"The breakdown of Jon and Kate's marriage is but a symptom of the larger weaknesses of ethics in the evangelical community. We are easily seduced by wealth and fame. We are easily contended by the shallow rhetoric of hot-button issues. In short, we are easily deceived by cultural values painted in Christian veneers.” – Julie Vermerr Elliott (Christian ethics professor at Eastern University in St. Davis, Pennsylvania)
Friday, July 03, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Don't Be Afraid
As Luke records in the Book of Acts, it was Paul who stood in front of the Areopagus (Mars Hill), and spoke truth to power, attempting to correct the Athenians’ view of God. Speaking about God, Paul said:
From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ (Acts 17:26-28)
What is so striking to me is the idea, this truism that it is in him, in God himself, that we live and move and have our being. Call me corny if you want to, but that sounds so beautiful to me.
It is in God that I am to live and move and have my being. It is in him that I am to, simply put, find life, the ability to inhale and exhale divine sustenance. It is in him that I am to advance or retreat, hibernate or aestivate, press pause or casually fast-forward, moon-walk or do the running-man, relocate to the left, or the right, or walk in-place; he is to be my life’s navigational system. It is in him that I am to find the meaning of life, of my life…to be defined by him, and him alone.
I thought about this today in light of all not only that is going on with the global economy as of late, but even more importantly what has been transpiring in humanity’s heart since the fall; feelings of entitlement. At some point or another we all battle with feelings of discontent; you know, the puffed-up pomp and circumstance of never being satisfied and always wanting independence from God and others. Or at least I know that I do. Surely on my own merit I never want to “do the right thing,” to do what I discern to be God’s good and perfect will.
I don’t want to experience financial strife, let alone one day find myself camping on poverty’s doorstep. I don’t want to be persecuted or become an outcast, especially not for doing what God requires of me on individual and universal fronts. I don’t want to be uncomfortable. I don’t want to be alone or even not be alone in reality, but still at times feel alone. I don’t want to share. I don’t want pain. I surely don’t want problems, trials, or tribulations. I don’t want to pick up my cross and follow Jesus. I don’t want to serve and lead, let alone marry the two concepts and become an infamous “servant-leader.”
I don’t want sadness or sorrow. I don’t want unpredictability. I don’t want accountability. Justification might be okay, but sanctification is for suckas. It is just too icky. I don’t want what is right no matter the price. I don’t want peace, love, and happiness. I don’t want faith. I don’t want trust. I don’t want to, as playwright Lorraine Hansberry articulated in A Raisin in the Sun, ‘be unafraid to sit awhile and think,’[1] not to mention in the process relax, relate, and release just a tad.
I don’t want to slow down. I don’t want balance. I don’t want intimacy. I don’t want transparency. I don’t want submission. I don’t want to suffer. And, Lord knows that in spite of how good I believe heaven to be, I don’t want to die…at least not anytime soon, say between now and the next, oh let’s just say, like 95 years.
What I keep asking myself though is, in spite of all that I inherently don’t want because of sin, do I want God more? I know that I will always fall short, but I am learning each day to slow life down, so that with the Holy Spirit as my eternal tutor I can do God’s will more and more.
This afternoon I read an insightful poem called “Poverty” by the late, great Chilean poet Pablo Neruda:
[1] Lorraine Hansberry, Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun (New York, NY: Samuel French, 1984) 119.
[2] Pablo Neruda, The Captain’s Verses (New York, NY: New Directions, 2004), 95.
It is in God that I am to live and move and have my being. It is in him that I am to, simply put, find life, the ability to inhale and exhale divine sustenance. It is in him that I am to advance or retreat, hibernate or aestivate, press pause or casually fast-forward, moon-walk or do the running-man, relocate to the left, or the right, or walk in-place; he is to be my life’s navigational system. It is in him that I am to find the meaning of life, of my life…to be defined by him, and him alone.
I thought about this today in light of all not only that is going on with the global economy as of late, but even more importantly what has been transpiring in humanity’s heart since the fall; feelings of entitlement. At some point or another we all battle with feelings of discontent; you know, the puffed-up pomp and circumstance of never being satisfied and always wanting independence from God and others. Or at least I know that I do. Surely on my own merit I never want to “do the right thing,” to do what I discern to be God’s good and perfect will.
I don’t want to experience financial strife, let alone one day find myself camping on poverty’s doorstep. I don’t want to be persecuted or become an outcast, especially not for doing what God requires of me on individual and universal fronts. I don’t want to be uncomfortable. I don’t want to be alone or even not be alone in reality, but still at times feel alone. I don’t want to share. I don’t want pain. I surely don’t want problems, trials, or tribulations. I don’t want to pick up my cross and follow Jesus. I don’t want to serve and lead, let alone marry the two concepts and become an infamous “servant-leader.”
I don’t want sadness or sorrow. I don’t want unpredictability. I don’t want accountability. Justification might be okay, but sanctification is for suckas. It is just too icky. I don’t want what is right no matter the price. I don’t want peace, love, and happiness. I don’t want faith. I don’t want trust. I don’t want to, as playwright Lorraine Hansberry articulated in A Raisin in the Sun, ‘be unafraid to sit awhile and think,’[1] not to mention in the process relax, relate, and release just a tad.
I don’t want to slow down. I don’t want balance. I don’t want intimacy. I don’t want transparency. I don’t want submission. I don’t want to suffer. And, Lord knows that in spite of how good I believe heaven to be, I don’t want to die…at least not anytime soon, say between now and the next, oh let’s just say, like 95 years.
What I keep asking myself though is, in spite of all that I inherently don’t want because of sin, do I want God more? I know that I will always fall short, but I am learning each day to slow life down, so that with the Holy Spirit as my eternal tutor I can do God’s will more and more.
This afternoon I read an insightful poem called “Poverty” by the late, great Chilean poet Pablo Neruda:
Ah you don’t want to,In whatever you are afraid of, or perhaps otherwise selfishly enamored with or fixated on, I pray that you will learn to want God more, that in him you might live, move, and have your being. Amen!
you're scared
of poverty,
you don’t want
to go to the market with worn-out shoes
and come back with the same old dress.
My love, we are not fond,
as the rich would like us to be,
of misery. We
shall extract it like an evil tooth
that up to now
has bitten the heart of man.
But I don’t want
you to fear it.
If through my fault it comes to your dwelling,
if poverty drives away
your golden shoes,
let it not drive away your laughter which is my life’s bread.
If you can’t pay the rent
go off to work with a proud step,
and remember, my love, that I am watching you
and together we are the greatest wealth
that was ever gathered upon the earth.[2]
[1] Lorraine Hansberry, Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun (New York, NY: Samuel French, 1984) 119.
[2] Pablo Neruda, The Captain’s Verses (New York, NY: New Directions, 2004), 95.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
The Value of Words
Last Thursday I had the privilege of spending five class periods performing poetry for high school students in their English class. I answered their many questions (a part of these encounters which I enjoy immensely), such as, “How did you get into writing poetry?” and “Who are your favorite writers?”, and spent much of our time discussing popular culture and its impact on their goals and dreams. I must be getting old (really I think that I just stayed-up too late the night before) because performing for five periods back-to-back like that rendered me dog-tired by the end of the day, but nonetheless as usual I had an absolutely wonderful time.
I again witnessed, as I have so much when interacting with high school students on their own turf, that words can and do mean something. Furthermore, when used in the right ways and for the right reasons, words can help empower youth especially to be better and do more than society expects of them; much more than even they themselves think that they are capable of.
I performed for upwards of 100 freshman and sophomore students, and although it was tiring physically it was also incredibly encouraging. I needed that outlet on that day. I needed a break for the seemingly mundane. I needed to see hope alive and in living color on that day to remind me that God is indeed at work even in the midst of turmoil and confusion.
Today's youth get such a bad name, but I often wonder how many adults in their lives actually believe in them...believe that they can be more and do more. Even more than that, how many adults in their lives lead by example, teaching them that on a very basic level life really isn’t about how much attention and financial success you can secure, but rather, through being a servant-leader, how you can lose your life, and by doing so gain it?
I had so many students tell me that they enjoyed my poetry because they could relate to it, unlike the work of so many of the old, dead guys that they are forced to read. They said that it was relative to their lives, and inspired them to keep writing…to keep dreaming, and believing that it is okay to be different in positive albeit unpopular ways. I suppose that it should be no surprise to me that words can mean something special since God spoke the world into existence.
I’m under no self-induced pretense that folks near and far are totally and utterly enamored by my work. Whether it’s a sermon, essay, BLOG entry, or casual face-to-face conversation, I seriously doubt that one way or another people across the globe are salivating in eager anticipation of being blown away by what I say or write. And, that is honestly okay.
I just pray that at least sometimes God uses what I say or write to help provide hope and healing for someone else. I know that words can and do mean a lot, whether it’s a passing congratulatory comment in the hallway or an in-depth conversation between husband and wife. Words can uplift us, embrace our autopilot, zombie-like disposition, or clear the way for despair.
Always availing myself to proactively assist and minister to others, which I do often, is fulfilling, but also extremely draining and quite honestly at times exceptionally lonesome. I sometimes feel that I’m isolated on a island of sacrifice and concern wherein I care so intimately for those around me, but am left to virtually fend for myself in those same ways.
It’s a rough road to travel; a road that I’m learning more each day necessitates that I consistently look to God for self-esteem, peace, patience, and renewal. He has said that, “…Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5). He has said that, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly…but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1)
I realize that those words may not mean much to some, but it does to me. And, right now especially it means the world. Indeed, words can and do mean a lot. And, God’s words are helping to reinforce in me that He hears my cries, and that my sufferings in honoring Him are valuable. Those students who I performed for—most whom I won’t see again—probably don’t know it, but God spoke to me through their encouragement and affirmation of my work.
Thanks kids.
Thanks God.
Words can and do mean a lot…at least I think so.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Creative Christianity
Yesterday I read a short story in Worldwide Challenge (January/February 2009) about a summer arts program for college students, the Tribeca Arts Project , that exists “as a way to encourage college artists to consider how they might use their gifts to connect with nonbelievers.”
The following is the response of Leigh Ann Dull, co-director and staff member at the Tribeca Arts Project, to the question, what does it mean to help them [college artists] make that connection [the incorporation of faith and art]?
The following is the response of Leigh Ann Dull, co-director and staff member at the Tribeca Arts Project, to the question, what does it mean to help them [college artists] make that connection [the incorporation of faith and art]?
“Many Christian artists think that they can only create something that leads people directly to Jesus or uses Jesus as the subject matter. We don’t ask accountants to crunch numbers that are salvific, so why do we ask it of artists? Instead, we ask the students to be excellent, be honest and tell their story. Art is not a hobby for them; it is part of who they are designed to be as image bearers of the great Creator.”
As a burgeoning, interdisciplinary artist myself, Leigh’s response resonated with me. As Christians surely we need to use all of the gifts (both general and specific) that God has entrusted to us in uncompromising, godly ways. Yet if we never learn to exegete and engage the culture(s) around us in light of biblical truth, or as St. Francis of Assisi put it, “Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary, use words.”, then have we really been faithful to the truth that we claim to be so radically life-changing and necessary for ultimate peace?
Take William P. Young’s successful book The Shack as a recent example. As Derek R. Keefe of Christianity Today has pointed out, it “is a tale of tragedy redeemed, not a theological treatise.” If you read it as a literal explanation of God, then as an evangelical you will probably come away upset and insulted. Yet that isn’t at all what it is, regardless of what the author may have intended it to be.
We need to teach people, those in The Church especially, the difference between fact and fiction, absolute truth and creative license, literal and figurative imagery. Why do so many Christians sometimes seem so ignorant of things that inherently embrace creativity, whether poetry or lunar bowling? Of course there always need to be balance and critique, but I think the answer probably has to do with the fact that we don't allow ourselves to dream.
Now we will follow the American Dream no doubt (good job, money in the bank, family, 2.5 kids, a dog, and a decidedly suburban home with a rod iron gate), but to dream that God might want to use us in unconventional ways to bring glory to Himself is way more than we can fathom most of the time. My prayer is that we will begin to dream big dreams for how God can use us to communicate the gospel, His everlasting truth, in real, progressive, and impactful ways to those around us.
Take William P. Young’s successful book The Shack as a recent example. As Derek R. Keefe of Christianity Today has pointed out, it “is a tale of tragedy redeemed, not a theological treatise.” If you read it as a literal explanation of God, then as an evangelical you will probably come away upset and insulted. Yet that isn’t at all what it is, regardless of what the author may have intended it to be.
We need to teach people, those in The Church especially, the difference between fact and fiction, absolute truth and creative license, literal and figurative imagery. Why do so many Christians sometimes seem so ignorant of things that inherently embrace creativity, whether poetry or lunar bowling? Of course there always need to be balance and critique, but I think the answer probably has to do with the fact that we don't allow ourselves to dream.
Now we will follow the American Dream no doubt (good job, money in the bank, family, 2.5 kids, a dog, and a decidedly suburban home with a rod iron gate), but to dream that God might want to use us in unconventional ways to bring glory to Himself is way more than we can fathom most of the time. My prayer is that we will begin to dream big dreams for how God can use us to communicate the gospel, His everlasting truth, in real, progressive, and impactful ways to those around us.
Keep the faith, indeed even as the faith keeps you.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Faith and Works
Salvation in Jesus frees us from being subject to the ways of this world since we are sealed by the Holy Spirit as heirs with God and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17), but simultaneously this makes us subject to all (to one another as brothers and sisters of the faith and to our unbelieving neighbors) as we follow our Savior’s model of sacrificial living. Therefore, we are saved by grace alone through faith in Jesus, and our response to His agape love is us ministering to His creation as servants. It’s important to understand that faith is, and can only be, as important as the godly action that follows or precedes it. We provide shelter for the homeless first because God instructs us to, but also in order to meet man’s physical need (works) and in hope that the experience of being unconditionally cared for combined with the environment of a safe, warm place to sleep will allow one to experience Jesus, and surrender all to Him in fulfilling man’s spiritual need (salvation). Likewise, we pray for and counsel those with pressing life issues (i.e. – failing marriage, low self-esteem, hopelessness, issues of abandonment, etc.), encouraging them to seek the refuge of Jesus in fulfilling man’s spiritual need (salvation) in hope that this newfound relationship will empower them to develop a new worldview and establish a more godly quality of life, thus fulfilling man’s physical need (works).
Thursday, August 21, 2008
The Death of Reality
Last night I watched (or rather re-watched, since I’d seen it years ago) Stay Tuned, a 1992 film in which John Ritter of “Three’s Company” fame plays a father who’s addicted to watching television. Failing as a husband, father, and employee he sees cable as his only friend in the world. It doesn’t demand anything of him, at least it seems. There’s no sacrifice involved, at least it seems. It’s a great comedy, although a bit dated now in some of its humor, with a wonderfully redemptive lesson about how investing quality time in building and maintaining healthy relationships are much more important and fulfilling than seeking refuge in the silent solace of temporal things. The film got me to thinking about how it seems that today we live in an age when no one wants to wrestle with reality, let alone work out their salvation with fear and trembling as per Philippians 2:12-13. Our marriages falling apart, homes being repossessed and babies having babies (or abortions) are way too much to deal with, so we just don’t…deal with it that is. Or maybe it’s more accurate to say that we deal with it in a very dysfunctional way that ultimately leads to more drama. We watch horror films and ride all kinds of rickety rollercoasters in order to escape life, and in the process be scared half to death. For many of us, whether friend or foe of God’s Kingdom, reality sucks, so rather than face it head-on feeling ill-prepared to make a dent let alone be victorious over it, we escape reality with as much frequency and length of time as possible.
Right now I’m reading, among other titles, The Trouble with Paris: Following Jesus in a World of Plastic Promises by Mark Sayers, which has also helped spark my interest in this matter. Here’s a brief excerpt that I thought was very telling of how crazy we are: “A fairly pretty girl works as a model to support her studies. She does a photo shoot for a fashion magazine. The photographer skillfully uses wardrobe, lighting, and makeup during the shoot. After the shoot, computers are used to take away the model’s imperfections and to improve her overall look. The magazine hits the newsstands, and through the magic of technology, a fairly pretty girl has been turned into a stunningly beautiful cover mode. Thousands of women buy the magazine and wonder why they cannot be as beautiful and glamorous as the model on the cover, not realizing that if they walked past the actual model in the street, they would not even notice her.” Now ain’t that something? Sayers goes on in the first few chapters of the book to explain how foolish our acceptance of the popular culture’s new “hyper-reality” concept of living really is. We watch television, whether it’s a sitcom, the news, sports, or a movie, and somehow forget to separate what we see from what’s really real—regardless of if that reality is good or bad.
We’ve become (or maybe always were) a people who reject truth, but love us some fantasy. For a moment let’s discuss some hard truths as related to these 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Let’s just keep it real. Okay, here it goes. Truth #1: Usain Bolt, the 22-year-old Jamaican sprinter and newly-crowned world’s fastest man, could’ve clocked even faster times if he’d had better form and didn’t hotdog before crossing the finish line. Truth #2: There’s no conceivable way that the US men’s basketball team should not earn the gold medal if they play up to their capabilities. Truth #3: No parent in their right mind watched any of the volleyball (indoor or outdoor) or gymnastics competitions and said, “I really, really want my child to be that naked on television for the sake of a sport!” By the way, why isn’t bowling or air hockey an Olympic sport? Can someone please lobby for that? Okay, well so these are not unbiased reflections, but you get the point.
For me probably the biggest truth that has been impressed upon me during the Olympics is that—okay, please brace yourself—the beloved United States isn’t the best at everything, athletic or otherwise. Even the most sheltered, patriotic, narrow-minded American would have to accept that as reality. Come on, did you see the opening ceremonies? In my mind though, this is a much-needed reality-check because it’s okay that we’re not the best at everything, and even some of the things that we thought we were the best at (and maybe never were) we now realize that we’re not. It’s really okay. Now maybe we’ll pump more time, energy, and money into our public school systems and radically overhaul the collegiate experience from being more about sexual freedom, binge drinking, plagiarism, and social elitism as a justifiable means to a foolish, but financially productive end than obtaining critical analytical skills and an enriched sense of ethical maturity. I’m so tired of running into so-called intelligent people who are chalk-full of head knowledge, but lack basic common sense and street sense, and think that deductive reasoning is some sort of mysterious land of punishment that teachers send students to serve in-school suspension. Lord, please bless us with some unabashed creativity! I often wonder why it is so difficult for us to think outside the box. Is it our privileged position of global affluence and exploitation?
Well, let me try to wrap this up. I agree with the notion that the overwhelming majority of America isn’t a sprawling Christian metropolis, but rather an anti-Christian, post-Christian, and/or un-Christian environment. Therefore, we need to seriously analyze how we approach ministry. In order to communicate God’s truth to our communities we need to take our cue from 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 [“……I have become all things to all men that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.”] and 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 [“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.”].
We American Christians tend to be more American than Christian and as a bi-product often embrace the naïve notion that most of our well-meaning neighbors absolutely love life and sit around memorizing Scripture, watching TBN (as if that’s even a good thing!), and singing 200-year-old hymns that have been remixed with contemporary panache. That’s very far away from the truth, however. Most of us can tell you more accurate information about the plot and latest episode of Law and Order than the significance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. On this note Frederica Matthews-Green, author and writer, has said, “Whatever happened to repentance? We live in a time when it’s hard to talk about Christian faith at all, much less about awkward topics like repentance…Try telling a person who’s been discipled by modern advertising that he’s a sinner.”
We have a responsibility to, in response to our love for God, love our neighbors, which has as much to do with unbiased service on an individual and corporate scale as it does with speaking the truth in love. I’ll pose the same question to you that I came across recently. If your entire church body—not the building, but the people—were to perish overnight, how (if at all) and why (in what ways) would the community notice the absence?
Right now I’m reading, among other titles, The Trouble with Paris: Following Jesus in a World of Plastic Promises by Mark Sayers, which has also helped spark my interest in this matter. Here’s a brief excerpt that I thought was very telling of how crazy we are: “A fairly pretty girl works as a model to support her studies. She does a photo shoot for a fashion magazine. The photographer skillfully uses wardrobe, lighting, and makeup during the shoot. After the shoot, computers are used to take away the model’s imperfections and to improve her overall look. The magazine hits the newsstands, and through the magic of technology, a fairly pretty girl has been turned into a stunningly beautiful cover mode. Thousands of women buy the magazine and wonder why they cannot be as beautiful and glamorous as the model on the cover, not realizing that if they walked past the actual model in the street, they would not even notice her.” Now ain’t that something? Sayers goes on in the first few chapters of the book to explain how foolish our acceptance of the popular culture’s new “hyper-reality” concept of living really is. We watch television, whether it’s a sitcom, the news, sports, or a movie, and somehow forget to separate what we see from what’s really real—regardless of if that reality is good or bad.
We’ve become (or maybe always were) a people who reject truth, but love us some fantasy. For a moment let’s discuss some hard truths as related to these 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Let’s just keep it real. Okay, here it goes. Truth #1: Usain Bolt, the 22-year-old Jamaican sprinter and newly-crowned world’s fastest man, could’ve clocked even faster times if he’d had better form and didn’t hotdog before crossing the finish line. Truth #2: There’s no conceivable way that the US men’s basketball team should not earn the gold medal if they play up to their capabilities. Truth #3: No parent in their right mind watched any of the volleyball (indoor or outdoor) or gymnastics competitions and said, “I really, really want my child to be that naked on television for the sake of a sport!” By the way, why isn’t bowling or air hockey an Olympic sport? Can someone please lobby for that? Okay, well so these are not unbiased reflections, but you get the point.
For me probably the biggest truth that has been impressed upon me during the Olympics is that—okay, please brace yourself—the beloved United States isn’t the best at everything, athletic or otherwise. Even the most sheltered, patriotic, narrow-minded American would have to accept that as reality. Come on, did you see the opening ceremonies? In my mind though, this is a much-needed reality-check because it’s okay that we’re not the best at everything, and even some of the things that we thought we were the best at (and maybe never were) we now realize that we’re not. It’s really okay. Now maybe we’ll pump more time, energy, and money into our public school systems and radically overhaul the collegiate experience from being more about sexual freedom, binge drinking, plagiarism, and social elitism as a justifiable means to a foolish, but financially productive end than obtaining critical analytical skills and an enriched sense of ethical maturity. I’m so tired of running into so-called intelligent people who are chalk-full of head knowledge, but lack basic common sense and street sense, and think that deductive reasoning is some sort of mysterious land of punishment that teachers send students to serve in-school suspension. Lord, please bless us with some unabashed creativity! I often wonder why it is so difficult for us to think outside the box. Is it our privileged position of global affluence and exploitation?
Well, let me try to wrap this up. I agree with the notion that the overwhelming majority of America isn’t a sprawling Christian metropolis, but rather an anti-Christian, post-Christian, and/or un-Christian environment. Therefore, we need to seriously analyze how we approach ministry. In order to communicate God’s truth to our communities we need to take our cue from 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 [“……I have become all things to all men that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.”] and 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 [“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.”].
We American Christians tend to be more American than Christian and as a bi-product often embrace the naïve notion that most of our well-meaning neighbors absolutely love life and sit around memorizing Scripture, watching TBN (as if that’s even a good thing!), and singing 200-year-old hymns that have been remixed with contemporary panache. That’s very far away from the truth, however. Most of us can tell you more accurate information about the plot and latest episode of Law and Order than the significance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. On this note Frederica Matthews-Green, author and writer, has said, “Whatever happened to repentance? We live in a time when it’s hard to talk about Christian faith at all, much less about awkward topics like repentance…Try telling a person who’s been discipled by modern advertising that he’s a sinner.”
We have a responsibility to, in response to our love for God, love our neighbors, which has as much to do with unbiased service on an individual and corporate scale as it does with speaking the truth in love. I’ll pose the same question to you that I came across recently. If your entire church body—not the building, but the people—were to perish overnight, how (if at all) and why (in what ways) would the community notice the absence?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
