http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/the_end_of_the_beginning_1.html
Ed has indeed stirred the pot a mite. The post and comments are of great interest.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Progressing Right Out of Orthodoxy
Progressing Right Out of Orthodoxy
Bob Burney
April 7, 2008
Today, I rise to announce a new movement. I’ve never tried to start a movement before. I’m not even quite sure how to do it, so I’ll just announce it: It’s the Regressive Movement. We’ve got conservatives, liberals and progressives. Now it’s time for the regressives!
I was thinking the other day about all the times God’s people got “progressive” and came up with new ideas.
There was the time that Israel was transporting the ark of God from the house of Abinadab where it had been stored. Now, God had a proper way to transport the ark, but it was a bit old fashioned. They were told that the ark should be transported on the shoulders of the priests with long rods inserted through rings on the corners of the ark. Well, someone got the idea that there was a better way. Some well-meaning progressives suggested that an ox cart would be much more efficient and faster. So on the ox cart the ark went. The result? Zap! Some guy named Uzza was struck dead. But it seemed like such a good idea—and very progressive.
Then there was old Korah. Great guy with lots of innovative ideas. Korah was thinking in his tent one day about how Moses was handling the affairs of the Children of Israel. He determined that Moses could use some help in the governance of Israel. After all, Moses’ ideas were old fashioned and out-of-date. Korah said that Moses had “taken too much on himself.” Moses was an old dude, with old ideas. Korah was the innovator, the forward thinker. Result? The ground opened and Korah (and those who followed him) disappeared into the abyss.
What about Abraham in his “cutting edge” days? God had made some promises to him and his wife, but it just didn’t seem like God was going to come through. The “old fashioned” way just wasn’t working. Perhaps God could use some help in the form of a woman named Hagar? Well, take a look at this morning’s headlines and see how well that “new” idea worked out! It seems that the seed of Isaac and the seed of Ishmael are still having a few problems.
We can’t forget Jonah. God had some really archaic ideas of how the city of Nineveh was to be reached with His message (preaching). But Jonah had a better idea! (It’s a whale of a story.)
Remember who the first king of Israel was? A big man named Saul. What a guy! Seems that God had some really silly notions about who could offer sacrifices. In 1 Samuel 13 Saul gets impatient with God’s plan and timing so he decides to “innovate” a little and offer his own sacrifice, his own way. Result? The Kingdom progresses right out of his hand.
In considering progressives and innovators in Scripture we must look at the “modern” Temple of Jesus’ day. Talk about new ideas! The sacrificial system was old and cumbersome—some might even say, traditional—and messy. Some hip leaders at the Temple had just finished reading “Velvet Herod” and streamlined the whole sacrificial process. Now you could just bop down to worship and buy what you needed when you got there! Convenient, comfortable, revolutionary. Seems Jesus wasn’t impressed; the innovators had the tables turned on them. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
Probably the greatest progressive of all was that old serpent in the Garden of Eden. Wow, did he have some great ideas! He took God’s words and with just a little nip and tuck, voila! A brand new message for Eve and her husband. It was really close to what God said, but now, updated and improved.
Ok, if you’ve actually made it this far, you’ve probably concluded I’m stuck in the dark ages of Church history and want to go back to stone cathedrals, pipe organs and Gregorian Chants. After all, sack cloth and hair shirts could make a come back! Nothing, actually, could be farther from the truth. There is nothing wrong with new methods, technology, and innovation—as long as they’re rooted firmly in biblical truth. But something grabbed my attention recently and I just can’t shake it.
If you look at the totality of Scripture and Church history I think you will come to a strange conclusion. In almost every instance of true revival, the revival was a “return” to truth. Throughout the Old Testament, Israel is challenged to “go back” to God’s truth, God’s ways, and God’s methods. God’s people innovated and progressed right out of God’s will. As a result they lost God’s power and favor. Time and again they were encouraged to go back to the “old paths,” the “old ways.”
Throughout the history of the church I don’t believe you can find a single true revival that occurred as a result of anything but “going back” to faith, repentance, Scripture and dependence solely on God’s Word and power. This doesn’t mean that they threw out everything modern and cultural. They didn’t “revert” to another time culturally. But they did “regress” to the basics, the foundations, the fundamentals.
Here’s an honest question. Are things better in American Christianity now than 50 years ago? Are we having more or less impact on our culture? Is the culture looking more like the Church, or is the Church looking more like the culture? Maybe we’ve had enough progression and innovation for a while. Maybe it’s time to regress a little. Who knows, a genuine revival just might break out.
Bob Burney is Salem Communications’ award-winning host of Bob Burney Live, heard weekday afternoons on WRFD-AM 880 in Columbus, Ohio. Contact Bob at bob@wrfd.com.
Bob Burney
April 7, 2008
Today, I rise to announce a new movement. I’ve never tried to start a movement before. I’m not even quite sure how to do it, so I’ll just announce it: It’s the Regressive Movement. We’ve got conservatives, liberals and progressives. Now it’s time for the regressives!
I was thinking the other day about all the times God’s people got “progressive” and came up with new ideas.
There was the time that Israel was transporting the ark of God from the house of Abinadab where it had been stored. Now, God had a proper way to transport the ark, but it was a bit old fashioned. They were told that the ark should be transported on the shoulders of the priests with long rods inserted through rings on the corners of the ark. Well, someone got the idea that there was a better way. Some well-meaning progressives suggested that an ox cart would be much more efficient and faster. So on the ox cart the ark went. The result? Zap! Some guy named Uzza was struck dead. But it seemed like such a good idea—and very progressive.
Then there was old Korah. Great guy with lots of innovative ideas. Korah was thinking in his tent one day about how Moses was handling the affairs of the Children of Israel. He determined that Moses could use some help in the governance of Israel. After all, Moses’ ideas were old fashioned and out-of-date. Korah said that Moses had “taken too much on himself.” Moses was an old dude, with old ideas. Korah was the innovator, the forward thinker. Result? The ground opened and Korah (and those who followed him) disappeared into the abyss.
What about Abraham in his “cutting edge” days? God had made some promises to him and his wife, but it just didn’t seem like God was going to come through. The “old fashioned” way just wasn’t working. Perhaps God could use some help in the form of a woman named Hagar? Well, take a look at this morning’s headlines and see how well that “new” idea worked out! It seems that the seed of Isaac and the seed of Ishmael are still having a few problems.
We can’t forget Jonah. God had some really archaic ideas of how the city of Nineveh was to be reached with His message (preaching). But Jonah had a better idea! (It’s a whale of a story.)
Remember who the first king of Israel was? A big man named Saul. What a guy! Seems that God had some really silly notions about who could offer sacrifices. In 1 Samuel 13 Saul gets impatient with God’s plan and timing so he decides to “innovate” a little and offer his own sacrifice, his own way. Result? The Kingdom progresses right out of his hand.
In considering progressives and innovators in Scripture we must look at the “modern” Temple of Jesus’ day. Talk about new ideas! The sacrificial system was old and cumbersome—some might even say, traditional—and messy. Some hip leaders at the Temple had just finished reading “Velvet Herod” and streamlined the whole sacrificial process. Now you could just bop down to worship and buy what you needed when you got there! Convenient, comfortable, revolutionary. Seems Jesus wasn’t impressed; the innovators had the tables turned on them. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
Probably the greatest progressive of all was that old serpent in the Garden of Eden. Wow, did he have some great ideas! He took God’s words and with just a little nip and tuck, voila! A brand new message for Eve and her husband. It was really close to what God said, but now, updated and improved.
Ok, if you’ve actually made it this far, you’ve probably concluded I’m stuck in the dark ages of Church history and want to go back to stone cathedrals, pipe organs and Gregorian Chants. After all, sack cloth and hair shirts could make a come back! Nothing, actually, could be farther from the truth. There is nothing wrong with new methods, technology, and innovation—as long as they’re rooted firmly in biblical truth. But something grabbed my attention recently and I just can’t shake it.
If you look at the totality of Scripture and Church history I think you will come to a strange conclusion. In almost every instance of true revival, the revival was a “return” to truth. Throughout the Old Testament, Israel is challenged to “go back” to God’s truth, God’s ways, and God’s methods. God’s people innovated and progressed right out of God’s will. As a result they lost God’s power and favor. Time and again they were encouraged to go back to the “old paths,” the “old ways.”
Throughout the history of the church I don’t believe you can find a single true revival that occurred as a result of anything but “going back” to faith, repentance, Scripture and dependence solely on God’s Word and power. This doesn’t mean that they threw out everything modern and cultural. They didn’t “revert” to another time culturally. But they did “regress” to the basics, the foundations, the fundamentals.
Here’s an honest question. Are things better in American Christianity now than 50 years ago? Are we having more or less impact on our culture? Is the culture looking more like the Church, or is the Church looking more like the culture? Maybe we’ve had enough progression and innovation for a while. Maybe it’s time to regress a little. Who knows, a genuine revival just might break out.
Bob Burney is Salem Communications’ award-winning host of Bob Burney Live, heard weekday afternoons on WRFD-AM 880 in Columbus, Ohio. Contact Bob at bob@wrfd.com.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Keeping You in Tune with Today's Music
Keeping You in Tune with Today's Music
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Something to Shout About
Those of you who watch American Idol regularly already know what I'm going to talk about this week. Tell me you saw it! No? Well, if not, here's a link to the finale from this year's Idol Gives Back event.
Yep, you heard right. American Idol wrapped up its celebrity-packed charity show with "Shout to the Lord," Darlene Zschech's worship standard sung by churches around the world. How crazy/unbelievable/wonderful is that?
Except, as I watched the performance, I knew there'd be a bit of a half-full-half-empty argument stemming from it. After all, they took "Jesus" out of the opening line, opting for "My Shepherd, my Savior" instead. In the days that followed, some shared that they were "kind of ashamed" to see a worship song performed on such a commercialized program like Idol. And many have noted that the power and inspiration of the performance quickly dissipated after the closing credits, when Ben Stiller came out on an empty stage to deliver a mostly unfunny comedic rant that included (bleeped out) profanity.
So noted—now let's look at the positive side. They sang "Shout to the Lord" on American Idol, and it wasn't just a throwaway performance, but as the closer to a star-studded evening promoting charity. As far as taking "Jesus" out of the song, I found that odd since the contestants have sung songs with "Jesus" in them before, even this season. Turns out it may have been a mistake—the contestants sang the song again on the results show the following night, and that time sang the lyrics we know. Additionally, the contestants recorded a version of the song that's available for download from iTunes (also with the right lyrics), and I've got to say, it's one of the best versions I've heard—the vocals are stunning.
Why "Shout to the Lord"? My sources tell me we have Sheila E. to thank. The '80s singer/percussionist was also a judge for The Next Great American Band, produced by the same company as Idol. When it came time for the judges to select songs for contestants to perform, Sheila (a believer) suggested "Shout to the Lord" for one of the bands. It ultimately wasn't used, but the producers (including Nigel Lythgoe) loved the song so much, they waited for the right opportunity to use it later … thus, the performance on American Idol.
Going back to the question of context, I understand the reason for skepticism, and I'd certainly feel differently about the performance if it was handled poorly or half-heartedly. But when the producers and singers are reverential in their treatment of it, we've every reason to rejoice that worshipping our God has permeated our culture in such a big way. (Of the finalists, Jason and Kristy are reportedly Christians; Brooke and "Archie" are Mormons.) As a result of the performance, Christians and non-Christians talked about the song in the days that followed, creating opportunities to share faith. Moreover, "Shout to the Lord" is now a popular download on iTunes, with part of the proceeds going toward the Idol Gives Back charity. Who could have guessed?
To which I can only offer a rousing "Hallelujah," thrilled that God has placed Christians in mainstream culture to spark such opportunities, and thrilled that, for at least a few minutes, all of us can enjoy a worshipful moment like this one.
There's a lot of new content for you to take in this week. In an interview reminiscent of all this Idol talk, P.O.D.'s Sonny Sandoval discusses why he's excited about his band's current state—on a new record label, with their original guitarist, and enjoying a following in Christian and mainstream culture alike.
We're also starting a new regular feature this week entitled What's in a Label?, exploring what various record labels are doing to keep up in the ever-changing music industry, bridging the gap between artists and audiences. Our first edition spotlights 7Spin Music, a small label out of Valparaiso, Indiana, that's committed to creating a partnership with each of its artists.
Reviews include the latest installment in the newly restructured WOW Hits series, as well as the second Jars of Clay anthology to release in the last six months. Dorinda-Clark Cole of The Clark Sisters offers her third solo album (and her first studio recording). Also, become acquainted with four new artists: acoustic pop/rock band Chasen, rock/worship band Worth Dying For, folk-pop singer/songwriter Alli Rogers, and our indie artist spotlight on Chris Dickson.
Grace and peace,
Russ Breimeier
ChristianityToday.com
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Something to Shout About
Those of you who watch American Idol regularly already know what I'm going to talk about this week. Tell me you saw it! No? Well, if not, here's a link to the finale from this year's Idol Gives Back event.
Yep, you heard right. American Idol wrapped up its celebrity-packed charity show with "Shout to the Lord," Darlene Zschech's worship standard sung by churches around the world. How crazy/unbelievable/wonderful is that?
Except, as I watched the performance, I knew there'd be a bit of a half-full-half-empty argument stemming from it. After all, they took "Jesus" out of the opening line, opting for "My Shepherd, my Savior" instead. In the days that followed, some shared that they were "kind of ashamed" to see a worship song performed on such a commercialized program like Idol. And many have noted that the power and inspiration of the performance quickly dissipated after the closing credits, when Ben Stiller came out on an empty stage to deliver a mostly unfunny comedic rant that included (bleeped out) profanity.
So noted—now let's look at the positive side. They sang "Shout to the Lord" on American Idol, and it wasn't just a throwaway performance, but as the closer to a star-studded evening promoting charity. As far as taking "Jesus" out of the song, I found that odd since the contestants have sung songs with "Jesus" in them before, even this season. Turns out it may have been a mistake—the contestants sang the song again on the results show the following night, and that time sang the lyrics we know. Additionally, the contestants recorded a version of the song that's available for download from iTunes (also with the right lyrics), and I've got to say, it's one of the best versions I've heard—the vocals are stunning.
Why "Shout to the Lord"? My sources tell me we have Sheila E. to thank. The '80s singer/percussionist was also a judge for The Next Great American Band, produced by the same company as Idol. When it came time for the judges to select songs for contestants to perform, Sheila (a believer) suggested "Shout to the Lord" for one of the bands. It ultimately wasn't used, but the producers (including Nigel Lythgoe) loved the song so much, they waited for the right opportunity to use it later … thus, the performance on American Idol.
Going back to the question of context, I understand the reason for skepticism, and I'd certainly feel differently about the performance if it was handled poorly or half-heartedly. But when the producers and singers are reverential in their treatment of it, we've every reason to rejoice that worshipping our God has permeated our culture in such a big way. (Of the finalists, Jason and Kristy are reportedly Christians; Brooke and "Archie" are Mormons.) As a result of the performance, Christians and non-Christians talked about the song in the days that followed, creating opportunities to share faith. Moreover, "Shout to the Lord" is now a popular download on iTunes, with part of the proceeds going toward the Idol Gives Back charity. Who could have guessed?
To which I can only offer a rousing "Hallelujah," thrilled that God has placed Christians in mainstream culture to spark such opportunities, and thrilled that, for at least a few minutes, all of us can enjoy a worshipful moment like this one.
There's a lot of new content for you to take in this week. In an interview reminiscent of all this Idol talk, P.O.D.'s Sonny Sandoval discusses why he's excited about his band's current state—on a new record label, with their original guitarist, and enjoying a following in Christian and mainstream culture alike.
We're also starting a new regular feature this week entitled What's in a Label?, exploring what various record labels are doing to keep up in the ever-changing music industry, bridging the gap between artists and audiences. Our first edition spotlights 7Spin Music, a small label out of Valparaiso, Indiana, that's committed to creating a partnership with each of its artists.
Reviews include the latest installment in the newly restructured WOW Hits series, as well as the second Jars of Clay anthology to release in the last six months. Dorinda-Clark Cole of The Clark Sisters offers her third solo album (and her first studio recording). Also, become acquainted with four new artists: acoustic pop/rock band Chasen, rock/worship band Worth Dying For, folk-pop singer/songwriter Alli Rogers, and our indie artist spotlight on Chris Dickson.
Grace and peace,
Russ Breimeier
ChristianityToday.com
A Dog's Life
A Dog's Life, by Steve Ridgell
Remington is my Golden Retriever, and we have a good life together. I know it sounds odd to some of you, but we really have a good relationship. I take care of him. I have since he was a puppy. I provide shelter, food, and watch out for him in ways he does not even understand. I really do love him.
I also should confess that I like the way he treats me. He adores me. I can see it in his eyes. I can do no wrong. He completely trusts in the fact that I will take care of him and do what is best for him. He is so excited to see me when I get home. His tail wags so hard he shakes all over. Sometimes he even has to bark just to let me know how happy he is.
Remington is completely devoted to me. By extension, he is completely devoted to my wife, to my grandkids, and to anyone I let in the house.
He is protective of our house. He even warns the birds and squirrels to stay away. He would do anything I ask him to do. He would die for me.
I know he is not my equal. He cannot think on my level. I doubt he understands why he has to stay in a backyard. Yet he minds me. He is not a perfect dog. Sometimes he needs a little correction and a little discipline. But he is my dog, and I love him.
It occurs to me that Remington has helped me understand my relationship with God. In that relationship I am like Remington and God is my master. He takes care of me, provides for me, disciplines me for my good, and loves me unconditionally. He is so far superior to me that I do not even recognize it sometimes.
And I can learn from Remington how to treat my Master: with love, adoration, obedience, and trust.
It is a dog's life, and I would say that Remington and I both have it better than we deserve. You can too.
I never realized how much my dog would teach me...
steve@hopeforlife.org
Remington is my Golden Retriever, and we have a good life together. I know it sounds odd to some of you, but we really have a good relationship. I take care of him. I have since he was a puppy. I provide shelter, food, and watch out for him in ways he does not even understand. I really do love him.
I also should confess that I like the way he treats me. He adores me. I can see it in his eyes. I can do no wrong. He completely trusts in the fact that I will take care of him and do what is best for him. He is so excited to see me when I get home. His tail wags so hard he shakes all over. Sometimes he even has to bark just to let me know how happy he is.
Remington is completely devoted to me. By extension, he is completely devoted to my wife, to my grandkids, and to anyone I let in the house.
He is protective of our house. He even warns the birds and squirrels to stay away. He would do anything I ask him to do. He would die for me.
I know he is not my equal. He cannot think on my level. I doubt he understands why he has to stay in a backyard. Yet he minds me. He is not a perfect dog. Sometimes he needs a little correction and a little discipline. But he is my dog, and I love him.
It occurs to me that Remington has helped me understand my relationship with God. In that relationship I am like Remington and God is my master. He takes care of me, provides for me, disciplines me for my good, and loves me unconditionally. He is so far superior to me that I do not even recognize it sometimes.
And I can learn from Remington how to treat my Master: with love, adoration, obedience, and trust.
It is a dog's life, and I would say that Remington and I both have it better than we deserve. You can too.
I never realized how much my dog would teach me...
steve@hopeforlife.org
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Should we Miss Church Graveyards?
Should we Miss Church Graveyards?
Russell D. Moore
LOUISVILLE -- Drive by your local booming suburban church, or the up and coming congregation everyone's talking about in your community. You might find a state-of-the-art children's complex -- complete with antibiotic soap dispensers on every corner. You might find a Family Life Center -- previously known as a gym -- with a basketball court, foosball tables, maybe even an Olympic size pool. You'll almost certainly find a feeding hall, perhaps with a franchised gourmet coffee kiosk nearby. What you will not find is a graveyard.
Not many churches have cemeteries anymore. In some ways, that's a good thing. Churches that are growing and evangelistic rightly conclude that sharing the Gospel with the living is more important than remembering the dead.
We all know churches who carefully manicure their graveyards, and many of them are ingrown and, well, dead. Of course they remember who is buried where. They also remember who paid for what pillar -- so don't you try to remove it to create additional space for your children's Bible fellowship area. There are some churches for which the graveyard is a symbol of what's wrong, a concern more for maintaining their family genealogies and the memories of the past than in forging forward for the Kingdom.
But, still. I wonder if we are losing something by outsourcing the care of our dead to the funeral industry. Did we lose something important, maybe even something biblical, when we paved over our graveyards?
The church graveyard might serve to remind us of something that we as contemporary evangelical Christians, with all our flash and verve, seem to forget too often these days. We are going to die.
Too often we seek reminders of God's power in the buzz and energy of a campus Bible study or a youth rally or a celebrated church service. We believe that God is present among us if there are beautiful, vital young people around us. We believe there is dynamism present if our services are seamless, and if our celebrities smile or cry on cue. And, often, the Spirit is there with power. But sometimes the excitement is just that: excitement -- not the longing of a people for a crucified Messiah.
Perhaps, though, a graveyard in our peripheral vision as we get out of the car for worship might remind us of the gravity of the task before us. Maybe a cemetery in at least some of our churches would serve as an icon that all our Babels will collapse, all our wood, hay, and stubble will be incinerated before the Judgment Seat.
After all, our church buildings -- even the most state-of-the-art of them -- will someday collapse beneath the weight of decay. Your church sign may someday hang silently above some rubble, battered and torn, like the Statue of Liberty in the final scene of the "Planet of the Apes." Maybe the tattered wording on it will still announce to the silences around it, "The Church Alive Is Worth the Drive," but no one will care about how good its sound system used to be. Our hymnals and our bulletins and our PowerPoint presentations and our systematic theology texts will one day wither away into mold and dust.
The Library of Congress itself, with the record of all our best-selling evangelical Bible-studies and praise song recordings, will be swept away like refuse. The vocal cords we once celebrated from celebrity preachers and singers will one day vibrate no more, and the skin photographed for book covers and publicity shots will one day melt away into dirt.
Only the Gospel, only the power of Christ, will remain.
The church graveyard also reminds us that we are a peculiar people. When we are gathered together to our fathers, we don't simply lie under the funeral home tent in Shady Grove #5 with all the others in the region of the last place to which we moved. We are laid to rest by our brothers and sisters, those who wait with us for Something to happen.
I still ponder how much more effective we would be in preaching the Gospel to our neighbors if we showed them -- even with our landscape around us that we are more than a community group. We're a Kingdom -- a Kingdom that spans the ages and includes the dead and the unborn, mighty as an army with banners.
Now I'm realistic enough to know that the church graveyard is a thing of the past. We probably won't see seminars on how to plan for a really good cemetery at any pastor's conferences in our lifetime. But maybe we would see something of what we're missing if we took some time to actually walk among the tombstones every once in a while.
Sometime, when you get a moment, find an old church graveyard and walk through it. Not for the goose bumps or ghost stories, of course, but to remind yourself of some matters of eternal weight.
Walk about and see the headstones weathered and ground down by the elements. Contemplate the fact that beneath your feet are the bodies of men and women who once had youthful skin and quick steps and hectic calendars, but who are now piles of forgotten bones. Think about the fact that the scattered teeth in the earth below you once sang hymns of hope -- maybe "When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder I'll Be There" or "When We All Get to Heaven." They are silent now. But they will sing again. They will preach again. They will testify again. They will laugh again.
And, while you are there, think about what every generation of Christians has held against the threat of sword and guillotine and chemical weaponry. This stillness will one day be interrupted by a shout from the eastern sky, a joyful call with a distinctly northern Galilean accent.
Maybe if we did this more often we might reconsider the need for those church graveyards.
I wonder if we might be able to speak more honestly to a people scared to death of death with a visible sign that we know what death is too. We hate it too.
But we haven't forgotten our dead. We're just waiting for them -- and for us -- to hear one last invitation hymn. And when those quiet little mounds begin bursting, with headstones flying about, and clap of thunder resounds across the sky.
Then we'll know what we're talking about when we say, "Man, this church is alive."
Russell D. Moore is dean of the school of theology and senior vice president for academic administration at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. This column was adapted from Moore's blog, HenryInstitute.org.© Copyright 2008 Baptist Press. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
Find this article at: http://www.crosswalk.com/pastors/11572195/
Russell D. Moore
LOUISVILLE -- Drive by your local booming suburban church, or the up and coming congregation everyone's talking about in your community. You might find a state-of-the-art children's complex -- complete with antibiotic soap dispensers on every corner. You might find a Family Life Center -- previously known as a gym -- with a basketball court, foosball tables, maybe even an Olympic size pool. You'll almost certainly find a feeding hall, perhaps with a franchised gourmet coffee kiosk nearby. What you will not find is a graveyard.
Not many churches have cemeteries anymore. In some ways, that's a good thing. Churches that are growing and evangelistic rightly conclude that sharing the Gospel with the living is more important than remembering the dead.
We all know churches who carefully manicure their graveyards, and many of them are ingrown and, well, dead. Of course they remember who is buried where. They also remember who paid for what pillar -- so don't you try to remove it to create additional space for your children's Bible fellowship area. There are some churches for which the graveyard is a symbol of what's wrong, a concern more for maintaining their family genealogies and the memories of the past than in forging forward for the Kingdom.
But, still. I wonder if we are losing something by outsourcing the care of our dead to the funeral industry. Did we lose something important, maybe even something biblical, when we paved over our graveyards?
The church graveyard might serve to remind us of something that we as contemporary evangelical Christians, with all our flash and verve, seem to forget too often these days. We are going to die.
Too often we seek reminders of God's power in the buzz and energy of a campus Bible study or a youth rally or a celebrated church service. We believe that God is present among us if there are beautiful, vital young people around us. We believe there is dynamism present if our services are seamless, and if our celebrities smile or cry on cue. And, often, the Spirit is there with power. But sometimes the excitement is just that: excitement -- not the longing of a people for a crucified Messiah.
Perhaps, though, a graveyard in our peripheral vision as we get out of the car for worship might remind us of the gravity of the task before us. Maybe a cemetery in at least some of our churches would serve as an icon that all our Babels will collapse, all our wood, hay, and stubble will be incinerated before the Judgment Seat.
After all, our church buildings -- even the most state-of-the-art of them -- will someday collapse beneath the weight of decay. Your church sign may someday hang silently above some rubble, battered and torn, like the Statue of Liberty in the final scene of the "Planet of the Apes." Maybe the tattered wording on it will still announce to the silences around it, "The Church Alive Is Worth the Drive," but no one will care about how good its sound system used to be. Our hymnals and our bulletins and our PowerPoint presentations and our systematic theology texts will one day wither away into mold and dust.
The Library of Congress itself, with the record of all our best-selling evangelical Bible-studies and praise song recordings, will be swept away like refuse. The vocal cords we once celebrated from celebrity preachers and singers will one day vibrate no more, and the skin photographed for book covers and publicity shots will one day melt away into dirt.
Only the Gospel, only the power of Christ, will remain.
The church graveyard also reminds us that we are a peculiar people. When we are gathered together to our fathers, we don't simply lie under the funeral home tent in Shady Grove #5 with all the others in the region of the last place to which we moved. We are laid to rest by our brothers and sisters, those who wait with us for Something to happen.
I still ponder how much more effective we would be in preaching the Gospel to our neighbors if we showed them -- even with our landscape around us that we are more than a community group. We're a Kingdom -- a Kingdom that spans the ages and includes the dead and the unborn, mighty as an army with banners.
Now I'm realistic enough to know that the church graveyard is a thing of the past. We probably won't see seminars on how to plan for a really good cemetery at any pastor's conferences in our lifetime. But maybe we would see something of what we're missing if we took some time to actually walk among the tombstones every once in a while.
Sometime, when you get a moment, find an old church graveyard and walk through it. Not for the goose bumps or ghost stories, of course, but to remind yourself of some matters of eternal weight.
Walk about and see the headstones weathered and ground down by the elements. Contemplate the fact that beneath your feet are the bodies of men and women who once had youthful skin and quick steps and hectic calendars, but who are now piles of forgotten bones. Think about the fact that the scattered teeth in the earth below you once sang hymns of hope -- maybe "When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder I'll Be There" or "When We All Get to Heaven." They are silent now. But they will sing again. They will preach again. They will testify again. They will laugh again.
And, while you are there, think about what every generation of Christians has held against the threat of sword and guillotine and chemical weaponry. This stillness will one day be interrupted by a shout from the eastern sky, a joyful call with a distinctly northern Galilean accent.
Maybe if we did this more often we might reconsider the need for those church graveyards.
I wonder if we might be able to speak more honestly to a people scared to death of death with a visible sign that we know what death is too. We hate it too.
But we haven't forgotten our dead. We're just waiting for them -- and for us -- to hear one last invitation hymn. And when those quiet little mounds begin bursting, with headstones flying about, and clap of thunder resounds across the sky.
Then we'll know what we're talking about when we say, "Man, this church is alive."
Russell D. Moore is dean of the school of theology and senior vice president for academic administration at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. This column was adapted from Moore's blog, HenryInstitute.org.© Copyright 2008 Baptist Press. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
Find this article at: http://www.crosswalk.com/pastors/11572195/
Monday, April 7, 2008
Author debunks 'prosperity gospel' myth
Author debunks 'prosperity gospel' myth
By Erin Roach
Apr 1, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--God does not reward those who earnestly seek rewards, He rewards those who earnestly seek Him, author John Revell writes in a new book titled "Getting the Most from God (but not how you might think!)," which uses Scripture to debunk the prosperity gospel often preached by popular televangelists.
"I've concluded that regardless of what one believes about the appropriateness of the current congressional investigation of certain televangelists, there is no doubt that there are some unscrupulous individuals who are making outrageous claims and getting filthy rich by duping unsuspecting victims -- all in the name of Christ," Revell told Baptist Press. "Christians need to know the truth about what it really means to be blessed by God."
Revell, editor of SBC Life, the journal of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee, was inspired to write the book after a few teenage boys in a discipleship group he leads pulled a prank and placed his name on the mailing list of a televangelist.
"Over the next 18 months, I received some of the most bizarre correspondence ever sent in the name of Christ," Revell said. "This man claimed that God had given him specific visions concerning me and my particular situation, and he promised all manner of physical and financial 'blessings' if I would only follow his outlandish instructions -- and send him money."
In response to the letters, Revell studied what God's Word really says about blessings, and he compiled what he learned into a lesson plan for his Sunday School class and Wednesday night Bible study.
Realizing a need in a larger audience, Revell developed the material into a self-published book aimed at three specific groups of people: those who have been deceived by the prosperity gospel, Christians who are young in the faith and those who don't know Jesus as Savior.
"The book makes the case from Scripture that God truly desires to richly bless His children, but that His blessings often do not take the shape we might expect and that these blessings are conditional," Revell explained. "It examines two passages from the Psalms and two from the Gospels, and demonstrates that God's richest blessings are directly related to our walk with, and our total surrender and submission to Him.
"That is not what we are hearing from some popular 'health and wealth' evangelists, and it is not a very popular notion these days," he said.
Revell hopes the book will be used by local churches to teach members the fundamental truths about a vital, daily walk with God and the resulting blessings. Portions of the book, he said, underscore the essentials of daily Bible study and prayer while others focus on the need to surrender each aspect of life to God.
Another goal, Revell said, is for believers to use the book as an evangelistic tool, distributing it to people who have not placed their faith in Jesus and are perhaps baffled by the messages they hear from purveyors of the prosperity gospel on television.
"I have made it as affordable as possible with the hopes that it would get into as many hands as possible," Revell said, noting the book is available at LifeWay Christian Stores for $3.99 per copy. "At this price, churches, and even individuals, could afford to buy multiple copies and distribute them freely."
The 100-page book is written in an easy-to-read style, he said, and soon he'll post free Bible study outlines as well as outlines for evangelistic book clubs at www.GinoskoPublishing.com.
In the book, Revell refers to Hebrews 11:6, which says "anyone who comes to must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."
"Ultimately, He is the reward -- when we seek Him, we are overwhelmed with the incredible riches and blessings of who He is and of fellowship with Him," Revell writes.
"... The richest blessings in life are directly and inseparably linked to a relationship with Him -- a relationship in which we surrender all that we are and all that we have to Him and walk in humble submission to and with Him. Yet, as we surrender and submit to Him in this relationship, He lavishes us with the glorious blessings of His love."
--30--
Erin Roach is a staff writer for Baptist Press.
Copyright (c) 2008 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press
901 Commerce Street
Nashville, TN 37203
Tel: 615.244.2355
Fax: 615.782.8736
email: bpress@sbc.net
By Erin Roach
Apr 1, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--God does not reward those who earnestly seek rewards, He rewards those who earnestly seek Him, author John Revell writes in a new book titled "Getting the Most from God (but not how you might think!)," which uses Scripture to debunk the prosperity gospel often preached by popular televangelists.
"I've concluded that regardless of what one believes about the appropriateness of the current congressional investigation of certain televangelists, there is no doubt that there are some unscrupulous individuals who are making outrageous claims and getting filthy rich by duping unsuspecting victims -- all in the name of Christ," Revell told Baptist Press. "Christians need to know the truth about what it really means to be blessed by God."
Revell, editor of SBC Life, the journal of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee, was inspired to write the book after a few teenage boys in a discipleship group he leads pulled a prank and placed his name on the mailing list of a televangelist.
"Over the next 18 months, I received some of the most bizarre correspondence ever sent in the name of Christ," Revell said. "This man claimed that God had given him specific visions concerning me and my particular situation, and he promised all manner of physical and financial 'blessings' if I would only follow his outlandish instructions -- and send him money."
In response to the letters, Revell studied what God's Word really says about blessings, and he compiled what he learned into a lesson plan for his Sunday School class and Wednesday night Bible study.
Realizing a need in a larger audience, Revell developed the material into a self-published book aimed at three specific groups of people: those who have been deceived by the prosperity gospel, Christians who are young in the faith and those who don't know Jesus as Savior.
"The book makes the case from Scripture that God truly desires to richly bless His children, but that His blessings often do not take the shape we might expect and that these blessings are conditional," Revell explained. "It examines two passages from the Psalms and two from the Gospels, and demonstrates that God's richest blessings are directly related to our walk with, and our total surrender and submission to Him.
"That is not what we are hearing from some popular 'health and wealth' evangelists, and it is not a very popular notion these days," he said.
Revell hopes the book will be used by local churches to teach members the fundamental truths about a vital, daily walk with God and the resulting blessings. Portions of the book, he said, underscore the essentials of daily Bible study and prayer while others focus on the need to surrender each aspect of life to God.
Another goal, Revell said, is for believers to use the book as an evangelistic tool, distributing it to people who have not placed their faith in Jesus and are perhaps baffled by the messages they hear from purveyors of the prosperity gospel on television.
"I have made it as affordable as possible with the hopes that it would get into as many hands as possible," Revell said, noting the book is available at LifeWay Christian Stores for $3.99 per copy. "At this price, churches, and even individuals, could afford to buy multiple copies and distribute them freely."
The 100-page book is written in an easy-to-read style, he said, and soon he'll post free Bible study outlines as well as outlines for evangelistic book clubs at www.GinoskoPublishing.com.
In the book, Revell refers to Hebrews 11:6, which says "anyone who comes to must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him."
"Ultimately, He is the reward -- when we seek Him, we are overwhelmed with the incredible riches and blessings of who He is and of fellowship with Him," Revell writes.
"... The richest blessings in life are directly and inseparably linked to a relationship with Him -- a relationship in which we surrender all that we are and all that we have to Him and walk in humble submission to and with Him. Yet, as we surrender and submit to Him in this relationship, He lavishes us with the glorious blessings of His love."
--30--
Erin Roach is a staff writer for Baptist Press.
Copyright (c) 2008 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press
901 Commerce Street
Nashville, TN 37203
Tel: 615.244.2355
Fax: 615.782.8736
email: bpress@sbc.net
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