Do You Believe God Exists?

Here are the some current results from a poll being taken on the New York Daily News website:

Poll Results

Thank you for voting.

Do you believe God exists?

Yes.	64%
No.	28%
I am undecided.	9%

Vote if you feel so compelled.

Top 10 Religion Stories of 2010

Here is are the top 10 Religions stories of 2010 according to Time and CNN:

10.The Vatican and Homer Simpson

9. Obama Decides Not to Visit the Golden Temple

8. Christians Under Attack in the Middle East

7. The Pope Doesn't Quite Endorse Condoms

6. Women Priests, In Spite of the Vatican

5. The Rev. Terry Jones Threatens to Burn Korans

4. Franklin Graham vs. the Muslims

3. The Bankruptcy of the Crystal Cathedral

2. The Vatican and the Child Abuse Scandal

1. Park51: The "Ground Zero Mosque"

PBS Quotes

Last night, while subconsciously channel surfing I heard three great quotes on PBS:

1. "A calling is an invitation to your own liberation."
2. "Those who hesitate are most lost."
3. "You have to live life while you are alive."

The Next Christians pt. 2

For a little while I have worried that I have comprising my faith.  I worried about what all the critics say about preaching today, its soft on sin, hell and the sovereignty of God (all of which I believe in). I have worried I am focusing too much on the love of God and not enough on how sinners have offended God and rebelled against him. I have worried I am not teaching all of God’s word and for the sake of being palatable, non-confrontational and easy to swallow I am skipping the hard truths of Scripture.  I have worried the demographics and the open/accepting environment of our church as caused me to focus on the more accessible portions of the Bible and theology. I have worried about selling out to the culture of today instead of trying to restore the culture of the kingdom. I have worried that being in someone’s life was not as important as being in their face!

It was in this state of mind I read Gabe Lyons' newest book.  And it was in his book I found consolation and encouragement.  In short, it was in his book I found a place to belong, a tribe to call my own and validation of the worldview I have been using. It was confirmation of my feeling and efforts.

Even though my theology has changed little from my self-righteous, holier than thou, fundi, SBC days, my approach to ministry and church as changed a lot. What I heard in Lyons’ book was my recent approach was not compromise, but the new reality for those wanting engage culture. I understood my methodology changed not because I was infected by Post-Modernism, the emerging church (ha!) or because I was getting soft and theologically “liberal.”  It was because the thinking of those who don’t know Jesus changed out from underneath me.  They still need the forgivingness secured by Christ, they still need to understand him as God and they still need to acknowledge the truth of his teaching, but how they do all this, how they approach Jesus, spirituality and Christianity has all shifted.

This meant I had to change too. And that change is not bad, undesirable or compromising. It can be hopeful, beautiful and purposeful.

In the end I found a person who understood what my faith, my friends and my church are trying to do as we seek to live a vibrant, authentic and honest faith in Jesus.

Competing Billboards

Two billboards from my home state (New Jersey) competing for your attention.

Are religion and theme parks a good mix?

Are religious theme parks entertaining, good teaching tools for the faith or a hilarious waste of time and money?

"Plans for a religious theme park featuring a Noah's Ark of biblical proportions has generated controversy since it was announced that the project would receive $35 million in tax rebates."


Read more here.

The Next Christians

Lyons, Gabe. The Next Christians: The Good News About The End of Christian America. New York: Double Day, 2010.

In Gabe Lyons new book he sets out to describe a new breed of Christians, the next assortment of believers.  This is a group of Christ followers who have left behind the old methods and thinking of a previous generation, but not a love for Jesus or Scriptures.  These Next Christians “want to be a force for restoration in a broken world even as we proclaim the Christian gospel. They want the label Christian to mean something good, intelligent, authentic, true and beautiful.”

Throughout the book Lyons reveals facts about the Next Christians as he compares them mainly with a group he calls, “Separatists.”  As the name implies they are the segment of the Church who chooses to live out its faith not by engaging culture, but by condemning, being critical of and separating from it.  In addition Lyons lightly compares the Next Christians to those in the church who seek to blend the church and culture together.  Mainly this is done at the end of the book as Lyons reveals his views on the dangers of the church trying to be “relevant” in style and not in substance.

Lyons has learned the Next Christians are willing to do things differently than before. They are holistic, in regards to the gospel and biblical story. This story, they believe, does only have two chapters: Fall and Redemption, but several chapters: Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration (in addition to Consummation).  It is the restorative element of the biblical story that drives these Christians most Lyons believes.  The Next Christians value:

• The long view,
• Relationships,
• Finding the third way (see post),
• People and the process of spiritual formation,
• Justice (the partner to evangelism),
• Getting messy with other people's dirt,
• Conversations,
• Believing in Jesus and being Jesus,
• How the world ought to be, not simply how it is.

It is with these values Lyons sees hope for the future of the Christian church.  The rapidly changing culture does not scare Lyons, knowing there are Christians seeking to proactively engage our world.  These Next Christians understand the death and resurrection of Jesus was “not meant to save people from something.” But God, “wanted to save Christians to something.”  Ready with the whole restorative gospel message the Next Christians have not given up on the church or culture. They are seeking authentic, true and accurate ways of awakening the mistreated, underrepresented and left behind to a newly branded and redrawn picture of faith in Jesus the Christ as seen in the Bible.

Does God Make a Difference

Does God make a difference in education?

"American education proceeds on the assumption that God is either dead or irrelevant."


Read on...

Rebuttal here (although not a good one).

A One Night Stand With Jesus

In a couple days I will teach from the biggest platform I have even been given.  I mean this literally, the stage at the Gothic is huge. But also I will teach in front of more people than ever in my life.  In the past I have taught in front of 400 or so people, but we are aiming to have 600-700 (or more) at the Gothic Tuesday night.  

The other unique dynamic at the Gothic that night will be the amount of people who are interested in the charitable cause (Charity:Water) TNL is fronting, but not so interested in the spirituality or faith of TNL.  This makes the night particularly significant.

Knowing this, as the teaching guy I can approach the night and my role from a few directions:

1. I have a large audience with a good mix of people not in the church, not Christ followers who are not religious or spiritual.  I can take this opportunity to lay down the full gospel message.  In short, I could evangelize the crowd at the Gothic since I have their attention.  I have one shot to get it right and get these people into heaven. I could full on channel Graham, Whitefield or Edwards.  This kind of rare opportunity cannot be squandered.  These people need Jesus and they need him tonight
2.  Considering the same audience, I could make the event mainly about the charitable cause and sprinkle in some Jesus for spice and flavor.  It would be easy to make people feel guilty about letting this cause go unfunded.  It would be easy to make people feel good about their choice to give.  The night could be an emotional ride.  Soft peddling Jesus would be a way to still act like a church, but make sure our donors are not turned off and our financial goal get met.

But is there was another way? A way to be faithful to our God and Savior, without wielding the gospel as a weapon? A way to create long term interaction and engagement?

• What if my job was not to explain the whole gospel message to this crowd, but it was to invite their questions and investigation of the gospel.  I would not try to satisfy their need or thirst by providing a fire hose for them to drink from, but to point them to the water (no pun intended). What if my tact was to open a relationship with these people who need Jesus, but to do it in a way to draws them in and not pushes them away.  To be winsome, alluring and subversive. This would be more about them coming to the end of themselves and still wanting more.  About them running out of answers, options and ideas, but still feeling as if there is more to be known and understood.  What if my job was not to end their spiritual journeys that night with explanations, answers and solutions, but to start their journey with questions, inquests and inquires?

This third way is more of a commitment to a lasting relationship, than a one night stand with the Jesus. 

A Stolen Thought

During some planning for a TNL series on Spiritual growth and development, I can across this quote from James Ryle:

"Healthy things grow. Growing things change. Change challenges us. Challenges cause us to trust God. Trust leads to obedience. Obedience makes us healthy. And healthy things grow."