I found this on Scot McKnight's blog: Jesus Creed. The quote below has militant atheist Chris Hitchens aptly defining a Christian.
This time from Christopher Hitchens, who was interviewed in The Portland Monthly by Marilyn Sewell, whose words are in bold:
The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I'm a liberal Christian, and I don't take the stories from the scripture literally. I don't believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make and distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?
I would say that if you don't believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you're really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Why Churches Stall
I am posting some highlights from a recent blog by Tim Chester, who was posting highlights of another website. The subject was "Why Churches Stall" in growth. I've put in bold things that I found that rang true with my experience.
1. The church forgets who we are and what we are for … When we forget that we are the community of disciples for declaring God’s greatness and making disciples, mission quickly becomes just one among many activities rather than the defining vision of who we are as a community.
2. The majority of believers are no longer thrilled with the Lord and what he is doing in their lives. When questions like ‘What is God doing with you at the moment?’ cease to be common currency, it is a sure sign of creeping spiritual mediocrity.
4. When [Christians] see church as one among many leisure activities, usually low down the priority list. They are unlikely to see the Christian community as God’s great hope for the world and unlikely to put commitment above self-interest.
5. … Where people take no personal responsibility for their own spiritual growth a stalled church becomes more likely.
6. … When preaching, teaching and Bible study become ends in themselves rather than means to an end, something is badly wrong.
7. A church becomes afraid to ask radical questions … The danger is that people start to equate serving the church with living out the gospel. Few churches regularly evaluate every aspect of church life against their core vision.
8. Confusing Christian activities with discipleship …
9. Not understanding how to release and encourage everyone in the church to use their spiritual gifts for the building up of the church … There are two types of DNA in churches. One type of church says ‘we exist to have our personal spiritual needs met’, the other ‘we exist to impact our locality and the world with the gospel of the grace of God in Christ’. The first type is a stalled church.
10. … No church was stalled at the point that it was founded. At the beginning all churches were adventures in faith and daring risk for God. No one actively decided for comfort over risk, but at some point the mindset shifted from uncomfortable faith and daring passion for the Lord to comfortable mediocrity … The mantra of the maintenance mindset is ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’. But just like buying shoes for growing children, if structures don’t take account of future growth then fellowships end up stunted and deformed.
1. The church forgets who we are and what we are for … When we forget that we are the community of disciples for declaring God’s greatness and making disciples, mission quickly becomes just one among many activities rather than the defining vision of who we are as a community.
2. The majority of believers are no longer thrilled with the Lord and what he is doing in their lives. When questions like ‘What is God doing with you at the moment?’ cease to be common currency, it is a sure sign of creeping spiritual mediocrity.
4. When [Christians] see church as one among many leisure activities, usually low down the priority list. They are unlikely to see the Christian community as God’s great hope for the world and unlikely to put commitment above self-interest.
5. … Where people take no personal responsibility for their own spiritual growth a stalled church becomes more likely.
6. … When preaching, teaching and Bible study become ends in themselves rather than means to an end, something is badly wrong.
7. A church becomes afraid to ask radical questions … The danger is that people start to equate serving the church with living out the gospel. Few churches regularly evaluate every aspect of church life against their core vision.
8. Confusing Christian activities with discipleship …
9. Not understanding how to release and encourage everyone in the church to use their spiritual gifts for the building up of the church … There are two types of DNA in churches. One type of church says ‘we exist to have our personal spiritual needs met’, the other ‘we exist to impact our locality and the world with the gospel of the grace of God in Christ’. The first type is a stalled church.
10. … No church was stalled at the point that it was founded. At the beginning all churches were adventures in faith and daring risk for God. No one actively decided for comfort over risk, but at some point the mindset shifted from uncomfortable faith and daring passion for the Lord to comfortable mediocrity … The mantra of the maintenance mindset is ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’. But just like buying shoes for growing children, if structures don’t take account of future growth then fellowships end up stunted and deformed.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Seth Godin on apologetics?
I pulled this from Seth Godin's blog. I have thought the same things in regards to apologetics:
In my experience, data crowds out faith. And without faith, it's hard to believe in the data enough to make a leap. Big mergers, big VC investments, big political movements, large congregations... they don't usually turn out for a spreadsheet.
The problem is this: no spreadsheet, no bibliography and no list of resources is sufficient proof to someone who chooses not to believe. The skeptic will always find a reason, even if it's one the rest of us don't think is a good one. Relying too much on proof distracts you from the real mission--which is emotional connection.
Now, what do we do with that?
In my experience, data crowds out faith. And without faith, it's hard to believe in the data enough to make a leap. Big mergers, big VC investments, big political movements, large congregations... they don't usually turn out for a spreadsheet.
The problem is this: no spreadsheet, no bibliography and no list of resources is sufficient proof to someone who chooses not to believe. The skeptic will always find a reason, even if it's one the rest of us don't think is a good one. Relying too much on proof distracts you from the real mission--which is emotional connection.
Now, what do we do with that?
Monday, January 18, 2010
The Commands of Christ (cont)
I am back to the project. Part of the lay off was because I hit a large portion of the Gospel of Matthew that was devoted to the teachings of Jesus and to many of his activities. (Perhaps two more future projects are in the works). Here are some more of the commands of Jesus that speak into our lives:
Matthew 9.37 - since the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.
Matthew 10:28 - Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10.32 - Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
After a couple of serious commands, this next command is very uplifting:
Matthew 10.28-9 - Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
You don't often think of this as a command, but Jesus is telling us to come to him and take his yoke upon us because it will lead to rest for our souls.
Matthew 9.37 - since the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.
Matthew 10:28 - Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10.32 - Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
After a couple of serious commands, this next command is very uplifting:
Matthew 10.28-9 - Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
You don't often think of this as a command, but Jesus is telling us to come to him and take his yoke upon us because it will lead to rest for our souls.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Thoughts on McGwire
Yesterday Mark McGwire became Santa Claus. Not really, but in a sense his admission that he used steroids was similar to me finding out that Santa wasn't real. It is something I might have suspected, but until it was confirmed, there was always hope. I guess I always wanted to believe that Mark had a good reason for his, "I'm not here to talk about the past," performance before Congress. But, to be honest with myself, all the evidence was that McGwire was on steroids throughout the 90s when he broke Roger Maris' single season home run record and I knew it. (Just look at some of the videos of a skinny McGwire hit homers as a rookie in '89).
Now, how do I feel about his confession? It amazes me that many of the writers who have been calling for this have been ripping him. I don't know what else they wanted. He really didn't have much to gain by this admission. He has enough money so he doesn't need his coaching job with the Cardinals. I think he came clean because he wanted to get back in the game and he knew that he couldn't do that without facing the music.
Do I believe he came completely clean? Probably not, but maybe in his mind he did. He has probably convinced himself over these years that the steroids only kept him in the game but didn't really "enhance" his performance. I don't know how he can honestly state that he did not feel the steroids helped him hit all of his home runs. Maybe he has convinced himself that it's true.
For the most part, I believe him and I do think it took an amount of courage to come forward. He is getting hammered all over again when he really didn't need to put himself through this. I believe he wants to contribute to the game, he loves the Cardinals and Tony LaRussa. I don't think he did this to persuade Hall of Fame voters. He knows that he is not getting into the Hall of Fame. Several writers who have voted for him, now said they never will because of this. I don't know who is more delusional, Mark or those writers who voted for him before this admission. Maybe they just found out Santa isn't real also.
Now, how do I feel about his confession? It amazes me that many of the writers who have been calling for this have been ripping him. I don't know what else they wanted. He really didn't have much to gain by this admission. He has enough money so he doesn't need his coaching job with the Cardinals. I think he came clean because he wanted to get back in the game and he knew that he couldn't do that without facing the music.
Do I believe he came completely clean? Probably not, but maybe in his mind he did. He has probably convinced himself over these years that the steroids only kept him in the game but didn't really "enhance" his performance. I don't know how he can honestly state that he did not feel the steroids helped him hit all of his home runs. Maybe he has convinced himself that it's true.
For the most part, I believe him and I do think it took an amount of courage to come forward. He is getting hammered all over again when he really didn't need to put himself through this. I believe he wants to contribute to the game, he loves the Cardinals and Tony LaRussa. I don't think he did this to persuade Hall of Fame voters. He knows that he is not getting into the Hall of Fame. Several writers who have voted for him, now said they never will because of this. I don't know who is more delusional, Mark or those writers who voted for him before this admission. Maybe they just found out Santa isn't real also.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Final Thoughts on Primal
The Strength of Christianity
So what does it mean to love God with all your strength? It means expending tremendous amounts of energy for kingdom causes. It means blood, sweat and tears. It means servanthood and sacrifice. It means good old-fashioned hard work.
We’ve got to act on God ideas.
Love turns work into worship. At some point you need to stop praying and start sweating. The greatest predictor of success in any endeavor is persistence. We underestimate how much we can accomplish over the long haul. Don’t give up on your God ideas. You need to try. Then you need to try harder. And then you need to try longer.
[Although I am intrigued by a book by Seth Godin that discusses the idea of knowing when to endure but also knowing when to quit and start something new. I guess it depends on if it is actually a God idea, as Batterson defines it.]
Batterson notes that we falsely view righteousness as doing nothing wrong. So we practice holiness by subtraction. “Don’t do this. Don’t do that. And you’re okay.” Righteousness means more than doing nothing. It means doing something right.
Batterson has a section that, if you read his entire book, you really wonder what he is saying. He states that “none of us can imagine what God is capable of. Which means none of us can imagine what we’re capable of if we give God control of our lives. His power sets off a chain reaction. And with His energy at work within us, there is nothing we cannot do. Unfortunately, our lives don’t always reflect that reality.” In the course of this book, you get the sense that if we only tapped into God’s power like Mark has, you will lead a megachurch and write books and be like Mark.
Then he states, “The quest for the lost soul of Christianity is about rediscovering the primal energy that sustained the first-century church during persecution.” This is one of the more disappointing things about the book. I thought that this was going to be the focus of the entire book. He sets up the introduction by discussing descending into the catacombs and discovering the things that fueled the first-generation of believers. He hardly mentioned them at all, until this point. I was looking forward to more of this, instead it was how Mark sought out God, God gave him “God sized ideas” and God energized him to accomplish them. There’s nothing wrong with that if he was attempting to write biography. Mark is energetic and inspiring, but that was not what he set out the book to be in the introduction.
Back to a positive note: The most positive form of love is not doing things for God. It is receiving with gratitude what He has already done for us. And then reflecting it in our lives.
Good question: Which do you love more: your dream or God? Do you love God for what He can do for you? Or do you love Him for who He is? In its purest, most primal form, loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength is loving God for God.
I have no doubt about this quote and I think he is very good at this: “My mission in life, as a writer and pastor and parent, is to help people maximize their God-given potential.” If he would have marketed the book on this premise, it would have been truer to its mission. Knowing that in advance, it is a book worthy to read and be inspired to meditate on what God may be calling you to accomplish and energized to accomplish it.
If anyone would like it, I'd be glad to give it to them the next time I see them.
So what does it mean to love God with all your strength? It means expending tremendous amounts of energy for kingdom causes. It means blood, sweat and tears. It means servanthood and sacrifice. It means good old-fashioned hard work.
We’ve got to act on God ideas.
Love turns work into worship. At some point you need to stop praying and start sweating. The greatest predictor of success in any endeavor is persistence. We underestimate how much we can accomplish over the long haul. Don’t give up on your God ideas. You need to try. Then you need to try harder. And then you need to try longer.
[Although I am intrigued by a book by Seth Godin that discusses the idea of knowing when to endure but also knowing when to quit and start something new. I guess it depends on if it is actually a God idea, as Batterson defines it.]
Batterson notes that we falsely view righteousness as doing nothing wrong. So we practice holiness by subtraction. “Don’t do this. Don’t do that. And you’re okay.” Righteousness means more than doing nothing. It means doing something right.
Batterson has a section that, if you read his entire book, you really wonder what he is saying. He states that “none of us can imagine what God is capable of. Which means none of us can imagine what we’re capable of if we give God control of our lives. His power sets off a chain reaction. And with His energy at work within us, there is nothing we cannot do. Unfortunately, our lives don’t always reflect that reality.” In the course of this book, you get the sense that if we only tapped into God’s power like Mark has, you will lead a megachurch and write books and be like Mark.
Then he states, “The quest for the lost soul of Christianity is about rediscovering the primal energy that sustained the first-century church during persecution.” This is one of the more disappointing things about the book. I thought that this was going to be the focus of the entire book. He sets up the introduction by discussing descending into the catacombs and discovering the things that fueled the first-generation of believers. He hardly mentioned them at all, until this point. I was looking forward to more of this, instead it was how Mark sought out God, God gave him “God sized ideas” and God energized him to accomplish them. There’s nothing wrong with that if he was attempting to write biography. Mark is energetic and inspiring, but that was not what he set out the book to be in the introduction.
Back to a positive note: The most positive form of love is not doing things for God. It is receiving with gratitude what He has already done for us. And then reflecting it in our lives.
Good question: Which do you love more: your dream or God? Do you love God for what He can do for you? Or do you love Him for who He is? In its purest, most primal form, loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength is loving God for God.
I have no doubt about this quote and I think he is very good at this: “My mission in life, as a writer and pastor and parent, is to help people maximize their God-given potential.” If he would have marketed the book on this premise, it would have been truer to its mission. Knowing that in advance, it is a book worthy to read and be inspired to meditate on what God may be calling you to accomplish and energized to accomplish it.
If anyone would like it, I'd be glad to give it to them the next time I see them.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Commands of Christ - cont.
Some more commands from Matthew 6 and 7:
Do not worry about your life, what you will drink, your body or your clothes.
Seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness.
Do not judge.
Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened.
Do for others what you would have them do to you.
Enter through the narrow gate.
Watch out for false prophets.
This is all good advice, don't you think?
Do not worry about your life, what you will drink, your body or your clothes.
Seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness.
Do not judge.
Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened.
Do for others what you would have them do to you.
Enter through the narrow gate.
Watch out for false prophets.
This is all good advice, don't you think?
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