Kingdom Come

Get Off Your [Donkey] and Help Someone

2010-04-28T09:51:00.002-05:00

Here's a presentation by Reggie McNeal that should be required viewing for all church leaders in North America.Reggie McNeal Main Session Unleashed Conference 2010 from Unleashed Network on Vimeo.Pastor Rod

iJesus

2009-01-07T17:18:00.003-06:00

Cool JesusOriginally uploaded by isc_luis_herreraI have the key to reaching the world for Jesus: We ride the popularity wave of the iPod, iPhone and iTouch and market a reinvented iJesus.The traditional Jesus is as dated as 8-track tapes. In today's world, even CDs are being replaced by mp3s. We need a Savior who is technologically savvy.We've been doing cross-marketing for years, what with the

Jesus Christ Superman?

2008-10-29T15:01:00.002-05:00

To demand from strength that it does not express itself as strength, that it does not consist of a will to overpower, a will to throw down, a will to rule, a thirst for enemies and opposition and triumph, is just as unreasonable as to demand from weakness that it express itself as strength. Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals, First Essay According to Nietzsche, Christianity is an

Domesticating Paul

2008-10-04T19:37:00.002-05:00

The Apostle Paul writes these provocative words in his letter to the Philippians (3:7–11): But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a

The Master and the Musician

2008-09-23T20:15:00.006-05:00

Anyone who says that Christian music is vapid has never heard Phil Keaggy play.I recently attended a concert performed by this amazing artist.The stage was bare except for a stool and microphone. Just after 7:30, Phil walked out with a single Olson acoustic guitar and plugged in to his direct box.He combined vocals with long stretches of instrumental interludes. He finished his third song at 8:00

Measuring Success Missionally

2008-09-09T11:33:00.002-05:00

Conventional wisdom says that it is impossible to manage what is not measured. And in the church, we've been told "God cares about numbers because numbers represent people and God cares about people." So under the banner of accountability and stewardship, church leaders collect statistics to measure the effectiveness of ministry. Eventually, we end up with thinking like this: Many [churches]

Stubborn Passion

2008-08-30T16:32:00.002-05:00

Once again "missional theologian" Tom Peters provides us with an important insight:[There is] a Very Sensible Saying that I think is pure, unmitigated crap, in fact the World's Worst Advice: "Know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em."As I said ... pure crap.Forget "fold 'em."Drop it from your vocabulary.Excise it.Bury it.Stomp on its grave.If you care, really care, really really care about

Rethinking the “Day Off”

2008-08-19T16:15:00.004-05:00

My exploration of missional living has led me to rethink the idea of taking a day off from ministry. One the one hand, missional living must seep into every part of life, or it is not missional living. If we construct levees to hold back the river of ministry to a particular place or a particular time, then we can hardly consider ourselves missional.Yet Sabbath is a deep value throughout the

One-Buttock Leadership

2008-08-13T09:41:00.003-05:00

Watch this engaging video of Benjamin Zander at TED. (HT: Rex Miller).What are the implications for leadership?Leaders must stay focused on the vision.If everything is important, nothing is important.The leader must stop thinking about every note and concentrate on "the line from B to E."While the details are necessary, they should not be given too much focus.A mechanical

Forgetting to Breathe

2008-08-11T21:00:00.003-05:00

It goes without saying that our efforts to promote our individual congregations "are nothing if God isn't working through them."Kevin Hendricks tells us:It's like breathing. Life doesn't work so well if we forget to breathe. That's how I see the role of God in church growth--or any of the marketing and communications we talk about.He reassures us that methods are just methods, as long as we rely

This Is Not Your Father’s World

2008-08-09T16:10:00.002-05:00

The hymn "This Is My Father's World" uses an antiquated view of the universe as a poetic device:This is my Father's world,And to my listening ears,All nature sings and round me ringsThe music of the spheres. "The music of the spheres" comes from the idea that the earth was surrounded by rotating, transparent spheres upon which were fixed the sun, moon, stars and planets. And these spheres

Regeneration

2008-07-31T08:14:00.001-05:00

Here's a poem by 17th-century Welsh poet Henry Vaughan with a few notes. Award, and still in bonds, one day I stole abroad, It was high-spring, and all the way Primros'd, and hung with shade; Yet, was it frost within, And surly winds Blasted my infant buds, and sin Like clouds eclips'd my mind. Storm'd thus; I straight perceiv'd my spring Mere stage, and show, My walk a monstrous, mountain's

Rest After Struggle

2008-07-30T14:39:00.003-05:00

Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "I wouldn't give a fig for the kind of simplicity which exists on this side of complexity, but I would give the whole world for the simplicity that exists on the other side of complexity."I've thought a lot about my changing views about the role of pastor. I've wondered what I would do differently if I could start all over.I'd focus more on people and less on tasks.I'd

Break the Habit

2008-07-28T22:01:00.003-05:00

Len Hjalmarson suggests that churches are fixated on the wrong things. (HT: Brad Brisco). Actually, his point is much stronger than that. He's saying the things we spend all our time and energy on are of no importance.Here are the things we must let go of:The number of people who come to our church.How "relevant" our style of worship is.How many new people walk through the doors of our church.The

Just Enough Time

2008-07-24T18:50:00.004-05:00

The official song of our culture is "I Need More Time."We live under the delusion that our problems would all be solved if we just had more hours in each day. There's just not enough time to get everything done. If only we had just a little more time.But as Parkinson's Law tell us, "Work expands so as to full the time available for its completion."However, work is not the only thing that expands.

Sour Grapes

2008-07-16T15:33:00.005-05:00

In the classic Aesop tale, the fox, unable to obtain a juicy bunch of grapes, convinces himself that he really didn't want them in the first place.To many, my incessant nattering about the false idol of success will appear to be little more than the whining of a jealous pastor who secretly wants to trade places with a mega-church pastor with a book contract. There is probably nothing that I could

What is the gospel?

2008-07-16T14:06:00.002-05:00

Gospel is one of those words that we think we understand, until we're asked to explain it.Most people see the gospel as information about how to go to heaven after death.Some would define the gospel asthe good news of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that provides full and free deliverance from the power and penalty of sin according to the grace of God alone through faith in

Stating the Obvious[ly Wrong]

2008-07-11T19:08:00.002-05:00

In the command known as the Great Commission, Jesus said, "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Of course, we all know exactly what Jesus meant:"Making disciples" means to seek the conversion of individuals.The goal is to increase the number of Christians.In

Mission of the Triune God

2008-07-10T22:21:00.002-05:00

In an unpublished essay at www.Newbigin.net, Lesslie Newbigin writes: We are not engaged in an enterprise of our own choosing or devising. We are invited to participate in an activity of God which is the central meaning of creation itself. We are invited to become, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, participants in the Son's loving obedience to the Father. All things have been created that

Christian Political Action

2008-07-09T16:13:00.006-05:00

As followers of Jesus Christ, what should be our role in politics? Jesus called us to be in the world but to avoid becoming part of it. The way of Christ is the way of the cross—victory through weakness. The accumulation of earthly power seems contradictory to Christian discipleship. Yet we are called to participate in the advancement of God's kingdom, seeing his will done on earth as it

The Prince goes to church

2008-06-28T12:07:00.002-05:00

A Machiavellian Primer on Church GrowthThe greatest moral good is the preservation of the church (denomination).Any actions to preserve the church (denomination), no matter how cruel, are always justified.The only real concern of the pastor (denominational leader) is the acquisition and maintenance of power.The pastor (denominational leader) must do whatever is necessary to keep his power.The

He Gets It, He Really Gets It

2008-06-18T11:28:00.002-05:00

I hear people using the word "missional" as if it is a style of ministry or a new technique of church growth.Very few have any idea what the concept is. But here's a guy who gets it. And he's not even a pastor.It's real easy to love The People. It's much more difficult, much more challenging, much more exhausting, much more a test of the heart to love actual people: The people who work for you.

Gratuitous Love

2008-06-08T16:16:00.000-05:00

Think about this:My relationship with God is useless. It cannot be boiled down to functions of healing or well-being. God's purpose is not even to forgive me and be done with me—God looks beyond that to true love, to completely useless relationship.Kester Brewin, Signs of Emergence, p. 160In the evangelical church we talk about "having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." But I don't think

Goin' Mobile

2008-05-27T17:17:00.001-05:00

I finally replaced my old Compaq iPAQ with a Smartphone. Because my wife works for Motorola I was limited to their products. Fortunately, the new Q9m is a big improvement over the original Q.The battery lasts longer, the keyboard is easier to use.I added Verizon's data plan to our Family Talk plan for a surprisingly reasonable price.I replaced my PDA and phone with one device that is not much

Straight Talk on Evangelism

2008-05-24T21:05:00.003-05:00

Michael Spencer has some interesting comments about evangelism from a missional perspective. Here are a few that resonate with me.When a large church pastor starts lecturing small churches about their lack of evangelism, you should change the channel, because the guy is mainly being a jerk toward a lot of faithful ministers and Christians in more difficult situations.How many faithful, talented,

A Taste of the Slow Life

2008-05-10T08:14:00.005-05:00

Traffic in Italy may be hectic, but most other parts of Italian life are much more laid back. And one of the most relaxed aspects is eating.Preparing and consuming food is an art. It is no coincidence that Italy is the home of the Slow Food Movement.We are enslaved by speed and have all succumbed to the same insidious virus: Fast Life, which disrupts our habits, pervades the privacy of our homes

Outta My Way!

2008-04-16T10:22:00.003-05:00

Imagine a city of 30,000 people without a single traffic light.Termini Imerese, Italy, is such a place. (I'm here teaching English as a second language.)You might think that this is because everyone walks everywhere and uses public transportation. But this hilly Sicilian town has as many cars per capita as any American town. And when you add in all the scooters, there is just about one vehicle

Breasts Are Growing

2008-03-29T13:16:00.002-05:00

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Americans spent $12.4 billion on plastic surgery in 2007, up 9% from 2006.The number of procedures increased as well. Nearly 12 million were performed in 2007. That's up 7% from 2006 and up 59% from 2000.The most popular surgical procedure was breast augmentation with 348,000 performed in 2007, up 6% from 2006. This is a 97% increase from

No Time for Losers

2008-03-23T07:09:00.002-05:00

I doubt that Queen's "We Are the Champions" has been included in any church hymnals, but this philosophy has found its way into much of Christianity.I consider it a challenge before the whole human race—And I ain't gonna lose—We are the champions, my friendsAnd we'll keep on fighting, till the endWe are the championsWe are the championsNo time for losers'Cause we are the champions of the

Keller Has Doubts

2008-03-19T16:37:00.006-05:00

Here are some videos of Tim Keller (HT: Justin Buzzard) talking about the subject of his new book, The Reason for God.The first one is from Keller's talk at Google, yes Google.The next two are from his presentation at Stanford:[For some reason I cannot get Google videos to embed properly on Blogger (a Google product), so I'm posting the links instead.]PresentationQ & AThe fourth one is a Veritas

It’s Not My Job

2008-03-18T18:09:00.003-05:00

When we hear the statement, "It's not my job," we assume that someone is shirking responsibility. Someone like the road stripper who left this evidence (HT: TonyRogers.com).But I've found that "It's not my job," can be a helpful response for a pastor.I'm not talking about taking out the trash, shoveling the walk or sweeping the floor. Jesus showed by his example that no one should consider

This Is What I’m Talking About

2008-03-13T18:15:00.002-05:00

I posted two diagrams of models that people use to think about how things get done in the Kingdom of God (Fool-Proof Scientific Church Management & An Alternative Model).Brant Hansen makes a similar point in his own patented manner.Pastor Rod"Helping You Become the Person God Created You to Be"

The Busy Pastor

2008-03-13T09:36:00.002-05:00

The adjective busy set as a modifier to pastor should sound to our ears like adulterous to characterize a wife or embezzling to describe a banker. It is an outrageous scandal, a blasphemous affront…. [It is] a blasphemous anxiety to do God's work for him.I am busy because I am vain. I want to appear important. Significant. What better way than to be busy? The incredible hours, the crowded

Unhealthy Numbers

2008-03-10T16:36:00.002-05:00

From the physician's point of view, the patient was reduced to a bunch of numbers. Moreover, the numbers were not organized by symptoms or diagnoses: they were organized by what tests were run and which laboratory within the hospital had processed the results. The patient's history — the record of past events and healthcare — was in a different location than current test results. Current results

An Alternative Model

2008-03-08T11:44:00.001-06:00

In a previous post, I presented my depiction of the typical mental model used by most Evangelical church leaders.Today I offer an alternative model. This model is not perfect or even refined. It is simply a beginning point for discussion. Please let me know if you have any comments, critiques or suggestions for improvement.Pastor Rod"Helping You Become the Person God Created You to Be"

Missional Incarnation

2008-03-06T22:24:00.002-06:00

One of the buzz words of the missional movement is Incarnational. As is typical of popular terminology, it often has a fuzzy meaning.Alan Hirsch helps give some substance to this adjective. Using the model of The Incarnation of the Word made flesh, he describes four characteristics of incarnational ministry:Presence: In Jesus the Creator of the universe is fully present to us. Jesus is not an

Pretentious Planning

2008-02-29T06:31:00.002-06:00

Strategic planning is seen as an essential tool for any enterprise. New business ventures need a business plan before they can attract investors and obtain loans. This same thinking thrives in the church.Yet this tool is not so benign.Alan Roxburgh writes:The work of the Spirit is always greater than our imagined worlds and that God must always be in the process of breaking the boundaries we set

Missional Geography

2008-02-28T21:42:00.002-06:00

Alan Roxburgh gives us a Missional Geography lesson:As I listen to how suburban church leaders speak, I am more and more aware that in their programs for growth and multi-site digitally-fed main speakers they have little sense that geography matters.The local, the neighborhood, is the place of God's presence and where the Spirit is at work among people.I am convinced that for Christians to

99 Success Secrets of Jesus

2008-02-24T21:59:00.003-06:00

Did you know that "Virtually All Classic Success Literature In One Way Or Another, Copy The Success Secrets Of Jesus!"?*Now you can learn those secrets for yourself. For only $14.99 plus shipping and handling, you can buy The 99 Success Secrets of Jesus."Learning about Jesus from the gospels is a good place to start, but if you really want to unlock the secrets to Jesus' amazing success, you have

Confessions of a Preacher

2008-02-23T21:23:00.002-06:00

Lord, I come to you a miserable sinner, a sinner with a pulpit.I repent for every time I preached something other than the good news of the gospel.Lord, have mercy.I repent for every time I made parishioners feel that they needed to try harder to be accepted by you.Lord, have mercy.I repent for every time I turned biblical narratives into morality lessons.Lord, have mercy.I repent for every time

Foolproof Scientific Church Management

2008-02-19T18:41:00.004-06:00

Here is a schematic of the mental model most church leaders have for operating a church.Pastor Rod"Helping You Become the Person God Created You to Be"

Missional Order vs. Church Planting

2008-02-19T13:36:00.002-06:00

In the introduction to this Allelon netcast, Pernell Goodyear says, "The way that we've done church planting for the past number of decades has been about moving rock stars into neighborhoods and marketing this big attractional thing that people come to, growing our division of the church as an organization."David Fitch, pastor of Life on the Vine, talks about church planting in post-Christendom:

You’re Fired!

2008-02-15T21:22:00.002-06:00

So it turns out that I'm not the only voice crying in the wilderness. It seems that someone else has a problem with the idea of a pastor as CEO (HT: Darryl Dash).Backyard Missionary asks "Where on earth did we ever get the idea that the 'Chief Executive Officer' was an appropriate biblical expression of leadership?"Have we really become a commercial enterprise where the strong survive and the

Do We Believe in Grace or Not?

2008-02-15T16:55:00.002-06:00

In the church we like to talk about and sing about grace. But do we really believe in grace?If we really believed in grace, we would quit acting as if everything depended upon our performance.If we really believed in grace, we wouldn't hold people's past sins against them once they had repented.If we really believed in grace, we wouldn't write people off as beyond redemption.If we really believed

Missional Manifesto IV

2008-02-15T11:12:00.002-06:00

What are the criteria for "success"?If the focus is not on results, then how do we measure success? We certainly cannot measure it according to the standards of the business world.The lure of success is seductive. Its siren song causes many people to uncritically ascribe so much authority to high-profile leaders, platform speakers and megachurch pastors…. In American measurement, Jesus' human

Missional Manifesto III

2008-02-14T09:08:00.003-06:00

What is the "job" of a pastor?These ideas about leadership lead to misguided notions about what the role of a pastor should be. These notions are rooted in culture and are based upon value systems that are contrary to the gospel.In North America the culture of the strong leader has pushed aside a proper, biblical understanding of the role of a pastor.A pastor is not a CEO. Yet pastors are

Missional Manifesto II

2008-02-13T18:02:00.003-06:00

What is leadership?The style of leadership taught by Donald Trump on his Apprentice TV show has found its way into the boardroom of many American corporations and into the pastor's office of many churches.There is considerable debate whether this style of leadership is effective in the business world. But there should be no debate whether this style of leadership is appropriate within the kingdom

Missional Manifesto I

2008-02-12T11:15:00.001-06:00

This is the first installment of a four part series looking at the Church from a missional perspective.What is the Mission of the Church?After his resurrection, Jesus said to his disciples, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always

14 Ways to Increase Your Empathy

2008-02-11T19:50:00.001-06:00

Empathy may be the most important skill we possess as humans. Much depends on our ability to connect with others, to identify what they are thinking and feeling.Some people are better than others at this. Women tend to outshine men in this area.But whatever your current expertise, here are 14 things you can do to improve your empathy.Listen more, talk less. The most reliable way to know what

Evangelicalism’s Magic Eyeglasses

2008-02-05T17:05:00.001-06:00

When Joseph Smith "discovered" gold plates buried in the side of a hill in upstate New York, he used magic glasses (or a "peep stone") to translate the unknown language (later "identified" as Reformed Egyptian) into English. This "translation" is known as The Book of Mormon.But the Mormons are not the only ones who use questionable means to interpret Scripture.Reverend Russell Rathbun (HT: Maggi

Is Jesus Dead?

2008-01-30T11:20:00.001-06:00

Much of what happens in churches today is little more than what you might get if you combined an AA group, a Rotary Club, and a positive-thinking seminar.Jesus is important, but he is important mostly as an idea.Even in very conservative churches, Jesus is little more than a person who once did something that benefits his followers today. The really important event was his crucifixion. The

Die, Pastor, Die

2008-01-28T21:49:00.001-06:00

Atheist Denis Diderot said, "Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest."He wanted to bring about the end of Christianity. But the future of Christianity depends upon something that sounds surprisingly similar.Andrew Purves has written an excellent book, The Crucifixion of Ministry. Here are a few quotations from the preface:There is little, maybe

Lost Gospel of Simon Magnus

2008-01-28T16:35:00.001-06:00

Today archeologists revealed a stunning discovery. An alabaster strong box was found containing an ancient document claiming to be the lost Gospel of Simon Magnus"This scroll forces us to rethink much of the conventional wisdom about the actual words that Jesus spoke," said Abraham Rabin, head of the translation team. "For example, the Beatitudes in Matthew's Gospel are a distortion of Jesus'

Thank God for Mean People

2008-01-25T17:33:00.001-06:00

Jesus said, "Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man" (Luke 6:22).One reason we should be glad is that this treatment puts us in the company of the prophets. Thank God for mean people.But another benefit is that this treatment drives us to God himself. It leaves us feeling empty and vulnerable. And if we

Walk This Way

2008-01-19T12:04:00.001-06:00

In the movie Young Frankenstein there is a classic comedy scene where "Igor" (Marty Feldman) tells Dr. Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) to "walk this way." This scene inspired the hit song by Aerosmith.There is a similar misunderstanding in the church, which would be hilarious if it were not so tragic. Congregations try to mimic "successful" churches and end up without either success or anything

No More Biblical Principles

2008-01-14T19:55:00.001-06:00

You can find people offering "Biblical Principles" for just about any subject:Biblical Principles for MarriageBiblical Principles for BusinessBiblical Principles for Raising ChildrenBiblical Principles for SpankingBiblical Principles for FinancesBiblical Principles for Time ManagementBiblical Principles for Conflict ResolutionBiblical Principles for FitnessBiblical Principles for

e-Greed

2008-01-12T17:52:00.001-06:00

I have been frustrated for some time by the short-sighted mindset of book publishers.This mindset seems to be a combination of "this-is-how-we've-always-done-it" thinking and greed. Of course, this phenomenon is not limited to Christian publishers. But it does seem to be especially egregious when done "in the name of Christ."I do not object to individuals or companies making a profit. I believe

7 Reasons People Do Not Understand the Bible

2008-01-04T11:07:00.001-06:00

Most people do not understand the Bible.I've addressed several specific passages that people tend to misunderstand. But in this post I want to look at why people so often misunderstand what they read in the Bible. I can think of at least seven reasons:1. They start with a bad translation.Many people try to read the King James Version and get bogged down in the archaic language. This translation

Thinking Out Loud

2007-12-29T14:02:00.001-06:00

Disclaimer: The following thoughts are offered to stimulate further thought. If you have anything to add (positive or negative) please leave a comment.Many of the ideas people have about what God must be like come from Greek philosophy rather than from divine revelation. The idea that God cannot change in any way comes from a philosophical assumption about perfection.The reasoning goes like this:

Missional Patience

2007-12-18T09:27:00.001-06:00

How many church growth experts does it take to change a light bulb?If you were an awesomely bold leader you wouldn't install a wimpy light bulb when you could install a high-tech, mega-lumen illumination device. All you need is a demographic study, a marketing strategy and a long-term business plan. And why change only dead bulbs? After a few months, all bulbs lose some of their light-producing

Put the Credit Card Away

2007-12-15T17:20:00.001-06:00

I've noticed with some concern how parents feel enormous pressure to spend money they don't have on their children at Christmas.Brant Hansen provides a gentle word of advice for those parents.It's time that the Church made a stand against this materialistic, consumeristic tradition. Let's quit spending so much money on our children (and ourselves.) Let's quit buying expensive toys for the kids in

Third Sunday of Advent

2007-12-14T16:18:00.001-06:00

Whoops!This was supposed to be posted at Wiki-Sermon.Here are the readings for December 16, 2007:Isaiah 35:1–10James 5:7–10Matthew 11:2–11Pastor Rod

On a Lighter Note

2007-12-13T11:30:00.001-06:00

Here are a couple of things to bring some joy to your day (HT: BHT).First a video of a men's a cappella group from Indiana University:And here's a story about the first ever Emerging Amish congregation.Enjoy.Pastor Rod"Helping You Become the Person God Created You to Be"

God Kills Worshippers

2007-12-10T17:08:00.001-06:00

This is the message of Peter Pike at Triablogue.And he intends this to be a comforting thought.According to Peter, God did this for a good reason known only to himself. Every specific thing that happens has been orchestrated by God before the creation of the world. All the seemingly free choices that people make have been predetermined by God. Everything happens exactly as God wants it to. God

Evangelism Is Evil

2007-12-04T22:19:00.001-06:00

Well, not evil. But there is something messed up about what is usually referred to as evangelism. Too often it feels like selling Amway.The early Church did not have an evangelism program. It seems unlikely that early Christians were trained how to "share their faith." Yet "the Lord added to their number" regularly.Most modern evangelism emphases tend to use guilt to motivate believers to

Missional Business

2007-11-29T11:25:00.001-06:00

For some time now, I've been intrigued by the idea of participating in a "missional business." This is a for-profit enterprise that incorporates one or more of the following characteristics:Providing opportunity to connect with people for kingdom purposesUsing a portion of the profits to support missional projectsProviding employment for individuals who may be otherwise unemployableTraining

Shiny Happy People

2007-11-13T17:06:00.001-06:00

In 1991, REM released the song, "Shiny Happy People":Everyone around / Love them, love themPut it in your hands / Take it, take itThere's no time to cry / Happy, happyPut it in your heart / Where tomorrow shinesGold and silver shine.Shiny happy people holding handsShiny happy people laughing.While the song was a parody of a Chinese propaganda poster, it could well have been a satire of

Not Safe for Worship

2007-11-10T14:03:00.001-06:00

By now everyone knows that "not safe for work" means that media contain images or language that could get you fired if opened at work. Typically, that means items that are sexually explicit or that contain profanity.Of course, this implies a dichotomy between "work life" and "private life."Most people have also divided their lives into completely separate "sacred" and "secular" parts.The "sacred"

Not Everyone Should Talk about God

2007-11-08T20:49:00.001-06:00

In today's world everyone seems to have his or her own idea of what God is like. Everyone is suddenly an expert in theology. People say, "The God I believe in would never do that."The problem is that most of these people have no idea what they're talking about.It would be like me giving my opinion about the proper way to do a heart by-pass operation. At best, no one would pay attention. At worst,

Pastor, It’s Not About You

2007-11-07T15:47:00.001-06:00

Sometimes as pastors we get the idea that everything depends upon us.William Martin has written an excellent book, The Art of Pastoring: Contemplative Reflections, to disabuse us of this notion.If you are a pastor, or know one, you need to read this little paperback. It only has 81 pages. And some of those have considerable white space. But this book is crammed full of wisdom.Here are a few

It’s the Gospel, Stupid!

2007-11-01T17:43:00.001-05:00

When Bill Clinton ran for President, James Carville made a sign for the campaign office to keep everyone "on message." It had three points, the second of which wasThe economy, stupid.I suspect that we need such a sign in our churches.We spend too much time and energy trying to convince peoplethat the Bible is inerrantthat miracles are possiblethat evolution is impossible because it violates the

How NOT to Defend Your Faith

2007-10-29T16:45:00.001-05:00

Sometimes those who attempt to defend Christianity end up doing more harm than good. Here are some suggestions about how you can avoid finding yourself in that situation.Do not insult the intelligence of those who disagree with you.Many Christians seem to have the attitude toward questioners, "If you weren't so ignorant, you'd see that Christianity is obviously true."Do not say, "You just have to

What Is Missional Church?

2007-10-27T14:47:00.001-05:00

I see many people using the term missional in ways that have little or nothing to do with what I understand the word to mean.For many it is little more than a synonym for hip or cool.But I ran across this statement by Lesslie Newbigin in his Foolishness to the Greeks that seems to sum things up rather well:The church is the bearer to all the nations of a gospel that announces the kingdom, the

How to Misunderstand Religion

2007-10-26T18:33:00.001-05:00

The Archbishop of Canterbury has answered Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens in a lecture given at Swansea University (HT: AKMA).Here are a few important excerpts:In Richard Dawkins' writings there is one very interesting factor affecting the whole discussion and that is the assumption that, loosely speaking, Darwinian Theory is a theory of everything.In order to make a Darwinian scheme

Wisdom from Willard

2007-10-23T18:05:00.001-05:00

I'm listening to an audio of a seminar by Dallas Willard. Here are a few quotations:If you want to succeed in discipleship, it has to be the most important thing in your life. And you have to understand that what you are going to get is worth so much more than what it's going to cost you that you will absolutely not let anything get in your way.You are a disciple of Jesus if you are with him

How can we know the truth?

2007-10-16T13:50:00.001-05:00

In the modern world of "facts" we have the idea that we can obtain the truth simply by following the right method persistently.We think of "facts" as treasure to be discovered that is buried in the dirt of data about the real world. When anything interesting is found, a community of experts determines its true intrinsic value.Beliefs, on the other hand, are like objects that have only personal,

Frost Explains Missional

2007-10-09T12:36:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple of powerful videos of Michael Frost explaining what missional means and how that works out into the life of a congregation (HT: Rick Meigs). In case you don't have the time to watch these powerful videos, I have listed a few key concepts."It is not a new model, not a new approach, not a new style. Missional church thinking is a fundamental and prophetic call to the church to

Missional “in quotes”

2007-10-08T20:32:00.001-05:00

Willingness to partake in corporate vision is the greatest compliment that a person can pay to leadership. It is holy ground and should be treated with reverence.Michael Frost & Alan Hirsch, The Shaping of Things to Come, p. 188Leadership within the Body of Christ is widely misunderstood. It is too often confused with the ability to get things done. But project management and leadership have

Speaking for the Church

2007-10-05T16:59:00.001-05:00

In North America we have canonized individual freedom. We have turned freedom of speech into a right to have all our opinions taken seriously. We have turned the freedom to worship God in our own way into our own private religion (or non-religion).And this individualism has worked its way into our churches.There has been considerable discussion of the dangers of an individualistic view of

Arrogant God

2007-10-04T18:52:00.001-05:00

Here's an excerpt from an interview by Brad Pitt (HT: iMonk):I didn't understand this idea of a God who says, "You have to acknowledge me. You have to say that I'm the best, and then I'll give you eternal happiness. If you won't, then you don't get it!" It seemed to be about ego. I can't see God operating from ego, so it made no sense to me.I agree with Brad Pitt. I agree thatMany people

Sound Familiar?

2007-10-03T22:23:00.001-05:00

The words "liberal" and "fundamentalist" are used today not so much to identify oneself as to label the enemy. . . . There are terms of moral opprobrium that each side employs to attack the other: the fundamentalist is arrogant, blinkered, and culturally illiterate; the liberal is flabby, timid, and carried along by every new fashion of thought. From the point of view of the fundamentalist, doubt

Missional “in quotes”

2007-10-03T11:16:00.000-05:00

True friendship is God's calling, in and of itself. If people find friendship with Jesus through our friendship with them, that is the work of the Holy Spirit.Michael Frost & Alan Hirsch, The Shaping of Things to Come, p. 99If we cultivate relationships with non-believers solely for the purpose of converting them, then we are not doing the work of God. We are doing the work of God a disservice.

Open Letter to Pastors from Jesus

2007-09-26T10:51:00.001-05:00

Dear Pastor,I want you to know my deep love for you. I know that there are many pressures on you. And some of them go with the job. But most of the pressure you feel is self-imposed. You do not have to earn my love. I love you just as you are right now. You know that message of grace that you preach to others. It applies to you as well.The most important thing you can do as a pastor is to relax

Market-Driven Church

2007-09-24T22:26:00.001-05:00

Life in North America is dominated by market forces. And church life is no exception.When believers are looking for a church, they do an informal (or formal) cost-benefit analysis.It might look something like this:BenefitsCostsQuality of worshipDriving timeSkill of preacherGiving expectationsChildren's ministryVolunteer expectationsFacility featuresFacility limitationsYouth pastor?Prestige of

Viral Networking

2007-09-20T10:21:00.001-05:00

As you can see from the side bar, I've added a new syndication service.Every time you load a page, it will give you different links to other blogs featuring posts about religion and spirituality. Each page load will also cause a link from Kingdom Come to appear on another blog that has subscribed to Blog Rush.(If you would like to add this to your own blog, click here. It's free.)I don't have

Missional “in quotes”

2007-09-11T11:36:00.001-05:00

Today it's two for the price of one:So if we take the incarnation seriously, we must take seriously the call to live incarnationally—right up close, near to those whom God desires to redeem. We cannot demonstrate Christlikeness at a distance from those whom we feel God has called us to serve. We need to get close enough to people that our lives rub up against their lives, and that they see the

Wesley Right?

2007-09-09T18:10:00.001-05:00

Here are some excerpts from an address given by Will Willimon at the Oxford Institute of Wesley Studies at Christ College, Oxford University: What If Wesley Was Right? (HT: Michael Spencer)Wesley was more medieval than modern theologian. That is, he inherited the robust Trinitarian faith that had been worked out in the early centuries of the church. God is not an idea, an abstraction, a source of

The Missional Swan

2007-09-07T16:33:00.001-05:00

In The Black Swan, Nassim Taleb argues that "success" rarely is the result of strategic forecasts and superior skill. And those who survive often construct a narrative to explain the reason for their success that sounds plausible but that has no real basis in fact.In a previous post, I explained how some of Taleb's ideas apply to theology. We often think that we know more than we actually know.I

Black Swan--Arrogance

2007-09-04T11:11:00.001-05:00

There are many things that we don't know.The problem is that we don't know that we don't know them and that we won't admit many of the things we do know that we don't know.Taleb is not writing about theology, but he might as well be. Here are a few of his words in isolation:He starts with rigidly Platonic assumptions, completely unrealistic. . . . Then he generates "theorems" and "proofs" from

Black Swan--Overview

2007-09-03T21:24:00.001-05:00

What you don't know certainly can hurt you.That is the message of The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, by Nassim Taleb (Random House, April 2007).The problem is not so much what we don't know. It is rather that we refuse to admit what we don't know. Humans are terrible at processing uncertainty. We overestimate our ability to predict the future. We assume that the world operates

Missional “in quotes”

2007-09-02T18:43:00.001-05:00

We are in a period that makes it impossible to have much clarity about the future and how it is going to be shaped. Therefore those leaders who believe they can address the kind of change we are facing by simply defining a future that people want, and then setting plans to achieve it, are not innovating a missional congregation. They are only finding new ways of preventing a congregation from

All Around the World

2007-09-01T11:30:00.001-05:00

One of the cool things about writing a blog is having readers from other countries. The Internet is indeed creating a global village.Over the past five months, this blog has been visited by individuals from 94 countries.The top ten areUSACanadaUKAustraliaGermanyMalaysiaDenmarkSouth AfricaNetherlandsIndiaSome of the more interesting and surprising locations for visitors wereRomaniaUnited Arab

Addicted to “Success”

2007-09-01T08:40:00.001-05:00

Western culture is obsessed with its image of success. Professional sports teams fire their coaches because they don't win championships. Businesses "need to show earnings growth to satisfy both equity analysts and investors." Even scientists succumb to the pressure to succeed and fudge the results of their research.One doesn't need to engage in extensive investigation to discover that the same

Missional “in quotes”

2007-08-31T18:37:00.001-05:00

The missional church rejects the association of Christianity with American values and the association of the church with entertainment, marketing, and corporate business models. The missional church is reading both Scripture and culture with new eyes. It sees that what is determined by the Christian faith is more than being a good, upright citizen. It sees the church as something different from

That’s Not a Real Disaster

2007-08-31T17:14:00.001-05:00

There has been a lot of nonsense written about the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. I've intended to address this issue, but someone has already done a better job than I would have done.Calvinist view of bridge collapse distorts God's character, by Roger Olsen (HT, BHT)"What if God is in charge but not in control?""The God of Calvinism scares me; I'm not sure how to distinguish him from the devil.

Missional “in quotes”

2007-08-30T09:49:00.001-05:00

Not only do we not need God to explain the universe, we don't need God to operate the church. Many operate like giant machines, with church leaders serving as mechanics. God doesn't have to show up to get done what's being done.Reggie McNeal, The Present Future, p. 6Too often the church operates on a human level. We act as if everything depends upon us. We too easily forget that it is God's

Missional “in quotes”

2007-08-25T11:22:00.001-05:00

Rather than the leader having plans and strategies that the congregation will affirm and follow, cultivation describes the leader as the one who works the soil of the congregation so as to invite and constitute the environment for the people of God to discern what the Spirit is doing in, with, and among them as a community.Alan Roxburgh & Fred Romanuk, The Missional Leader, p. 28Missional

Missional Freedom

2007-08-25T11:11:00.001-05:00

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live. He has forfeited his freedom. Only the person who risks is truly free.AnonymousI've been thinking over a few ministry encounters that took place over the past week and how I responded to them differently

Missional “in quotes”

2007-08-24T11:08:00.001-05:00

A congregation must become a place where members learn to function like cross-cultural missionaries rather than a gathering place where people come to receive religious goods and services.Alan Roxburgh & Fred Romanuk, The Missional Leader, p. 13Missional does not mean being hip and trendy. It means that we are on God's mission. It means that we are here to serve, not to be served.Pastor

Missional “in quotes”

2007-08-21T09:40:00.001-05:00

Overemphasis on technique can undermine solid missiological thinking. There is a lack of theological depth in much of the contemporary church planting and church growth movements because these are movements of techniques, paradigms, and methodologies without genuine biblical and missiological convictions.Ed Stetzer & David Putman, Breaking the Missional Code, p. 184God, save us from pragmatism