Darn those "agents of change"

Someone left a CofC publication in my box in the church office, Christianity: Then and Now. Here is a link to the website -> Christianity: Then and Now online.

Here are a couple samples:

Churches of Christ are standing at a critical crossroads. We face the same situation our forefathers faced in the half-century following the Civil War.

A hundred years ago the majority of those who were part of the movement to restore original Christianity chose the same road the agents of change are now promoting. Today they are identified as the Disciples of Christ/Christian Churches. The issues that distinguished that movement last century and the movement for change of today are virtually identical. When the digression occurred in the past, the surviving remnant, led by great men such as David Lipscomb, James A. Harding, Austin McGary, and J. D. Tant had to rebuild almost from scratch. But God blessed their efforts and today well over two million souls are identified with the Churches of Christ around the world.

Today winds are blowing gale-force across the face of our beloved brotherhood. They are urging us to abandon the old ways for new ways learned from our denominational neighbors. These winds, originating primarily from our large universities, are sure to drive the ship of Zion on the rocks of destruction, should they prevail.

The attack on the Lord's church in our day is being led by a group of men called "agents of change." These are highly educated, articulate men who use subtle means to convince the unsuspecting that the faith, worship and practice of the church is flawed and must be changed if we are to survive and succeed in the 21st century. If allowed to succeed they will lead our congregations into a denominational brand of religion that has little connection with the religion of Christ.

What is your reaction to this voice within our brotherhood?

Is the Culture Overpowering our Churches?

By Jerry Falwell

http://www.moralmajority.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=39



I believe the church of Jesus Christ faces more challenges today than at any time in history.
The issues of homosexuality, abortion, inspiration of Scripture and spiritual “diversity” have brought divides into many churches.

In the media, there is rarely a positive portrayal of Christianity. As I’ve recently reported, the few so-called Christian characters represented on the networks have either abandoned core biblical values or are depicted as callous ogres. Further, the media typically tout diverse forms of spirituality that embrace alternative modes of sexuality, worship and lifestyle.
Sadly, countless pastors and church leaders have folded under cultural pressure and have attempted to socialize the Gospel of Christ. Meanwhile, those of us who remain faithful to the Scriptures are seen as unintelligent and irrational.

But the Bible warns us that the Gospel will be seen as ridiculous to many: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing …” (I Corinthians 1:15). It is nothing new to be seen as an idiot for steadfastly following Jesus Christ.
Even in this age of “diversity” and “multiculturalism,” evangelical pastors must determine to never serve as arbitrators of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which never changes. Its truth remains as pertinent as ever today.

I read with interest late last year a Barna Group (www.barna.org) report on “the 12 Most Significant Religious Findings from 2006 Surveys.”
In it, pollster George Barna found that, while most Americans claim to be “deeply spiritual” and say that their religious faith is “very important” to them, only 15 percent of respondents who regularly attend a Christian church ranked their relationship with God as the top priority in their life.

That’s an astounding discovery.

Mr. Barna noted, “As alarming as that finding was, its significance was magnified by research showing that on average pastors believe that 70 percent of the adults in their congregation consider their relationship with God to be their highest priority in life.”

The very important report also found that “three out of every four teenagers have engaged in at least one type of psychic or witchcraft-related activity.” The report also detailed that only one-third of 8-to-12-year-olds say a church has made “a positive difference” in their life; one-third said prayer is very important in their life; and most said they would rather be popular than to do what is morally right.

That is the climate we are facing today as we seek to share the Gospel with a new generation. I believe our young people are embracing hedonism and self-gratification as never before. And why not, when the media are strangely fixated on the lives of celebrities and “celebutantes” (people who are famous solely for being rich and famous). We are hero-worshiping people who have no moral compass and the results down the road will be devastating.

The church must offer unambiguous alternatives.

But Dr. Ergun Caner, president of the Liberty Theological Seminary, in a February National Liberty Journal article, warns that “many churches these days are following the latest trends, while often ignoring Scripture. They choose to do what is popular and culturally acceptable, rather than what is right.”

Dr. Caner, a converted Muslim, added, “Some pollster tells us that people do not like public invitations, so some churches have stopped giving them. Polls tell us that sermons on hell make people uncomfortable, so pastors preach on positive thinking instead. The polls show that using words such as sin and salvation are unpopular, so we find prominent television preachers conveniently avoiding those terms.”

Those are tough words, but I believe they are words that the church must hear. Evangelical pastors simply must determine to lead by biblical principle, even though those principles are being increasingly disparaged in the popular culture.
I believe it is time for a reevaluation of the church’s efforts. It is obvious that we are losing the cultural battle in many ways, especially with our young people. We will not succeed in reaching this world for Christ unless our churches determine to lovingly reach out with the Word of God to our fellow man.

In this new year, may we commit to reaching more people than ever with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to boldly living our lives with a renewed commitment to holy living.

Our fast Changing World, Can we keep up?

An interesting youtube clip created by Karl Fisch, and modified by Scott McLeod. Globalization and The Information Age.

A quick link...

Mike Cope's post this morning is titled, The Future of the Churches of Christ. He has some interesting preliminary thoughts, I hope he goes forth with the series (I really hope he does the blog interview with Douglas Foster).

If you have a moment, check it out.

For those who have linked, Do you agree with me that Sunshine would be a part of the declining middle group that is struggling to decide which way to lean? What do you think?

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY, ETHAN KINSEL!!!

We are truly blessed to have you with us in the family of God!

Sorry, that it took me so long to get these online...I had some issues with the new blogger thingy. It was NOT because this isn't important or that I forgot.....This is glorious news to be shouted from the mountain tops!

Please pray for me

If you have the time today, I would ask for your prayers. I've been struggling a lot lately, and I know that God is at work. Please pray for my heart - that God would take away the unbelief. To remove the blinders from my eyes and heart and to give me the child-like faith I need. The child-like faith to know in my heart that his death on the cross was for me personally. To move head knowledge to heart knowledge. I have so much trouble with this. Yet in His faithfulness he has sent five people to me with similar messages this week. I want more than anything to be the good soil that the seed of the Good News is sown on. Thank you.

Valentine's Day Card to Sunshine!

http://www.2000greetings.com/mycard.htm?c=2831

Happy Valentine's Day, Sunshine! Make sure you watch the entire video.

Love,

Jennifer

The Restoration Movement

Growing up at Sunshine, I was always interested in information about The Restoration Movement. The restoration of the New Testament pattern of worship and congregational organization was the focus of these historical references. Naturally, I came to see Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone primarily as restorationists. Of course, my main source of historical information, in those days, was our congregation’s tract rack.

It was a shock to my sensibilities to learn that, for Campbell, restoration was secondary to the greater goal of Christian unity. Most readers of Campbell agree that unity was a greater value to him than restoration. Campbell’s emphasis on restoration, or as he characteristically referred to it, “the ancient order of things”, was the best available means to realizing unity among the denominations.

For Campbell, the NT pattern was the platform upon which all Christians could equally stand, thereby making unity possible. Campbell believed that the 17th Century American Frontier was a perfect setting for such historic events to occur. Advances in science and logic had produced the best conditions for biblical interpretation since the original Christian generation. America was truly a God-blessed nation, free from the confines of the church-state enmeshment that characterized much of Europe.

In Campbell’s most optimistic days, he believed that not only would the movement succeed in uniting Christendom, but would usher in the millennial reign of Christ. The title of Campbell’s most recognized journal is telling, The Millennial Harbinger.

Campbell initially believed that the interplay between the values of unity and restoration were completely complementary. As Campbell aged, he astutely recognized that these values were functioning in tension and were beginning to polarize the movement. After Campbell’s death and the fallout from the Civil War, the movement did divide. In 1906, the US Census listed the Stone-Campbell heirs separately as Disciples of Christ and Churches of Christ.

For me, the most interesting testimony to Campbell’s influence is the fact that his religious heirs are still pushing these competing agendas. The Churches of Christ continue to utilize the NT pattern of worship and congregational organization very similar to Campbell’s outline from the 1800’s. Though CofC’s are experiencing tremendous internal tensions adapting to an ever-changing world, no one is advocating an abandonment of the primary value of maintaining "the ancient order". Meanwhile, the Disciples have proven to be pioneers of Christian unity. The Disciples of Christ are founding members of the World Council of Churches, they have initiated ecumenical discussions with both the Eastern Orthodox Church and The Roman Catholic Church.

Today, Churches of Christ and the Disciples of Christ stand on opposite sides of the Christian world both claiming to be the legitimate heirs of Alexander Campbell. The most fascinating point of all is that both groups are arguably correct. Richard Hughes (CofC historian) has noted that Churches of Christ are loyal to a young Alexander Campbell, while the Disciples are more representative of Campbell toward the end of his life.

He Could....

http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b376/JASONHEBERT/?action=view&current=RaptureMED.flv


Jennifer

I CAN SEE!

I just posted this on my "Live Learn Grow" blog but I wanted to share it here as well.

Jennifer


I am now wearing my first pair of glasses. I just got them last night. I really had no idea how many things I was missing out on because I couldn't see clearly. Everything looked just fine to me until I took my eye test in order to renew my driver's license. I am a little concerned now because I clean houses for a living.

When I put my glasses on yesterday evening, I looked around at everything in the house and saw things in a whole new way. I even saw dirt on my kitchen cabinets that I can't see without my glasses on. I just kept looking at the places on my cabinets with my glasses on and then with them off. I couldn't believe it! I wonder how much dirt I'm leaving behind at everyone else's house if I couldn't see to clean my own....haha! I can only pray that they are as blind as me I guess....haha!

Since this whole ordeal with me needing to see better started happening, I've been thinking alot about it all in a spiritual way. Shocked aren't you?

The glasses are like the Holy Spirit. They help me to see things that I didn't even notice before. Because of the Holy Spirit, I am able to understand things better. Like humans, who think they don't need God, I didn't think there was anything wrong with my eyes and I thought I could see everything just fine. I really thought I still had 20/20 vision. It wasn't until I was "tested" that I found out just how much I couldn't see.

"I once was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind but now I see"

Do you need glasses? Spiritual glasses? We all do. The sooner you get your eyes checked, the sooner you'll see you're need for seeing things differently and soooo much clearer.

Go put your glasses on!

Super Bowl Coaches

One of my blogger friends who regularly visits one of my blogs posted something I thought was very well written. I thought some of you super bowl fans would maybe enjoy reading it as well. I don't even like football and I enjoyed reading it. This guy's name is Jared.......and NO he's not a member of the davidphelps.com message board.....hahaha!

Here is what he wrote:


The Right Man For The Job
Posted by KingJaymz

The Bucaneers didn't think he could cut it. In spite of the fact that he completely turned the team around from constant losers to division contenders, Tampa Bay fired Tony Dungy in 2002. They just thought he could never win the big one. Maybe it's the fact that he never raises his voice at his players. Maybe it was the way he conducted himself, with character qualities like humility and gentle love. Maybe they just got greedy and wanted more now and weren't sure he could deliver it. So they fired Tony and brought in John Gruden. Gruden took the team that Dungy had assembled to the Superbowl and won the very next year. Then, the Bucs started to slide. Now, with John Gruden, they are back to where they were before they hired Tony Dungy. The last I saw of Tony was on the winner's podium at Superbowl XLI.

Tony Dungy is a true class act. I know that it is easy to say that coaches or teams deserve it, but even the commentators on ESPN noted that and said that Tony really does deserve it.

Much was made of him and Lovie Smith being the first two black head coaches to take teams to the Superbowl, yet when Tony got to the podium he didn't allow that fact "overshadow" what he really valued. The guy interviewing him mentioned it, and Tony said that he was honored to be the first black head coach to win the Superbowl, but he said that the most important thing to him was showing the world that coaching the Lord's way (as he referred to it) could produce championship teams. I referred to it earlier. He is gentle with his men. He doesn't scream or yell or throw fits when his guys don't do what he wants them to. He mentors and disciples them. All of them asked said that they wanted to win the big one for Tony because they love and respect him. Wow.

Many thank God after a big win. It seems pretty popular to do. I wouldn't question the genuineness of many players' faith, mostly because I don't care too much to know about the personal lives of those guys. I have a real life of my own, and I don't care to waste it on studying the lives of current professional sports stars. But Tony thanked God for giving the Colts the victory, and even the commentators spent minutes of air time (not seconds, minutes) talking about how a lot of players/coaches say that after a big win, but that it really, really meant something coming from Tony.

In all this, let it not be lost that Lovie Smith, the head coach of the Chicago Bears (the losing team) was a disciple of Tony's. Tony hired Lovie ten years ago as an assistant in Tampa Bay. The men became good friends, and they share a common faith in Christ. Lovie coaches much like Tony, and just like him in the sense that he never raises his voice at his players. Lovie and Tony spent every free minute they had this last week together, celebrating what they had achieved together. They both made strong statements before the game that no matter who won that they would still love each other and that they would be great friends, always. After the loss, Lovie said something to the effect that he was happy for Tony and that there was no one he would rather lose to.

Both men are awesome guys, but I was really pulling for Tony. I wanted this for him real bad, because in early December 2005, just before a hot play-off season with great expectations for the Colts, his oldest son, James (I believe), committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. You could see how it devestated the entire team. They wanted to win it all for Tony, bad. You could see how they loved him. Tony said, giving his son's eulogy, that God is there, even in the times of great pain. And you could see he meant that. Tony loves his kids, and they are involved in his coaching life, too. James had been a ball boy and involved with equipment stuff at Tampa Bay and Indy. His wife and kids are frequent visitors to the facilities, proving that stuff like that can be a strength in football, not a distraction as so many coaches and general managers label it.

In short: Tony deserved this, big time. He is a consistent man of consistent faith and constant love. A commentator said that he is a great representative to make this first big step for "African-American" coaches. He quickly followed that up with that more importantly he is a wonderful role-model for all men of any color. I have carped much about my desire to be discipled. I think if I could have one thing asked and granted on this earth, it would be to be discipled in my faith and life by Tony Dungy. It is more than just rhetoric with him. He truly is "God's man in football."

Mike Holmgren, the coach for my team, the Seattle Seahawks, is a man of great faith too. He and his family are huge supporters of Northwest Medical Teams, and his wife and daughter go on missions with them frequently (as a matter of fact, they were on a mission when the Seahawks played in the Superbowl last year). I'll be pulling for him or Lovie to take the Lombardi trophy home next year now that the man I most revere is getting his moment in the sun.

Strongholds & Confession

Perhaps this is changing the course of this blog, but I'm interested in knowing your thoughts on these things. I've recently been dealing with a lot of spiritual struggles. Felt at times like perhaps I've been losing my mind. But, I'm coming to believe that most of my emotional/spiritual blockages are the results of strongholds - strongholds from past sins. Unconfessed sins. Things that have been rationalized as a part of growing up or from other's failures - notheless, sin that causes damage. Do you believe that part of the struggles we have truly experiencing transformational power from God is related to the areas we keep hidden? I do. Here is a quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer - it seems to really mesh with Jesus's teachings.

"In confession the break-through to community takes place. Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him, and the more deeply he becomes involved in it, the more disastrous is his isolation. Sin wants to remain unkown. It shuns the light. In the darkness of the unexpressed it poisons the whole being of a person. This can happen even in the midst of a pious community. In confession the light of the Gospel breaks into the darkness and seclusion of the heart. That sin must be brought into the light. The unexpressed must be openly spoken and acknowledged. All that is secret and hidden is made manifest. It is a hard struggle until the sin is openly admitted. But God breaks gates of brass and bars made of iron."

What about those things we keep just between God and us? We trust him for forgiveness of those things and have stopped doing them. But often the feelings of shame and guilt persist. Is this only attributable to Satan as the accuser, or is it because those things are still secret that Satan can use them as strongholds? It the latter is true, couldn't it explain why the Church and Christians aren't as effective as we all know they could be?

What are your thoughts on these things?

The Silence of Scripture

Key to understanding our Stone-Campbell heritage is appreciating the inherent tension within the movement's primary goal. The ultimate goal of the first generation, especially the Campbells, was the unification of all Christians. Unity was primary. The restoration of NT Christianity was the platform upon which Christians from various denominational backgrounds could come together as one body. The development and later divisions of the Stone-Campbell Movement can be basically understood as a tug-of-war between the values of unity and biblical authority. The essence of this struggle can be traced in the various positions our Stone-Campbell forefathers held with regard to the silence of scripture.

What conclusion are we to draw with regard to the many issues about which the Bible is silent? The answers to that hermeneutical question has shaped our brotherhood.

There are basically two extremes here. Position #1: The things about which the Bible is silent are OK. Position #2: The things about which the Bible is silent are forbidden. I've stated these positions as extremes, in reality, most folks fall somewhere in between, generally closer to one side than the other.

The Campbells (Thomas and Alexander) were much closer to position #1. Again, for them the goal of unity was primary, with restoration of the NT pattern as a means to that end. A second generation Stone-Campbellite, David Lipscomb, was a position #2 guy. He is probably the most influencial among those folks who evolved into the noninstrumental Churches of Christ. For Lipscomb and many others like him, this issue of biblical authority was so important, it became a test of fellowship. It was Lipscomb who asked the US Census bureau to list Churches of Christ separately from the Christian Church (Disciples) in 1906.

Today, the Stone-Campbell Movement is broken into three affiliations: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Church/ Churches of Christ (instrumental), and our favorite- Churches of Christ (noninstrumental). Where one draws the line between the extremes of positions #1 & #2 can account for much of the difference in these three strands.

Unfortunately, the line drawing did not stop with the three strands. Within the Churches of Christ (noninstrumental) alone, there are a host of subdivisions. Consult Mac Lynn's manual for Churches of Christ and you will see that a key for symbols designating the various subdivisions is included for sake of clarity. Within Scioto County, there are a number of congregations of Stone-Campbell origin. By and large, these congregations do not interact.

Again, this arbitrary line drawn between positions #1 & #2 can explain a lot of what we experience. Most folks from the Wheelersburg Church of Christ would not extend the hand of fellowship to us. Why? Because they feel we have taken liberties with biblical authority that are simply reprehensible. We do not extend the hand of fellowship to folks at the Central Church of Christ. Why? Same reason. Central does not fellowship with First Christian (Disciples of Christ). Why? I assume you are catching on by now.

This matter of biblical authority is not a cut-and-dry matter. Obviously, it is very important. These issues have been debated in Christian circles for centuries.

Joke # 3

Tom Brady and God


Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, after living a long full life passed away. When he got to heaven, God was showing him around. They came to a modest little house with a faded Patriots flag in the window.

"This house is yours for eternity, Tom," said God. "This is very special; not everyone gets their own house up here." Tom felt special, indeed, as he walked up to the front porch of his house, he noticed another house down on the corner. It was a 3-story mansion with a Blue & White sidewalk, a 50 foot tall flag pole with an enormous Colts logo flag, and every window was draped with Indianapolis Colts curtains.

Tom looked at God and said "God, I'm not trying to be ungrateful, but I have a question. I was an all-pro QB, I hold many NFL records, won numerous Super-Bowls and I even was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame."

God said "So what's your point Tom?" "Well, why does Peyton Manning get a better house than me?" God chuckled, and said "Tom, that's not Peyton's house, it's mine."

Spiritual... or Nuts?

Most of us would like to think of ourselves as spiritual people. We like to be around others who are spiritual. However, most folks recognize a point of being too spiritual. In other words, there is a line that is crossed when someone's spirituality ceases to be attractive and begins to seem "nutty". It is hard to define that line, but we all know when it's crossed. Of course, this line has a lot to do with our religious background, as far as determining a realm of comfortable and seemingly normal expressions and behaviors.

For example:

"I feel called to participate in mission work" -> spiritual
"The Lord told me to go to 456 Elm Street and invite them to VBS" -> possibly nuts

It's a fine and arbitrary line. But, I dare say we all have one-a limit to what we can except as reasonable spiritual speech and behavior.

Loosely related to this is Richard Beck's Defensive Theology Scale. Here is a list of 5 tendencies from the scale:

1. Special protectionTheme: The belief that the believer will experience less misfortune than non-believers due to God's protection.
Narcotic Function: Creates an aura of "safety," allowing for equanimity and a reduction of basic anxiety.

2. Special Insight Theme: The belief that the believer can clearly discern the actions of God in life and the will of God in personal choices.
Narcotic Function: Reduces the existential burden of freedom and choice. Further, allows seemingly chaotic circumstances to be "explained" by God's Providence.

3. Divine Solicitousness Theme: The belief that all the believer's concerns, even the most trivial, are of import to God.
Narcotic Function: Makes the mundane issues of life cosmically significance. Creates a sense of "specialness" to have the Deity acting as, to put it crudely, a butler.

4. Special Destiny Theme: The belief that God has a very specific plan for one's life.
Narcotic Function: Allows life to be seen as intrinsically meaningful and heroic. Reduces the existential burden of meaning: A pre-existing "destiny" is handed to the person rather than constructed by the person by hard work and risk.

5. Denial of Randomness Theme: The belief that God's hand is involved in all the events around us, that nothing is inherently "due to chance."
Narcotic Function: Unpredictability is inherently scary. Further, chaos makes us feel that God is not in control. Thus, by banishing randomness/chance/accidents/chaos from the world the believer maintains his/her equanimity.

Check out the whole post here -> Experimental Theology