Heart Soul and Might

There is an interesting and I believe very important discussion going on at Together For the Gospel blog regarding the “debate” around faithfulness and relevance in the Church. Beginning with:

Mark Dever’s “Assumptions and Pursuits” here, followed by:

Ligon Duncan: Relevance, Customer Needs and Faithfulness

Al Mohler: The Cutting Edge

C.J. Mahaney: Cross-Centered Relevance 

Al Mohler: Two Kinds of Relevance 

Given the “Church Growth Phenomenon” of the last twenty years and the continued growth of large and mega churches - many of whom claim the “seeker-sensitive” model of ministry - this is a crucial discussion. Relevance is important… but at what cost?

In Dever’s “Assumptions and Pursuits” he says the following which clearly states the problem:

…having been in an unusual (even for me) number of meetings of pastors in the last few months, and reading everything from Rob Bell’s Velvet Jesus to John MacArthur’s Fool’s Gold (I think the latter volume is the better), I’ve been giving a lot of thought to colloquiums, cooperation, alliances, being together and denominations.  What is it that we pastors are grouping around?  Here’ my brief summary.

I think the most basic practical division among evangelical pastors today may be between those who pursue faithfulness and assume relevance and those who pursue relevance and assume faithfulness.

Imagine a spectrum running between those two alternatives; on its edges are positions most all of us would clearly recognize as wrong.  So on the faithfulness side would be a Greek Orthodox like use of untranslated Greek language in the service.  We might believe that the physical fact of proximity to God’s Word or hearing the inspired language (even if we don’t understand it) might have an almost magical force.  By that I mean, a power unrelated to our comprehension of the words.  No concern about irrelevance if the content is correct.  On the other hand we might find those who want to relate to the world precisely, with no distinct life or message.  Those for whom Paul’s  example in I Cor. 9:19-23 is the explanation for what amounts to the vanishing of the church as any distinct society.

The middle of the spectrum is where each of us intends to be–the right balance, the perfect combination of utter faithfulness to the Gospel and piercing relevance in its presentation.  And I suspect that most of us imagine we’re not too far from there, or else we would alter our location!

In a short video clip touching on some of the content of the upcoming Desiring God National Conference in Minneapolis, Mark Driscoll (Mars Hill Church in Seattle) speaks to open-handed liberalism and close-fisted fundamentalism as two extremes in today’s Church. Click here to check it out.

Christianity Today has an interesting article on how the early Church worshipped God - a portion of a book written by Justin Martyr, one of the fathers of our faith from the 2nd Century AD. Very interesting.
HT: Rich Kirkpatrick’s blog 

This from Justin Taylor at Between Two Worlds:

A few days ago I passed along an email from screenwriter Brian Godawa, where he included a suggested strategy of going to a different movie than the Da Vinci Code on its opening weekend. After receiving feedback, he’s had second thoughts on that approach, and passes along the following note (with permission to post). I reprint it here for your consideration:

“I have had some very helpful responses to the email I forwarded about strategy dealing with the Da Vinci Code release on May 19. In fact, they were so good that they persuaded me to expand my thinking on what to do May 19. I have always affirmed the Acts 17 approach to engaging with pagan culture, and was neglectful in taking that into consideration when I forwarded that email. As I thought about it some more, based on some of your thoughtful challenges, I realized that this is a profound opportunity that we have not had in a long time (since, The Passion) to talk about Jesus so widely. Now, some Christians have different gifts and ministries than others, which mean there are several ways of dealing with this issue, and all of them are legitimate depending on what situation you are in:

1) Educate yourself and go to see another movie on May 19. This was the first suggestion. And it is great for those who would probably not go see the movie anyway, as well as those who feel they don’t want to “support” the success of the film. Hollywood does listen to box office on the first couple weekends in terms of what movies they will continue to make. In a sense, our dollars are votes for what kind of movies are going to be made. Buy some books by Christians who have dissected the fallacies and fantasies of The Da Vinci Code so you can actually converse with people and express a measure of intelligence. It is important to note here that Christians have a reputation for not knowing what they are talking about because they “haven’t seen the movie.” BUT… Remember, you don’t have to see the movie to be able to discuss it with those who have, but you DO have to know what the issues are. In fact, the most effective means of witnessing is to LISTEN FIRST. So ask what someone else learned from the movie to see just how it affected them, and then respond to those concerns with the truth.
Too often we start rattling off what we think is wrong with something before we understand what the unbeliever really needs or thinks.

Listening first places you in a humble and disarming position. JUST ASK QUESTIONS AND LISTEN to the unbeliever’s viewpoint first. Wow, what a concept!

2) Go see the movie on May 19. The fact is, some unbelievers will not listen to your viewpoint if you haven’t seen it. For those of you who are in these circles, you may need to see it in order to interact with more effect. If your friends are going to see it, go with them, so you can give your opinions when they discuss it afterward. If you aren’t there when they do, then you’ve missed a chance to share the Gospel. Go the first couple weeks because it is going to be a hot issue and a lot of people will be talking about it right away, so if we wait for a few weeks, we can miss the most important discussions. The point is that we rarely have an open opportunity to talk about Jesus and here we have the unbelievers bringing it up and willing to talking about it.

OBJECTIONS:

1) But doesn’t this give money to godless movie companies for their godless films?
Well, Either Paul or Gamaliel, under whom Paul studied, paid money to buy the plays of Menander as well as the writings of pagan poets Aratus and Cleanthes and many others in order to interact with their ideas and apply the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:33; Acts 17:24-29). So there is biblical precedent for paying money for godless works in order to interact with them.

Look at it this way: You are paying 10 bucks to listen to a godless hate theory about Jesus, but this “buys” you the opportunity to share the true Jesus with those who would not listen to you otherwise.

Christians are always griping about how hard it is to get opportunities to talk about Jesus and this is a stark raving opportunity. Who cares if you have to pay for the opportunity? Do you want to share Jesus or not? $10 to be able to share Jesus. That’s pretty cheap. Of course, if you are like many Christians and do not really have any unbelievers who are your friends, then you probably don’t need to go because who do you have to share Jesus with anyway?

2) But doesn’t the first weekend box office support the film’s success?

Yes, it does on one level. However, the other side of that coin is that the more of a success it is, the more people talk about it, the more opportunity you have to share the real Jesus with them. If you wait until the second or third week, you will not be prepared to engage in the hottest discussions which are the first couple weeks. Also, realistically, whether you go to the first, second or tenth week, it’s still gonna count toward the box office anyway, so why not have a voice for Jesus in the hottest discussions? Would Paul have opted out of speaking to the pagans on Mars Hill because they wouldn’t respect him unless he read the Poets? No! He read the Poets and entered the fray!

Because he believed the truth of the Gospel will win out and “greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world!” (1 John 4:4)

Folks, this is an opportunity to talk about Jesus! So the options are: 1) go to a different movie that weekend to cast a vote against Da Vinci Code, 2) Don’t go to the opening week of Da Vinci Code and don’t have an opportunity to talk about Jesus to those who did and won’t listen to you if you did not, or 3) Go the opening week and DO have an opportunity to talk about Jesus to those who did. Again, this has to do with the fact that there are plenty of unbelievers who will not listen to your viewpoint if you haven’t seen it. Sure, that’s unfair. Welcome to history.”

Mark Dever writes an interesting post on counting converts at Together For the Gospel. Food for thought. Here’s an excerpt:

The greatest threat to the gospel specific to today is the indirect challenge of pragmatism among evangelicals.  Let me give an illustration of this.

I want to suggest that evangelicals are particularly open to self-deception when it comes to counting converts, and, oddly enough, with the best of motivations–faithfulness to the great commission, love to God, love for the lost–our vision of the Gospel can be whittled away, and our churches degraded.  It happens like this

1)  Great call to evangelize the community/nation/world.

2)  Numerical goal set of raising our numbers (of missionaries, evangelists, churches, baptisms, conversions, Christians).

3)  Excitement follows at the thought of the missionary force tripling (or something like that).

Read the rest here.

HT: Together for the Gospel

After having posted on fathers, sons and March Madness (basketball), C.J. Mahaney was asked by Mark Dever about how he prepares his son for their Sunday morning worship service. Having two little boys myself, I’m especially interested in this, and am challenged and inspired to be as intentional with my boys as C.J. is with his. Read the whole thing at Together for the Gospel. Here’s an excerpt:

Yep, Mark, I follow a similar approach in order to prepare Chad for the Sunday meeting at Covenant Life Church, only this event is much more important than basketball. Actually, as I understand it, parenting is all about preparation. I need to prepare Chad to fulfill his call as a man to serve and lead, and ultimately I must prepare him for the fast-approaching day of judgment.

My approach to preparing Chad for the Sunday meeting has been informed by the doctrine of the church as clearly taught in Scripture and the Savior’s love for the church as compelling demonstrated on the cross. I want to inform my son theologically about the church and demonstrate for him a passion for the church. I want to transfer to him my love for Covenant Life Church in particular.

Imparting a love for the church must begin with my example. Modeling precedes teaching. Before we teach, we must provide a genuine (not a perfect) example for our children. So, in order to effectively prepare Chad for Sunday, I must first prepare my own heart.

Thanks to Justin Taylor (Between Two Worlds) for pointing me to a great blog devoted to church history called “Historia Ecclesiastica”. Read Michael Haykin’s post here on why we should study the “church fathers.” I’ve grown a real appreciation for what we can learn from studying church history and was recently inspired at Nashville’s Passion event by John Piper’s biographical message on the life of Athanasius. Read it here. 

HT: Between Two Worlds

I had the privilege of being invited to be involved in a “think-tank” experience today with Nancy Beach of Willow Creek Community Church just outside of Chicago. The topic of exploration was “The Arts Movement” in the Church as twelve of us spent all day brainstorming and dialoguing on ways that we can encourage and facilitate growth in the Arts nationwide. In the last 10-15 years, we have seen significant growth in a movement toward greater appreciation for The Arts in the local church - visual arts, music, dance, video, drama, technical arts… We spent some time together in group-brainstorming and also broke up into smaller teams to tackle the “top 5 things we can celebrate” in the church, “top 5 concerns” and practical ways we can address these concerns. We concluded with a time of brainstorming around the 2006 and 2007 Willow Creek Arts Conferences. The 2006 Conference (”Thwonk! The Art of Collaboration) will be held June 13-16 at Willow Creek. I’ve been to a number of Arts Conferences over the years, and they are always very inspiring. Needless to say, it was a day full of inspiration, compelling dialogue and thought-provoking idea-mining. And… I’m exhausted!

Randy Elrod from The People’s Church (and Seeker Solutions) in Franklin, TN joined me in representing middle Tennessee. In addition to Nancy Beach, Steve Pederson (Drama Director), Lori Finnegan and Larry Dahlenburg joined us from the Willow Creek staff. Others involved were: Joe Horness, formerly from Willow, now at Bay Pointe Community Church in MI; Rory Noland, formerly from Willow, now leading seminars and retreats with Heart of the Artist Ministries; Butch Whitmire, Granger Community Church in IN; Marty O’Connor, formerly with Willow, now a consultant and speaker; Stan Durham with Fellowship of the Woodlands in the Woodlands, TX; Stan Endicott with Mariner’s Church in Irvine, CA and Promise Keepers; and Troy Murphy, formerly with Willow and now in Green Bay, WI - the home of my beloved Packers!

Many of these people are leaders I’ve looked up to for years for their talent, leadership and influence both in the Church and on me personally. It was humbling and a true honor to be in the room batting ideas around with them that might impact change in the Church for the glory of God.
Some of what we talked about concerned typical challenges of church worship/arts ministries that are doing their best to be creative in the midst of a demanding weekly schedule. We called that challenge “getting beyond the 52″ - a reference to how often Sundays come around each week. One of the biggest challenges revolves around the almost universal need for a more effective creative planning process. This is seen most vividly in the reality that the worship/arts team needs a LOT of planning and a LOT of time to creatively communicate, while often the teaching pastor finds himself behind in message preparation. In Utopia, all message content (at least big ideas) and every creative element (music, drama, video, dance, etc.) would be planned out weeks in advance to allow for the greatest creative synergy possible for the most effective communication. We all know Utopia doesn’t exist! This is a challenge we brainstormed around, seeking to effectively address it not only at the Arts Conference level, but ultimately at the local church level.

One of the most intriguing things we talked about centered around ideas that would enable churches all across the country to grow and be equipped through regional relationships that would complement what can be gleaned from an Arts Conference. No doubt, the cost and time involved preclude many from attending an Arts Conference at Willow, so we talked a lot about how churches blessed with budgets, people, experience and resources could help equip and inspire those in surrounding areas that might be unable to send teams to Chicago. I’ll be interested to see where this idea goes. It would take a TON of organization and energy, but could have incredible effects on the Church around the nation.

Interestingly, Nancy shared that something God has put on her heart for a potential future Arts Conference focus is “beauty.” We talked for a short time about this (it was our last item of discussion) and I was really intrigued since this topic was what inspired me at last week’s Re:create conference when Barbara Nicolosi spoke on the three qualities that must be present for something to have “beauty.” Something tells me that ‘beauty’ is going to be a theme for me in the months and years to come. We DO need to do all we are able to properly steward and reclaim beauty for the glory of God. Check out my blog post on Nicolosi’s Re:create talk here.

There is a re-awakening of the Arts in the Church worldwide. And, I am really excited about what God is doing at Fellowship as we seek to steward the Arts and give artists outlets in the church to express their gifts for His glory. If you’re able, come to Fellowship in Brentwood, TN May 12-14 for our 2nd annual EXPRESS Festival of the Arts as over 200 Fellowship artists express what God has put on their hearts to create. I’m excited about “Worship Global” as we partner with ministries around the globe to help equip and inspire in the Arts - our next such trip this July as Dave Flowers leads our team to Hungary for the 2006 SOZO Music and Arts Festival; and then in October as we take a team to Kenya for a Worship Leadership Conference. WOW! God IS moving.

We’re in search of truth… and Al Mohler is a true guardian of it. He writes a great blog here in response to George Barna’s latest book Revolution. I would encourage you to read the whole article, but here is an excerpt:

The modern age has been the age of revolution, and the world we now inhabit has been shaped by a series of earth-shaking revolutions that have altered the cultural, economic, political, and personal lives we lead. Now, researcher George Barna declares a new revolution–a revolution on behalf of spiritual vitality, but at the expense of the local church. In Revolution, Barna never seems to take refuge in understatement. To the contrary, he demonstrates a marketer’s bravado when he declares: “Whether you want to or not, you will have to take a stand in regard to the Revolution. It is on track to become the most significant recalibration of the American Christian body in more than a century. Your response ought not to be based on whether you are comfortable with it, but rather on its consistency with biblical principles and its capacity to advance the Kingdom of God. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then you must understand this Revolution of faith because it is already impacting your life, and it will continue to do so in the years to come.”

So there. Of course, from the very onset some may question the earth-shaking significance of a “revolution” announced in a 140-page book, no matter how shocking its cover and publicity. Of course, The Communist Manifesto was a short treatise as well, but this hardly seems a fair comparison.

From Mohler’s review, it seems Barna’s “revolution” minimizes the power of the local church to change lives as people are transformed through truth, worship and biblical community. The New Testament is clear in the importance of living life together and thus experiencing all Christ intended as His bride, in all her warts and wrinkles grows, develops, matures and awaits His return. As we like to say at Fellowship, “Together is Better”, and “change occurs in the context of community over time.” But Mohler says that Barna “misses… the big picture of New Testament ecclesiology–a picture that identifies congregational life as the very means whereby believers are shaped into Christlikeness and Christian maturity through the ministry of the Word, the fellowship of the saints, and the normative patterns of church life. Barna’s Revolutionaries may be involved on spiritual quests that have added dimensions of meaning to their lives, but what they lack is the accountability, deployment, mutuality, and koinonia of the local church as envisioned in the New Testament.”

I love Christ’s Church. It’s what I’ve given my life to, and plan to until I die. I’m a big fan of accountability, deployment, mutuality and koinonia - so I’m not about to join Barna’s so-called ‘revolution’ - and I would encourage you to think through the ramifications of these important issues as well. Let’s not join on a bandwagon just because it might seem a cool, new, trendy, emerging thing to do.