Tell Me it’s a Joke. Please.
March 5, 2010
Then again, if you buy into a currently-popular, but aberrant, picture of what a preacher/teacher ought to be and do, perhaps there’s nothing all that wrong with this idea.
As for me, there’s not a ghost of a chance I’d preach that way…
Just Feel Like I Gotta Say This from Time to Time…
March 5, 2010
If you think you love Jesus, but are not committed to being vitally involved in a community of people who also love Jesus (commonly called a “church), you really don’t love Jesus as much as you’d like to think you do. If you can read the New Testament and miss that, read it again. And again. And again, if necessary.
And yes, I know there are folks who’ve been “burned by a church”, or “abused by a pastor”, etc. To some, it’s happened more than once. I want to say two things that need to be held continually in balance: one, I’m really, really sorry. I really am. When a pastor abuses his authority, or when a pastor is caught in a scandal, it’s abominable, inexcusable (though not unforgivable), a terrible testimony to the Lord for which such a pastor will have to answer. That’s “one”; here’s two: get over it. Take some time to heal–but not by removing yourself from the competent teaching of the Word of God, nor from the genuine fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ. If “get over it” sounds like a lack of compassion, change your definition of compassion, because the least compassionate thing I could do would be to in any way give you the impression that walking your faith out in the context of a church community is somehow an optional portion of discipleship. It’s not. And so I say again: if you’re not committed to being vitally involved in a community of people who also love Jesus–a church–you’re really not following Jesus very well.
Can’t find one that fits you? OK, again two words, in the form of two possibilities: one, start one. Not one that is “just your family, gathered around the fireplace in your jammies on a Sunday morning”, but a real one, that welcomes other people into it, that meets the minimum definition of what a church is all about (which, incidentally, certainly includes the “house church”, just not the our-fam-in-jammies variety). That’s “one”; here’s two: lighten up. A guy (maybe a lady; don’t remember) who posted on a website I visited recently was talking about how he’d moved from New England ten years ago to North Carolina (Research Triangle, not Squirrel Hollow), and “couldn’t find a church”. Lighten up, folks; if you can’t find a church that fits within one year, the problem is you. Look for counsel from people you trust; do some internet searching; read Joshua Harris’ excellent (and brief!) book Stop Dating the Church. No perfect church out there? You’re right; what’s your point? Find the best one there is, and throw yourself into it, heart and soul. Discipline yourself to recognize that even if it doesn’t have everything your heart desires, it isn’t about you getting pampered like some oversized semi-sanctified cruise-tourist in the pedicure parlor.
I say all of this because of this rumor I hear that an increasing number of our younger people–probably a lot of older folks as well–”just don’t see the point of church”. Please, please read your New Testament until you get it! Because you just can’t possibly live to please Jesus as you oughta as a Christ-follower trying to do the Lone Ranger thing.
“Christian Voodoo”: OK, NOW I’ve Seen Everything
February 8, 2010
A friend sent me info about a family that is attempting–with the encouragement of their “church”–to incorporate voodoo (or, more technically as they call it, “vodou”) into their “Christianity” for the sake of two adopted kids from Haiti. Now, of course it’s great that these folks adopted a couple of kids from Haiti–well, let’s put it this way: it’s great that they had it in their hearts to do so–but what kind of silliness is this?
More disheartening is that the pastors of a Baptist church would tolerate this instead of (lovingly) offering the family the kind of counsel they need to put away the works of darkness as they embrace the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. What fellowship does the light of Christ have with the darkness of voodoo? None. And the most loving thing that Revs. Thompson and Haak could possibly do would be to disabuse this misguided family of any notion to the contrary–rather than affirm their idolatry.
First Church of the Buff and the Beautiful?
April 25, 2009
Have you seen Susan Boyle, the ugly British woman with the beautiful voice? iMonk wants to know if there’s a place in our evangelical churches for ugly people.
Jesus does, too.
Awesome, timely post.
Has Jesus Just Left the Building?
April 2, 2009
A friend of mine just told me he was reading a book called Jesus Has Just Left the Building, and asked me my thoughts. It’s another of these (unfortunately, increasingly popular) books about how somebody has gotten disillusioned with church, and left the “organized church” for…something else, I’m not sure what. Now, here’s the disclaimer: I haven’t read the book, and I’m not sure what the “something else” Paul Vieira has left for is. Fine. Maybe he’s doing what I suggested in my response to my friend, I don’t know. But there seems to be an increasing number of folks who call themselves Christians who are chucking church because they’re disillusioned with it. Well…without saying anything else, I’ll just let you read what I wrote him:
1. These types of books/sentiments are becoming more and more common.
2. I understand the frustrations. I sympathize with many of them.
3. This is one of the reasons why Red Oak is different from a lot of churches in some ways (and probably could/should be in some others, frankly). Yesterday, we had a lady and her son, homeschool speech folks, visiting from Orlando with the McLeans. They have left “traditional church”. She loved Red Oak, the informality, the round-table, look-people-in-the-eye format. The fact that we closed with an extended session of prayer. The fact that our music, though “canned” without live instrumentation, drew attention to Jesus and not to singers. I was thrilled. I’d like to think that Red Oak is, or at least is on the way to becoming, the kind of church that such folks could be part of and say, “yeah, you know, church can be something different.”
4. I think that leaving the church outright is a dangerous overreaction. What I’d say to these folks is, “disappointed with church? Sure…I get it. So am I, many times. So…start one that works right. Incorporate the basic essentials, and leave off the nonsense that you find frustrating. Preach/teach the Word. Worship in simplicity. Do it in a home if that works for you. Observe the ordinances. Commit yourselves to Jesus and each other. If you do those things, you’ve got a church. But you need a church; don’t toss out the baby with the bathwater; just give birth to a baby that looks differently, that meets the Scriptural minimum requirements for a church.”
I have a lot of leeway for differing expressions of “church”; hey, I’m in the middle of a church that has changed some of those things myself. If I waved a magic wand, I’d probably change a few more; fine. But chucking the whole enterprise? A dangerous mistake, I believe. Talk amongst yourselves…
For Once, I’m Speechless
March 26, 2009
Flabbergasted. Dumbfounded. Mystified. Incredulous.
Here’s Brant Hanson’s tongue-in-cheek take on this…buffoonery.
Would You Admit This If it Were You?
March 24, 2009
Recently, I came across a church website (a nicely-done one, by the way) advertising a church that I have no doubt has effective ministry in many respects. But one thing struck me as so oddly/sadly out of place: the church admitted to the following two facts:
1. We have an average attendance of 1300.
2. We have a church membership of 3600.
Question: wouldn’t that embarrass the stuffing out of you? Would that be the kind of thing you’d admit (dare I say even “brag about”) on your website? Making the reasonable assumption that a decent percentage of that “average attendance” (let’s guess low and say 10%) consists of folks who aren’t members of the church, is the fact that two out of three of your members don’t bother parking their butts in church on Sunday morning a source of pride, or deep, deep embarrassment? No…let’s be even more charitable. Let’s assume that on any given Sunday, 20% of your membership is out for acceptable reasons (travel, illness, etc.), and let’s also assume that in a church of that size, 2% of the membership consists of “shut-ins”. OK, I’ll amend my numbers: wouldn’t it embarrass the socks off you that 1/2 of your membership rarely if ever darkens the door of your church?
Seems to me that very high on the list of priorities for a church such as that is purging the rolls of the deadwood. It’s a matter of discipline, a matter of accountability, a matter of integrity, and a matter of the glory of God.
This phrase comes from the 1978 "Jonestown massacre" in which most members of the Peoples Temple cult, blindly following their leader Jim Jones, committed suicide by drinking cyanide-laced Kool-Aid.
Osborne: A Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God
Schlossberg: Idols For Destruction
