected bodily to live together on a restored earth. This last, false picture has often led to a godless approach concerning our stewardship of God's creation and toward our investment in community.

Cultural pictures are strong, and our culture has volumes to say about Jesus. Most of these pictures were formed as an attempt to reform Jesus into our own image. If we don't replace these pictures with truth, then we are setting our students up for failure.

We need to be proactive in this and avoid reaction. Reactions have led to teaching about environmental stewardship, social justice, and science that are as atrocious as they are anti-Biblical.

I know I have been influenced by the pictures my culture has given me. That is why I continually seek to be transformed by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:2). I then have the responsibility to pass that knowledge on (2 Tim. 2:2).

Why Emphasis Discipleship?

2011-02-07T14:25:00.001-08:00

Whether we emphasis discipleship or not has a lot to do with how we define a living faith in God. Is faith static or dynamic? A set of beliefs or a life based on those beliefs? In both cases I think the latter is true.

While hosting the Academy Awards, Steve Martin admired one of the especially fit presenters. As she left the stage, he quipped, "I would do anything to look like that--except eat well and exercise." That was an insightful comment. We can admire all kinds of examples of virtue, success, and happiness, but if we don't invest ourselves, we will never experience what we admire.

Jesus makes a large numbers of pretty spectacular promises, but if we don't invest ourselves, if we don't follow him, we shouldn't expect to see those promises fulfilled in our lives. But wait! I thought everything from Jesus was a free gift. Doesn't that mean it's all up to him? What does Jesus actually say?

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matthew 28:19-20

"Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."
Luke 11:28

"If you love me, you will obey what I command."
John 14:15

This is just a small sampling. Yes, salvation is a free gift from God. You can't earn it. You can only receive it. But Jesus does call us to follow him, to become his disciple. His Spirit gives us the power to change, but we still need to choose to follow. Jesus did not merely call us to a new belief. He called us to a new way of life, a new pathway that is to be walked with him. He is our guide, our strength, our power, and the one who transforms us, but he doesn't do this for the unwilling. We must walk the way to receive the blessings that Jesus brings into our lives.

Faith is trusting and living our theology. In the ancient world belief was never simply intellectual assent. They understood that we can say anything, but we act on what we actually believe. Show me someone's life, and I'll show you what they really believe.

I am not implying that my life is a perfect embodiment of obedience. Only Jesus pulled that off. The mark of a disciple is active learning and application of truth. It is a life dedicated to following Jesus as closely as possible. This is reflected in growth, grace, and a dedication to Jesus' work in the world. The operative word here is "active."

If our students don't define the Christian life in terms of discipleship they will be frustrated because Jesus doesn't seem to work in their lives. Jesus rescues us from a futile life by teaching us how to live as we were intended to live. If we choose to remain in the old futile life, then that life's fruit is what we will experience rather than God's blessings.

There is an intellectual side to our faith, and it should not be ignored. Theology informs us about God and the life he has set before us. Discipleship is the act of trusting that information and letting it inform and shape our lives.

The added gift of discipleship is that it is not something we do alone. Ultimately, we are disciples of Christ, but it is never just me and Jesus. We are baptized into the body of Christ when we are baptized into Jesus. Our life with Christ is to be communal. We are not expected to walk alone without assistance. In fact to do so is to be a poor disciple. As an American, I might be enamored by the ideal of the rugged individual, the strong, silent stranger, but make no mistake, those are not ideals that Jesus values. Our walk with Christ is not be a solitary one.

If discipleship is not a central component of youth and young adult education, then don't expect them to make a smooth transition to adulthood with their faith intact. But that's only natural. Our approaches seldom works as well as Jesus'.

Conversion or Submission?

2011-02-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

Is the goal of discipleship conversion or submission? This is an important question. It shapes the way we do ministry, what we call people to, and how we see ourselves.

Conversion and submission are linked when we consider our life with God himself. He is our Creator and we are his creatures. His wisdom and love are perfect, and while we are to wrestle with God to understand them, we never stand in judgment of his wisdom. We submit to it. But when we come to our role in the discipleship of one another, conversion and submission need to rethought.

"Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave--- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mat. 20:26-28)" Christian lead from a posture of humility and service. Instead of asking people to submit to our authority, we work to help people work through the teachings of Christ until they own them for themselves. We direct them to Jesus' authority and ask them to wrestle through their issues with him. In the end, only God can change a heart. This process of teaching, service, and prodding people to wrestle with God is the heart of discipleship. This is also the reason that discipleship requires relational interaction.

We can teach in a classroom or worship setting. We can inspire in the same setting. But if discipleship is the process of helping someone transform their worldview by applying theology to his or her life, then that process must be much more personal. A relationship of trust, service, confidentiality, and commitment is necessary. This can happen on a one-to-one basis or in a small committed group, but it seldom happens on the classroom or worship service level.

Can people grow and develop without this kind of discipleship opportunity? Sure, but why should they have to struggle on their own when Jesus' own model is so much more effective and caring.

Creating these opportunities for youth and young adults is very important. They are going through a great deal of change, confronting new challenges, gaining new insights and ideas, and having to make very important choices for the first time. They need a relationship or set of relationships that they can go to in order to be heard, encouraged, and exhorted. The body of Christ is meant to grow together and to bear each others burdens.

The reason I started with the question of conversion or submission is that if we disciple from an authoritarian position--just do what I tell you because I'm an authority--we build an environment where few will truly be open about their struggles and their doubts. If you can't get to the issues of someone's life because they feel it will be dismissed with a simple, authoritarian answer, then you are unlikely to see conversion. Instead, you will see the power of peer pressure. They will act and talk the way you want while you're in the room, but they will live their convictions (or lack thereof) when your gone.

Discipling the Faithful

2011-02-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

Discipleship is the life-blood of our ministry on campus. We see the greatest results when we take the time to train the faithful to join us in the work of ministry. This means extra investment in helping students learn theology and then working with them as they apply it to their lives transforming their worldview. But this is not for everyone, and that is one of it's strengths.

Too often youth ministry is aimed at the lowest common denominator. How can I get as many youth as possible involved and keep them involved? This may seem wise in the short run, but it will fail in the long run.

When you shoot for the lowest common denominator and aim at the reluctant, you will bore the interested and the faithful. You will lose them. You also send a clear signal: there is no reward to be found in being faithful. If the squeaky wheel always gets the grease, then you will reproduce squeaky wheels.

I think it is wiser to pastor the many and to disciple the few. I will always be involved in outreach, but outreach needs good discipleship if you are to preserve the fruit of evangelism. I will go out of my way to give extra attention to those who show real interest and effort. By doing that, I reveal that I respect and honor my student's desire to draw closer to God.

I have a purposeful two-tiered approach to my pastoring. It is not based on popularity or natural talents but on eagerness to grow and faithfulness. It is not favoritism. It is wisdom.

Discipleship emphasizes the priesthood of all believers, the fact that every Christian is a minister (or lazy or disobedient). Ephesians 4:11 tells me that my job is to equip believers to do the work of the ministry. I am not the only minister present. Every faithful believer is to be a minister. When I take time to disciple the faithful, I am investing in them to help with the work I am involved in. On one hand, this reflects the value Jesus has given them (we are now friends and not merely servants because we are fully involved). On the other hand, my time will eventually pay off as students begin to reach and train their peers.

Through small groups and special training I give the faithful additional training and opportunities that would not be available if everything I did was always directed at everyone (the uninterested and the reluctant). I will still reach out to the resistant, but I need to reward and train the faithful. If I don't, I send all the wrong messages to those I have been entrusted to care for.

Too much of our ministry looks like the Discovery Channel. The Discovery Channel puts out some good programing, but it's always only an introduction to whatever fascinating topic they are covering. There is a reason for that. They can't count on any of their audience having seen prior shows. They don't want to lose anyone, so they never build to the next step. That's a shame because some of the best information comes after the introduction.

We get past this trap when we pastor the many and disciple the few. We have the introductory material and the follow-up. This requires a two-tier strategy. It requires some additional time and investment, but even if it only birthed one co-worker a year it would be worth it. But it wouldn't just yield just one co-worker a year for long. Peers best reach peers. If you disciple students, they will reach students.

If all this sounds a bit familiar, it's because this is the way Jesus started. Interestingly enough, it's not how most churches or youth groups operate. Perhaps that's part of the reason we see the modern church in decline. If it was good enough for Jesus, then it's good enough for me.

Next time I'll suggest some ways to apply discipleship.

Theology, Worldview, and Discipleship

2011-01-31T07:45:00.001-08:00

The relationship between theology and worldview is essential to effective discipleship. Theology is the knowledge revealed concerning God's identity, his attitude about us, an explanation of his actions, and his will for our life. Worldview is an individual's picture of how the world works.

When it comes to my day to day life, I act according to my worldview. I put my faith in what I have accepted as the way things are. I study the Scriptures because my worldview was built in ignorance. I understand a bit of what I see around me, but I have no way to know my Creator except through his revelation. In a fallen world I must work to understand that revelation. It's a task that I never complete.

Students need theology in order to reshape their worldview. Without the content of theology, there is nothing to reshape someone's picture of the world. If a theological education is not part of a student's education, then don't expect long-term changes in his or her life. Without theology, our culture's worldview-with all it's explanations, values, and expectations-will win out.

Discipleship is taking theology and understanding the difference God makes in our day to day life. This is a work of renewing our mind as well as applying the teachings of Scripture through purposeful obedience. In short, discipleship is applying what we learn in Scripture in order to change our worldview. That is important since our worldview determines the course of our lives.

Discipleship is not a solo activity. It is best done in a community of support, encouragement, and accountability. In Chi Alpha, this usually happens through small groups and one-to-one relationship.

Theology can be learned in a classroom environment, but discipleship requires something more personal. Discipleship speaks of shared lives, of a shared journey, knowing someone has your back while you have theirs. Discipleship relationships build a trust that allows confession, exhortation, and meaningful encouragement.

Theology represents truth regardless of what we believe, but our worldview is what I really believe. I confess that my worldview and my theology are not in sink. Neither is yours. Only Jesus succeeded in perfectly bringing both together. I study theology, apply Scripture to my life, pray, worship, and live in active Christian community so that my worldview might be transformed to reflect reality.

Students need to begin to experience this before they are sent away to college. They need theology. It is the raw material of a healthy worldview. They need some kind of discipleship relationship to help them apply Scripture into their daily life. If this doesn't happen, then they will have religious knowledge but retain a worldly worldview.

I believe it is the lack of theology and discipleship that is largely responsible for the majority of our youth leaving the church at their first opportunity. In the following blogs I'll expand on the discipleship theme.

Feeding the Mind

2011-01-28T13:00:00.000-08:00

There is a story I hear over and over again from students who have left the church. They begin to have questions based on things their friends say, what they have heard in class, read in books, or just thought up on their own. They bring these questions to their pastor or a Christian they respect. At first, that pastor or respected voice listens and even tries to answer a question or two. But then, they are meet with the same response. "it's not good to ask too many questions. You should just have faith."

It is at that point that the student checked out of his or her young faith. Why? Because what they heard that leader say was, "Christianity has no answers for your very real question, so stop thinking and just believe."

This response is not unreasonable. As a student grows up the world gets bigger. They encounter people with new ideas and beliefs. It is natural that they would look for answers. Student's questions do not necessarily reflect doubt or rebellion. They honestly need more information to deal with the challenges life throws at them. For most of them it is a shock to be told to stop thinking and just have faith. They had believed that God was big enough to deal with the hard questions. But when they are told to just have faith, they interpret faith as a shame to cover for a religion that can't deal with reality.

I don't always have an answer for my students' or even my own kids' questions, but I have a responsibility to find one. The Apostle Peter exhorts me to "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (1 Peter 3:15)

"I don't know," is a legitimate and honest response. Students really don't expect us to know everything. But that response needs to be followed by, "but I'll find out."

Unexamined and unchallenged faith is weak faith. I have seen it rocked by things like the ridiculously bad scholarship of Dan Brown's Di Vince Code. The challenges of the self-titled New Atheists are simplistic and ill-informed, but powerful against ignorant Christians. As a pastor, it's my responsibility to make sure that those under my care are not ill-informed or unprepared. If I am not willing to take up the challenge, then I'm not fit for the calling.

Faith should never be equated with being stupid. I serve a God of truth, a God who has called me to love him with all my mind, a God who is up to any human challenge.

This may seem a bit strong, but perhaps I am not being strong enough. This is the most Biblically illiterate generation in the last 500 years of American history. It's not their fault. The generations that proceeded them had the responsibility to teach them. No one prepared them for the challenge, and we are losing our youth in record numbers.

If you want to see revival then start a revolution of responsibility. Start with prayer, but then get off your knees and study and then begin to answer the questions of a new generation.

Faith has to do with trust and risk. It should never be equated with ignorance.

Beginning Well

2011-01-24T11:44:00.000-08:00

This last week I wrote about conversion, and now I'd like to recommend a book on the topic. The book is Beginning Well, by Gordon T. Smith.

It is worth picking up this book for the chapter on second-generation Christians. A lot more energy has been devoted to reaching those outside the church than has been given to the conversion of the children of believers. There are clears rights of passage for those coming to faith from outside the church, but we often expect the children of believers to somehow slip onto the faith. Smith explores some positive ways we can help the children of believers navigate their own ownership of the faith. This chapter is very practical and a must read for parents, pastors, and anyone concerned with youth.

Beyond that, I highly recommend the rest of the book. Evangelicals value the transformational work of Christ. It is one of our defining beliefs. Yet, very little has been written on conversion lately. Smith believes that an incomplete understanding and exposition of conversion leads to incomplete transformation. I have found that current students coming from Christian backgrounds have a surprising small understanding of what a life of Christ brings with it. Their idea of conversion often begins and ends with an intellectual accept to God and a few moral principles. A clear idea of how God wants to work in their lives, an understanding that to follow Christ entails a personal commitment to change the world, or that conversion includes a solid, local commitment to the body of Christ.

Smith gives several biological sketches to demonstrate how prominent Christians, such as Augustine, Ignatius Loyola, John Wesley, and Dorothy Day, had more than one conversion (conversion, not salvation) experience that shaped their lives. He then gives us tools to examine our own spiritual autobiography to reflect on our growth and to see if we have embraced Christ in all parts of our lives.

The combination of strong theological content, historical observation, and personal insight make this an insightful and very helpful book.

Expanding Conversion

2011-01-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

The way we define conversion (the expected transformation of our lives rather than, just requiring salvation) does a great deal to define the Christian life. What is the scope of the transformation? How long does it take? Can we help it along? The answers to these questions should describe a dynamic and every-changing relationship with God and life.

Ever-changing. I have found that idea to be met with suspicion, but we should find hope in this idea. God is not ever changing, but I am. God has perfect knowledge, but I am still learning. God's character is perfect, but mine needs constant transformation. To know and to pursue God is to invite change into your life. Conversion is not a single act accomplished in the past. It is a way of life with God.

It is also important for students to know the scope of conversion. There is a temptation to divide our lives up into many small boxes (work, school, family, church, science, etc.), but God transcends our boxes. He calls for every part of our life to be under his Lordship.

Professor and author, Gordon T. Smith, has described conversion in terms of seven elements. He does this for descriptive purposes. He doesn't argue that his description (and labels) is the only one or that it is used in Scripture this way. But he does argue that all these elements are reflected in Scripture as part of Biblical conversion.

The seven are: Belief (in Jesus and in good theology), Repentance, Trust and Assurance of Salvation, Commitment, Water Baptism, the Gift of the Holy Spirit, and Incorporation into Christian Community.

Some of these occur once. Baptism is not a repeated act. The same is true of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Here he is speaking of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The gift of becoming a new creation in Christ. But while the gift of the Holy Spirit is part of salvation, the submission to the Spirit's guidance and empowerment to God's mission are ongoing activities of conversion.

One of the problems with some our bare-bones gospel presentations is that they leave out major portions of the call of Christ. We can give the impression that the Jesus doesn't care about every part of our life or that only part of our lives need to be handed over to him. In some cases the picture is reductionist. Jesus can be presented as desiring our hearts, our soul, and our strength, but our minds are left out or even preached against. Don't expect college-bound youth to respect a picture of conversion that doesn't include and value the mind (don't expect Jesus to be too excited about that picture either).

Conversion needs to be defined to counter some of the damage our marketing campaigns can do as well. Our culture currently distrusts organizations and institutions. I can't say I blame them, but we need to be careful that we don't emphasis this prejudice in our gospel. I have heard many Christians say that they don't believe in organized religion. That Christianity is all about a personal (insert "private") relationship with God. The Scripture does present the idea of a personal commitment to God and promises personal, direct access to God, but it also insists that we become part of the body of Christ. Commitment to a local body of believes is not merely an option. It is an expectation of obedience. In the same way, conversion does not present the repentance of sin as a health option for a successful life. It is part of our commitment to obey Christ.

If these seven elements of conversion are not a spoken part of our understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ, then we shouldn't be surprised when those around us fail. But it might surprise us to learn that a gospel that doesn't present the possibility of conversion for every part of our life over a dynamic lifetime of obedience isn't enough to capture the hearts and minds of most students.

Emphasizing Conversion

2011-01-14T07:21:00.001-08:00

The word salvation describes the forgiveness of sins and the union with God that has been made possible through Jesus' death and resurrection. Conversion speaks of the changed life that results from the freedom from sin and the transforming power of God's Spirit. While salvation is a gift from God that is delivered all at once, conversion is an ongoing work that touches many aspects of our lives. As we minister to youth it is helpful to recognize the different aspects of our lives that need conversion so our approach will be balanced. If we don't communicate this clearly, we will frustrate students with a cheap gospel that will be too weak and discouraging to sustain them into adulthood.

Our understanding of conversion shapes our view of the Christian life. William Wilberforce's Christian faith prompted him to commit his life to the abolition of slavery. At the time, many Christians in England believed that salvation by intellectual belief was possible, but they did not expect any real change to occur in their life. They believed in salvation but did not expect any real conversion. Wilberforce came to understand that Jesus was calling him to turn away from his former life and become an active follower of Jesus. While this was considered boorish and crude by proper society. Wilberforce saw it as a lifestyle that brought meaning and liberation.

Our definition of conversion is important. If we equate it entirely with salvation, then the act of new birth becomes everything. There is an expectation that suddenly everything in life will change and everything will become easier. Unfortunately, the result of that vision of the Christian faith leads to frustration. The new birth is important, very important, but it is the beginning of an empowered Christian experience and not the end. Students need to know from the beginning that the quality of the experience with Christ is dependent on ongoing conversion that is directed by Scripture, implemented by the Spirit, and realized by obedience. If they expect all the promises of the Christian life to become available at the moment they pray the believer's prayer, they will be disappointed. The full freedom and blessing of the Christian life come from a life devoted to God. They are the result of an ongoing conversion that begins with salvation.

I was at a baptism recently. The candidates for baptism had some preparation, but at the last minute anyone who was present was invited to come forward and take the plunge. There was no additional presentation of the gospel, no explanation as to what Jesus was calling them to or how we are to respond to Christ. There was no discussion of discipleship or obedience. No understanding of what belief is from God's point of view. There was just the invitation to take the plunge if they were so inclined.

This seems to do two things. One, it reduces baptism to a magical ritual, nothing more than cheap grace. Just come forward and be dunked and God will do the rest. That seems far less than Jesus' call to follow him, a call that led him to turn people away if they were not ready to follow on his terms. Second, it conveys a complacent faith. We come to believe that we have arrived. We have responded fully to the call of Christ and have entered in to all that Jesus has earned for us.

The Apostle Paul desired to know Christ, the power of his resurrection, and the righteousness that comes through faith. He believed that he had been united with Christ through salvation, but he did not believe that these desires had been fulfilled. "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. [13] Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14)

Over the last decade marketing the gospel has become popular. How can we package the gospel so that it is easier to swallow? If we can just get them to buy the product, then everything will come together later. I want to make sure that we communicate the gospel in ways that preChristians can understand; that we become conscious of our church culture and not let it stand in the way of God's work; and that we are ready to sacrifice and become all things to all people so that some might be saved; but that is different than marketing. A great deal of modern church marketing is dumbing down the gospel. We don't want to scare people away the way Jesus sometimes did (we also don't want to become self-righteous Pharisees who scare people away as a sign of our own righteousness, but we'll save that for later).

Marketing is most necessary where Christians are distant, where they keep their distance from "sinners", and where they are afraid to represent Jesus openly to their friends and neighbors. The only real sign we have that God is active is a people of faith who are experiencing conversion. The dynamic and ongoing change revealed in love and service is God's advertisement. That is where we see the strength of the gospel. If we are not living it openly, then there is little to inspire to students. If they don't understand this ongoing conversion and the life necessary to experience it, if they believe all the blessings of Christ come through the believer's prayer alone, then they will be quickly disillusioned and will most likely walk away from a faith that doesn't work.

In Gordon T. Smith's very helpful book, Beginning Well, he

Critical Concerns: Answering Questions

2011-01-12T12:30:00.000-08:00

A question and answer time need to be both safe and dynamic. No question should be off-limits or ridiculed, and questions should be answered quickly and to the point so boredom doesn't set in. If I am successful, I may learn a great deal about the people I am working with. The issues that trip people up are unique and you should not assume you know what they are until you are told directly. Students have heard many voices in their life, they often mishear information in church, and then they come up with surprising and creative (although not always helpful) ideas on their own.

Set the Atmosphere
First, I am responsible to set the ground rules and establish the atmosphere for the dialog. I let everyone know that differing opinions will be expressed and that I think that's okay. My ground rule, though, is that we work to understand each other and treat each other with respect. I don't believe that everyone's opinion on a topic of truth is equally valid. Some people are going to be in error. But if there is not an attitude of respect and an attempt to understand each other, then no one's mind will be changed during the dialog.

It is usually the Christians in the audience of both believers and seekers who are the greatest hinderance to good discussions. I do not tolerate believers who are dismissive or make fun of seekers questions. I also have to work to balance some of the easy answers believers want to offer. Easy answers are often easy because they are incomplete or wrong.

If I fail to set up a safe atmosphere that promotes questions then little that is meaningful will occur. If I end up sounding like Rush Limbaugh or Al Sharpton, then I will have alienated those that Jesus called me to reach. Choose your ministry role models carefully.

Did I Understand the Question?
I restate the question to make sure I have it right. One of the last things I want to do is answer a different question than the one asked.

Affirm the Question
It is important that I am constantly returning positive and honest feedback. People risk looking like idiots when they ask questions. I need to let them know that I respect them for their inquiry. This will embolden the timid. In addition, I never make generalizations about a person based on their question. A question does not necessarily reveal someone's personal struggles or character. In fact, I often have students ask me questions that their friends have brought up and they didn't have an answer for.

Identify Any Assumptions Behind the Question
It is interesting how often Jesus does not answer the exact question he is asked. What's that all about? If you look at his answers, you will find that Jesus understands that the questions are based on assumptions that need to be answered first. In fact, the assumptions are often more important than the actual question. So I always ask myself, "What does this person have to believe to be asking this question?"

Most of us have heard the middle school challenge, "If God can do anything, can he create a rock too large for him to lift?" The problem with this question is that the assumptions behind it are all wrong. First, God has expressed himself as a God of order. He has told us that he doesn't do the absurd. It is the fact that he doesn't do contradictions (such as create square circles) that allows us to trust him. Second, God doesn't have a body. He is Spirit. He is not like the Greek gods, some kind of superhero parody.

Questions are often based on assumptions, often false, about God's nature, his commands, Biblical morality, and the behavior Christians are called to. This shouldn't surprise us. Biblical literacy is at an all-time high for Americans. This is true of church-going Americans as well as preChristians. The theology of rumor reigns at the moment, so listen for those assumptions.

Answer the Question Quickly, Giving Room for Followup
This is where self-control comes in. I have done a great feel of study and preparation, but no one wants to see a question and answer time become a lecture. I try to answer a question in about two minutes. That is not always possible, but it is a worthy goal. I leave the question open to follow up. If my answers generate more questions that is a good thing. It is more dynamic to have questions and answers whizzing back and forth. If there is interest, then a great deal will be covered. What I want to avoid is eyes glazing over.

Critical Concern: Research

2011-01-10T08:23:00.000-08:00

When I first arrived at Boston University, I found the Christian students were often involved in theological debates. Unfortunately, Scripture was seldom referenced in these debates. They made reference to sermons and rumors they had heard. I refer to this as pop theology, the theology of rumors.

I often hear believers speak about the importance of truth. That is commendable. What is disturbing is how often our behavior incurs that belief. Recent surveys have shown that biblical ignorance is on the rise, even in the church. Why is this important? For a lot of reasons, but when youth begin to learn that what they have been taught in small things is in error, then they begin to question everything they have been taught about the faith. We have a responsibility to check out what we teach. We can't just repeat what we have heard.

This is more than merely practical advice. There is a spiritual principle here. The apostle Paul gives us an example of how we should treat the things we hear: "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (Acts 17:11) We are responsible for our growth and learning. We are called by God to do extra homework. How important is God's truth to us? Is it important enough for us to spend time actually studying it? Are we willing to invest the time to read Christian authors who have passed the test of time? If we are not, then that alone speaks volumes to our youth concerning just how important Jesus is to us.

I have to balance two things as I prepare for a presentation. One one hand, I want to be as prepared as possible. Not only do I want to be able to represent truth, but I have also opened myself up to questions. I need to anticipate and prepare for those questions. On the other hand, I have a limited time to prepare, so I will make the most of the time I have. I can't expect myself to become an expert on everything, but I will do the best I can. It helps to remember that you don't need to present yourself as the Bible Answer Man. It's okay to say, "I don't know." In fact, it will earn you some respect. But try to follow it up with, "I'll try to look that up for you."

Do not start your serious research on the Internet. It's okay to go there to look for some ideas on where to start your study, but the Internet is notorious for bad information. Wikipedia is very helpful for facts since it is heavily monitored, but you will need to go elsewhere to develop your theology.

Where do I go for my research? I start with a concordance and with trusted authors. The concordance helps me to find individual scriptures that deal with my topic. That's helpful, but if I look up "the problem of pain," I won't find too many entries. Trusted authors are often my first helpful source. I test what they say against Scripture in order to be a good Berean, but some books that deal with the topic I am going to cover are a good place to start.

Here are some recommended authors that I often start with. It is by no means exhaustive, and I find that I seldom agree with everything an author has to say, but that doesn't make them unhelpful. Two apologists you should have in your library are C. S.Lewis and Peter Kreeft. I recommend Lewis' essays even more than his books. If you don't check these two out, then you are not even trying. Other authors include: Timothy Keller, N. T. Wright, Stanley Grenz, Eugene Peterson, Alister McGrath, Gordon Fee, John Stott, and F. F. Bruce. For science and faith I recommend Francis Colins, Kenneth R. Miller, and John H. Walton. Again, this is a very short list. Later I will give some author recommendations based on topics.

I do not restrict myself to Christian books. If I am going to deal with a scientific topic, then I better understand at least a little of the science involved. If I am going to respond to a book such as The Da Vince Code, then I need to read that book. Always go to source material. It is irresponsible to read about someone else's work without reading that work yourself.

I want to hear from at least a couple of people who discuss the subject in book form. After I've understood what they have to say and done my best to test it against Scripture, I will use other resources such as the Internet, friends, and pastors. As I develop my presentation, I'll test out some of the ideas with Christian friends. This can sometimes alert me to some blind spots.

I should have grown through this process. Only God has a full handle on the truth. I don't. I do the best I can with what I know, but it's my goal to continue learning. If I am not open to having my mind changed, then I have stopped listening to God. That sense of life-long learning and openness to God is another thing I want to communicate to youth.

I always have more information to share than anyone should be forced to sit through. I will have to cut most of it out of my presentation to keep within my time limit, but that research won't be wasted. You never know what is going to come up in the question time. I believe that the question and answer time is more important than my presentation. It's when people start talking about what really matters to them. So I do extra research to prepare for that time.

Critical Concerns: Positive References

2011-01-07T09:16:00.001-08:00

I often use pop culture as a reference point. I will use a TV show, a movie, song or performer as a hook. In each case, there is one rule of thumb I try not violate. I don't use a reference I can't say something good about. People expect me to be negative, but I live to thwart people's expectations. It forces them to listen.

I will now date myself.

In the eighties, I did a talk entitled Spirits in a Material World, featuring the music of The Police. Students came from across campus to defend their favorite band from the fundamentalist preacher. I began the talk by telling them how much I liked the thoughtful music of The Police. We then listened to some of their lyrics. I used them because they were very insightful about the problems of the world. Unlike most bands who point at others as the source of the world's problems, they pointed back at themselves. They knew that we were all equally guilty. We discussed this as a group.

I then turned to the answer to the world's problems. I let everyone know that this is where I parted ways with the band. I explained their gnostic approach and then shared with them what Jesus had to say. We then discussed the options before us.

I used the music of The Police because I genuinely liked it. Once I established that, no one complained that I disagreed with the band in part. They expected narrow-mindedness and negativity. Once they saw that wasn't the case, then critique was okay.

I did something similar with The X-Files. I don't agree with everything The X-Files conveyed, but it's main question week in and week out was, "How do we define truth?" and "Is scientific truth all there is?"

A good persuasive opinion begins by finding some point of agreement with the person you are trying to persuade. This is then followed by an argument for an even better way or deeper truth. You need to establish common ground. If you begin by ridiculing something you audience holds dear, you will lose them right from the start. If you don't have something good to say about your hook or primary reference material, then don't use it.

This isn't always easy. I was asked to speak on The Da Vince Code. The research in it is appalling, but it was influencing many people. I could at least give it credit for being a fast-paced book. Faint praise, but it was all I had. I used a short overview of the plot to bring some entertainment value to the introduction and at least demonstrate that I had read the book.

Which leads me to my last point. Don't use any reference materials that you are not familiar with. It should go without saying, but don't speak on a book you haven't read, a film you haven't seen, or music you haven't listened to more than once. It should go without saying, but sadly, I've seen it done often. The smoke from someone's credibility going down in flames can be suffocating. These kinds of accidents are preventable. Don't let it happen to you.

Critical Concerns: Topics & Hooks

2011-01-05T07:49:00.001-08:00

Whether you are a parent, pastor, or youth leader, the challenge of generating enough interest to get a hearing is important. As a campus pastor and a parent of high schoolers, I want to effectively communicate Jesus and the life he inspires us to on campus and at home. Good intentions and prayer are necessary, but they are not enough. We need to use the tools of good communication.

Youth have questions, and we should be supplying answers. As I look for topics I am concerned with both their questions and what I think every Christian should know about their faith. My presentation schedule will reflect both.

The list of things every Christian should know about their faith does not change, but the questions that students are asking changes with the times. There may be nothing new under the sun, but the focus of our culture is always changing as are the issues that capture the heart and the mind at any given moment. The issues of the 1960s really were different than those of the 80s or the 90s. I don't want to be answering yesterday's questions, so I need to keep up.

How do I know today's questions? The first rule of thumb: Don't listen to the Christian cultural commentators (you might as well stop reading now). Why? Because they are usually twelve to fifteen years out of date (who, besides Christians, talk about postmoderns anymore?). So why are you still listening to me? Okay, not everyone is so far behind, but how would you know? Christian commentators should not be your first source of info.

Your first source should be the students. If you need to read a book to know what your neighbor is thinking, then you don't understand the call of God on your life. We are all called to minister to the people around us, to love and serve them. The first step, of course is to get to know them. The same is true of students. Get to know them. Listen to them. Let them tell you who they are and what their questions are.

Secondly, keep an eye on their media. What films and books are they involved with? What television shows and music is popular. What are the messages, if any that are being shared? What I am looking for here are trends. I could care less about fads. Fads are here today and gone tomorrow. By the time I prepare to address them, no one cares anymore. But trends have a shelf life. They reflect things people really care about.

What I am looking for are felt needs and interests that are either entry points to topics I want to cover or reflect questions that Scripture speaks to. I know what students need to hear to prepare for adult life, but it will be hard to get them to pay attention unless it connects to something they care about.

I then boil that down to a title that will intrigue and provoke my audience. This is the hook. It has to reflect what I will really be talking about and it must also connect with a felt need or interest. This helps to generate interest in regular attendees as well as in their friends who are still outside the faith (My personal belief is that everything I do should be open to preChristians. Evangelism should not be out of the ordinary).

So where do I go for ideas? The bookstore! The headlines in the magazine racks can be helpful. Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stones usually have good film, TV and music reviews that discuss content as well as style. I check out what books are selling and which are being promoted. Checking these out regularly helps me to see trends.

Here are Some Popular Topics: Problem of Pain; Is God Really in Control?; What Difference Does Jesus Really Make?; Science & Faith; the Holy Spirit; Heaven & Hell; How to Make (Good) Choices; Finding the Will of God; Social Justice: Jesus Style; Dating, Mating and Waiting; Women & Ministry; Where Did the Bible Come From; How Can Jesus Be The Only Way?; How Can Jesus Send People to Hell?

Critical Concerns: the Concept

2011-01-03T08:29:00.001-08:00

So, how do you apply these ideas I have been sharing? I want to begin with what I find to be the most successful approach. I'll call this approach Critical Concerns. These are usually one shot presentations on a topic that last from twenty to thirty minutes followed by a question and answer time. I'll give an overview here and then flesh out some of the specifics over the next few entries.

My strategy for a Critical Concern is to come up with a hook that connects the topic to a felt need or interest (more on this next time). I then want to create a short overview on the topic that covers the basic while hinting at bigger and, hopefully, interesting ideas that can be pursued in the question and answer time.

A successful question and answer time is dependent on a good presentation. If you don't set up the questions with content, you will find yourself staring at a sea of silent faces. People need a certain amount of information to respond to. So I don't begin with the questions. If I want my audience to respond, then I need to give them something to respond to.

The presentation needs to stay within the twenty to thirty minute time range if you really want discussion to take place. You will have more material, but this is a place for heroic self-control. I keep a clock close by. If I find I'm going long, then I create a quick exit point and go to questions.

Why questions? It's easier to answer real questions than it is to try to guess what's on people's minds. You will find that your audience's interest will be heightened if they believe their questions will be answered. Youth have questions. Lots of them. Some of the questions may seem silly to you. The first question I was ever asked during open-air preaching on a college campus was, "Isn't Jesus just a space alien from another planet?" I wanted to laugh, but this was a serious question for the person asking the question, and he deserved a serious answer. Students need some place where they can ask their questions (I will get to the art of answering questions very soon).

The first couple of times you do this there will be some awkward silence. I plan for this by seeding the audience with a few questions. We are herd animals. If students see some others asking questions and hear respectful responses, then more will follow suit. Still it will take a couple tries to catch on.

In the following posts, I will add details to this idea.

More than a Sunday School Faith

2010-12-31T09:46:00.000-08:00

There has been one theme that has resonated with our students this year: You won't survive adulthood on a Sunday school faith. We all need to grow into an adult faith.

What is an adult faith? First, it's not sentimental. I remember growing up with the daily newspaper cartoon entitled, "Happiness Is..." The first correct answer, according to the author is "a warm puppy." an adult faith has moved beyond such nursery rhyme versions of reality. The world is a harsh place because of sin. There is a lot of pain and disillusionment out there because of our rebellion against God. And we have an enemy who wants to hurt God by destroying our lives.

The answer to these realities is not a faery tale. It is a God who loves us so much that he has risked everything to bring us the forgiveness necessary to reunite us with himself. He has made it possible for us to know himself through the gift of the Holy Spirit. And he has empowered us to work with him as he heals the harm that our rebellion has caused.

A sentimental and childish faith is selfish. We may sing, "It's all for you," but our emphasis on personal salvation often communicates "it's all for me." We have found that students today, especially those who have grown up in the faith, have a hard time grasping the idea that Jesus asks us to die to ourselves and live for him. Too often they have heard that Jesus is there to make their dreams come true rather than the truth that Jesus asks us to work with him to make his dreams for humanity come true.

One student complained, "I just want to feel good. I don't want to think about the problems out there." Ironically, peace and joy are never achieved until we are involved with Jesus work out there. Those moments when I know that I am following God, responding to his Spirit, and serving real people with the power and love of God have been some of the happiest moments of my life. I don't believe you feel good without being involved in God's mission. A childish and sentimental faith does not bring happiness.

An adult faith is also informed. Theology is important. Not just for the sake of having knowledge, but theology replaces our warped view of life and reality with the truth of God. Morality is important, but it is not enough. We must see and understand the world differently. We live what we believe, and we believe what we know. Faith must be informed.

An adult faith is moral. Our decisions have real consequences, and an adult can't hide behind a parent or a guardian. An adult must understand that he or she now has responsibility. Morality is more than just a set of rules. It begins with a set of values. What is love? What does it mean to respect another person? Ideals such as, a person must never been treated as a means to my personal need, must be understood and applied.

An adult faith sacrifices for a better end. Children are all about instant gratification. An adult learns to invest in the better things of life. We must present these greater things to our students and teach them their value. I could eat bacon forever. It's cheap, I like the way it tastes, and it's easy to prepare. And while I still retain the taste for an occasional bit of bacon, my life would be a little smaller if I'd never been introduced to curry in all its intricacy and complexity. I could have stuck with comic books, but Shakespeare has enriched my life in so many ways. As Christians we reach for meatier things. Others may pretend to be content with the banalities of this world, but an adult faith wants to move from glory to glory. Without a serious investment, it will never happen. A childish faith gazes at it's own navel. An adult faith touches the face of God.

It's About More Than Conversion

2010-12-29T07:30:00.000-08:00

Outreach is important. We need to be reaching those far from God, but if that is our primary focus, it can have some unexpected consequences on our youth.

Conversion is the beginning point, not the end goal of our faith. It is when we are united with Christ and become a new creation that the real mission starts. That mission is to work with Jesus as he establishes the Kingdom of God. But what does that mean?

The Kingdom of God is the rule of God over the earth. We enter the Kingdom through faith in Jesus. We express the Kingdom by living the life that God intended for us from the beginning. The Kingdom is expressed to God through thankfulness, praise and obedience. The Kingdom is expressed to the world through love, service, justice and truth. We treat those in spiritual bondage in such a way that they may gain freedom and life.

Jesus commands us to love and lay down our lives for the world. We are not to judge (that is God's privilege), but to hold out the light of life to a crooked and depraved generation. Paul saw this as the great adventure of the Christian life. He formed his life around it. He was willing to change the way he lived his life and his own comforts so that Jesus could be exalted in new lives.

We are to bring inspiration to both the hopeless and the dreamers. Don't forget the dreamers. They will shape the world. If we can't spark their imagination with a vision greater than anything the world can offer, then we are finished.

Too much of what we hear from Christians in the public arena is about fear and self-protection. Do we really believe the rules have changed? Do we believe the enemy is stronger than the Spirit of God? Do we think politics and legislation are ever the answer over the inspiration and life changing power of the Spirit? Today it seems that we are turning to politicians and political pundits before we support and do the work of missionaries. It seems like many Christians are listening to TV and radio gurus more than they are to Scripture and godly teachers. Perfect love casts out fear, but fear has overcome God's wisdom and vision in too many instances (I will have more to write about this later).

Why do I care about inspiring the dreamers? Because youth are the dreamers. They are just waking up to life and beginning to move beyond themselves. This is an important moment in anyone's life. During these years lives are molded. People can become lovers and life-bringers, or they can become jaded, angry, greedy, disillusioned adults. The enemy wants the latter. He wants spirits to be crushed during adolescence. It is our job to give youth something better, bigger, and nourishing. A vision that can steer a life. One that includes the real suffering and pain in the world while still bringing change and hope.

Conversion is the doorway. The Kingdom of God is where we are invited to live. From there we are invited to heal a wounded and dying world. Youth without vision will perish, but Jesus' dream for us will feed us forever. So teach youth to dream with Jesus.

New Testament Origins

2010-12-17T05:22:00.000-08:00

We believe that the Bible is important, but you would never know it from the education most of our students get in church. On the other hand, the Enemy knows just how important it is and how to use students' ignorance to his advantage.

Attacks against Scripture are nothing new, but today there are creative new twists to contend with. Conspiracy theories are the flavor of the day. Power hungry church leaders suppressed the true Biblical documents; Paul recreated Jesus to fit his agenda; the early church councils decided to make Jesus into a God while suppressing Jesus' Hindu teachings on reincarnation. These are just a few of the teachings students are presented on campus and in the media. While some of these ideas are certainly creative, they lack any real support. Yet, they have great power when students have not been armed with the truth.

A couple of years ago The Di Vinci Code made quite a splash. I was asked to do evangelistic talks on the book around the country. I was shocked by what I learned from my audiences. First, most preChristians were unaffected by the book. Most understood it as fiction and did not take it any more seriously than Raiders Of The Ark. Those that were already opposed to God, used it as ammunition for their disbelief (no surprise there). The surprise was the students who were most effected by the book: Christian students.

I met a large number of Christians who were shaken to their core by The Di Vinci Code. Why? They knew nothing about where the New Testament came from and so they were susceptible to Dan Brown's abysmal scholarship. A quick search through Wikipedia would have corrected all of Dan Brown's mistakes, but a little historical knowledge from their home church would have done wonders.

In many cases we have taken education out of Christian education. Students need more than merely an emotional commitment to the truth. They actually need the truth. It is disingenuous for us to complain about the effect of our culture's lies on students if we have not first supplied them with the truth.

A couple of weeks ago, we had an extended Chi Alpha meeting on campus. Some of our students were taking a class on the Bible that argued it did not reflect Jesus' life and teachings at all. Since this professor was an authority figure presenting "evidence," our students were confused and questioning the validity of their faith. They brought their questions, and we went through them all. It was a great time. None of the challenges were especially difficult and there were many assumptions (as opposed to facts) that had to be dealt with. The truth is powerful, and it trumped the authority of the professor. More to the point, these students are now able to successfully navigate this challenge to their faith. They are stronger now.

Students need to have the origins of the New Testament presented to them several times during their middle school and high school years. If not, they will most likely fall to the world's attacks, and it will be our fault. They need to know who wrote what books when. They need to know what happened in the early church councils since these are often distorted and used to undermine the gospel. Most of this information can be found in a good Bible handbook and in encyclopedias. Two very helpful books are The New Testament Documents Are They Reliable? by F. F. Bruce and How to Read The Bible Book By Book, by Gordon Fee. The best book I have found on the authority of Scripture is N. T. Wright's, The Last Word.

No More Jargon Or "Personal Relationship with Christ" is the New "Born Again"

2010-12-14T05:28:00.000-08:00

"I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue." (1 Corinthians 14:18-19) We all know this passage concerning the gift of tongues, but I think the spirit of the passage applies to jargon as well. We allow the dangers of jargon when sharing with preChristians. Words like justification, sanctification, and even sin need to be defined. This same concern should be foremost in our mind as we explain the faith within the church. Our shorthand is full of assumed knowledge, and assumed knowledge equals missed knowledge for our youth.

Jargon is our shorthand for shared truth, but it is dangerous in Christian education. Christian education is where we share the teachings and conveyors that later become our shorthand. If the long version is not shared and shared regularly, then the jargon loses its meaning. We then think we are sharing significant truth.

There is a second problem when we use jargon. It can easily be misunderstood. When we talk about "not being religious" many people today think we are not into "organized religion." For some us, that would be okay since we define "organized religion" as a bureaucratic institution that has lost track of people and God. Yet, most people would define "organized religion" as going to church, listening to a pastor, tithing, and Sunday school. Without explanation, our statement of "not being religious" could be seen as a recommendation to sleep in on Sundays.

When we speak of having a relationship with God, we confuse many people. The have relationships with their dogs, their spouses, and the IRS. What do we mean by the word? Our students and the preChristian world need these ideas unpacked repeatedly before we can trust our shorthand jargon to be useful.

I want to stress repeatedly. During the middle school and high school years students are beginning to learn how to use abstract thought and how to synthesize knowledge. This development is partially biological as the brain develops. It happens at different rates in different people. The result is that not all your students can understand what you are teaching at the same time or at the same rate. You need to present these ideas for the early bloomers (women tend to develop intellectually before men) so they don't get bored and tune out. Then you need to repeat the same information over time as more students develop. You also need to address the material superficially to build familiarity and then return to the topic to develop depth and breadth of knowledge. The idea that you can cover the subject matter once and go on will not develop faith.

Students tend to gravitate toward a strong, well-developed worldview. God has delivered that to us, but if it not unpacked and explained to the next generation, then the Christian faith appears weak and superficial. Overused slogans and jargon will be of little use when faith is challenged.

Why Target 15 to Twenty-Somethings?

2010-12-07T06:24:00.000-08:00

During the decade after high school most people decide what they will live their life for. Certainly there are opportunities for change and conversion later in life, but most people chart their course during these times. These are the years that people choose their occupations, find a spouse, start a family, and find that they are now fully responsible for their own choices.

It is during this time that people try to figure out how the world "works." They develop their worldview. If the worldview they have been exposed to by their family and their church does not address and explain the world they find themselves in, then they will look elsewhere. This is why theology is so important during the middle school and high school years. A Christian worldview has to be more developed and richer than the competing worldviews. But, most of all, it has to exist in the first place. As one college professor put it, "One reason students are not getting reasons to defend the Faith is that they are not getting the Faith to defend."

Our Sunday mornings and Christian education need to be planned with twenty-somethings in mind. I find the questions they have are fairly basic and universal. They are the issues that will bring preChristians back to your services and will prepare middle schoolers and high schoolers for the future.

But let's be honest. They will help our youth with the present. My daughter and son are currently in high school, and I know the issues they face. They are interacting with and ministering to fellow students who are confused about their sexual identity. They are being presented with ill-informed caricatures of their faith by well-meaning but misinformed teachers. If we can't meaningfully deal with these issues to their satisfaction on Sundays, then don't expect them to still be there after high school.

One answer has been to protect our youth from all these issues, but if you do that, then you assist in their failure. They will have to deal with these issues someday. If they are not ready, they will fall. Besides, where do you want them working out their ethics-in the lunch room or at church?

This emphasis doesn't mean we neglect the rest of our congregation. You will find that many have the same questions and concerns. In addition, the entire congregation should be thinking missionally. As the body of Christ, we should be looking beyond ourselves and participating in God's work within our youth, our community, and throughout the world.

If we cannot reach and hold twenty-somethings, then we have no future. The twenty-somethings that we lost over the last two decades are the thirty and forty-somethings of today. The corner needs to be turned. The hemorrhaging needs to stop and headway needs to be made. God once again calls us to think differently and to trade our old wineskins in for new ones. After all, we should all thirst for God's new wine. Otherwise, we are just traditionalists and not really Pentecostal.

Past Time for Change

2010-12-02T07:47:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of history with natural disasters. I was five years old when I experienced the Alaskan, Good Friday earthquake, the largest earthquake recorded in U. S. history. It was followed by a 27 foot tsunami. My parents then moved to Longview, Washington, not far from Mount St. Helens. You get the picture.

These are these types of disasters that are hard to ignore and fairly easy to respond to. Creeping disasters, the kind that build up over time are often harder to recognize and take seriously until it's too late. We are in the middle of one of those right now.

For over a decade, we have been losing our youth. They seem to do okay up through high school, but then a change takes place. Well over half of our youth (67%) don't make the transition into adulthood with their faith intact. We have been alerted to this fact by our leadership and by fact finding organizations such as the Barna Institute. Some Baptists estimate that they are losing 80% of their youth in the transition to adulthood. This is a new phenomenon. It has not been unusual in the past for young adults to leave the church for a short time, but they always returned within three to five years. For a decade and a half they have not been coming back.

What will the future look like if we continue to lose 67% of the next generation of church goers? Current outreach is not seeing a return anywhere near those numbers. If a third of your church today is not made up of 15 to 29 year olds, what does that say about your future?

The problem with creeping disasters is that we think things will just sort themselves out eventually. When an earthquake hits, everything changes. We had no power, no water, limited food supplies. Everyone's place of employment was gone. The community rallied together. Old grudges were forgotten. The National Guard was called in. Life changed until the problem was solved.

In Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, we know the struggles and challenges that emerging adults face. We know what our students need to be prepared to face and flourish into adulthood. We will share what we have learned here. But the problem is bigger than just college outreach. I will be honest, it is easier to be a Christian on campus today than it was twenty years ago. The attacks are not nearly intense as they were in the past. But our students are less prepared for adulthood than they were twenty years ago. The world has changed to be sure, but so have we. It is hard to defend a faith that is not there to begin with. Most of our students don't know enough factual information about their faith. Biblical illiteracy is at an all-time high in the U. S. They know little apologetics, and they haven't frankly worked through the tough issues of life. The world has changed, but so have we.

The question now is are we going to take the situation seriously? We have heard the facts for over decade and only cosmetic changes have been made. The situation calls for more. If this were an earthquake, we would take it seriously. Aren't the lives and souls of the next generation as important? In this blog we will share about the transition into adulthood, about the challenges and questions that our youth are facing, and about how to address them. We will work hard to keep and save our youth in college-that is our purpose and pledge-but the preparation needs to begin during their middle school and high school years. Our goal here is to help you with that task.

Assume Nothing

2010-11-08T10:52:00.001-08:00

My church experience was limited, but when my parents went to church it was a Lutheran church. When I entered junior high school, I was sent to confirmation classes. I will admit it was not a priority for me, and I got out of almost a year of classes by taking guitar lessons at the same time. Still, I was there for many classes. We went through the Apostles' Creed and Luther's small catechism. Not only did I not emerge from the class as a Christian, I was surprised to learn years later that Jesus was God.

How could that happen? That pastor was a good, Spirit-filled man. He would later speak the first prophetic word into my life. He cared for us, but yet I emerged from his class without a basic knowledge of Christ. How could that be?

I think the reason it happened was because the knowledge I needed was so basic. When we see youth grow up in a church, it's easy to assume that they have the basics covered. We can sometimes become embarrassed covering the basics again because we are afraid the youth will think we are talking down to them. The result is that we assume knowledge that is not there.

Biblical illiteracy is almost as big a problem inside the church as it is outside. A faith with major holes in its knowledge will not survive. Most of the Christian students I work with, even those from AG backgrounds know little about their faith. They are trying to survive on emotions and fellowship. Stress and peer pressure destroy that kind of faith. They need truth for a strong foundation.

It is best that we assume nothing. That guarantees that crucial knowledge will not be missed. It also take seriously the fact that we need to hear the truth many times before it's implications sink in. Everyone matures at a different rate. One person may be ready to understand a significant truth at thirteen while another is not ready for until sixteen. As long as we don't share the truth in a condescending way, youth will not feel talked down to when we repeat the basics.

The more basic the information, the more likely we are to assume people know more than they do and gloss over it. In the end, a little, occasional boredom is better than missing the truth altogether.

A Safe Place to Ask Questions

2010-11-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

"He told me, 'It wasn't good to ask too many questions. I should just have faith.' That's when I decided Christianity wasn't for me."

I have heard this from students far too often. Growing up is a time for questioning, and those questions are important, even the ones we might think are silly. When a young person finds themselves in an environment where questions are not welcomed and explored, they assume the resistance is hiding the fact that faith has no answers for the real issues of life. It's no wonder they begin to check out.

Creating a safe place for questions is intimidating. It means being open to say, "I don't know." Those three words can inspire a great deal of respect. No one expects you to know everything. If you claim to, then people think you are making things up as you go. The words, "I don't know", gain even more strength when followed by, "But I think I know where to find the answers."

It also takes more work to create an atmosphere where students feel free to ask questions. It requires study time to search out the answers to questions. It requires love to sacrifice the time to research questions you might not care that much about but a student does. And it requires patience to stick with a student as he or she struggles through every objection.

That struggle is often more important than we realize. The questions and objections students' raise may seem theoretical to us, but they often reflect the challenges they encounter every day.

In the end, if a student can't bring their questions to us, if we don't build a place for their questions, then they will go somewhere else to find their answers. The enemy knows that, and he has built far too many places where it's safe to bring your questions. The result is that it seems the agents of the enemy know more and care more than God's people do, and that's a tragic illusion.

Next Time: How Do I Encourage Questions?

Marx, Freud, and Darwin are Yesterday's News

2010-10-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of ink spilled and trees killed writing against what have been seen as the three main threats to the Christian faith: Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, and Sigmund Freud. But this is yesterday's news. The times aren't just "a changing." They done changed already.

Marx lost his steam when the Soviet Union fell. While there are a few hardened holdouts on campus here and there, his credibility is shot. As they say, "You're not going to get many dates talking about Marxism." The romance is gone. (as a note, mixed economies are common. America has been a mixed economy for most of its existence. No student is going to take seriously equating European socialism with Communism.)

Freud took a beating over the last two decades. His methods have been called into serious question. He is now mostly seen as a man who let his ideology corrupt his research. His ideas are not promoted on campus in the way they once were.

Darwin is not seen as a reason to disbelieve in God by most students. Yes, atheists still use him to support their cause, but most students do not equate Darwinism with the death of God anymore. I very rarely find students who gave up their faith because of Darwin. On the other hand, I have met many students who have left the church because of it's perceived anti-science bias. Those students have come to believe that Christians have a low respect for truth.

The greatest challenges to faith come in three new flavors: Religious illiteracy, practical atheism, and political conservative extremes. I will cover these more in upcoming blogs, but here's a quick rundown.

First, as Boston University professor, Steven Prothero, has noted in his book, Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know--And Doesn't, this is the greatest period of American religious illiteracy since Europeans landed on these shores. In many ways, it's easier to be a Christian on campus than it was twenty years ago, but the average Christian student knows so little about their faith that they are easily blown out of the water by the smallest challenge.

Practical atheism is the second largest challenge. True atheists only make up 4% of the population at best. Most students say they believe in God, but live as though there were no God. Most believe that an intellectual belief and occasional prayers are all that is necessary to please God. Discipleship is a foreign concept.

Lastly, the extreme Christian right has eroded many students' faith. The last year has seen some prominent Christian groups and leaders promoting Glen Becks self-proclaimed revelations from God (even though he is an active Mormon) and the writings of Ayn Rand. The promotion of Rand is especially troubling. A well-known atheist, here's what she had to say about God: "And now I see the face of God, and I raise this God over the earth, this God whom men have sought since men came into being, this God who will grant them joy and peace and pride. This God, this one word 'I'." Rand is promoted because she is ideologically conservative, but in her writings she identifies Jesus as the one of the primary opponents to her conservative ideology. Students are aware that political ideology has come to lead part of the church. This happens with liberal politics and the church in the 50s and the 60s and now we see it with conservatism. Students aren't interested in a church that is lead by the world whether it be the left-leaning world or the right-leaning world.

Of course, sensuality, pride, and sin are still the major obstacles to faith. Some things will never change until Jesus returns. But the cultural pressures, the voice of the world and the questions it raises do change. The goal here is to let you know what students face today and help you prepare them to face those challenges.