a candid christian

A Million Miles...

2011-03-07T11:23:00.000-05:00

What story are you telling? from Rhetorik Creative on Vimeo.

Get your copy here.

Christmas food distribution at The Mission

2010-12-20T14:02:00.002-05:00

We Feed People: Christmas, 2010 from Union Mission on Vimeo.

Stairway to Heaven?

2010-09-16T08:11:00.000-04:00

Do yourself a favor and watch this full-screen. Anti-anxiety meds not included.

New Jars of Clay song

2010-08-30T13:07:00.002-04:00

Out Of My Hands by jarsofclay

Justin Bieber on acid

2010-08-24T11:40:00.003-04:00

Stop. Just stop.

2010-06-02T02:10:00.002-04:00

Via: Online MBA

Acts29 Coming to Morgantown

2010-06-02T00:12:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure I can properly convey my excitement to see a missional, Gospel-centered, Christ-honoring Acts29 church plant coming to Morgantown. It's a city I love and care deeply for, and that's why I'm so excited to see this happening.

So... welcome Frontier Morgantown, and keep the church-planting team in your prayers.

Spiritual 404--Your Faith Cannot Be Found

2010-05-10T09:46:00.000-04:00

Ran across this online the other day and it's at least worth a chuckle.

404-This page cannot be found

Possible causes:

Baptist explanation: There must be sin in your life. Everyone opened it just fine.

Presbyterian explanation: It's not God's will that you open this link.

Word of Faith explanation: You lack the faith to open this link. Your negative words have prevented you from realizing this link's potential.

Charismatic explanation: Thou art loosed! Be commanded to OPEN!

Unitarian explanation: All links are equal, so if this link doesn't work for you, feel free to experiment with other links that might bring you joy and fulfillment.

Episcopalian explantion: Are you saying you have something against homosexuals? Is that why you were trying to open this link?

Christian Science explanation: There really is no link.

Church counselor's explanation: And what did you feel when the link wouldn't open?

Buddhist explanation: This 404 message hurts. Only when you accept that all links will hurt you will you be able to stop using the Internet.Atheist explanation: The only reason you think this link exists is because you need it to exist.

I love NoiseTrade

2010-02-26T16:08:00.002-05:00

Walking in someone else's shoes

2009-11-20T14:10:00.000-05:00

There he stood, a little cherub with corn rows on the top of his head and scuffed up, untied kicks on the bottom of his feet. His name was Traevon. He was the cutest thing I’d seen all day.

And I’d seen a lot of people. Old people, young people. Heavy people, thin people. People walking and people in wheelchairs. People who smelled bad, redolent of stale Pall Malls and wet dogs. It’s not uncommon where I work. After all, Union Mission is the largest Christian mission in the state, dispensing social justice on a grand scale. Indeed, each month The Mission feeds a number larger than the population of the city where it operates.

One of the first activities in what we call the "fall campaign" occurs in October, before the typically cold winter sets in. It's then that we hold a coat giveaway.

And that brings us back to Traevon. He was one of five kids, ranging from 10 to 2, belonging to a woman who had no one but herself to depend on. She’d piled all of her kids on a city bus, traveled out to our campus to get coats for everyone, and was set to climb back on the next bus back into town. Seeing just how difficult it was for her, we offered to help watch her kids while she “shopped.” Traevon and I hit it off.

See, I’m a do-gooder, a righteous promoter of social justice, proud of my own humility. I haven’t always admitted this. Heck, I haven’t always realized it…that is, until the 2009 Union Mission coat drive.

THE LAST TIME I bought a winter coat for myself was 2001. I was in my mid-20s and still in college. It was one of the first big purchases I’d made on the net, a charcoal gray campus coat from J. Crew. But after eight years, tons of trips around the country and notorious West Virginia winters it was time for an upgrade. Buttons were missing, the lining was tearing away at the seams…you get the picture.

So it was that I decided that 2009 was the year I'd get a new winter coat. Maybe I'd put it on my Christmas wishlist, maybe I'd splurge and get one myself. I'm not gonna lie. I was looking forward to it. Everyone likes new things, right?

Back to my story. My job during the coat giveaway was to take pictures, post updates to Facebook and Twitter, and generally stay out of the way. I'm not a "front-liner" at The Mission, so I don't often get to get my hands dirty, as it were, doing "boots on the ground" ministry work. Enough metaphors, though. Bottom line? I wanted to do some interacting.

So I did. I went around the room, helping people find the right sizes for their kids, replacing broken hangers, re-hanging fallen coats and making silly faces at children so they'd laugh a little.

And that's when I saw a nice, charcoal gray coat, much like the one I already had, hanging in the back corner. Wouldn't you know it? The thing fit. No holes, no stains, no weird cat smell. I determined, then and there, that at the end of the coat giveaway, I was going to make a financial donation to next year's coat drive and take that coat home with me. Now, it doesn't take much to make me happy--I'm a cheap date, as it were--so I was stoked.

My dilemma was this: no way that coat was going to be there by the end of the day. There was just no way. The thing was too nice, too "new looking." It was name brand, for crying out loud. So I resigned myself to the knowledge that someone else would get it, someone who needed it much more than I did. And that was fine, really. After all, I came to The Mission to serve, not to be served.

But as the day wore on, more and more people passed it by, some without so much as a glance. Each time someone approached that rack, I was sure they'd take it. But, no. Instead, at the end of the day, I was pleasantly surprised to find that coat still hanging in that corner. When we locked the doors, I pulled it off its hanger, threw it over my shoulders and, voila! I had a (somewhat) new coat for the upcoming winter.

And I started bragging about it, if you want to know the truth. "Can you believe no one took this great coat?" I'd say. That's when God burst my bubble. Kaye, a co-worker with a lot more experience working with those in need, glanced up at me wearing my coat, looked me up and down, and said, "Is it dry clean only?" I looked at the tag. It was.

That's when it hit me, like a ton of bricks: despite my "do-gooder" attitude, despite my outward displays of piety and my Pharasaical attitude, the bottom line is that I am hopelessly stuck with the mindset of most people in our me-first, full-of-advantage culture.

You see, when I look for an article of clothing--and I'd be willing to bet this is your priority, too--I see color, fit and style. I don't worry about practicality and warmth. After all, I have more than one coat in my closet. Heck, to be honest, I never really needed a new coat this year in the first place. That my first reaction to seeing this coat was how great it looked proves it.

Men and women in need view the world through a different lens. I'd be willing to bet that not one person who considered that coat for a minute even saw its label. Or its color. Or even how it fit them like a glove. No, they took one look at that "dry clean only" label and marked it off as unwearable. After all, for someone who doesn't even know where their next meal is coming from, what good is a coat that can't be washed in a laundromat? And that's if they're lucky. What good is a coat that can't be washed in a bathroom sink? In a river?

We like to think, especially this time of year, that we know a little something of need. After all, we sacrifice a little here and there, maybe serve a Thanksgiving meal (the day before Thanksgiving, of course) and put our dimes and nickels in those red kettles. Maybe some of us "slum it" a little, getting our hands dirty working at a soup kitchen. Then we put on our designer coats and slip into our warm beds after milk and cookies and go to sleep peacefully. (Maybe we stress a little about our jobs, and that keeps us up for an hour or so.)

Please don't misunderstand me. Be thankful for how God has blessed you. And thank you for your acts of social justice, whether it's donating canned goods or cleaning the bathroom of a homeless shelter.

But never think for a minute that you understand what it's like to walk in someone else's shoes until you've truly walked in someone else's shoes. Coming into that coat giveaway, I was sure I knew what hunger and suffering was all about. I see it everyday, after all. But I don't live it, and my attitude about getting a new coat only proved it.

To quote Dennis Miller, I don't want to get off on a rant here, but until we start seeing the world a little differently we're never going to completely abandon our own creature comforts for the sake of others. We need to get to the point where it's more important to go without a latte one morning so that your local charity can have that $3. We need to get to the point where it's more important to see a gay man or woman as a person to be loved rather than demonized. We need to get to the point where it's more important to see a man on a street corner as a man instead of a lazy bum who won't get a job. We need to get to the point of losing sleep over children like Traevon instead of worrying about tomorrow's deadline.

Am I truly willing to abandon myself for others? I wish I knew.

How about you?

Naivete at The Mission

2009-10-21T08:23:00.001-04:00

When I went to work at Union Mission back in January, everyone sort of chuckled at my inexperience in Mission work (some might call it naivete...and they would be right.)

Their source of merriment was my contention that I was excited for the fall, when pretty much every day is critical to the success of our food giveaways, coat giveaways, benefit concerts, holiday mailings, etc. A lot of that stuff is generated from the development and marketing department where I work. My attitude was "bring it on."

"Be careful what you pray for," the saying goes. No kidding. The pace is picking up here at The Mission, and that means a lot of work ahead.

But you know what? It also means a lot of opportunity. And for that, I'm excited.

Here's a rundown of things coming up this weekend:

Saturday: Coat Giveaway
This has become our first big event at The Mission each year. We collect coats starting in August, then sort them, hang them and give them away to our guests. Our guys at Union Mission Crossroads and the Union Mission Foundations program, along with the women and children at Brookside Family Life Center get first crack, then we invite our guests from Union Mission Family Services to get what they and their children need to stay warm this winter.

Saturday: Blessed Sacrament's annual Cardboard City
A special shout-out to Michelle Patterson, who works with the youth at Blessed Sacrament in South Charleston. She invited us back in the summer to participate in their event, which helps educate their young people about extreme poverty and homelessness. I'll be speaking at the event and participating in a Q&A afterward.

Sunday: Brown paper bag inserts
Do you get the Sunday Gazette-Mail? If so, keep an eye out for brown paper bags with our signature wefeedpeople.com logo; inside, you'll find some information about our Thanksgiving dinner and how you can help.

Sunday: Jeremy Camp's "Speaking Louder Than Before"
Christian recording artist Jeremy Camp is in town, along with Natalie Grant and Bebo Norman, to put on a concert at the Municipal Auditorium. Tickets are going fast, so get 'em now! Oh, and make sure you bring a canned good with you...we'll have a collection site just outside the entrance as well as a booth set up inside to share The Mission with you. We've also been invited to come onstage and tell the audience a little about what we do here at Union Mission.

Sunday: Bethany Baptist Church's Missions Conference
Bethany Baptist has been a wonderful partner to Union Mission over the years, and we're excited to participate in their upcoming Missions Conference. Union Mission President and CEO, Rex Whiteman, is the keynote speaker for their Sunday festitivies.

(I'll say this much: I'm no longer naive at how busy Mission work can be.)

Some favorites from The NINES

2009-09-10T11:15:00.000-04:00

If you didn't catch some of the Leadership Network and Catalyst's theNines event, there were some really, really great messages from pastors and church leaders around the country. I thought I'd share a few of my favorites with you.

Well, two of them, anyway. After all, some of the more popular pastors' videos are listed as "private," and you can't embed them from YouTube. That's pretty disappointing. I hope I'm just doing something wrong rather than some of them not being as forthright in sharing their material on a common site. Oh, I'm sure you could go to their specific websites and watch the videos, but how about sharing some page views, fellas? I dare say you could spare a few!

So here you go with two videos from theNines.

J.D. Greear of The Summit Church in Raleigh/Durham, N.C.

Rich Nathan of The Vineyard Church, Columbus, Ohio

God's Chisel

2009-09-03T14:26:00.001-04:00

Very cool...take a look when you have some time.

Want a Free T-Shirt?

2009-07-08T10:44:00.003-04:00

Then take a look...

Video Introduction to "The Reason for God"

2009-06-18T12:53:00.004-04:00

The following is a video done by Dr. Tim Keller explaining why he wrote "The Reason for God."

"The Reason for God" Media Center

2009-06-18T11:59:00.003-04:00

For those of you who will be joining us for Christianity Uncorked, here is a link to "The Reason for God" Media Center. On this page you will find access to the "Penguin Reader's Guide" that we'll be using as a guide to our discussions.

Below is Dr. Timothy Keller's (unless noted otherwise) sermons and study guides to the first seven chapters of the book. For those of you who are interested in digging deeper or conveniently listening to a message on your IPod or in your car, these audio messages and study guides will serve as a great support to the book.

Exclusivity: How can there be just one true religion? Download Audio Study Guide

Suffering: If God is good, why is there so much evil in the world? Download Audio Study Guide

Absolutism: Don't we all have to find truth for ourselves? Download Audio Study Guide

Injustice: Hasn't Christianity been an instrument for oppression? Download Audio Study Guide

Hell: Isn't the God of Christianity an angry Judge? Download Audio Study Guide

Doubt: What should I do with my doubts? (by David Bisgrove) Download Audio Study Guide

Literalism: Isn't the Bible historically unreliable and regressive? Download Audio Study Guide

The Story of Christianity Explains All Others

2009-06-17T20:31:00.004-04:00

Doug Powell once asked what John Lennon. Jean-Paul Sartre. Woody Allen. Bertrand Russell. Stephen Spielberg. Peter Singer. Snoop Dog. Aristotle. Garth Brooks. Ayn Rand. Madonna has in common? In responding to his own question he answered, “They are all philosophers. They all try to make sense of reality, the world, of who we are and why we're here. Only some are formally trained in philosophy, but all of them put forward a philosophy in their work” (How movies, music, and art always contain the truth of Christianity).

Let’s consider two examples from popular music.

From their landmark single, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for,” front man Bono began:

I have climbed highest mountain, I have run through the fields,

Only to be with you

I have run, I have crawled, I have scaled these city walls these city walls,

Only to be with you

But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

This element of seeking for something beyond ourselves is reiterated by Cold Play, in their song “Cemeteries of London” from their latest installment Viva La Vida.

At night they would go walking till the breaking of the day
The morning is for sleeping
Through the dark streets they go searching to see God in their own way

God is in the houses and God is in my head
And all the cemeteries in London
I see God come in my garden but I don’t know what He said
For my heart it wasn’t open, not open

Although the meaning of this song is not explicitly clear, some have contended that it's about someone searching for something, a truth or meaning, “to see god in their own way' it describes their journey” (HoliHallow), while others believe that this song is “expressing some desire to connect with what’s 'out there' a sort of spiritual vibe going on, its mystical and explores a new dimension. When we die we shed our pride we go off to the grave and we are all equal, I think it’s about embracing the next phase and feeling whole again. Kind of envying the dead, but at the same time loving life too” (ItsAbout).

These songs relate the artists search for something beyond themselves, yet not finding what that “something” is. They speak of their search for god in their own way, seeing him, yet not knowing what he said. These songs serve not only as a recollection of the artists search for god; these songs are also shared and embraced by many devoted fans around the world as the story to their lives as well.

So what is it about these songs that allow for so many people to resonate with them? Why are people from diverse backgrounds capable of sharing their story in search for meaning? People from all walks of life are able to resonate with such songs because they reflect an element of Truth in our search for meaning.

J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, believed that myths – stories that attempt to explain our existence or aspect of human behavior – were true in so far as they reflected Jesus Christ, who is the embodiment of Truth (see Powell). C.S. Lewis – who was heavily influenced by Tolkien - argued that, “The story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us in the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference that it really happened.” He went on to say that “Christianity is God expressing Himself through what we call ‘real things’ namely, the actual incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection” (see C.S. Lewis’s letter to Arthur Greeves, October 18, 1931)

Man’s search for God is at the very core of our being. Human beings are naturally spiritual creatures who are incurably religious (James Emery White, A Search for the Spiritual: Exploring Real Christianity, pg. 12). Writing in the 4th century, a North African Bishop by the name of Augustine's said of God, "You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are rest-less till they find their rest in you" (Confessions, 1.1.1)

Christianity teaches that mankind was created in the image and likeness of God (see Genesis 1-2, 9). This not only means that our self-worth is found in Him, this means that everyone has been created with a religious zeal. From the Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes, we read that God “has put eternity into man’s heart” (Eccl. 3.11). Being created with such innate desires readily explains the existence of religious pluralism – in that throughout all of time and every geographic location we will discover people who worship “god” - and the existence of God (see Art Lindsey, Argument from Desire: Do our desires point to something or nothing?).

From the New Testament, the Apostle Paul said, “And he [referring to God] made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us” (Acts 17.26-27).

This passage from the Bible insinuates that God not only created us, but also determined when and where we would live with the intent that we would seek out after Him. Although we have been created with this disposition, we come away from these verses that mankind is feeling their way along in the dark, seeking out after the One, True and Living God without knowing the way, even though He is not far from all of us (Doesn’t this sound similar to “Cemeteries of London?”).

You see, Christianity teaches that mankind is born with a “sinful nature.” The presence of sin – which is the “lack of conformity to the law of God in act, habit, attitude, outlook, disposition, motivation, and mode of existence” (J.I. Packer, Original Sin from Concise Theology) – permeates the root of our being. This facet of Christianity is typically called “total depravity” or “radical corruption.”

Even though I typically don’t like to reference Wikipedia, I believe that the authors of this article did an excellent job in defining this doctrine:

Total depravity is the fallen state of man as a result of original sin. The doctrine of total depravity asserts that people are by nature not inclined to love God wholly with heart, mind, and strength, but rather all are inclined to serve their own interests over those of their neighbor and to reject the rule of God. Even religion and philanthropy are destructive to the extent that these originate from a human imagination, passions, and will (Wikipedia, italics mine).

What’s amazing about the message of Christianity is that God did not leave us to our own devices and passions. He has not left us to search out for Him in the dark without a light. He has explicitly revealed Himself to us in His Son, Jesus Christ.

After Paul addressed the religious zeal of his audience, he concluded his talk with these words, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17.30-31).

The plot of Christianity is this message that Paul proclaimed. This message is one of redemption and hope in the life, death, burial, resurrection, and eventual return of Jesus Christ.
If you consider yourself a person who has climbed great heights or ran great lengths to find God, then I ask that you consider the story of Christ in completing this journey and blazing the paths of a new one. If you have been searching for God in your own way, then I ask you to consider reading what Christianity considers to be the self-revelation of God, the Bible. It is within this ancient text that we discover the wisdom that leads us to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (see 2 Timothy 3.15).

Andrew and I will be the first to admit that we don’t have all of the answers to life’s questions! But we invite you to join with us in searching out the True Story of God, as revealed in Jesus Christ.

Besides, “What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself” (Blaise Pascal, Pensees, pg. 45).

Christianity Uncorked

2009-06-12T11:32:00.000-04:00

Sheesh...it's been since March that I've blogged. Part of that is being busy. Part of it is not making it as much of a priority as I should. And a part of it is that since I started working at Union Mission I have been blogging over at blog.wefeedpeople.com.

However, now that my good friend Jesse Wisnewski and I are beginning our Christianity Uncorked series, it's a good time to get back in the swing of things here on the blog. I'll get back to writing regularly, and now Jesse is going to be posting here as well. I'm very excited about that.

Below you'll find the flyer to our bi-monthly "Christianity Uncorked" discussion group. You can also engage the discussion on Facebook; just log on and look up either Jesse or myself and check our event calendar.

Hope to see you soon!

We Feed People: On the Road

2009-03-23T10:40:00.001-04:00

I had the great fortune to speak at the church where I grew up this past Sunday morning. It was great to see old friends and family and share Union Mission with them. I hope God directs me to take more speaking engagements, not only because it gets me out of my introverted shell, but it also affords me the opportunity about the good work we God is doing at Union Mission.

I thought I would post the text of my "talk" here. This is the printed text I used; it's certainly not verbatim to what I said Sunday morning, but it's close enough. Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll feel let to participate with Union Mission in Helping Hurting People in Jesus Name.

So, the question is: what am I doing here this morning instead of the pastor? I'm here because I want to take a little time to tell you about where I work, but I want to frame it scriptureally and view it in light of where we are as a culture. Then, hopefully, we'll bring it all around to Jesus. Because if we're not talking about Jesus, then was the heck are we doing here?

I now work at Union Mission. I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with the Mission. You've probably seen our bright green and black trucks with the We Feed People logo on the side. And that's exactly what we do, most visibly through our holiday food drives many of you have volunteered for in the past. What you may not be aware of is the full scope of our ministry. When we say we feed people, we're not just talking about physical feeding. At Union Mission, everyone--every single person--that comes through our door for help hears the Gospel. It's a pre-condition of receiving our help. Want a package of diapers for your kids? We'll give it to you...but you're gonna hear about Jesus. Need a refrigerator? You got it...now here's some Jesus.

All of that brings me to the point of what I want to talk about today, and I want to use some scripture to bring the message home. If you will, please turn with me to Luke 4:18. Also, find 1 Peter 1:3-5.

(You can read those passages here.)

Let's look at Jesus' words in Luke 4:18. If you'll recall, here we see Jesus, fresh out of the desert from his 40-day fast. He's new on the scene; he hasn't even gathered any disciples yet. There's this buzz in the air about this new teacher in Galilee, and Jesus comes to the local synagogue and opens the scrolls there to a passage from what we now call the book of Isaiah, chapter 61. And he reads the words recorded both in Isaiah and in Luke chapter 4.

Here's the Messiah, the Christ, and what does he use as the text of his first sermon? To proclaim the good news to who? The poor. To proclaim liberty to who? Captives. Recovering of sight to who? The blind. Certainly some of what Jesus is saying here is metaphorical and speaks to spiritual poverty, spiritual blindness, spiritual oppression. But that's the beauty of Christ's mission here on earth. He knew, just as we should know and practice, that to be effective communicators of the Gospel we need to combine a message of both spiritual and physical, both earthly and eternal. He preached both.

We know this because we know that salvation is a spiritual transaction. His death, burial and resurrection was a spirtual act, done to result in our spiritual renewal. But we also know that Jesus didn't simply preach a spiritual message for spiritual renewal. He preached to those who were physically downtrodden too?

How do we know this? Just look at those with whom Jesus related.

One of his closest friends was Peter. He was known as Simon the Zealot. And what was a Zealots? They were a Jewish sect that advocated violent overthrow of the Roman goverment. Sound familiar? Peter was, in essence, a terrorist! He was a hot-head, quick to speak, quick to anger. Yet it was this man, a simple fisherman, that Jesus built his church upon.

Who else? Of all of the people, to whom did Jesus first reveal his divinity? It was a multiple divorcee who was in an intimate relationship with a man she wasn't married to and who had come out to that well in the middle of the day probably because she was so ostrasized in her own community that it wasn't worth the headache of hearing the gossip of the other women come to draw water in the morning. Oh, and she was a Samartian, which was the lowest social class in Palestine, at least according to the majority Jewish population. Never mind the fact that she was a woman, and I don't have to tell you what the status of women in 1st century Palestine was like. Yet it was this immoral, Samartian woman to whom Jesus first said, in essence, "I am the messiah."

There's more. Zaccheus was a tax collector who cheated his own people out of their scarce money simply to get rich and curry favor with an occupying empire. Being a tax collector was the epitome of a traitor. Yet it was this man, of all of the throngs of people who had gathered to hear Jesus that day, who our Lord chose to dine with.

Just look at those three people. A terrorist. An adultress. A traitor. These were the people Jesus associated with. It's obvious, from scripture, that Jesus had an affinity for the downtrodden. Sure, we know that. We're taught it from the time we are children. But we often take it for granted and miss the point of just how committed to social justice Jesus was both on earth and in heaven. Let's look at Jesus' associations with fresh eyes this morning to get at the truth he would teach us.

Look, Jesus could have come as a conquering king. He was fully in his rights and powers to do so. But he didn't. He chose to enter human history as an orphan born to a poor family in an occupied country, the son of a woman suspected of adultery, pregnant before marriage. He was never rich, probably never owned a home, never physically wrote a book and chose a career as a carpenter in a land without a lot of wood. That's who Jesus came as, so it's no surprise that he "came to preach the gospel to the poor." As a man, that's what he knew.

An interesting thing is happening in our culture today, and to a large extent the Church as well. The world is shrinking because of new modes of communication like the Internet, and we're more aware now than ever before of the plight of poor people. War is rampant, AIDS is epidemic. TB and malaria kill thousands of Third World children every year.

That's why social justice has become this buzz word in our culture. Everyone is into it. Buy a certain color of clothes from the Gap, and they'll donate money to AIDS relief in Africa. American Idol, that most popular of television programs, has for the past two years raised $130 million for global charities. Many churches are pushing this too, preaching a message of social justice from the pulpit. And that's great, but it raises key question: is social justice without Jesus really worth anything?

Look, social justice without Jesus works. It does. If American Idol raised $130 million, someone's life was better after that money was raised than before it. Locally, I can take you to any number of homeless shelters in downtown Charleston where the Gospel is not being preached, and yet people's lives are being changed because of the dedication of people who are not motivated to practice acts of social justice because of their relationship with God, but because they choose to give of themselves for the benefit of others.

So what's the problem? The problem is this: no matter how successful a person's recovery is, without an experience with Jesus Christ, that recovery and success is ultimately fleeting. Scripture points this out: "For what would it profit a man to gain the whole world and, in the end, lose his own soul." That's God's word. "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal." That's God's word.

What about social justice with Jesus? First of all, being committed to acts of social justice is not a recommendation. It's a commandment. Jesus told us to do it, and because He is a good God, gave us the Holy Spirit by which to compel us to do so. It's why you pay your tithe on Sunday, why you come to a place like Union Mission to sort canned goods during holiday food giveaways. It's why you spend a weekend in a prison, ministering to men regardless of who they are or what they've done.

Of course, there's a caveat here. Does placing Jesus as the focus of our acts of social justice mean everything's gonna be OK? Surely not! One of the biggest failings of the modern church is this absurd notion that believing in Jesus is like waving a magic wand and that all of your problems will go away once you believe in him. It's absurd and borderline blasphemous. God doesn't promise a bed of roses. But he does give us a savior who will stand with us when the going gets rough. And it will get rough. Guaranteed.

There's so much more to life than what we can see with our two eyes. The difference between doing acts of social justice with Jesus and doing acts of social justice without Jesus is the difference eternity makes. See, changing lives through the power of Christ multiplies its effect exponentially. The payoff is literally eternal!

Remember that passage in Peter? Peter is speaking of an inheritance, not an immediate reward. Through Christ, we are the receivers, always the recipent. We are receivers at each and every point of our relationship to him. We are receivers of his mercy despite our sinfulness. We are receivers of his salvation in our new birth. We are receivers in our resurrection at the end of the age. And, finally, we are receivers in our inheritance of eternal life through Him in heaven.

Of course, this raises a problem on the opposite end of the spectrum. Do we, then, neglect this world, knowing our reward won't be fully realized until we arrive at eternity? Absolutely not! It's a shame that too many Christians have come to believe that church exists for them instead of existing to be the structure through which Christ's work is accomplished in the community. Woe be to the church congregation that treats Sunday worship like a country club gathering with no application outside its doors. But if eternity is the ultimate reward, what is the payoff of doing acts of social justice without guarantee of success?

Jesus is our model here. Remember, he merged the earthly with the eternal, the physical with the spiritual. We are to do the same. Every so often--and not all of the time or even most of the time--men and women escape the bonds of addicition and poverty to live a prosperous life...and they find a relationship with Jesus in the process. That's dual salvation, earthly and eternal. And it does happen. We should all commit ourselves to allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in responsibly confronting social injustice while keeping the focus on the spiritual transformation in the lives of those who desperately need to know Jesus.

My Meeting with McLaren

2009-03-17T14:32:00.000-04:00

OK, so it's not really a meeting. I did get to shake the guy's hand and say a cursory hello.

(By the way...that's me on the fourth row aisle seat, looking stoned. I wasn't. I promise. My brother and sister-in-law are to my left.)

Brian McLaren, known in many ways as the father of the emergent church movement, visited my brother's church (Highland Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky) this past weekend, delivering a Sunday morning sermon, holding an informal Q&A during Sunday School and then lecturing on the thesis of his new book, "Everything Must Change." I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in all three activities and certainly enjoyed the experience. Not that I agree 100 percent with his theology, but I think he is raising some important issues for the Church to consider.

(Others didn't agree either, especially during the evening Q&A. This is McLaren's take on the event. I looked across the blogosphere for the guy who challenged McLaren about redemption, eternity and the emergent theology during the Q&A but couldn't find him. I also looked on Twitter to no avail.)

Of course, I could spend hours talking about where McLaren and I agree and disagree. Feel free to peruse posts tagged "emergent" or "brian mclaren" for times we've discussed it before.

Darwin's Birthday...and I'm Late to the Party

2009-03-12T13:45:00.000-04:00

I read a fascinating piece the other day while researching ahead of a trip to see Brian McLaren speak out in Louisville on Sunday.

Sure, this is a late response to that particular blog post, but I'm sharing nonetheless.

I'm certainly in agreement that religion has treated science with disdain when the two are not inherently competitive. I'm also in agreement that society has, in large part, sacrificed objective truth on the altar of subjective morality (although I don't think Charles Darwin is solely to blame for this shift in cultural attitudes...post-modern thought didn't arise from one man's scientific theory).

I disagree with Ken that "do unto others as you would have them do until you" is the core of Christ's message. It is undoubtedly an essential part of the Christian theology that Jesus established. It is not The Gospel. To think otherwise is to place man's actions ahead of God's salvation. Indeed, that line of reasoning has it backwards; the reverse, in fact, is true: salvation first, works that result from that salvation is second.

The Gospel is this: in an outpouring of love, God created the universe, and with it, mankind. The first man chose sin instead of a personal relationship with God, and, thus, sin entered the world, separating imperfect humans from a perfect and divine God. Yet God, in his great mercy and love, ever-seeking to restore man's relationship to Him, provided Himself as a sacrifice by coming to earth as a man, Jesus, who lived a perfect and sinless life prior to giving Himself to death.

In that act of sacrifice--and in His glorious, bodily resurrection from the dead three days later--Jesus now stands at man's side as an advoate, saying to God on behalf of those Christ has saved: "This is my child. He/she has asked forgiveness for the sinful acts of their lives that have separated them from you. Yes, this one is imperfect. But I was willing to live the life he/she could not have lived by dying the death he/she should have died. I took this one's place, Father. My perfection provides Grace to them in your eyes, regardless of their worthiness."

That's The Gospel. Sure, gratitude from Christ's sacrifice pours itself out from Believers in acts of sacrificial love; these are reflections of Christ's love for man, stirred in us by Christ living within us through the Holy Spirit. This manifests itself as Christ commanded, through "doing unto others as you would have them do unto you." But that oft-quoted verse is not The Gospel. A component, yes.

I'm not as intelligent as Charles Darwin. I think he came up with a fascinating theory. The minutae of how God, in His omniscence and omnipotence, established Creation, is beyond the limits of my human intelligence. Don't misunderstand. I'm not suggesting that it is somehow wrong to attempt, with vigorous scientific observation and inquiry, to discern these and other matters. What I am suggesting is that mankind is guilty of a collective arrogance in regards to its attempts at comprehending God. That, among other reasons, is why I can't understand the reasons behind some evangelicals' celebration of an agnostic scientist, despite his obvious genius.

So, what do you think? Agree with me? Disagree with me? That's cool...but share your thoughts. Back 'em up.

Take care...

Multi-Media Monday

2009-03-07T21:33:00.000-05:00

What? Huh? A new post? Must be joking, right?

Nope...here's hoping I can get back to a regular posting schedule.

Enjoy the video!

History is Made (Again)

2009-01-16T09:43:00.000-05:00

Like him or not...think he is "Christian enough" or not...think what you will, but Jan. 20 is going to be a historic day for the country.

And just in case you have nowhere else to watch Barack Obama's inauguration, feel free to tune in right here.

Multi-Media Monday: Logo's Scholar Library Give Away

2009-01-12T15:18:00.000-05:00

Christian author and blogger Anne Jackson is doing a pretty cool thing: giving away $630 Bible study software from Logo's. Head over to her blog, FlowerDust, to get the scoop.

I'm trying to win too, of course...so here's a couple scripture verses I love (one each from Old and New Testament).

Psalm 27:4
"One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple."

Romans 8:1
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

Multi-Media Monday

2008-12-29T05:46:00.001-05:00

Melissa Etheridge: Rick Warren doesn't "sound like a gay-hater, much less a preacher." (The Huffington Post)

That's because Rick Warren is not a gay-hater. Nor are most Christians, if you want to know the truth. Most people, however, don't want to know the truth about Christians. It's too easy to simply buy into every stereotype about us that you can find. And, trust me, you can find plenty.

See, mass media will tell you we hate gays, African-Americans, unwed mothers, illegal aliens, etc. And you thought Christians are hypocrites (we are, of course...just no more than anyone else.) The irony would be hilarious if it weren't so pathetically sad. Christians are accused of using stereotypes to push an agenda of hatred and fear. Yet, many times, the opposite is true. Our society has become so blatant in its perpetuation of stereotypes against Evangelicals that we don't even realize it's happening. We are the only socio-cultural group of whom it is socially acceptable to hate. Christians are seen as bigoted, intolerant and quick to judge. Sadly, many high-profile Evangelical leaders have said hurtful things (I'm looking at you, Pat Robertson), and those incidents have painted all of us with a very broad brush. The irony is that it's the same brush used to portray all homosexuals as pedophiles, predators and perverts. Are some homosexuals pedophiles, predators and perverts? You bet they are...just as you can bet there are Christians who are bigoted, intolerant and quick to judge.

Christianity vs. Universalism (YouTube)

I get so stinkin' tired of universalist philosophy. It's so disingenuous...at best. At worst, it's a coward's way out. It's essentially saying "I don't have the stones to stand behind my own convictions, so I'll just hold hands with everyone, tap my red shoes together three times while singing 'Kumbaya, My Lord' and hope for the best. That's not hope.

"For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."

Dante's Inferno (YouTube)

Disclaimer: I don't believe in purgatory, nor do I think Mr. Alighieri had the whole "hell thing" figured out. His Divine Comedy was just that: a work of poetic fiction. It's just that this animated movie version of "Inferno" looks really, really cool.

(It's sad, isn't it, that I have to put a disclaimer before posting this. Trust me. If I don't, some uber-legalist Christian will get all pissy with me for promoting something that's not in the King James Version of the Bible. So, just chill...)

Calvinism vs. Arminianism (YouTube)

And, finally, here's one for all of you armchair theologians out there.

Jesus is Peace. Joy. Love. Jesus is Christmas

2008-12-27T22:58:00.000-05:00

Before Christmas 2008 gets too far in the rearview, here's a quick reminder, in this most tumultuous year, of what really matters. Now I know I can't expect everyone who watches this to agree with the "true meaning of Christmas." But this is not a politically correct blog. Sorry. It's just not.

We're about Truth around here, not what society tells us is culturally relevant.

Merry Christmas!

A Biblical Allegory on Network TV?

2008-12-22T21:38:00.000-05:00

Anybody else interested in this show? I'm very, very curious...

Your thoughts?

Gonna Make a T-Shirt out of This (& Wear it to Church)

2008-12-16T10:52:00.000-05:00

Gotta love it...

Potpourri on a Rainy Wednesday

2008-12-10T12:59:00.000-05:00

"True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructing." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Happy Human Rights Awareness Day!

Customer Service Calls to God
Funny. Potentially offensive? Maybe. Someone could theoretically get offended. But, come on. God has a sense of humor--you think He was kidding about that whole "created in His image and likeness" business in Genesis? Where do you think humor comes from, if not from Him. Lighten up.

Sheesh, This is Sad
"I truly expect that death is the end, that there is no everlasting soul, no afterlife. This is a journey that we all must make at some time." Thus says man. Fortunately, God says this: "For in this hope we are saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."

Friday Link Day

2008-11-14T09:12:00.004-05:00

No Communion for Obama Supporters?
Wait, let me see if I understand this. If you support abortion rights, Jesus did not die for you? I'm confused. (That's not the Gospel as I understand it. Whatever happened to Romans 8:1?)

How Do Different Religions Define Death?
I'm not sure this is a point of contention in the Evangelical community. Or am I wrong? Anyone wanna weigh in?

Group Sues Over 'Day of Prayer'
Oh, come on. Get over yourselves. So don't pray. Or, better yet, celebrate the 364 days of the year when most people ignore God.

Text Messaging for Jesus
Give them credit. Christians will make a ministry out of just about anything.

Romans 8

2008-11-13T14:37:00.000-05:00

Want to try one of these? You've got to visit Wordle. Just be careful...you can spend hours doing this.

What's Social Justice Without Jesus?

2008-11-10T23:17:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity to visit a college-town mega-church this past Sunday. It had a huge campus, a coffee bar, great decor, a ton of young people and a rockin' praise and worship service. It's truly remarkable what God is doing there, and I was certainly happy to be a part of the service.

The sermon was good, too. Its title was "Kingdom Living," and the pastor asked, somewhat rhetorically, if we truly understood what it means to live the way Jesus told us to live. He explained, quite rightly, that Christ's way of living is radically different from the way our culture tells us to live. Naturally, he incorporated some manifestations of "Kingdom Living." Cleaning up at a homeless shelter. Buying food for an orphan in Honduras. And so it went.

It's amazing to witness what God's Church is doing in what we're told is a post-modern world. Oh, His people have always been generous to a fault. Studies show Christians are much more philanthropic than the public at large. Even Christians in lower tax brackets are prone to giving what they have much more readily than those who make more money but don't identify with a specific belief system.

But what's changed in the last generation or so is an awareness of social issues that may have escaped Christians in another time. Evangelicals today focus their energies on environmental issues, believing it to be a moral cause and worthy of their God-given mandate to change the world for the better. We care about fair trade; sure, Christians have always been aware of global poverty--one of my Sunday School classes when I was a child sponsored a child in El Salvador--but today we think twice about buying a cup of coffee. Was the man who grew these beans paid a fair price, and can he feed his family in the name of my desire for a latte? That silk shirt I'm wearing--was it stitched by an eight year-old boy in a Indonesian sweatshop?

These are all critically important issues, and I'm so very thankful that today's Church cares about--and works toward a solution for--these and other problems of social injustice.

But there's an inherent problem that comes with this new worldview. It walks a dangerous tightrope between faith- and Grace-based salvation and a works-based system of belief. Scripture tells us Christ's sacrifice on Calvary was an act of supreme Grace, one that we could never merit, deserve or accomplish on our own. In short, there's nothing we can ever do to bridge the gap between our humanity and God's divinity.

We must be very careful, then, that we keep spreading the Gospel forefront when confronting social justice. The old saying goes "No Jesus? No Peace. Know Jesus. Know Peace." That's doggone right, trite though it may be.

Fighting social injustice without incorporating Jesus into the mix doesn't mean anything to the one ministering or to the one being ministered to. That's because the minister isn't able to reconcile himself to God through works, and the one being ministered to cannot hope to find reconciliation to God through someone other than Jesus.

What's your take? Is tackling social injustice without the Gospel message worth anything? Why or why not? Share your thoughts...

Hope

2008-11-05T12:36:00.000-05:00

The real hope of mankind...

Kurt Cobain

2008-11-01T16:44:00.001-04:00

The assignment: go to a party dressed as someone who represents your favorite decade.

So, here's my Kurt Cobain impression. Did I come close? Or do I look more like Jeff Daniels?

Emergent Village Looks Ahead

2008-10-30T23:31:00.001-04:00

Emergent Village is in the midst of a transformation in its operations, a move its board announced Thursday after a year of what it terms a "discernment process."

Its announcement lays out a framework for the future of the Emergent "conversation." I've certainly been critical of aspects of the movement; I've always felt those involved in shaping its message are too willing to capitulate on areas of core Christian doctrine. I know, I know. Emergent is about being a safe place where hard questions can be debated without fear of repurcussion. I get it, and I think that's an admirable goal. I love Emergent's commitment to social justice, too. Its stance on global poverty is wonderful. I've met some truly great, loving Christians that are a part of the Emergent conversation.

Here's what scares me. "Many religious communities fear, shame, restrict and exclude people who ask questions, propose creative innovations, or open up new ways of thinking (emphasis mine.)" That's from Emergent Village's recent announcement. What exactly does this mean? Is such a statement purposely vague? I wholeheartedly agree that it's an unfortunate fact that many fundamental Evangelical communities fear, shame and even exclude those from their congregations who ask hard questions and propose creative innovations. But does "open up new ways of thinking" really mean "open up new ways of believing?"

It's a fine line between Emergent theology and Universalism, which to me is worse than atheism. At least atheists have the courage of conviction. Universalism--there's a great piece about it in the current issue of Relevant magazine, by the way--is, at best, flaky and, at worst, cowardly.

Now, I don't think there's anything cowardly about "friends of Emergent." But it's a slippery slope.

What are your thoughts? Are you a "Friend of Emergent?" Do you agree with its goals and mission? What are your thoughts on its recent announcement? Is Emergent too close to Universalist theology? Join the conversation here.

Twitter Elite

2008-10-22T14:22:00.000-04:00

As my good friend Reid Strader would say, Whoo-Hoo!

The Pope...On Your Phone

2008-10-13T12:58:00.000-04:00

You can, in this day and age, now receive daily text messages from the Pope. That's right, Benedict himself will text you every day with "words of encouragement."

Enjoy....

Throw Marty From the Train

2008-09-24T13:49:00.000-04:00

Here's a link to a blog post I wrote for a colleague's Web site. It's also going up on my company's blog, which I'm taking over the content for. Keep an eye out for VecThree.com if you're interested in the search engine marketing industry.

Bill Hybels and Bono (Part One)

2008-09-16T21:24:00.001-04:00

Multi-Media Monday: Bill Hybels and Bono

2008-09-15T17:39:00.000-04:00

I haven't watched this yet, so there's my disclaimer. Just haven't had the time during a busy work day. But I've been hearing good things about it. This is part one of three.

Sorry. It's Funny. It Just is.

2008-09-11T15:55:00.001-04:00

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

Ivy Jungle Campus Ministry Survey Results

2008-09-10T08:11:00.000-04:00

I've worked on and off in college ministry. That's how I heard about Ivy Jungle, and over the years I've participated in a couple of these surveys. They are vital pieces of research (really, akin to what Barna does for the overall population, albeit on a much smaller scale, of course) that provide clear direction for ministers and laity in campus ministry today.

So, read the survey and share your thoughts. I'll take a look tonight and perhaps record some comments of my own.

(So much to write about, so little time...)

How Would Jesus Vote? Don Miller at DNC 08

2008-08-26T00:01:00.000-04:00

Author and Emerging Church leader Don Miller gives the benediction during the first day of the Democratic National Convention. Added some Democratic Party platforms into his prayer, which I think he shouldn't have done. Now, he's entitled to his political leanings, but I don't think they have a place in a prayer, even if you do think universal health care and minimum wage are moral issues.

I'm disappointed he didn't get any television time...I suppose if he'd not used the name Jesus and instead prayed to some relativistic, wimpy god who answers to any name you want to call him then maybe television wouldn't have cut him out. But you start praying to "Your son Jesus, who gave His own life," then we suddenly get nervous. Pray to god, it's fine. Pray to God, well, that's just not PC, is it?

Of course, here's one criticism I had of the prayer, and I hope I'm not being too nit-picky. When Miller says "who gave His own life against the forces of injustice," I wonder at Miller's meaning here. What he prayed was technically true, but is Miller saying that Christ's death was merely to expose injustice? If so, that makes Jesus no better than Martin Luther King Jr. or Gandhi. Yes, Jesus died because of man's injustice. But let's not forget that He was not murdered. No one took Jesus' life. He gave it willingly to redeem man's sin.

His death was to redeem injustice, not expose it.

What are your thoughts on Miller's prayer? Do you mind that he read it from a Teleprompter? Should he have bowed his head? Do you think television should have showed the prayer? Why or why not?

How Would Jesus Vote? Joe Biden

2008-08-22T23:54:00.003-04:00

So, just who is Joe Biden, and what are his Evangelical credentials?

Senator Joe Biden-Senator for Delaware

(Official site)

"What has happened in the Democratic Party, there's been this reluctance, in the face of the evangelical, judgmental movement on the far right in the past, of even invoking religion, for fear of being put in the same category. But we're a spiritual nation. We're a nation of faith."

Biden's Faith Shaped by Catholic Upbringing
(News feature)

Biden on the Separation of Church and State
(Video)

Biden's Positions on Abortion, the Environment, Families/Children, Principles/Values and Welfare/Poverty
(OnTheIssues.org)

Note: Biden lost a daughter and his first wife in a tragic car accident back in 1972. In an interview with CNN's Paula Zahn, Biden spoke about the tragedy and how it shaped his relationship with God. Read the transcript here (you'll have to scroll down about 1/2 of the way through to get to Biden's Q&A.)

Belief-O-Matic, an Emergent for Obama and Mormon Mitt

2008-08-21T13:55:00.000-04:00

Ah, if only spirituality was as simple as answering a bunch of questions on a quiz to find out who you should worship.

Apparently, it is that easy. At least if you use Beliefnet's Belief-O-Matic. I'm not a big fan of Beliefnet; it's a little too Deepak Chopra-esque to me. But the Belief-O-Matic is mindless fun. Some of the questions need more varied answers--I found that for many of them I had to pick answers that were as close to my Evangelical Christian convictions as I could get; the "right" answer wasn't there--but if you want to spend five minutes taking an online quiz (and who doesn't?), try the amazing, 100% guaranteed Belief-O-Matic today for only three easy payments of $19.99!

But wait! That's not all! If you act right now, you'll get 10 free bonus questions, such as "Do you believe in Oprah?" "How much money did you make after reading Joel Osteen's book 'Your Best Life Now?'" and "How many aliens did it take to make Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes look so much alike?"

Don't delay! Buy Belief-O-Matic today!

In one of the least surprising evangelical news items of the 2008 election cycle, outspoken Emergent guru Brian McLaren has thrown his support for presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama.

In other Emergent news, there are rumors that Rob Bell is leaving Mars Hill Bible Church (Michigan). Has anyone else heard this rumor? Is there anything to it?

It seems Evangelicals are starting to embrace presumptive Republican nominee John McCain following Rick Warren's Saddleback Civil Forum last weekend.

The honeymoon, however, might be short-lived. There's talk that former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is on McCain's vice presidential shortlist. Romney, however, is a Mormon. That fact, some theorize, could jeopardize McCain's new-found stature among Evangelicals.

Questions for discussion:

* What were your Belief-O-Matic results? (I was quite relieved to discover I am, in fact, a born-again Christian. Glad the Belief-O-Matic cleared that up.)

* Should pastors and other Evangelical leaders publically support a presidential candidate? Why or why not? What role should Christian leaders take in presidential politics?

* What do you like about Rob Bell's theology? What don't you like?

* Would having a Mormon on a presidential ticket influence your vote? What about a Muslim? A Hindu? An atheist?

The Pussycat Tiger

2008-08-19T11:39:00.000-04:00

Allow me, if I may, to take a passage from the Bible out of context. Revelations 1:3 says "Blessed is the one who reads..."

Admittedly, the passage refers specifically to the prophetic book of Revelations, not to reading in general. Yet I believe that it is a divine truth that reading is a blessed activity, that God shines upon those who delight in the act of curling up with the written word.

I was always a very small child, rail thin, very bookish. I suppose I was a nerd before nerds were cool. Bottle-thick glasses, freckles...the works.

Of course, I was always quite conscious of my (real or perceived) frailty. Then my mom read me The Pussycat Tiger. I don't know the author--it was a My Little Golden Book. It told the story of a tiger cub, ridiculed by all of the animals of the jungle for his small size and weak growl. Yet his mother told him, "If you eat lots of tiger food and take lots of tiger naps, one day you'll grow up to be a great big tiger."

The moral, of course, was that I wouldn't always be a small, slight child, that one day I'd grow up to be a man, secure in my own skin and able to conquer my own little world just as The Pussycat Tiger eventually did...if only I believed in myself "and ate lots of tiger food and took lots of tiger naps." A simplistic view of life? Perhaps. Yet it remains for me, these many years later, a valuable lesson in self-esteem, taught by a tattered, rail-thin book read to me by my loving mother in the warm glow of a nightlight.

What book got you hooked? Go to FirstBook and share your story--and share it with us here.

Death by Love

2008-08-12T11:45:00.000-04:00

Christians and Muslims Unite?

2008-08-04T14:42:00.000-04:00

Just dying to get your opinion on this little piece of information.

Honest dialogue, or pre-cursor to wide-spread relativism and/or intra-faith ecumenism?

Your thoughts?

(BTW, working on a written version of the "talk" I gave in church Sunday morning. Text is Genesis 38.)

Pick a Sermon, Any Sermon

2008-07-31T16:41:00.000-04:00

I've been asked to fill in for my pastor and give a "sermon" during Sunday morning services. I have a few ideas of my own, but I want to know what you think.

After posting a question for sermon ideas on Twitter the other day, I sorted through the responses and came up with this list. Vote for the one you like best. Of course, God reserves the right to nix any of these ideas--it is, after all, His call--but we may just find that all three of us agree.

(If I'm feeling especially brave, I may even post audio of the sermon here for Multi-Media Monday. We'll see...)

Vote and, please, offer any comments or suggestions. Heck, you may find you don't like any of these ideas, and that's OK, too. Have one of your own? Fill out the comment form.

As always, Grace and Peace...

<a href="http://www.buzzdash.com/index.php?page=buzzbite&BB_id=102386">Of the following, which should I use for a Sunday sermon?</a> | <a href="http://www.buzzdash.com">BuzzDash</a>

When I, in Awesome Wonder...

2008-07-27T23:22:00.000-04:00

I don't need--or have--any words to describe this. I simply stand amazed at the indescribeable beauty God has created, and I am forever in awe that He allows me to see these glimpses of Heaven before the day when I live there forever.

Oh, Nevermind...

2008-07-23T18:34:00.001-04:00

I'm glad I've got that whole promise-of-eternal-life thing going for me after I die, because news items like this make me feel old.

What was the most recent reminder of imminent old age for you?

Digg, Internet Evangelism and Emergents

2008-07-22T23:53:00.003-04:00

I got an e-mail from the creator of GODSurfer.com asking for some pub and a link to the new social bookmarking site. (So here you go, Jeff. God bless the effort, brother.)

If you're hip to Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit and Del.icio.us, you'll understand GODSurfer right away. Head on over and give it a once-over. I'll confess I haven't given it more than a cursory look myself; I made sure I agreed with its Statement of Faith...I never link to a Christian site without that essential piece of due dilligence. But GODSurfer looks promising, at any rate, and I imagine I'll probably sign up in the coming days to see if I can build some more traffic here. To that end, I've started posting a GODSurfer button to posts here, separate from the other social bookmarking buttons. Interested to see if I get any plugs.

But what I'm really interested in is a program called BGO (short for Bringing God Online.) I think it's a really, really good idea, and I urge you to read about it and, if you are so inclined, to sign up.

Not to seem completely random, but I'm interested to get your thoughts on Rob Bell of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan (not to be confused with Mars Hill in Seattle which is, in my opinion, one of the most theologically and spiritually solid churches in the world--at least from where I'm sitting.)

At any rate, I posted a video from him last week, and I did so after listening to some sermons/teachings I'd downloaded. He did a series on Phillipians recently, portions of which I really, really enjoyed.

Still, I'm concerned about his theology...he is, of course, one of the big names from the Emergent camp. And I certainly have issues with those guys despite the fact that they are contributing meaningful dialogue to the conversation about Christianity's role in 21st century culture.

So, how about contributing meaningul dialogue of your own? Just fill out that little comment form down there. Like Rob Bell? Don't like him? Are you evangelical, emerging or emergent? Are you all of them? None of them? Do you have any idea what the heck I'm talking about? (Me neither, by the way.) I'd like to hear from you.

Grace and Peace...

Law vs. Grace

2008-07-17T00:00:00.002-04:00

One of my very good Twitter brothers posted a note on his Facebook profile that was too good to pass up.

(Thanks for allowing the re-post, Matt. People need to read this.)

Religious people will huddle in their churches, spend at christian stores, only go to church-sanctioned social events, only hang out with Christian people. This comes from fear.

The law inspires fear-
fear of God, and fear of man.
fear of God's wrath on our inevitable failings, slip-ups and misdeeds,
and fear of man- fear of man's influence on us, fear of relationships or encounters that will end up in sin, carried off by the moment or the circumstance, cultural values that may sweep us into sin, accidental sin that we are ignorant of. Fear that salvation can be lost and must be regained hundreds of times each day.

Grace inspires love.
Love of God and Love of man.
Love for God because he will not destroy us even though we deserve it, that he does not count our sin against us for which he already took the punishment, love for His power to never lose us, or let us go, no matter our failings, slip-ups, and misdeeds.

Love for man, because we know God loves them and we are commanded to share his love with them. Not all will be saved, for not all are called, but since we have no fear of the law to consider, we are free to engage culture for his sake and ordered to befriend the lost, the hurting, the estranged, the ultimate of sinners, the people we used to love being.

For the lover of the law, life is a series of slippery stones above a great waterfall, jumping one from another, conscious of the fall the whole way, hoping our balance will be sure each time.

In grace, life is a stream to be forded, the water sometimes deep and cold and swift, other times, shallow, warm and quiet. But there is no danger, because we are carried.

Evangelical Attitudes Survey

2008-07-09T23:02:00.003-04:00

I posted one of these polls back in May, and I was so pleased with the response and the fact that it fostered dialogue I'm planning to do it at least twice a month, maybe even weekly. Thursday needs a theme, after all. I have (in theory, at least) themes for most days--Multi-media Mondays, Wednesday Link Day, News of the Week (on Sundays). Polls on Thursdays? Needs a catchier name...

So, fill out the survey below. The first three are "serious" questions, the final one just for fun. Please bear in mind: just as important as taking the survey is sharing your thoughts on the questions. Don't let your opinions float around in the ether. Nature abhors a vaccum almost as much as Web 2.0 does. So, let's get some back-and-forth going.

Multi-Media Monday (on a Tuesday)

2008-07-07T23:15:00.000-04:00

Hey folks. I appreciate your patience over these past two weeks. If you're a regular visitor, you might be a little confused. Heck, I am, and I'm the guy behind the curtain.

To recap, when Blogger upgraded its blog service and added some new bells a whistles about a year ago, people with "classic" templates didn't have to switch over to the new system. So, I decided to stick with what I already knew. I'd taught myself some rudimentary HTML with my template, and I could make whatever style changes I wanted with minimal effort. Problem was, when Blogger switched things over, it messed with the comment moderation feature. Long story short, my classic template couldn't accept comments which is, of course, a cardinal sin in the social web. I mean, that's the whole point, right? To foster conversation? Sure it is, and I would sumbit that it's even more important on this site, the purpose of which is to tell people about Jesus. And to tell people about Jesus, I must be willing to engage readers in a conversation about Jesus.

So I bit the bullet and switched over to Blogger's new system. I can receive comments now, which is great, but I can't stick with a design. Each one I've tried just doesn't look good to me, or has some flaws that render it useless for my purposes.

Bear with me, will you? I'll probably be tinkering with the site for the next week or so until I get something I'm at least moderately happy with. In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts on various designs. Heck, if you run across a blog that you like, share it with me. I'm certainly not above jail-breaking someone else's design--provided it's under Creative Commons, of course.

Long intro, I know. But if you've read this site for any length of time, you'll know I was raised in an old country church, because I blog longer than a Southern Baptist preacher preaches.

Rob Bell Exclusive for the Evolving Church 2007 - More free videos are here

So, what do you think? How have we, as The Church, failed in delivering social justice? How important is social justice anyway? Do you, personally, do enough? What more can you do? I'd love to have your input as I'm preparing a post on this very topic, which I hope will convict us all--and myself, especially--to take Jesus seriously when it comes to serving the poor.

New blog design

2008-07-03T19:48:00.002-04:00

Disclaimer: I am not at all happy with my new blog design. Reason? I designed it myself after jail-breaking a Blogger template I found. And I am not a web designer. At all. Frankly, it shows.

One of the big reasons I changed looks was to switch my blog from the old-school Blogger templates to the new one to better improve comment moderation. The comment moderation I was using was screwing everything up, and I needed to update my template style to incorporate Blogger's comment moderation.

Anyone care to weigh in on the new look? Like it? Hate it? Hey, comment as "anonymous" if you'd like.

The floor is yours...

Defender of the Faith: Tim Keller

2008-06-26T23:28:00.007-04:00

Evangelizing to a post-modern culture requires Believers to speak to the head as well as the heart. Our culture is smarter, more savvy and more gluttonous on information than any of its previous generational incarnations. Simply saying "You've got to have faith" isn't going to fly. At least not as a singular strategy.

Meet Tim Keller (if you haven't already). This guy slays the stereotype of Christian as dunce. His body of work is not only wide-ranging and Biblically sound, it challenges us on an intellectual level and turns our model of evangelical ministry on its head.

That's especially true of his latest book The Reason for God. (at least that's the kind of reviews he's getting; I haven't yet read it myself). Keller is now out on a nationwide tour promoting not only his book but his brand of reaching both Believers and unBelievers.

For a little sneak peak, read his interview with Christianity Today. Don't have time right now? You'd be well-served in bookmarking and coming back to it. In the meantime, here are some highlights:

On how some Christians are at a loss to effectively witness
"I do think a lot of Christians — because they don't understand the grace narrative — get out into the world and find it very tough to navigate. I think it's because they don't understand the gospel, not because they can't answer all the theological questions."

On the difference between marketing Christianity and spreading the Gospel
"Marketing is showing how Christianity meets the need, and I think the gospel is showing how Christianity is the truth...C. S. Lewis says somewhere not to believe in Christianity because it's relevant or exciting or personally satisfying. Believe it because it's true. And if it's true, it eventually will be relevant, exciting, and personally satisfying."

On one pastor's response to a controversial issue
"He went through all the various theories that evangelical Christians with a high view of Scripture have come to. He showed the strengths and weaknesses of every one. Nobody does that anymore. Nobody says different Christians might come down in different places here and still have a high view of Scripture. Instead, they identify their take as the wise one, and say everyone else is selling out or something."

On dealing with Jesus first and other issues after that
"I point out that it's a red herring to go after (intelligent design versus evolution) before you decide whether Jesus died and rose again. Two people said [last night at a Veritas forum]: 'I can't believe in Christianity, because look at the fossils.' And I was trying to say, 'Because you believe in evolution does this mean that Jesus Christ couldn't be raised from the dead?' One said, 'No, that has nothing to do with it.' If he was raised from the dead, then you have to take seriously the Scripture and you have to work on all this. If he wasn't raised from the dead, who cares about Genesis 1–11?"

So, if you were going to design a new way of "doing" evangelism, what would it look like? How much can intellectual arguments really sway unBelievers toward a relationship with Jesus? Where do appeals to one's intellect stop and a simple act of faith start?

For more about Tim Keller, visit the Web site of Redeemer Church in New York, where Keller is pastor.

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Link day Wednesday

2008-06-25T15:39:00.004-04:00

Theologica
I've tried a few Christian-based SOCNETs, and haven't been all that thrilled with them. GodTube is OK, HisHolySpace is terrible...you get the point. Theologica? It's still early--there are just 700+ members--but signs are very, very promising. How effective could Christians be with Internet evangelism if they pool their collective resources in one central place? What would such a place look like? Will the collection of different denominations and theological positions that are unavoidable in such a space prevent any real unified evangelistic effort?

Make Your Own Bush Speech
As the modern philosopher Larry the Cable Guy says, "I don't care who you are. That's funny right there." Indeed it is, Larry. Indeed it is.

Smells Like Holy Spirit
Louisville, Kentucky-based Sojourn Church (part of the Mars Hill Church-founded Acts 29 network) came under fire recently for what was seen as intolerant views toward homosexuals. Take a look at this story...was the church unfairly portrayed? Why or why not? Then, read the church's response. Do you like the way they handled the criticism? Did they sound like they were capitulating? How did you take their response?

To the Skater Kid Who Asked to Borrow my Cell Phone
Ran across this blog post from Twitter. It's just a great little story about faith, sharing it and how that can sometimes get messy. Do you have a similar story? What is your greatest witnessing success? What is your biggest failure?

One of Earth's Final Undiscovered People
Is it really possible that there is an undiscovered culture? Apparently so. Anthropologists have reported aerial photographs of one of the last unknown tribes in the world. These people live in the rainforest along the border region between Peru and Brazil. It begs the question: without contact with the outside world, how will these people be judged by God? From where will they find--or reject--redemption? Scripture is not silent on these matters, of course. But what is your doctrinal position on such a complex issue?
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Multi-Media Monday: Uncovering our Wounds

2008-06-22T22:26:00.006-04:00

If we are made in God's image and likeness--and scripture says we are--then it follows that our experiences and nature is evidence of His hand at work in our lives.

How does this scene from "The Darjeeling Limited" speak to our spiritual journeys? What does it say about us? Does it say anything at all?

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Union Mission

2008-06-21T11:58:00.005-04:00

I had a great chance to stop by and tour Union Mission of West Virginia's campus near Kanawha City Friday. While it was a great blessing to do so, they're a little low on food right now. Prices are high, donations are down...but people still need help.

Visit Union Mission's Web site to find out how you can help.

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

A New Stereotype of West Virginia Christians

2008-06-19T21:52:00.006-04:00

His face is red and bloated. Spittle is on the corner of his mouth. His eyes rage like the anger in his heart. He rails against sin, homosexuals, minorities--really, aren't they all the same?--and, later, handles a snake.

Who is he? A West Virginia Christian, of course.

Yeah, but there's a problem here. I don't know the guy. Oh, he exists. Somewhere. Too many places, in fact. But the Christians I know are something quite different. They call out of the blue to tell me they love me. Pray for me when I'm sick. Counsel me when I'm down. Worship with me when I'm happy.

Today, a statewide network of bloggers here in West Virginia are joining a conversation started a week ago about how we can redefine the stereotypes surrounding West Virginians. You've no doubt read about us. We're illiterate, bigoted, incestual, barefoot and pregnant. That's the common perception, isn't it? Vice President Dick Cheney thinks so. Get in line, buddy.

All of the West Virginia bloggers working on the ABetterWestVirginia project--timed to coincide with West Virginia Day (that's today, June 20; we broke away from Virginia on this day in 1863)--have their own niche. Some will talk politics. Others, art. For me, it's an opportunity to confront the same stereotypes that hound what you might call an "evangelical Christian."

But, again, those stereotypes--like those of West Virginians in general--are simply wrong. That's not to say Christians haven't made their mistakes. We've emphasized God's justice at the expense of His mercy. We are paying a steep price for that overemphasis of one aspect of God's nature at the expense of another. The Barna Group is an evangelical polling organization that analyzes demographic information about spirituality, religion and Christianity in American cultural life. As research for the book UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity, Barna found that of 24 million non-Christians aged 16-29, fewer than half view "evangelical" Christians "in a positive light."

Something is desperately wrong here. The story of Jesus is one of love, sacrifice and redemption. Yet somehow we've failed to communicate that message properly, and the result is that emerging generations are either walking away from the faith--or eschewing it from the very beginning.

It's especially true here in West Virginia. Socio-cultural trends are admittedly slow to take root here. A groundswell of modern Christian congregations that are embracing the need for greater dialogue and cultural relevance is taking place across the country, but that conversation is largely silent here. This must change. The Church in West Virginia must adapt and find better ways of communicating Christ's message to a new generation that, as UnChristian says "esteem(s) fair-mindedness and diversity, they are irreverent and blunt. Finding ways to express themselves and their rage is an endless pursuit. Being skeptical of leaders, products and institutions is part of their generational coding...They do not trust things that seem too perfect, accepting that life comes with its share of messiness and off-the-wall experiences and people."

Let me be clear on something here: I'm not advocating a softening of The Gospel, nor any stance that would capitulate on core doctrine. Far from it. I think society is desperate for a people with the courage to live their convictions. As a Christian, I firmly believe that Jesus is the answer to this messy thing we call life. I stand on that conviction. I trust in it. I weep because of its beauty. I am honored to stand in defense of it.

Yet the question remains: if we are to counter culture's opinions--and expectations--of Christians and re-define stereotypes not just in West Virginia but worldwide, we must find a way to communicate the Truth with courage...and just a little bit of humilty.

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

New West Virginia Stereotypes

2008-06-18T09:45:00.005-04:00

I've had more than one somewhat contentious argument with people about perceptions of West Virginians.

Each year, as a reward for our low-paying devotion to the campus newspaper at West Virginia University, the general manager would host us for a weekend retreat at Canaan Valley in north-east West Virginia. To say it is rural is to say that bears...well, you know what bears do in the woods, right? (And if you don't, visit Canaan Valley and you can see them do it.)

This was, needless to say, something of a culture shock to some of the student journalists who worked at The Daily Athenaeum. See, WVU has a large contingent of students from Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey, speficially because in-state tuition at places like Penn State, OSU and Rutgers is more expensive than out-of-state fees at WVU. Combine that with the fact you can get a heck of an education at WVU's Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism (shameless plug for my alma mater) and it's no wonder Morgantown is a multi-cultural place. Not only is it a college town, it draws from a large geographic area.

Back to the story. The chartered bus ride from Morgantown to Tucker County always provided interesting scenery. For those who grew up in the shadow of Philly, New York City or Cleveland, they got to see the true majesty of their adopted home. For the native West Virginians, we got to watch the city slickers' slack-jawed reaction to their surroundings. It was win-win.

Except that one time, when a young lady from Jersey, after eating dinner at a small, mom-and-pop shop, made the mistake of disparaging not only the home-cooked meal, but also the "rednecks and in-breeds" that lived in the area.

That evening, I couldn't hold my tongue. I angrily--and wrongly, I'll admit--confronted the girl and informed her if she didn't like the wonderful educational opportunity she was being afforded in this hick state, she could pack her bags and leave. I even offered to drop her off in nearby Thomas, West Virginia. My logic? It would be comical to witness a girl from the city trying to figure out how to get home from a town that effectively shuts down at 5 p.m.

In the coming days, bloggers from around the state of West Virginia, through an initiative from Jason Keeling and his ABetterWestVirginia blog will be offering "New Stereotypes of West Virginians." I both applaud and am joining in this effort. While others will undoubtedly cover their area of interest and show the rest of the world why the common perception of West Virginia is so frustratingly wrong, I'll be writing about stereotypes of West Virginia Christians.

Christ-followers everywhere have a natural bias against them...some of it is certainly warranted. We are slow to find common ground and quick to point the finger of blame. We are quick to show God's justice but not His mercy. That is especially true here, where trends are slow to take root.

What are your opinions of Christians in West Virginia? Do you have favorable opinions of them? Why or why not? Share your thoughts, and join the conversation.
I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Don't Leave Your Donut on the Desk

2008-06-13T10:51:00.003-04:00

Confession: those forwarded e-mails I get all the time? I usually delete without opening. Sorry. I just do. It's nothing personal; I just get so many e-mails, I only open the forwarded ones from family.

But then a good Christian brother sent me this one, and I gave it a read. It is Friday, after all...

Yeah, it's a little long. But you need to read it. Be prepared to use it to explain Jesus to people who don't really understand what He did.

"There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States. Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity atthis particular institution. Every student was required to take this course their freshman year, regardless of his or her major. Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve.

Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going on to seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor's class.

One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. "How many push-ups can you do?"Steve said, "I do about 200 every night." "200? That's pretty good, Steve," Dr. Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?"Steve replied, "I don't know.... I've never done 300 at a time.""Do you think you could?" again asked Dr. Christianson."Well, I can try," said Steve."Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," said the professor.Steve said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it."Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No, these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited. It was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's class.Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?" Cynthia said, "Yes"Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?""Sure!" Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk. Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe, do you want a donut?" Joe said, "Yes."Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?"Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their donut.

Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship.When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut?" Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own push-ups?"Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them." Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?"With perfect obedience, Steve started to do ten push-ups. Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!" Dr. Christianson said, "Look!, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk. Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?" Sternly, Jenny said, "No."Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?" Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say, "No!" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten push-ups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.

Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it. Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.Steve asked Dr. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?" Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want." And Dr. Christianson went on.A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!" Jason didn't know what was going on.

Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come." Professor Christianson said, "You realize that f Jason comes in you will have to do ten push-ups for him?" Steve said, "Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut."Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he said, "give me a donut." "Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?" Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down. Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular.Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a donut?" Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?"Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda. Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?"Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. "Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?"Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do it alone; I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not.

"When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price for you coming by doing your push-ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes""Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?"As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said, "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'Into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten."

Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile."Well done, good and faithful servant," said the professor to Steve, adding, "Not all sermons are preached in words."Turning to his class, the professor said, "My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not His only Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid."

"Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?"

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Spreading the word...

2008-06-12T19:10:00.006-04:00

I haven't had the time for a blog post all week...been too hectic. Crazy. Confusing. Depressing. All that stuff. Praise God for Grace, and for the fact that "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion..."

But these things are pretty cool: based on the number of followers I have on Twitter, I rank No. 1 for "Follower of Jesus" and top five for "Jesus." I'm top 50 for the "religion" section.

Is that an effective form of evangelism? Why or why not?

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Multi-Media Monday

2008-06-09T12:00:00.004-04:00

Mark Driscoll talks about missional Christianity and cultural relevance at the 2008 Purpose Driven Summit.

Free Videos by Ustream.TV

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

How Would Jesus Vote? The Iraq War debate...

2008-06-06T15:13:00.004-04:00

"Just war" proponents will point to the Hebrew translation of "Thou Shalt Not Kill" and point out that "kill" is better translated as "murder." (The difference is highlighted between the King James Version translation and that of the English Standard Version). Fair enough. It adds to the debate, which is OK by me.

But there's still something to be said about rejecting war on moral grounds. So, how does the war in Iraq stand up to moral scrutiny? Would Christ, who so famously implored His followers to love their enemies and turn the other cheek, have supported the war? Would He support it now?

John McCain supports the Iraq war. How does that stance stack up against the debate on abortion rights, which Barack Obama wholeheartedly supports?

How much emphasis do you put on the war in Iraq as a moral issue in this year's campaign? Share your thoughts, and join the conversation.

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Two great links for a Thursday...

2008-06-05T14:07:00.004-04:00

As always, Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest is fantastic today. But today's spoke to me in a very special way.

(By the way...if you are reading this on a day other than Thursday, June 5, know that RBC Ministries updates the URL each day to reflect that day's devo. So, if you want to read the specific devo I mentioned, you'll have to go through archives to find the right one. But, really, you can't go wrong with Oswald Chambers. Any day is a good one. IN fact, you should just buy a copy for your personal use if you haven't already.)

Also, I came across this blog, which is promoting a summer New Testament reading plan. Not a bad idea. Print the PDF, stick it in your favorite reading Bible and go for it.

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

How Would Jesus Vote? The abortion debate...

2008-06-05T09:58:00.003-04:00

Since abortion is a big issue to most evangelical Christians, it's important to note the following blog post, "The Most Anti-Life Candidate Ever."

Of course, ours is a multi-faceted election, with diverse issues such as the Iraq War, the economy and health care all playing central roles. Each candidate, both Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, will undoubtedly start revealing policy specifics now that we have presumptive nominees for both parties and with the general elections just months away.

(By the way, I'll be cleaning up the How Would Jesus Vote sidebar in the coming days to reflect the narrow race, and add some more posts on each candidate now that we have to. Also, as soon as we know who the running mates will be, I'll be posting special VP editions of How Would Jesus Vote. Stay tuned.)

The question, then, is this: how big a role does the abortion debate play in your decision this November? Is it important at all? Will the country's laws on abortion change under either administration? How and why? I look forward to your comments.

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

West Virginia blogs

2008-06-04T09:44:00.003-04:00

Check out this partial list of blogs from around the state of West Virginia.

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Should have done this a long time ago...

2008-05-30T18:39:00.004-04:00

Now that I work for an Internet marketing company, where my online reputation will be under much more scrutiny and, thus, will reflect on my employer, it's time to add a permanent disclaimer on my site:

I am a born again, evangelical Christian. I believe every word of the Bible is true, and have pretty strong opinions on the matter. So...

The views and opinions expressed on this, or any other site where I maintain an online presence, do not necessarily reflect those of my employer, my co-workers, my church or The Church. In short, I speak for no one but myself.

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

More thoughts on the prosperity "gospel"

2008-05-29T23:09:00.004-04:00

Just came across a great new blogger...and a great post. I couldn't agree more.

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Coming soon...

2008-05-22T15:00:00.002-04:00

Yes, they are a dying breed, I'm told. Don't care. I've been wanting do a podcast for awhile now. I'll start the process while I'm in the mountains this weekend and hope to have something going soon.

Stay tuned.

Verse of the Day

2008-05-20T08:26:00.003-04:00

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, "Follow me." And he rose and followed him.

And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" But when he heard it, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
(Matthew 9:9-13)

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

200th post

2008-05-15T13:17:00.004-04:00

Yep...it's #200. Two years, 200 posts, one amazing ministry.

And, no, it's not Multi-Media Monday, but thought I'd share this video anyway. Enjoy (although you've already seen it.)

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Twitter Links for a Wednesday

2008-05-14T14:02:00.004-04:00

The theme of this week's links? I discovered these through networking on Twitter.

We The Church
Super, super cool new web portal. It's very Web 2.0, very Twitter-esque. And, best of all, it's one of the first social media portals specifically designed for the Body of Christ. Chad Wright's the guy behind it, and if you're hip to Twitter you can catch up with him at Twitter.com/chadwright. He's a pastor at Legacy Fellowship in Cedar Park, Texas.

The Path of Redemption
The blog of someone I follow on Twitter. OK, so I haven't read it much (I should if I'm recommending it), but his posts on Twitter are solid.

Gods Atheists Don't Believe In
I think this was meant as a pro-atheism link, but when I read it I found that it strengthened me at that moment to know I share a faith with so many others while there are many more who aren't aware of my God and only lump Him in with the thousands of others. (Note: Make sure you click on the picture to the far right, or you won't understand the site. You'll see what I mean.)

Avoid Any Hint...
And yet another guy I follow on Twitter. This is phenomenal stuff from a pure heart and many of us in this post-modern, anything goes culture would do well to heed its old-school advice.

Strangers Bring Us Closer to God
Just a great, small story that shows how service to others can inform our interaction with The Father. I'm interested to read her book now.

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Brian McLaren Speaks...Again

2008-05-13T11:07:00.006-04:00

Here's the thing: I don't want to come off as being reactionary when it comes to Emergent types in general and Brian McLaren specifically. I really don't. I also don't want to be what Emergents roll their eyes at--an evangelical, Reformed Christian who only points out bad theology or worldview instead of engaging in dialogue.

But if I am what I hate, then I have something in common with the Apostle Paul, and that puts me in good company. Am I rationalizing? Sure.

That said, here's some thoughts on McLaren's interview with the Associated Press. His quotes are first, in italics.

Q: How is what you recommend different than the humanitarian work churches do already?
A: It's not working within the paradigm that a lot of Christians work — which is all that God is ultimately interested in is extracting souls for heaven. And we might do some good works here on earth, but we don't really expect any of it to work, because the world is sort of, the toilet has been flushed and it's going down.

Ummm...OK. So far, so good. No complaints here. This is one of the central points of why I walked away from my faith in my late teens/early 20s (real original, huh?) and why society has de-valued Christian thought in recent decades.

Q: What do you mean by systemic change?
A: You can make incremental changes within a subsystem but in order to actually change a whole system you have to get a lot of the parts changing all at once. ... You can pour money into building a school, but then if there's a war, the war wipes out all the benefit you got from the school and the school shuts down. You can improve agriculture, but if HIV runs through, then there's so much upheaval, then you can't maintain the advances in agriculture.

And now we're 2-for-2. Of course, I would argue that the "whole system" of Christian theology hardly needs changing. Again, and this is the central point of my beef with Emergent types, if we start talking about systemic change, then we get down a path that questions Christ's divinity the inerrancy of Scripture, etc.

Q: But there's an impression churches are already so active on these issues. Why does anyone need to urge churches to do this?
A: One of the really important concepts is the difference between mercy and justice. There's that famous passage from Micah 6, "Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God." One way to describe it is unjust systems throw people into misery and mercy brings us to relieve some of their misery, but until we confront the unjust systems by doing justice we're never going to make a change. ... I think what churches in America, especially evangelical churches, are just waking up to is the way they have to deal with systemic injustice, not just charitable giving to people in misery.

Bravo, Mr. McLaren. Bravo.

I think the naivete of some of those critics is that they're starting with a pure pristine understanding of the Gospel. It seems to me we're all in danger of screwing up.

OK, now we're starting to have trouble. A pristine understanding of the Gospel? How about "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life...no one comes to the Father but through Me." How are we in danger of screwing up if we start with that as cornerstone No. 1? Is that not a pristine understanding of the Gospel? Look, I know "no one comes to the Father but through Me" is divisive. But Jesus said it. Sorry. End of story.

Ten years ago, the question was, why are Gen-Xers dropping out of church? .. So we've been grappling with these very deep theological questions over the last five or seven years.

Fantastic. That's the question I've been seeking an answer to as well. I know my own story, and I would suspect it is similar to others'.

Q: What are the weaknesses of the movement?
A: Nobody had a master strategy for this. That creates weaknesses as well as strengths. It means you don't have anybody calling the shots and it means that things happen in a somewhat haphazard way. And I think there's a huge range of responses. ... Among evangelicals you have people who are not doing any theological rethinking at all. The theology that they inherited, they're staying with 100 percent. They're trying to do sort of methodological innovation (in styles of worship). And my personal feeling is that's great. Those'll be steps in a good direction... I'm not a purist about anything. I think it's all good. We're all trying to stumble along and take some steps in the right direction. Others of us are asking theological questions and that's always messy.

I am a purist...about Jesus, what He said, what He did. I'm not apologizing for it. It seems like too many people are. Again, the big question: What if Jesus meant everything He said? And, again, what does "theological rethinking" mean, anyway? Does it mean we are rethinking core aspects of the faith, the Truth of Christ? The inerrancy of the Word of God? Because these are areas where there can be no compromise. Again, that's divisive. But Jesus was divisive to a lot of people. That's one of the reasons they wanted to kill Him. (But they failed...they didn't kill Jesus. Jesus laid down His life.)

...if liberal means that government can solve all of our problems and that secularism is better than faith, and that it doesn't matter what you do in your personal life and that morality is up for grabs, then I'm not a liberal.

Nor am I.

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Protestants, Playboy and Penthouse

2008-05-12T20:56:00.003-04:00

Umm, pretty sure this isn't what the Apostle Paul meant when he talked about engaging culture.

Multi-Media Monday

2008-05-12T16:08:00.002-04:00

You gotta love Johnny Cash

Brian McLaren AP interview

2008-05-11T13:06:00.003-04:00

My state newspaper (the Charleston Gazette--warning: terrible functionality) ran an Associated Press interview with Brian McLaren on Saturday, which is great because here, in West Virginia, the level of understanding about emerging trends in church and worship are, at best, woefully understood and, at worst, represent a complete ignorance.

As always, I find myself disagreeing with the guy on a bunch of things (am I consciously looking for things to disagree on, or really listening with an open mind? I hope the latter), so I think I'll sit down and churn out a few words about it tonight.

Grace and Peace...

BlogCarolinas Social Media/Web 2.0 conference

2008-05-09T10:05:00.002-04:00

Spending a few days in Raleigh, North Carolina, to learn more about promoting my online presence/reputation and to see what implications it could have for 1) Internet evangelism/ministry and 2) the new career God has blessed me with. Can't wait to get back to blogging on a regular basis when I get back.

Grace and Peace...

The Christian Paradox

2008-05-06T09:09:00.009-04:00

I found this piece recently, even though it's from a nearly three-year-old edition of Harper's. Don't know how I missed it at the time. Glad I found it now.

So take a look. Share your thoughts. Stay tuned.

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Multi-Media Monday

2008-05-05T13:38:00.004-04:00

Let's be a little light-hearted today, shall we? Not sure about you, but I definitely need it.

Oh, and don't forget: if you haven't taken the Evangelical Attitudes survey, please do so.

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Evangelical Attitudes: A Candid Christian Survey

2008-05-01T12:38:00.005-04:00

This is a blatant rip-off of this month's issue of Relevant magazine, the cover story of which asks about "7 Burning Issues: Injustice, War, Consumerism, Faith, Culture, Politics and Gay Rights--You Asked the Questions, We Found Answers."

I thought it was an incredibly compelling piece, so much that I wanted to do my own survey of some of the issues that's facing the 21st century church in an increasingly post-Christian society. It's something that's of particular interest in my area; West Virginia and the rest of Appalachia certainly lags behind in terms of socio-cultural trends, and the emerging church conversation has yet to reach the hills and valleys where I live. And that's a shame, because the same cultural and societal attitudes that are driving the conversation exist here as they do elsewhere, it's just that we aren't reaping the benefits of what might arise from the emerging church conversation. That's why one of my goals through this blog is to encourage more dialogue about post-modern culture and Christianity here in Appalachia in general and West Virginia in particular.

So, I would ask that you join the conversation, no matter where you're from or who you are. Answer these poll questions, leave a comment, drop me an e-mail. Let's see what there is to learn, and how we can teach others about Jesus.

Grace and Peace...

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Comments are Back!

2008-04-30T14:36:00.004-04:00

All this time, and it took just one measly little line of code to fix a problem that's been plaguing me for months.

For any return readers, you'll know that I wasn't able to have any comments on my blog for some time after modifying the code in my blog template. Turns out, all I need to do is add a little line of Javascript as a solution.

It's not a long-term fix; I don't like the way it looks and/or operates. But it is a fix for now.

Hope you'll all consider commenting on the site and get some dialogue going.

Grace and Peace...

I welcome all comments. Feel free to comment on-page, or e-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Multi-Media Monday (on a Wednesday)

2008-04-30T01:27:00.003-04:00

If you're just joining the program, used to be I'd have a different theme for each day. Mondays were for audio and video (hence, Multi-Media Monday...I've always loved alliteration. Back in my newspaper days, I wrote, much to the consternation of my boss, the headline "Copper Crook Costs County Cash in Coal Crime"). On Tuesdays and Fridays I would posts original content, Wednesdays were for links and on Sundays I'd wrap up the week's spirituality news.

I said all of that because I'd like to get back to posting darn near every day, and I think getting back to thematic posts is the way to do it. Keeps it fresh and (hopefully) interesting. Of course, I've probably written this same post in the past, so take it for what it's worth.

In the meantime, check out this video of the cutest, smartest and most spiritual-minded two-and-a-half-year-old little girl in the world. And just because she's my daughter doesn't mean it's not true. It just means I'm not objective.

Grace and Peace...

I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

How Would Jesus Vote? Barack Obama and Jeremiah Wright

2008-04-28T11:16:00.004-04:00

I couldn't care less where Barack Obama goes to church, or who is pastor is. I do care what Obama thinks and believes...but they aren't necessarily the same as what Jeremiah Wright thinks and believes. (Speaking of that, check out this video. I think I'll keep a running diary of it and post here and on Twitter either tonight or tomorrow. Great, great stuff in this video, and another side of a man many of us only know from soundbites.)

My question is this: Did Jeremiah Wright really refuse to affirm Christ as the only way to God at today's meeting with the National Press Club in Washington? If so, it means Wright's beliefs are part of a troubling trend in the 21st century, post-modern church.

Wright, Brian McLaren and others of their ilk apply a rigid standard to Jesus' actual words when it comes to His stance on social justice. I applaud that. Further, I wholeheartedly agree that we, as Christians, have put far too little emphasis on that aspect of our faith, focusing instead on our own spiritual development at the expense of those outside the often country club-like atmosphere of white, suburban, middle-class congregations. Might I, however, submit that those more philsophically on the left are just as guilty as narrowly defining what Christ said and meant as those on the philosophical right?

Why can't those emergent, post-modern "evangelical" leaders apply that same standard to everything Jesus said?

Well, guess what...Jesus also said "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. NO ONE comes to the Father EXCEPT through ME." (emphasis mine)

It works both ways, folks.

I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

Manic Monday

2008-04-28T03:17:00.004-04:00

CandidChristian.com ... helping people put off work since 2006. Yes, that's right--time for some links.

Major Religions Ranked by Number of Adherents
Did you know there are more followers of Rastafarianism in the United States than there are Scientologists? Me neither.

Early Christian Writings
Apocrypha, Gnostic gospels, writings from Ptolemy and Marcus Aurelius. We're not talking about the Word of God, but it's interesting enough.

Metaphysics
I loved philosophy class in college ... I just wish my mind worked that way and I could pontificate on humanity's great questions. Glad there are people to do it for me.

I Am a Zombie Filled with Love
Bizarre story. Why did I think it was great? (Spoiler: this is much, much more than a story about a zombie falling in love...if you think that's all it is, you're missing something.)

The Brick Testament
God's Word ... told in Legos.

Fun with Legos
Two Lego links in one post?

Have a great week. Talk to you soon.

I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com.

No Tags for Jesus

2008-04-25T22:53:00.003-04:00

Proposed Christian license plate hits roadblock.

I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com. Help me promote this blog by using the icons below, which links this blog to social bookmarking sites and helps online users discover this and other online content.

Earth Day and Baptists

2008-04-22T23:00:00.005-04:00

What do Southern Baptists and Leonardo DiCaprio have in common? They both care about good environmental stewardship. Politics make strange bedfellows indeed.

Arguably the most conservative of mainstream evangelical demoninations, some Southern Baptists have jumped on board with green issues, embracing societal change in an effort to avoid what many seem to think is a planetary crisis.

It's called the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative, and demoninational pastors, leaders and lay persons are urging members of the denomination to not only sign a statement of support, but also to live both holy and green.

This is earth-shattering (as always, pun is intended). We're not talking Unitarians here. These are not members of the United Church of Christ. Southern Baptists, as a whole, are more George Bush than Ted Kennedy. And the Southern Baptist Convention, by all accounts, is the largest evangelical Christian denomination in America. (You can check out the stats from Barna.)

Two observations here. First, this is further evidence that environmental issues have gone mainstream. The first Earth Day was in 1970. Back then, there were exactly three people who celebrated it: Ed Begley Jr., Al Gore and maybe a hippie living in a California commune named Moonbeam. That's it. Now, even Southern Baptists are going green, for crying out loud. Who's next, James Dobson?

Second, it's another example of 21st century evangelicals understanding the need, within carefully and prayerfully defined limits, to engage modern culture on its terms. I know I sound like a broken record about this sometimes, but engaging culture isn't a bad thing, so long as that engagement doesn't equal relativism. I'm not going to hell because I'm wearing a Pearl Jam T-shirt right now, or because I'd rather go to Bonnaroo than Icthus this summer.

I once heard a Penecostal preacher deliver a sermon to a Freewill Baptist congregation. He was brilliant in the way he bridged what some would consider too vast a doctrinal chasm. He explained that if the two camps, Penecostals and Freewill Baptists, were to rank, in order, their theological positions from the most important to the (perhaps) trivial, they would find complete harmony until, oh, position #32 or so. Why, then, is there any discord? Don't Arminian and Calvinist Christians both love--and serve--the same Jesus?

We can apply that same standard here, but with a twist. Let's say we were to list those positions we, as Christians, hold most dear as opposed to those of non-believers, with the difference being we started with the trivial first. At what point would we find a gulf that cannot be spanned? Issue #100? 1,000? Yes, Christ alone is God. Yes, He alone is the path to salvation. But is using one of those funky lightbulbs really a cause for concern for Christians? Should I pray for my next-door neighbor's receptiveness to the Gospel in the same breath that I pray he'd trade in his Prius for a Hummer? I dare say we have more important issues, as Christians, to focus our energies on--like evangelizing, like social justice, like showing Christ's love in our actions--than chastising someone for a political position that may or may not illustrate that person's love of the creation at the expense of The Creator? And I know that's a very real fear. Scripture talks about it. I get it. Might I submit, however, that the dude down the street who only eats organic foods, rides his bike to work and doesn't leave the water running while he brushes his teeth might be more receptive to hearing about Jesus if we run into each other down at the recycling center? Even if I don't buy the whole global warming thing, doesn't that have some value? Is that not showing Christ's love?

So, even if you think the polar ice caps aren't melting, head on over to the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initative website and sign the doggone thing.

If the perpetual question is What Would Jesus Do, I think He'd separate His paper and plastic.

(Read more about the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative here, here and here.

I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com. Help me promote this blog by using the icons below, which links this blog to social bookmarking sites and helps online users discover this and other online content.

Gorging on Jesus

2008-04-21T23:00:00.002-04:00

Kudos to Winn Collier for another winner (sorry, couldn't help myself) of a blog post over at Relevant. Exactly the sort of thing that's on my mind. Read it here.

(A quick sidebar: Relevant is quickly becoming my favorite mag. It's the one I increasingly find myself waiting with baited breath when it's about time for it to show in the mailbox. Great, great publication. There is all sorts of stuff I want to address in the latest issue. More on that later. I digress.)

God’s been really hitting me with this stuff lately. Consumer addiction. Man, that hits home. I’ve been reading “A Celebration of Discipline,” and the chapter on prayer deals with this very issue. In it, Richard Foster admonishes us against praying “Thy will be done.” Sounds strange that someone would fail to pray that. Heck, I’ve been doing it my whole life. Pray it when the kids are sick, when I’m stressed at work, when the car breaks down. Why? Jesus prayed it, right?

But the point Foster makes is that when we are in tune with Him, we are in tune with His will. And when we are in tune with His will, how can we pray anything but His will? This piece touches on that, saying that when we have consumer addiction and when wants and desires form the basis of our idolatry, “we baptize our every whim and desire in the name of me.” Whew. Powerful stuff. And convicting.

I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com. Help me promote this blog by using the icons below, which links this blog to social bookmarking sites and helps online users discover this and other online content.

I Am Not A Good Person

2008-04-19T15:45:00.002-04:00

My daughter talked to God today. As far as I'm aware, it's the first time she's done so without being prodded. She's not yet three years-old.

The impetus of her piety was a cracker. She was eating a saltine and, lifting it to the ceiling of our dining room, she offered it to God.

'I love you, God. We love you. I love you for my cracker.'

Today I consumed, in order, two cups of coffee; one pancake; a half a cup of scrambled eggs; two more cups of coffee; two freshly made bowls of cheddar and potato soup; two chunks of beer-batter bread; a small glass of cola; a bowl of cooked pasta with tomato sauce; another chunk of that bread; a saltine; a glass of something called 'prickly pear cooler;' and, later, I'll probably have some popcorn and another can of cola. I'll take a hot shower and brush my teeth. If I have a headache or my back hurts, I'll take some Advil. I'll climb into bed in a warm room with clean sheets. I may or may not sleep well, but in the morning I'll wake up and head to church without any fear of religious persecution. Indeed, my culture values religion to the point that I'm considered a more solid citizen for being religious. On Monday, I'll go to work where, with my wife's income, I make enough money to pay for two cars, a house in the suburbs, two vacations a year and a wardrobe of clothes voluminous enough that I could go two, maybe three weeks and never wear the same outfit twice. My two girls are healthy, never miss a doctor's appointment. I don't worry about malnutrition, malaria, disease.

Christ tells me to love others as myself. He made it a commandment, on par with not killing people and staying true to my wife. I say I care about others, but I don't. Not really. Near my house there's an Interstate overpass under which a man sleeps. I pass by his makeshift bed every day and do nothing. I give a little cash to charity--my wife hopped online during American Idol recently and gave our credit card number to the tune of $20, supposedly to help feed African children--and there's this little girl's picture on our fridge who lives in El Salvador; we give her a little money too, but not very much. A Christian radio station gets a few bucks. Our church does, too. But that's it. That's all. I smile, act like a good follower of Jesus, tell co-workers about Him and hope, when I face Him in a few years, that He conveniently forgets how callous I was with the life He gave me.

There's a story in the Bible. It's kinda famous. A rich dude comes to Jesus and wants to know what He can do to make it to Heaven. Jesus tells him to give everything he has to the poor and follow Him. That's it. No qualifiers. No disclaimers. Just that simple. And the man couldn't do it.

What if Jesus meant what He said? What if He means what He says right now?

'If any man would be my disciple, He must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.' That's Jesus. That's what He said. That's what He meant. That's what He means. I say I want to be His disciple. I say that I am. But do I really? Am I really? Oh, I'm redeemed, saved, sanctified...whatever you want to call it.

But am I His disciple? Or am I just pretending to be?

I have all that I need. I have most of what I want. Yet there are people, not thousands of miles away, but right here, in my community, who face terrible need, terrible suffering. Who will be Jesus to them? It won't be me...I've already proven that.

Yet here is my daughter, fresh and innocent, standing before a God she knows is there, offering up a simple saltine in thanksgiving. I am humbled by that simple act of piety, and ashamed that my own doesn't properly extend to a true understanding of what it means to boldly live my faith.

I welcome all comments. E-mail feedback to CandidChristian@gmail.com. Help me promote this blog by using the icons below, which links this blog to social bookmarking sites and helps online users discover this and other online content.

All works on CandidChristian.com are governed by a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-ShareAlike license. Inquiries seeking exceptions to this particular license are welcomed; e-mail CandidChristian@gmail.com for more information.

My Voki

2008-04-15T13:03:00.001-04:00

Get a Voki now!

How Long Could You Survive in the Vaccum of Space?

2008-04-14T14:48:00.000-04:00

Created by OnePlusYou

How Would Jesus Vote? Barack Obama (two)

2008-04-14T13:59:00.002-04:00

National Public Radio.

How Would Jesus Vote: More John McCain

2008-04-12T11:35:00.003-04:00

Interesting story over at Baptist Press. Check it out.

Internet Evangelism Day

2008-04-11T09:31:00.003-04:00

Got this post in my inbox and thought I'd pass it along.

Churches to Hold Web Focus Day April 27
"How can we use this new-fangled Internet thing to share the gospel?" Christians are asking. A worldwide "web evangelism focus day" is helping to provide answers. Sunday, April 27, has been designated as Internet Evangelism Day. Churches can download free materials from the Internet Evangelism Day website. These materials make it easy for churches to create a short presentation about online outreach on or near that Sunday. A PowerPoint, video clip testimonies, drama scripts, music and handouts can be used to create their own customized program lasting from one minute to 50.

Church leaders who have already used these materials are excited. "This is a huge help for small churches such as ours," writes a church leader from California.

The Internet Evangelism Day team emphasizes that web evangelism is for anyone, not just the technically gifted. "There are many ways to share your faith online, without any technical background at all," says IE Day Coordinator Tony Whittaker.

Christian leaders are also enthusiastic: "I am glad to commend Internet Evangelism Day," says Dr. John Stott.

Churches can start planning their focus day now. More information is available athttp://ied.gospelcom.net/index.php

Free Church Website Tool Released
The people behind Internet Evangelism Day also provide year-round resources about online outreach. The ministry explains many ways that Christians can share the good news, including through church websites. Churches often find it difficult to create a site that will engage with outsiders in their area, and find themselves asking, ""How can our church website help us reach out into our community?"

A new online tool released by IE Day provides churches with a free 15-page evaluation report. Users assess their own website by answering 55 simple questions. Their customized report is immediately displayed online, ready to print or save. The report's recommendations are tailored with specific practical suggestions, based on the questions that were ticked. View the evaluation tool here: http://ied.gospelcom.net/church-site-design.php

A church site which has been prioritized for non-Christian visitors can be remarkably effective in reaching the community. "Week in, week out, more visitors turn up at our church on a Sunday because of the website, than anything else," writes one growing church in London.
The tool also provides the parable 'A Tale of Two Golf Clubs' (which is available to republish) to illustrate the principles of effective church websites: http://ied.gospelcom.net/golf-parable.php

Church leaders have welcomed this new resource. "This competent evaluation tool provides a valuable service to churches that will help them strengthen their effectiveness in outreach through the Internet," says Dr. Sterling Huston, director of North American Ministries for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Gary McClure of LifeWay Ministries agrees, saying, "This checklist is an invaluable tool to identify critical areas for improvement. Every church should study this regularly and act on it!"

For or Against the War in Iraq (part one)

2008-04-10T23:00:00.004-04:00

Here's an anti-war message. I'll bring you the other side tomorrow.

A Call to Lament and Repent.

Your thoughts? E-mail to CandidChristian@gmail.com, or use the social media buttons below.

Hallelujah

2008-04-10T15:59:00.004-04:00

I know, I know. American Idol is for women and teenage girls. I like this season. I do. I only watched one other season--when Taylor Hicks won the thing--so I was due to get sucked in another time.

The reason? One of them is that I like this guy, in the video below. Dude rocks...especially this song, "Hallelujah." A lot of guys have sung it--Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright--but Jason Castro here is a professing Christian who was set to go on a mission trip with his church before American Idol came calling. He's said this song was his favorite performance because of its personal meaning.

So while it was originally written as a secular song, just about anything can take on spiritual meaning when understanding a very important fact: we are image-bearers of God, made in His image. If, then, we are capable of beautiful, artistic representations, then what does that say about God? Man, look out your window sometime. God made that. He is an artist. It should come as no surprise, then, that men and women are inspired to produce their own art, because whether it's sung about Him, all art comes from Him and, whether we realize it or not, to Him.

So, enjoy the video. Just forget it's from American Idol.

Happy Birthday

2008-04-07T23:11:00.007-04:00

I officially joined the blogosphere two years ago today. Actually, this is my second blog; the first was an experiment in which I had hoped to build an online community for a Sunday School class I taught. But that eventually petered out.

Still, I enjoyed writing the blog and figured I would use a new blog as another sort of experiment, this one in 21st century evangelism. Over time, I've realized that the World Wide Web i s just another mission field. It's no different than spending time in a Third World jungle, or going door-to-door in my neighborhood. Indeed, the potential for Internet evangelism is much, much larger: there are millions upon millions of people crusing the information superhighway, and if just a minute fraction of those people stumble across the site and learn about Jesus, it makes it all worth it, yes? Especially considering I enjoy it anyway? I think so.

Now, over time things have sort of evolved. At times it's been a confessional, other times its been a Web portal to deliver other evangelical information and, at still other times, I've used it as a political platform (after initially saying I'd never do so). But at the heart of what I'm attempting to do is simple: I just want to tell people about Jesus. He changed my life. I know He can change yours.

So, just for a stroll down memory lane, I'm re-posting my first blog entry--which might be cringe-inducing prose for all I remember. But, again, I've not done this for any gain of my own, but that others might come to know a little bit more about Jesus.

****

“ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ”- Galatians 2:20

They say confession is good for the soul ... yeah, no kidding, right?I thought I'd create this blog to share my daily experiences with the risen Christ -- good and bad. Like most Christians, my walk is full of ups and downs, highs and lows, mountaintops and valleys. Know the feeling?

I don't really know where all of this will go. I just want to write about the God who saved and redeemed me. So, I'll start with my testimony. On Sept. 12, 1982, I was just a boy -- six years old, loving G.I. Joe, Transformers and the woods in my backyard. Life was complete, inasmuch as it can be for a child two months shy of seven. Yet, sitting in the pew that Sunday night, something stirred within me. I somehow knew that there was something missing in my life. I didn't know what to call it then, but I know now: I had the same God-shaped void inherent in all our lives. I needed Him. More specifically, I needed to accept the gift of salvation Jesus offered by His death on the cross of Calvary. As best as I can remember, my mother sat beside me, and I saddled up to her and said I wanted to go to the church altar and receive Christ in my life. The choir was singing, my grandfather -- our church's pastor -- sitting in the front pew directly in front of me. He led me to the altar, and I remembered the A-B-Cs of salvation, as the Apostle Paul outlined in his epistle to the Romans, chapter 10, verses 9 and 10." ... That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."Ask, Believe, Confess. I did all three, and my life has never been the same.

There have, to be sure, been problems in my Christian walk. I rebelled against Him in college and spent 10 years living a life of rampant sin. I was into drinking, drugs. From about the age of 18 until 28, I knew little about the God who saved me because my sin precluded Him from having a direct, day-to-day impact on my life. I use this analogy: what would you do if your best friend in the whole world, abruptly and with little warning, quit calling you? You'd probably call them anyway, right? You'd say something like, "Hey, how have you been ... miss seeing you. When can we hang?" But, eventually, if those calls weren't returned, those visits never reciprocated, you'd quit, yes? Oh, you'd still love your best friend. You'd still miss them. You might even tell others to say "hello," but that contact would be distant, incorporeal. That was my relationship to God. After years of rampant sin, he just quit calling.

On August 31, 2003, I broke my back. I won't go into details here -- maybe I will later. But God used that moment to wake me up, to show me that I was nothing without Him, that my life was only a fraction of what it could be if only I'd allow Christ free reign with my thoughts ... and actions. A few weeks later while recuperating, I got down on my knees, bent over as much as I could with my 20-pound back brace and asked Him to forgive me of all that I'd done. Here's the amazing thing. Remember that friend analogy? As humans, we naturally hold grudges. I've gone in and out of friendships with people for many reasons, and I'm sad to say some of the breaks happened through things I'd done. That was the case of my friendship with Jesus. He never holds a grudge, nor does He care that it took a serious, life-threatening injury to get me to wake up to the reality of what my life had become. He doesn't care what my life was like while I was running away from Him and toward my own selfish desires ... the only thing He cares about was what I could have been accomplishing for Him in the time that I was following my own path.

So, I guess that's what part of this is. It's my way of trying to get those years back ... I've got a lot of catching up to do, a lot of lives to impact for Jesus. I was too busy with myself back then.

I want to be busy with Jesus now.

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How Would Jesus Vote: NYU/NSF Survey

2008-04-07T22:45:00.002-04:00

I've been asked by some students at New York University to help them with a political survey they are conducting. Here's their description:

"A research team from the psychology department at New York University, headed by Professor Yaacov Trope and supported by the National Science Foundation, is investigating the cognitive causes of voting behavior, political preferences, and candidate evaluations throughout the course of the 2008 election. This stage of the study focuses on the information people use to inform their decisions and evaluations during the course of the nationwide parties' nominating contests, whether or not the primary/caucus in their state has already taken place. They seek respondents of all political leanings from all over the country to complete a 15-minute questionnaire, the responses to which will be completely anonymous."

If you are interested in participating, click here to take part in the survey. (The actual link is http://www.psychsurveys.org/brietruesdell/2008primaries/)

This is all legit and on the up-and-up, I've been assured. So, if you have some spare time, let's help them out.

OK?

OK.