I love Rick Warren. I attended a conference on preaching at Saddleback in 2000 that changed the way I approach my pulpit ministry. I’ve ReadThe Purpose Driven Church and The Purpose Driven Life. I’ve led one church through 40 Days of Purpose. So I’m not anti-Rick Warren. I think people who have barely heard what he has to say are far to harsh toward him. Nonetheless, I’m dissappointed.

Here’s a link: http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Aug16/0,4670,CandidatesReligion,00.html

Angie and I were flipping through the channels and stumbled up on the airing of Pastor Rick’s interviewing of both Obama and McCain on the stage of Saddleback at a “Forum on the Presidency.” Rick was pretty neutral and allowed both candidates to speak equally and fairly without much argument. Therein lies the problem for me. We can’t be neutral in this current culture war. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

Last night I picked up a copy of the new book by David Kinnaman, Unchristian. It’s being added to my large stack of books I’ve just got to read. I did read two chapters and the introduction last night and I can definitely say, I’m already intrigued. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

Earlier this week I attended the annual Missions Symposium of the BMA of America. As usual, it was quite challenging. The first night, Bro. Grady Higgs, our Director, opened by referring to a song released in the late 70’s that said something about “standing on the corner of the street, watchin’ all the girls go by.” He reminded us that what personal missions is all about is standing on the corner of the street, watching all the souls go by. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

Yesterday I went to the St. Louis Air Show to see the Blue Angels perform. It was totally wicked (in a good way)! Here are three great videos to enjoy. The first two are of the HV8 Harrier landing and taking off using its hovering abilities. The third is of the Blue Angels doing a fly-by with each one doing a roll simultaneously…

The only problem with the Air Show was that, because of my sunglasses, I got a hilarious looking sunburn, and had to preach the next day at my Father-in-law’s church!

It’s apparent that there is a great departure from the church among twentysomethings. Recent studies have proven this statistically, but as a Pastor, I’ve watched it happen during my twelve years in ministry. It may be somewhat natural for young people becoming adults to experiment with living life their own way, including making choices about whether to continue the family tradition of church attendance or not. What is most alarming, however, is that about one in four do not return to church by age thirty, if at all.

Ideas on how to solve this youth exodus abound. We need to offer more programs within the church… We need less programs and deeper theology… We need to involve them more in leadership… Some of the suggestions are great, others lacking. One thing I do know, by observation and biblical data - the reason many young people leave the church has little to do with the church, and much to do with parenting.

Those families that fostered a genuine and authentic love for Jesus and modeled a truly godly lifestyle of humble dependence upon God, and who saturated their home with scriptural thinking, are the most likely to see their kids understand the nature of conversion, come to faith in Christ, and seek to live for Him perpetually. In many cases where kids leave the church, the problem is not that the church wasn’t good enough or entertaining enough. It isn’t that the family didn’t attend church. Instead, it is that there was not a display of authentic faith modeled by Mom and Dad.

We have a lot of confusion today about what genuine faith looks like. There are those families where the parents tend to focus on rules and standards, on being “strict,” and on discipline. None of those things are bad, in and of themselves, in fact, they can be very good. But if we aren’t careful, we’ll give our kids the impression that the Christian life is all about them, and it isn’t. It’s not about whether we’ve communicated our moral values or even our expectations that our kids live by certain standards. It’s about whether we’ve taught them that loving Jesus and following Him is the most worthy and rewarding pursuit in life. Rather than modeling a set of moral standards, we need to be modeling the adventure of living the Christian life in this world.

Having had some experience in youth ministry, and a lot more as a Pastor, I can honestly say one of my greatest frustrations is in parents. Let me be frank. The mentality among many parents is, “I can’t do this job, so here, fix my kid. If anything goes wrong, I’m blaming you!”

The Old and New Testaments concur that the responsibility of training kids to live Christian lives begins in the home. It isn’t that parents need to reaffirm what kids learn at church, it ought to be that the church reaffirms what kids learn at home. We take drop-offs in our children’s ministries all the time, because we love them and God loves them. But our hope is always that eventually those parents will come on a Sunday with their kids. Our hope is further that they eventually take the reins of spiritual leadership from our shoulders.

I realize this issue is really too large to cover in a single blog post, so I’d encourage some discussion on this one. Let me know where I’m right, where I’m wrong, and what solutions you think might work to help stop kids from leaving the church when they enter adulthood. It’s on my mind because my five-year-old is rapidly moving toward adulthood. I want to see her genuinely loving Jesus, and I want to see that for your kids too. In the meantime, here are some thoughts to ponder in relation to this issue…

• The church today must return to a good balanced diet of biblical and doctrinal preaching and teaching, rather than speaking only to the immediately hot or popular issues and felt needs of the day.
• We must also focus on the timeless elements of Christianity even more than the modern trends of society and church growth.
• The local church, though not ultimately to blame, is perhaps the greatest single solution, when she functions correctly as an evangelistic, prophetic, and instructional agent in the lives of families.
• Kids today are growing up in an age of increasing technological “independence” from God, and a time of tremendous intellectual advancement, often to the neglect of God. They need guidance to navigate the waters of adulthood wisely.
• Men, you need to determine to lead your family, your church, and your community so that your boys will not have the impression that church is just for Moms and kids.

Those are a few of my thoughts, what are yours?

“But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching…” -Titus 1:3

To every preacher of the Word, God has committed a sacred trust. He has called and commanded us to proclaim the content of His everlasting word week after week. There are many challenges to preaching as an effective means of communication today. We battle against popular sports on Sunday, longer work weeks which displace Sunday as “the Lord’s Day,” and the decreased attention span of Americans who are addicted to high-resolution, image-oriented marketing. But perhaps the greatest danger to preaching today is the preacher himself.

There is a constant challenge from within the field to weaken or water down the proclamation of God’s Word. Church growth gurus tell us that the world doesn’t want lengthy sermons anymore, but I would contend that the church is as much to blame for this trend as the world. Rather than giving into the pressure to preach all-positive little sermonettes, let us return instead to the biblical idea of proclamation.

One temptation the church has faced is to use the pulpit as a veritable soapbox, spouting the latest political or moral opinions without much scriptural backing. At best we often loosely attach a remote verse and contort its interpretation to fit the principle we desire to communicate. Or worse, we attempt to compete with the world by offering a better self-help message than that which may be found in thousands of bookstores in the self-help section. The pastor, instead of being a theologian before the congregation becomes a mere pop-psychologist.

Another obstacle to biblical preaching is the overwhelming tendency to compete with the world’s marketing strategies, a tactic doomed for failure. Lacking the resources and expertise for the field, the church ends up being seen as a cheap imitation of the culture. In our drive to stay “relevant” we forget that the Word of God, if preached accurately and passionately, is timeless in its application to the needs of mankind.

So, what is the purpose of preaching? It is to proclaim, to make manifest, and to put on display the content of the Word of God. John R. Rice said that our preaching should be filled with “profundity wrapped in simplicity.” It is not our task to make God’s Word interesting, neither is it justifiable to make it boring. The Bible has an intrinsic, transforming power all its own. It merely needs a herald, one who will announce the good news of God to a world gone mad.

If I could think of a word to describe the approach of the Old Testament prophets to preaching, it would be “simplicity.” In a culture of idolatrous self-gratification the prophets faithfully proclaimed their message of “thus saith the Lord.” The last thing the world needs on Sunday is a shallow rehashing of world events by armchair politicians or another self-help message in an age of self-obsession. Rather, let us put on display the Word of God, as it is.

We dare not dumb down the Word, make it boring, or market it to the flesh. Rather, we must live up to the command and the calling to proclaim it loud and clear. If we want to restore preaching to a place of prominence in our culture today, we must remain faithful to this basic task of being God’s spokesmen. The world may not like our message, but they will come to listen. We may end up in chains in the end, but as Paul said, “the word is not bound.” Let us unleash God’s truth to do it’s proper work in the hearts of mankind!

Read Story Here

Today, President Bush took a bold stand for life when he vetoed Congress’ bill concerning stem cell research. The bill would have reversed previous policies set by the Bush Administration which limited embryonic stem cell research only to existing lines of embryos. President Bush was unequivocal that every embryo is a precious life, created with dignity.

Interestingly, there were people present in the crowd whose lives testified to the effects of funding the right kind of stem cell research. A dozen children were present who were originally conceived for in vitro fertilization but who were adopted instead of being discarded. I will agree with the liberal media that Bush did not decide with the majority of Americans on this issue, and certainly not the majority of politicians in Washington today.

I would never presume to be a scientist, nor am I much of a politician. On this issue, however, the facts seem clear. God creates life at conception, whether in a mother’s womb or a petrie dish, and it is up to no one but God to end that life. It is especially selfish to seek to destroy the most innocent and helpless among us to spare the lives of the already-living. In any other culture, with any less scientific practice, this would be termed as barbarianism, the strong preying on the weak.

Our President is not always right, but on this issue, I say, “Amen, Mr. President!”

I know in advance that what I write today will not be popular, but the trumpet must be sounded to a renewed stance of separation from error. A few years ago I attended a Promise Keepers conference for the first time. My Baptist brethren had debated whether or not PK was over the edge on their ecumenical philosophy so I reluctantly went, expecting an ear full of talk about breaking down denominational walls. My first year at PK went surprisingly well and the messages seemed well balanced. Over the next year, I learned more about the doctrinal identity of the speakers and decided to give it another try. My second experience at a PK conference would be my last.

The first three messages called men to be godly leaders - a message I wholeheartedly endorse. The last three messages were calls to break down the doctrinal barriers that divide us. The conference closed with an invitation to all Pastors present to come to the altar, hug each other, and apologize for wanting “our denomination” to be the one to bring revival in America. How pompous, how arrogant of us to desire that a truth-teaching body of believers usher in a new wave of the Holy Spirit’s empowerment.

This call to abandon doctrinal rigidness seems to be the spirit of Christianity in our age. Consider this excerpt from a recent daily devotional by Michael Craven…

Don’t misunderstand me, I think doctrine is profoundly important but I pray that
I do not violate the unity of the Body by being more committed to my own
doctrinal convictions than I am to the fellowship of believers and the Lordship
of Jesus Christ. Again, such a position assumes that “my” doctrinal convictions
are true absolutely. (Crosswalk.com’s “Live It” devotional, June 7, 2006)

Notice the common assumption that “the body of Christ” is this foggy, universal collection of all believers of all denominations and all doctrinal persuasions. Scripture speaks of a church that may be organized with ordinances and officers, not an invisible and universal assortment of all who call themselves Christians.

Also notice the equating of “the fellowship of believers” and “the Lordship of Christ” as being together more imporant than “my own doctrinal convictions.” Craven’s order is definitely contrary to Scripture. It is the Lordship of Jesus Christ that determines our doctrinal convictions, which in turn determines the boundaries of our fellowship with other believers.

Finally, notice Craven’s unwillingness to say that his own doctrinal convictions are true absolutely. Allow me to think critically here and assert that Christianity today is guilty of a doctrinal relativism akin to that of the postmodern culture’s philosophy concerning truth. I assume that my specific doctrinal convictions are true absolutely, such as the eternal security of the believer, the nature of the church as a local body, etc. If I felt they were not true absolutely, I would abandon them.

Mr. Craven, I’m sure, is a godly individual and I would never question his heart for Jesus. But I’m concerned with the proliferation of ecumenicalism, theological and doctrinal relativism, and the emphasis on supposed “unity” and “harmony” at the expense of the truth.

In an age of compromise and resulting apostasy, Jude declared that believers should “earnestly content for the faith which was once delievered unto the saints.” The problem with modern ecumenical Christianity is that we’ve lost our fight. The loose and liberal world in which we live doesn’t like our rigid standards, so we’ve accomodated and compromised in the name of our evangelistic witness. But if we aren’t careful, we’ll lose our saltiness, they very key to permeating the world with the gospel.

I believe in getting along, striving for unity, and strengthening the body of Christ (which is a local institution). But I believe that God’s truth demands vindication in an age of error and I’ll not apologize for standing for my own doctrinal convictions. Let’s recover the early church’s zeal for knowledge and truth, and defend our multi-faceted gospel at all costs.

Have you heard a teenager say, “But all my friends are doing it?” Our usual reply is a sharp rebuttal such as, “If all your friends jumped off the Empire State Building, would you do it too?” The darker side of my humor enjoys the cartoon depicted by Gary Larsen in which an enormous pile of bodies is mounting next to a building where a person is poised on the edge, ready to leap. The caption reads, “If everybody jumped off the Empire State Building, after a while it wouldn’t hurt so bad.”

The message of the church to young people today is so often, “Don’t go with the flow, dare to be different!” We realize the serious mistake of giving wholesale assent to whatever popular opinion dictates. We stand on issues such as abortion, homosexual rights, and gambling no matter what the majority rules. All of this is very biblical considering the mountain of Scripture that speaks to us about the doctrine of personal separation from the world.

What happens, however, when we call people to forsake their following of popular secular opinion merely to exchange it for a blind following of ecclesiastical opinion. More simply stated, is it wise to declare null and void any possible argument against what mainstream Christian culture establishes to be so?

We live in an age of media giants who use marketing to shape popular opinion far more than even our most powerful educational institutions. The Christian subculture, unfortunately, follows this trend, even if unintentionally.

John MacArthur has often commented that one of the most neglected Christian virtues today is that of discernment, and he is absolutely correct. To question is to be disagreeable, and to be disagreeable with Christian pop-culture is paramount to being heretical and downright odd! Perhaps we should realize that if many heroes of the past had not presented their questions, we may not have many of the great confessions and creeds that helped to preserve a biblical faith against the work of cultists.

Personally, I’m rather concerned with the swelling tide of Calvinism that is sweeping Baptist seminaries and churches. I’m upset about the number of Bible translations produced each decade under the guise of giving modern readers a more pragmatic rendering of the old, old story (note: Since each publisher seems to want to have their own translation, or two or three, we might go so far as to question the motives behind this translation pandemonium). I’m alarmed at how quickly certain philosophies of ministry take root which seek to strip the Bible of any specific guidance in any area other than theology proper. Heaven forbid we question whether a Christian music artist should be an exact replica of a drug-ridden punk rocker, whether Christian teenagers should really be getting fashion advice from porn-producers such as Abercrombie & Fitch, or whether the Nude Reviled Substandard Perversion is okay as long as it’s understandable!

I say, let’s be discerning! Let’s “try the spirits, whether they be of God…” (1 John 4:1) Let’s “withdraw [our]selves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received from us…” (2 Thessalonians 3:6) Let’s “stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.” (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

We need to return to discernment, to thinking, and to a willingness to express and debate these and other issues rather than blindly accepting whatever is handed down from the day’s most popular Christian resource providers. Let me think on my own two feet and if I don’t show up at the next “Christian rock” concert waving a neon green copy of the newest translation and covered in pseudo-Christian/gothic tattoos, you’ll know I have good personal reasons!

”And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.” –Acts 17:2-3

In the 1970’s, America saw a wave of cultural confusion known as “the counterculture.” Spawned in part by the New Age movement and fueled by social discord, this movement sought to reshape America’s basic moral values. It attacked the very foundation of what America stood for by questioning the role of God in our nation and gave to us a new morality in which people were free to make destructive choices and feel good about doing so. Today, the counterculture of the 70’s is simply the culture.

I believe that it’s time for a new counterculture, on that will accomplish the reverse of what occurred in the 1970’s and restore God’s image and role as the necessary Father of a good and moral society. Paul never feared to confront the pagan culture of his day. The Scriptures say he “reasoned” with them, which means he argued a case for Jesus and disputed their false claims. He also “opened” which means that he expounded the meaning of Scripture fully. He further “alleged” the truth of Christ meaning that he placed the historical Christ alongside of the Scriptures he was reading. Finally he “preached” or proclaimed the gospel loud and clear.

The Church in America must learn never to fear the culture around us nor be bullied into the corner. We cannot remain silent. We have a case to be made. Never believe that Christianity is not reasonable or rational. When you were saved, you did not subscribe to a myth or join a cult, you did the one thing in the world that actually made sense – you humbled yourself in submission to the God of the universe, accepted His Son as your means of redemption, and you were born again by His miraculous power.

The world in general will hate us as we make our case for Christ, but oh how many will see the light of the gospel and be saved! We must have a new counterculture. Instead of giving in and going with the flow and simply shaping our churches into the image of the common night club, we must be different an distinct, upholding a perfect Bible, a saving Christ, and a new holy expectation for God’s people.