Out the Door

A Graduation Party Like No Other

As a pastor I've been invited to hundreds of graduation parties.  On Saturday I attended one like no other.

Two senior girls who are members of our praise team decided that they wanted to include a time of praise and worship as part of their celebration.  So following the traditional cake and punch, they, along with our youth praise team members which includes another senior girl, set up their equipment in the city park and sang for about a hour. 

Julie & I took our lawn chairs and sat right up front.  I glanced round a couple of times and would guess that there were about 100 people sitting around the park listening.  Kids were running in and out, part of the time playing on the playground equipment and part of the time dancing to the music as only little children can (or will).  Someone told me they heard the music several blocks away.

At first I was simply into the music, singing along and applauding the performers.  After a while however, I became aware of what an awesome thing was taking place.  In front of me were three senior girls joined by four other high schooler and a 7th grader along with a couple of adult musicians very publically proclaiming their faith.  When it hit me what was happening, I sat back in amazement.  Here were these girls on the Saturday night before their graduation who could have been off drinking and partying, as I'm sure some of their classmates were, but instead they chose to worship.  Their level of faith and spiritual maturity inspires me and gives me hope.

Most Americans don't know about Easter

According to a recent study by the Barna Group, two out of every three Americans think that of Easter as a religious celebration.  Just what kind of celebration seems open to debate.  Common responses included describing it as a Christian holiday, a celebration of God or Jesus, a celebration of Passover, a holy day, or a special time for church or worship attendance.    However, only, 42% of Americans identified that the meaning of Easter was the resurrection of Jesus or that it signifies Christ death and return to life. One out of every 50 adults (2%) said that they would describe Easter as the most important holiday of their faith.

We often think of America as a Christian nation but fact is that nearly 6 out of every 10 Americans don’t know the meaning of the most important day in all of human history.  It’s long been my contention that one of the greatest barriers to evangelism is the belief that everyone already knows about Jesus.  While I have no doubt that the vast majority of Americans have heard of Jesus, this study shows that for most it is partial knowledge at best.

It is our responsibility as followers of Jesus to change this.  What better time to do that than Easter itself?  Most congregations go all out to make Easter special because most pastors understand that Easter is the most important holiday of our faith.  Indeed, if it were not for Easter and the resurrection of Jesus, there would be no Christian faith.

Who could you invite to join you and to experience the amazing power of God revealed in the resurrection of Jesus this Easter?  Once you’ve thought of them, take the next step and call them up and extend an invitation to them.

The Ongoing Attack Against Orthodox Christians in America

I have been accused in the past by some of my readers of overstating my case.  And I will admit I have pushed the envelop at times.  But if I have it is only because I want people to wake up to what's happening around them. 

I've been reading through the book of Jeremiah.  Yesterday I read these words:

They (the prophets & priest) have treated the wound of my people carelessly, saying "Peace, peace," when there is no peace.  Jeremiah 6:14

Orthodox Christians are under attack in this country, while many are crying, "Peace, peace," as if everything is okay.  Once the religious liberty of orthodox Christians is stripped away, can the onslaught against all people of faith, regardless of their faith, be far behind?

No doubt some people will think that I'm being fanatical in my warnings, however look at what is already taking place.  These aren't hypothetical situations, these are real court cases where the religious liberty of individuals and groups have been denied.  The following stories have been produced by the National Public Radio, which certainly isn't a bastion of conservative thinking.

Two women decided to hold their civil union ceremony at a New Jersey pavilion owned by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association. This Methodist group told the women they could not “marry” in any building used for religious purposes. The Rev. Scott Hoffman said a theological principle—that marriage can only exist between one man and one woman—was at stake.  The women filed a discrimination complaint with the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights. The Methodists said the First Amendment protected their right to practice their faith without being punished by the government. But punish the Methodists is exactly what New Jersey did. It revoked their tax exemption—a move that cost them $20,000.

Then there’s the case of the Christian physicians who refused to provide in vitro fertilization treatment to a woman in a lesbian relationship. The doctors referred her to their partners, who were willing to provide the treatment. But that wasn’t good enough. The woman sued. The California Supreme Court agreed with the woman, saying that the doctors’ religious beliefs didn’t give them the right to refuse the controversial treatment.

In Massachusetts, Catholic Charities was told they had to accept homosexual couples in their adoption service, or get out of the adoption business. They chose correctly and got out of the business.

In Mississippi, a mental health counselor was sued for refusing to provide therapy to a woman looking to improve her lesbian relationship. The counselor’s employers fired her—a move that was backed up by the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In New York, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University refused to allow same-sex couples to live in married student housing, in keeping with the school’s orthodox Jewish teachings. But in 2001, the New York State Supreme Court forced them to do so anyway—even though New York has no same-sex “marriage” law.

In Albuquerque, a same-sex couple asked a Christian wedding photographer to film their commitment ceremony—and sued the photographer when she declined.

An online adoption service was forced to stop doing business in California when a same-sex couple sued the service for refusing, on religious grounds, to assist them. 

All the above examples involve the loss of religious freedom because the individuals or groups held an orthodox Biblical worldview.  So you see why I'm concerned when people bury their heads in the sand about the attack on the free practice of religion and ignore the warnings that are proclaimed.  The priests and prophets of Jeremiah's day didn't listen and the Israelites paid a terrible price. 

I fear we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg of persecution which will come upon people of faith in our nation.  The only hope I see is if people of faith, Jews, Muslims, orthodox and progressive Christians come together and say, "Individuals must have the freedom to practice their religion even if we don't agree with their beliefs.  For when one person or group is denied the right to practice their faith as they see fit, then we all stand the chance of  losing our right to practice our religion."

NT: breakpoint.org

The Collapse of Evangelicalism & American Methodism

We are on the verge – within 10 years – of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity. This breakdown will follow the deterioration of the mainline Protestant world and it will fundamentally alter the religious and cultural environment in the West.

So begins a commentary by Michael Spencer in The Christian Science Monitor.  He lists seven reason he believes this to be true.

1. Evangelicals have identified their movement with the culture war and with political conservatism.

2. We Evangelicals have failed to pass on to our young people an orthodox form of faith that can take root and survive the secular onslaught.

3. There are three kinds of evangelical churches today: consumer-driven megachurches, dying churches, and new churches whose future is fragile. Denominations will shrink, even vanish, while fewer and fewer evangelical churches will survive and thrive.

4. Despite some very successful developments in the past 25 years, Christian education has not produced a product that can withstand the rising tide of secularism. 

5. The confrontation between cultural secularism and the faith at the core of evangelical efforts to "do good" is rapidly approaching. We will soon see that the good Evangelicals want to do will be viewed as bad by so many, and much of that work will not be done.

6. Even in areas where Evangelicals imagine themselves strong (like the Bible Belt), we will find a great inability to pass on to our children a vital evangelical confidence in the Bible and the importance of the faith.

7. The money will dry up.

Spencer is certainly not alone in predicting the demise of the church in America.  Reports flourish which point to the decline of the church as we know it.  A quick survey of any mainline denomination's statistics reveals shrinking numbers.  The United Methodist Church fits into this category.

While Spencer remains pessimistic about the future of evangelical churches in America, he also sees some possibilities to be hopeful.  One in particular caught my eye for I find it incredibly timely for the United Methodist Church in America.

The ascendency of Charismatic-Pentecostal-influenced worship around the world can be a major positive for the evangelical movement if reformation can reach those churches and if it is joined with the calling, training, and mentoring of leaders. If American churches come under more of the influence of the movement of the Holy Spirit in Africa and Asia, this will be a good thing.  (emphasis mine)

Right now there is a movement within United Methodism which rather than bringing the American church under the influence of African & Asian United Methodists seeks to minimize it.  Indeed, if the amendments which were passed at last spring's General Conference are ratified by the Annual Conferences, any influence by our African & Asian sisters and brothers on American United Methodism would be eliminated. 

Now is the time when American United Methodists should be looking to places like Cote d'Iviore, Nigeria, the Philippines and other African and Asian countries where United Methodism is growing for input and influence.  Sadly, there are some within the American UMC who have an agenda which does not include being an evangelical (communicating the good news of Jesus Christ in word & deed) body.

I am convinced that if we are to prove Michael Spencer wrong and that the American evangelical church as a whole and our own United Methodist Church in particular is not on the verge of collapse, then we much look to those through whom God is working in miraculous ways.  We have much to learn, if we will only listen.

Religion and Politics

Every four years, the debate over the role of religion in the political arena flares up.  David P. Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University, president of Evangelicals for Human Rights, and author of The Future of Faith in American Politics opined in USA Today about the connection between Evangelicals and the Republican Party.

He writes:  Conservative evangelicals are getting wrong both how they are bringing their faith to bear on politics and what they are saying when they do. 

The "how" problem, among other things, is that they are married to the Republican Party and have therefore compromised the political independence of Christianity and the church. This is a huge mistake, an error of biblical proportions, because it verges on idolatry — after all, "You shall have no other gods before me."

One obvious sign of this was the assumption in the Christian Right that its leaders would endorse a Republican presidential candidate — that it was just a matter of which of those GOP gentlemen was the best Christian choice. Endorsing a Democrat was and is inconceivable.  Read more.

While Gushee makes some valid points here, he fails to consider why these things are true.  The fact of the matter is that Evangelicals know that any Democrat presidential candidate who stands a chance of getting their party's nomination must be opposed to issues that most Evangelicals hold dear.  A Democrat candidate must be anti-pro-life, anti-traditional marriage, anti-school choice if he or she hopes to draw the party faithful.  It matters little what a Democrat candidate favors because few Evangelicals will abandon these core values.  Thus Evangelicals, in our two party system, are left with only one other choice, the Republicans.  These limited choices result in individuals voting against a candidate rather than in favor of one.   

If the day ever comes when a candidate can hold in balance the values of Evangelicals while looking for ways the government can solve the problems of poverty, education, global warming, and war that person would win in a landslide.

Atheist Evangelists

I saw this cartoon over on Allan Bevere's blog and had to pass it along.  While I find it incredibly funny, I don't think it accurately portrays what atheist's believe nor do I think it was intended to. 

In the words of Bob Dyan:

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Atheists pamphlet of beliefs isn't blank.  They simply choose not to believe in God.  The idea that atheists don't believe in anything just isnt' true.  They put their faith in science or in themselves.  They set themselves up as the supreme rulers of their lives.  They are serving someone.  It's not the Lord God, however.

Christians believe that God is the supreme ruler of the universe, and as such has the authority to tell us how to live and who to serve. 

Bad reputation

A friend of mine gave me a packet of materials that he is using to help people learn how to deal with conflict.  The first page was a long list of adjectives.  The assignment was to check the "People (behaviors) that sap my effectiveness."  Here's the list in part:

manipulative               know-it-alls
boring                         indecisive
always serious             "holier than thou" types
incompetent                stubborn
missionary-types          undisciplined
rigid                           wishy-washy
fanatics                      arrogant
That's about a third of the list.

What struck me was the use of adjectives that are often apply to religious people; "holier than thou" types, missionary-types, fanatics.  Now I have to admit I really don't like these kinds of people.  But it bothers me that there are enough of these kinds of people around so as to include them in this list.

Somewhere we Christians haven't gotten off the track.  If enough of us were living Christ-filled lives then these kinds of people would be an apparition and not what many in the world believe is the norm.

My wife's Sunday school class is working through Bill Hybels' book Becoming a Contagious Christian.  (She thinks it's absolutely terrific material.)  One of the first things that got her attention was the statement that in order to be contagious you first must have the disease.  There are a lot of people who have a touch of Christianity.  It is these people who often leave a bad taste in other's mouths.  What we need are more people who have a full-blown case.

Atmosphere and Worship

How much does atmosphere impact worship?  It's a question that I've been asking myself lately. 

On the one hand, I believe that the way a place looks has a profound impact on worship.  I think Protestants can learn something from our Catholic friends.  Josh, our son, spent the summer in Sicily.  He had the opportunity to visit a number of beautiful churches on the island.  The artwork and the architecture spoke profoundly of God's glory.  Having seen a few new world cathedrals, I know that it is when standing in such a space that it's impossible not for one's eyes to be drawn heavenward.  There is a sense of awe which comes just from being present.  Obviously, these builders and artists sought to demonstrate their believe in God's majesty by what they created.

As I look around our sanctuary, I ask myself, what does this space say about what we believe about God?  It might be interesting to survey the congregation and get their opinions.  It could be even more interesting to survey visitors.  The latter would likely give a more unbiased answer.  I doubt if in most Protestant churches the answer would be "the majesty of God," though every congregation would profess that the belief in the majesty of God would be among its core beliefs.

On the other hand, some of the most wonderful times of worship I've ever experienced have had nothing whatsoever to do with where I was.  I still remember after 25 years sitting on a friend's deck singing along with a guitar.  Or at a Cursillo held in a old school house where I gave my heart to Christ.  Or around a campfire.

I guess I need to keep on pondering the question.

Maundy Thursday

Many churches around the world will be hosting Maundy Thursday services today.  When I was a kid, I thought it was Monday Thursday.  Never did quite figure out why this day was called by two different names.

Though my extensive education (I double checked myself on Wikipedia) I've learned the true meaning of the word. 

The word Maundy is derived through Middle English, and Old French mandé, from the Latin mandatum, the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ( A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you), the statement by Jesus in the Gospel of John (13:34) by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet.

Today is the day the Church has set aside to remember Jesus' commandment to love one another.  Each year during our Maundy Thursday service, we do a hand washing.  This is a less intimidating reenactment of Jesus' washing the disciples feet.  Though as one who has participated in an actual foot washing ceremony, I must say that it doesn't evoke the same emotions.

To have someone kneel before you and bath your feet in water is a humbling thing.  I can understand why Peter didn't want Jesus to wash his feet.  He had a profound sense of that this act was completely undeserved.  And so it was.  Yet it is a lesson on love that the disciples never forgot and Christians everywhere still remember 2,000 years later.  And though we remember this lesson, we often fail to act upon it in our own lives.  The other day, Greg Hazelrig asked, "What do you believe divides Christians more than anything else?"   

No one or two line paragraph can adequately answer that question, but here's mine.  We don't practice the lesson of Maundy Thursday.  We fail to love and serve as Jesus did.

Let's all pray that as Christians around the world gather to remember and celebrate Jesus' last supper, that we begin to live out his new commandment.

The Case for Christ

I just read the last five chapters of Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ.  Four of these deal with the evidence of Jesus' death and resurrection.  In the final chapter Strobel tells how his own quest for the truth about Jesus led him to believe and receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

Strobel's brings his book to a close by quoting C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity.  It is one of my favorite quotes from this great writer.

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God."  That is the one thing we must not say.  A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.  He would either be a lunatic....or else he would be the Devil of Hell.  You must make your choice.  Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.  You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.  But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher.  He has not left that open to us.  He did not intend to.

Each one of us must answer the question Jesus posed to His disicples "Who do you say I am?" (Matthew 16:15).