Church Conversations: The Consumer Mentality of the Church

The consumer mentality has invaded the church. In America we are very individualistic and we love to be comfortable, happy, and pleased.  We have more choices than anywhere else in the world and we value our entertainment more now than ever before.  Think about it!  If we want a burger we have dozens of places to choose and we ‘want it our way!’  We spend most of our money to entertain ourselves and we expect the best.  We want the next big thing and are willing to go into debt to ‘get the American dream.’  I confess that I’m one of those folks! Guilty as charged.  I fight the consumer mentality every day in my own heart and soul.

When it comes to the church this mentality is part of our problem. If the church doesn’t meet “my” needs then I’m going elsewhere.  If you don’t do it for me then I’m gone.  Consider the worship wars.  If I don’t like the style of music then I’m gone.   I’m not saying that if the worship needs help that we don’t work within the system to bring vitality and life back to what we do but are we considering it from the right perspective?  Is it about reaching people and helping them connect to God or is it because I’m used to changing the channel when I don’t like a song?  I have an ipod and I can set up my own play lists but when I come to church I have to take what it given!  I can vote folks off American Idol so why can’t I vote the pastor off the stage for getting stale lately?

Folks today are not necessarily loyal to their church or their denomination. An average Christian might be Baptist then Methodist then non-denominational in a number of years.  The reasons that person may give is not usually a theological struggle or question but preference over local church.  They are seeking a place that meets their needs best.  We don’t think about what we can offer the church to impact our world but rather what the church can do to help us live better!  I realize we have needs but what about theology?  Do we care what the church teaches about the Trinity?  Christ?  Or is it more important that I like the presentation better?  I’ve heard parents who are not fundamentalist go to fundamentalist churches because they have better children’s programs.  They don’t care about the theology their kids are learning but are more concerned with if their children want to go and “like it!”  What about helping your own church develop a strong children’s program?  If you are in a church and you find a need not being met is God perhaps calling you to step up and make it happen?

Church members also have a priority problem. When finances got tight in this country charities and churches suffered first.  If we have to cut back we cut back there before we cut back our pleasures.  Why?  Previous generations built our churches in tough economic times because they valued the work of the church.  Sports and other entertainment activities take first priority not just over weekly or night activities of the church but over Sunday morning worship.

I realize this is a rather strongly worded article but I really do believe we are in a consumer cutulre and it isn’t just the lay people.  Pastors buy into it too! Pastors buy the latest kit/pack from the latest and greatest preacher.  Some pastors pass off sermons from others that they have gotten from the web.  Some pastors so want to be a mega church pastor that they will do what worked somewhere else in their own community and it fails.  Some pastors find their self worth in numbers rather than the bigger picture.  Sermons tend to sound like self-help sessions rather than the gospel.

So let’s all repent, confess, and rethink church!  Let me know what you are thinking.

Blessings,

Derik

Anglicans Head to Rome

History was made this week.  The Vatican is welcoming and “opening” the doors to the Anglican community.  On October 20 the Vatican said that those Anglicans who are upset with the Episcopal Church over homosexuality and women clergy can join.

The Roman Catholic church claims it is getting a large number of requests and that prompted this move.  Some are very angry because both religious communities have been in conversation for forty years and they see this as a betrayal and dissolution of any progress made.

There are 77 million people in the Anglican community and the American branch of this is the Episcopal Church.  Many in the world wide Anglican community have been upset with the changes in the Episcopal church especially over homosexuality.  1300 Anglican priests are ready to leave the Church of England (the English Anglican movement and mother of the Anglican movement) if women are ordained as priests.

What is this going to look like?  The RC church will form new dioceses called “personal ordinariates” which will be headed by a former Anglican clergyman who will act like a bishop but they will not be Catholic bishops because they are married.  Catholic bishops have the power to ordain priests.

This is a very new concept and historical.  This also means Episcopal priests will become Catholic priests and be married (this has happened before but never like this).  They can’t be bishops but now you have two types of priests- married and not.  Is this opening the door for married priests later?  The Vatican is saying no but this could do that in my opinion.  It’s hard to say a married priesthood isn’t right when you basically have one.

These new dioceses will be basically Anglican as they always have been.  Wow.

Is this “sheep stealing”?  Is this good? Bad? How do you feel about this if you are Anglican?  I would love to hear from some of you who are in those movements.  I’m Baptist so I’m watching this with interest and as a historical time in religious life.

I make some predictions.

*I predict that at some point in history the Catholic church will remove the ban on marriage for priests. I believe this will happen if not in my life time but in my children’s life time.  I believe it will happen when the next pope come into power.

*I predict there will be a Latino Pope one day soon. The church, Protestant and Catholic, is heading South.

*I predict that the Episcopal Church will become much smaller. They will be a fraction of the size they now are.  Many of those churches will not leave but as all denominations shrink they will lose churches through the death of congregations.  I’m not picking on them because this is going to happen to all denominations.  They will also lose many to the new Anglican movement, other groups, and to this Catholic invitation.   By the time the dust settles they will be much smaller.  It will not happen over night but in the next 5-10 years.

*I predict that similar events will ripple in other denominational places. The Lutheran church will lose many churches to new movements, etc.  Some denominations may merge for survival.  Many lay people will continue to vote with their feet with all the fighting and join non-denominational churches.

I’m not Jean Dixon but that’s my crystal ball predictions!

Blessings,

Derik

Balloon Boy and Reality TV

I was sitting in a Pizza Hut terrified.  I had heard about the balloon in Colorado that had taken off with a child inside.  I saw the photo on CNN that looked like a child falling.  Then I celebrated when they found him in the attic.  A happy ending to a scary story.

Not quite.

I watched the news that night and that boy just couldn’t sit still.  How could he be quiet for five hours in an attic?  Then the child said basically an admission of why they had done it- for a show.

Now the news gets worse.  The balloon was never capable of holding a child and this is something the dad would know.  E-mails about this family wanting their own show like other families on TV came out.  Comments previously made by the dad seem to point to this being a hoax.

Even if this isn’t a hoax it does pose something to ponder.  Why would someone long to have their lives on TV?  This family had already been on “Wife Swap” (a show I just don’t get).  They longed to be like Jon and Kate.  Uh, they didn’t really have a happy ending did they?  What’s this about?

There are those who will lie, beg, and borrow to be on TV.  Millions dream of being on American Idol.  At least on AI I understand there is a talent needed to win.  Still the drama sells.  If a contestant had a shady past or is gay or whatever the news gets hot.  What is this all about?  Why do so many desire to be on TV and willing to bare all for fame?

What would you do to be on TV?  Do you long for fame and success?  Is this all about money?

Reality TV is not reality.  Much of it is scripted, shaped, and such.  The big difference between normal shows and reality TV seems to be that no real actors or used by rather ordinary people.  Real life is used but it is often distorted and played out for full drama impact.

Maybe the next question is why do we want to watch?  What is it about Americans that we want to see chaos, drama, etc on TV?  Is it feel better?  “Hey my family isn’t like that!”  Is it we want to see something crazier than our own lives?  I encourage you to read the book “Flawed Families of the Bible” by a husband/wife couple, the Garlands.  When you read about those families of the OT you see some real tragic families!

I’m not sure I have the answers to these questions.  I do find it a tragedy if a couple would cost the state of Colorado millions of dollars, scare the nation, and do so all to get a TV show.  I hope the authorities are wrong.

I also hope that we as believers can think about ‘reality.’

Blessings,

Derik

Church Conversations: What Makes a Person “Active”?

This series of blog articles will explore church membership today.

How many people actually go to church on any given Sunday? Most surveys use the figure 40 percent.  This figure has been used for many years.  Folks who study the data say that folks don’t always tell the truth and claim it is probably around 20 percent today.    The question was always, “Did you attend a worship service in the last seven days?” After looking into the data it was decided that many people take the question personally and don’t want to say no because it might imply they aren’t a good church member.  Consider this comment:

“Americans misreport how often they vote, how much they give to charity, and how frequently they use illegal drugs. People are not entirely accurate in their self-reports about other areas as well. Males exaggerate their number of sexual partners, university workers are not very honest about reporting how many photocopies they make. Actual attendance at museums, symphonies and operas does not match survey results. We should not expect religious behavior to be immune to such misreporting.” Kirk Hadaway, a sociologists at the United Church of Christ, (1993)

For example take the largest Protestant body, the Southern Baptist Convention.  This denomination claims 16 million members and yet leaders in the SBC have determined that only 6 million actually go to the service on any week.  The SBC does not clean its rolls like the UMC and other mainline denominations and often there are many on roll that have not been in decades.  Plus the SBC still counts moderate churches who do not participate because they have no officially left.  The SBC officially only keeps records on Sunday School.  SS attendance is decreasing and is less than 26 percent of those who attend worship.   Barna studies found that many more claim to go then go and uses their tithing information as an example.  Many more claim to tithe than actually do. Think about it!  If all those who say they tithed did there should be much more money in our churches then there is!

Does all this matter?

Let’s think about this.  I’m not saying if you were sick or out of town and missed last week.  Folks are going to miss church.  But if the statistics show that there are many more members than actually involved what does that say about the church today?  Most churches I know have double the membership then actual attendance.  It would be nice if the figures were reversed!  Let’s take an example.  Consider a church that runs 200 in worship and has 400 members (not uncommon).  Half are coming!  Not bad?  But consider that of those 200 you have children who are not yet members and many visitors.  I would estimate that some churches have 40-50 people there who are not members who any given Sunday (spouses, children, and visitors).  That means out of 400 members maybe only 150 are there on any given Sunday.  That’s less than 50 percent of actual membership.  So of our total church memberships we are lucky to get half on any Sunday.  From my experience I would estimate it is far worse.  There are churches that have triple or quadruple on roll than in actual attendance.  In fact that is from the residential roll.  Most church also has a non-residential roll as well.  Those rolls are for members who do not physically live in the area and have moved away.  Shouldn’t people who move to another state join another church? I also realize that some on the rolls have joined other churches and have not let their original church even know!  One issue is perhaps churches should actually look at who really is a member and who isn’t.  But another issue is why do so many members not go to church?

I did some checking on my own church.  We are averaging close to our active membership.  That excited me!  We don’t do the ‘residential’ and ‘nonresidential’ rolls but do have another roll we call ‘inactive.’  That roll is much larger but consists of people who do not come at all or who moved away. On one hand that is similar to what I’ve just described but I see it as a middle ground approach.  We are keeping our active list accurate but not giving up on folks.  I’ve had some inactive people come back and if we had told them we had removed them from membership they might have not come back!  But we didn’t.  We had them inactive.  Now they are back to active.  Still I wonder about all those on the inactive list.  If they moved away why not join another church?  If they moved into a denomination that doesn’t ask for a letter of membership should they not contact us to let us know or should we be contacting them?  And for those who live close by and are not coming I would want to ask why?  If they are upset with our church why not join another church?  This is something all churches should be asking.

What makes someone active? What makes us active?  What about someone who comes to church but does not give financially or participate in any other way except attending worship?  What about someone who comes once a month?  What defines active membership?  Are we active if we are in church on Sundays more than we are not?

So what?  Does it matter? While it is true salvation is through Christ alone.  We accept Christ and we are believers.  So is church membership important?  Perhaps that is the real question.  Developing a legalistic formula that says you have to give a certain amount, attend a certain amount of services, and take a job in the church to be a good member is not what this conversation is about.  We do not have a works based salvation.  But why would we not come to church after accepting Christ?  When we become a believer we are a part of God’s church- the body.  We are called to plug into a local body to worship, learn, grow, and serve.  Why would we not do that?  If we have a passion for Christ would we not come to be with other believers?  This seems to be a matter of obedience.  Do we want to obey God?  Do we want to be faithful to God?  This conversation will continue as I explore various issues relating to being in the church today.  Please comment! I would like to hear your thought!  Here is the main question and please answer—

Why should we be active in the church today?

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25

That’s really what is at stake!

Blessings,

Derik

Deciding Morality in a Dave Letterman World

Here is the deal. I’ve written on celebrity scandal for several blog articles.  I’m starting to feel like an “Entertainment Weekly” employee.  The truth is that one problem we have is the pedestal we put celebrities on and the shock we have when they don’t live up to the status we’ve given them.

And yet….

As Christians we need to talk about this. When a politician runs off to another country, lies to his family and the world, and comes out unfaithful it is big news.  When Hollywood directors flaunt the law and rape children it is an issue for us to deal with.  When coaches and sports figures get into trouble there is a word needed.  And when funny guys get caught sleeping with those who work for them then the church should have something to say.

In this conversation we must first admit we too are sinners. I am the first to admit that I have my own sins to deal with and holier than thou attitudes don’t go very far. We must also admit that our society tends to worry more about sexual sins then other ones. Why aren’t we upset when celebrities endorse tennis shoes and other products that are made in third world countries by kids in sweat shops?  Why aren’t we angry that every seven seconds a child starves to death in this world?  Why aren’t we angry at sins other than sexual ones?  I admit this is a problem that we all have.  We like the sensational ones and honestly sex sells papers and magazines.

The Scriptures teach us to ‘judge not lest we be judged.’ And yet this is about condemnation and not discernment.  I have no right to be God and to condemn anyone. Yet I have every right to discern spiritually if a behavior is wrong. The New Testament has steps for church discipline!  The process is designed to bring healing and restoration but if that is not possible there are some strong consequences even leading to removing a member from the body!

So this is a tough conversation and one I struggle with as well. I believe that celebrities have chosen the spot light and therefore they should not be surprised when their sins are public conversation.  When an athlete uses his or her fame to sell sneakers and movies but then whines that their bad behavior is not their fault because they are not role models it just does not work for me.  They basically want to be a role model when they are making money but not when they are being bad.

Since these folks are public they serve as reminders of the destruction of sin and the church needs to talk about it. In recent Bible studies we’ve had frank conversations about some of the bad behavior and how it addresses our own lives.

What do we learn from some of this?

The pain and hurt that adultery leads too. Watch the faces of the spouses of political figures when they give press conferences admitting affairs.  The pain these families feel is a lesson for all who are married.

The reality of violence and crime. When a director rapes a child he is not to be above the law even if he happens to be talented.

The fact that what we do is serious. Much is spoken of about sexual harassment in the workplace.  When a major public figure does it we should be talking about if this is happening on the local level.  Equal rights groups should be all over some of these abuses.  Women are equal to men and should be valued for what they do.  When they sleep with the boss it devalues the progress women have made over the years.   Read the story of Judah and Tamar in Genesis and you see this played out in Holy Scripture.  It’s an abuse of one’s status and role to do this and it should be discussed in the church.

So we need to take a deep breath but be real. We shouldn’t cry for the heads of celebrities who fall into trouble.  I don’t think all of them should be banned from TV!  But their stories are visible and they point to what goes on in neighborhoods all over America.  When a popular football player retired and then was shot to death by his mistress in TN his best friend said this better get couples talking all over town.

In regular towns and communities people are cheating on their spouses.  People are sleeping with their bosses.  People are hurting one another all the time.  Violence is happening.  The church needs to begin talking and offering hope and healing.  We need to address these problems and offer places where people can find the help they need.  We offer grace to the oppressed and the oppressor.  But we also speak out against injustice, abuse, and for the victim every time.

I’m currently doing a study on flawed families in the Bible.  The victims we discover- Dinah, the concubine, Tamar, and on and on need to be heard.  We need to speak up for them and to speak a word for grace but also for those who no one is listening too.

As I said this is not an easy conversation.  I squirm.  I know I’m not perfect and don’t want to come off as a judge but perhaps a prophetic voice needs to be heard and a pastoral one.

Blessings,

Derik

Oh Dave! What Were You Thinking?

 

David Letterman’s troubles are the talk of the day.  It seems that each scandal in the news disappears quickly because another famous face gets into trouble as soon as one story breaks.  From college coaches to politicans to directors and now talk show hosts bad behavior just doesn’t stay hidden long.  The Bible warns us that we do in the darkness will be brought into the light and that certainly seems to be the case!  David Letterman is one funny guy and he has made much of the scandals of politicans and others who get into trouble and now he is under the spot light.

It seems Dave is guilty of sleeping with women who work for him.  His reps all say this happened before his marriage this year but his wife has been his long term girlfriend for years and he has fathered a child with her. 

So what did Dave do wrong anyway?  He is an adult and what happens between adults isn’t our business, is it?

I’m not sure of Dave’s religious beliefs but as a Christian I do have a problem with multiple affairs even among consenting adults.  I still hold to sex being something that is for married people and between those two married people only!  Of course if Dave is not a Christian then adultery, premartial sex and other sins might not trouble him. 

And yet even if Dave is not a believer he did cheat on the mother of his child.  And surely non-Christians (if he is a non-Christian) might be willing to see the harm of reckless sexual behavior.  

Even if we get away from the Bible and faith Dave’s affairs point to some other problems.  Dave slept with women who worked for him.  In the business world this is not an acceptable or healthy way of doing business!  Sleeping with the boss often leads to questions.  Does someone suceed more if they have private time with Dave?  Is this fair to those who hold to their morals and do not sleep with Dave?  One of the supposed affairs was with a woman who also was in a relationship with the guy who tried to bribe Dave.  That guy is also a TV producer (48 hours) and did she also succeed in his world because of the relationship?  Lots of messy questions.

Also of course there is the fact that Dave makes fun of those who do what he did!  Years ago he asked an actor what the heck he was thinking seeing prostitutes.  I might ask the same question of Dave.

Sadly all this extortion, sex, and scandal stuff has led to higher ratings for Dave and will probably help his career and not hurt it.  There was a day when a sports figure or celebrity found his reputuation hurt by bad behavior.  Now they get applause and raises.

I’m not trying to be judgmental but Dave is a public figure and he himself made it public so it is fair conversation.  As a Christian I do not expect those outside of the church (if Dave and the others in trouble are outside of the church) to necessarily get some of what we belief.  I am saddened if such folks are believers.  But still were is basic morality and ethics even among those outside the church?  Do people really think that multiple affairs with people who  for you is acceptable?  Is this what we now consider to be the normal?

I recently wrote about the sad Roman Polanski affair.  I have heard more voices from the US and Europe crying for his freedom.  One European politican blasting the US for treating Roman so bad is himself a visitor to the Thailand sex industry and probably participating in child prostitution (he wrote about it in a book and others called him ‘brave’ for telling about his experiences).  Others say that Polanski should be free because his punishment has been not being able to come to Hollywood and make movies in the US.  Some leaders in Europe are treating the US like we are oppressive and cruel.  This is a man who fled from the law. If he had not broken the law and run  he probably would have served time years ago and been free for a long time making those movies.  Besides he chose to drug and rape a 13 year old girl!  Cry me a river!

Don’t get me a wrong.  If you read my blog you know I’m not an angry fundamentalist.  I’m willing to talk and debate issues.  But some of what we are seeing is pretty clear.  Even if we like the Polanskis and Lettermans we have to be honest about reality.  I guess I would like to see a bit more remorse and sorrow.  I see some sorry they have been caught and others still not sorry then!  I would like to see some genuine embarrassment. 

Blessings,

Derik

Why Should Roman Polanski Get a Pass?

I

n 1977 Roman Polanski at the age of 44 drugged and raped a 13 year old girl.  Polanski was then and is now a famous director.  His movies are well known and he is was also the husband of Sharon Tate who was murdered by Charles Manson’s crazy followers.  After his arrest for the 1977 rape Polanski did enter a guilty plea to the charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.

What happened?  Polanski had asked this girl’s mother if he could photograph her for a magazine.  In his second session of photographing her at Jack Nicholson’s home (Nicholson was not there).  He gave her champagne and drugged her.  She said she resisted and then gave in.  Remember she was 13 and he was 44.  The celebrity director was able to plea this down to the lesser charge.  It was expected that he might only get probation but word got out he might serve time.   And so he ran away to London and then to France where he was a citizen and has lived since then.  He has avoided US law and refused to come back.  His movies have continued and he has made award winning movies through the years.   He has not denied the charges but only tried to get off due to judicial and prosecutorial misconduct.  The victim stands by her story but does not want to press on with it and wants it to go away.   Polanski has been charge and pled guilty in 1978 and is now refusing to come to receive his penalty.  And so the case is not past a statue of limitations.    This entire soap opera is back because finally he is in Swiss custody and the courts want him to come back.

Recently on the view Whoopi Goldberg defended him and said, “I know it wasn’t rape-rape. It was something else but I don’t believe it was rape-rape. He went to jail and and when they let him out he was like “You know what this guy’s going to give me a hundred years in jail I’m not staying, so that’s why he left.”  What?

What is rape-rape?  Does Whoopi believe a 13 year old drugged child having sex with a 44 year old man is not rape-rape?   He has admitted to drugging and having sex with this child.  The act is not in question!

Goldberg also said: “We’re a different kind of society. We see things differently. The world sees 13-year-olds and 14-year-olds in the rest of Europe… not everybody agrees with the way we see things…”

Celebrities are giving support for the director who say such things simply show a sad thought process.  Woody Allen and other directors are begging for his freedom.   Remember Allen in his fifties married his ex-wife’s adopted daugher who was in her twenties.  He was never the legal step father but acted in that role when she was young.  His ex-wife left him because she found nude photos of her adopted daughter in his possession.   It was tabloid conversation because it was a very unsettling situation.

Hollywood has never been known for high moral standards but this latest case is tragic on so many levels.   As a Christian I am shocked by the excuses folks are giving.  Some say that because he is an artist and so talented we can’t imprison him.  Why?  Do talented people get a pass to break the law?  Shouldn’t justice be fair to all?  And to redefine rape is an insult to victims everywhere.   Since when is drugging and raping a 13 year old not “rape-rape”?  And if standards in other countries change as Whoopi said then should we go with the flow?  In what world would a 13 year old girl and a 44 year old man ever need to be together?  Back when this happened the media in Europe made her out to be some kind of seductress.   I’m reminded of those who want to redefine stories in the Bible such as David and Bathsheba.  There are ancient commentators who want to make her the bad guy and poor David a seduced guy.   Whoopi would probably call herself a progressive person and yet she is arguing this line?  I am saddened by this.

This isn’t about not forgiving.   It’s not like this man has done his time and wants another chance.  He only is sorry that he has been caught and has to be punished.  He wants a free pass and not genuine forgiveness.  Forgiveness is from God but consequences for our actions are also necessary.  I can’t break the law and then ask for folks to just let it go because I’m a great guy.  And is he sorry?  Has he repeated such behavior?  Is he a dangerous person?  Where is evidence of his sorrow about this crime?

So much could be said but I say he should return to LA and like any other convicted person accept his punishment.  If he is sorry that is the beginning of forgiveness.   Repentance begins with admitting we are sinners.  Then we are able to receive God’s grace.

Blessings,

Derik

Why I Will Not Go to a “Judgement House”

Every year communities across our country around the Halloween season will find a local church hosting a “Judgement House” or a “Hell House.” The late Jerry Falwell started hosting a “Scaremare” at his Liberty University back in the 70s and is thought to be the originator of this concept.  Scaremare is a walk through a scary Halloween setting that is followed by a gospel presentation.  Others followed this concept with the “Hellhouse” and “Judgement” house ideas that are said to be even more intense.  Instead of just jumping out and scaring you these houses are living dramas that people walk through to watch sketches being acted out about abortion, homosexuality, suicide, school shootings, and the like.  There is blood, gun shots, screams, and very intense music.  The kids who are taken through this presentation are then offered a gospel presentation.  A web site sells the kits to host this event and big bucks are spent to create a very emotional and violent experience.

Think about it!  Scenes where kids are killing themselves or dying in gruesome ways are shown for all ages.  Girls covered in blood on hospital cots because they had an abortion are right in front of people.  Music is intense and the lighting is just right.  Is this a Christian excuse to do our own “Saw” or “Friday the 13th?”

Wow.

I do not in any way support this effort and every Halloween I can’t stand it when the advertisements go up and folks I know attend. I just don’t like it and I have good reasons.

First there is the entire emotional manipulation that goes on with this experience. The music, lights, and drama is all designed to create a forced decision.  Authentic conversion is not always the case but rather fear based decisions are the result.  I believe the gospel being presented is an act of love not fear. This doesn’t mean there are no emotions happening when we encounter God but the basis of our decision should be the Holy Spirit and not special effects.  You can scare an impressionable person (especially a child) into making many decisions.  Many cults and false religions use manipulation and the church should not play this game.

Second the material presented is done so in an irresponsible and dangerous way. Total strangers are paraded through scenes of death and misery.  What if one of those children has had a parent or sibling commit suicide? Then that child goes to a play where he or she watches someone put a gun to their head and pull the trigger.  This is not a healthy experience for anyone but especially for such a child.  Raw and emotional wounds are opened up with no professional medical and mental health specialists even around. This seems almost to me like malpractice.

And finally what image do we want the church to give to the community? Fear or Christ?  Grace or wrath?  Love or violence?  There is a very informing independent movie that chronicles the making of a hell house by a church in Texas and when I saw it I was amazed.  If this article upsets you and you disagree with my view I ask that you rent “Hell House (2001.)” Watch it and then let’s talk.  The movie simply follows a church as it hosts such an event and I was shocked.  In that movie the leaders of the church even debate whether to act out a school shooting.  Imagine if survivors of a school shooting where to walk in on that drama?

I simply have to say that as a minister of the gospel I find this evangelism effort to be dangerous.  The ends do not justify the means.  There have to be other ways to present the gospel to youth this fall season.  Jesus found them.  Why can’t we?

Happy Birthday Baptists!

At our church the kids in our children’s mission group had a birthday party for Baptists.  I saw the balloons and other party clues the following Sunday.  I was very pleased.  After all it isn’t every day you turn 400!  Baptists were born in 1609 and this milestone should not go unnoticed but sadly most Baptist churches will not even mention their own birthday.  Some of us ignore our own birthdays.  Some skip the big day because they don’t want to admit their age.  I guess being 400 might be something a person wants to keep under wraps.  Still others of us are thrilled to know they’ve made it another year and live up birthdays.  As a religious movement we need to celebrate!  400!  Wow!  John Smyth started this movement in England and little did he know just how we would grow.

110 million Baptists in more than 220,000 churches all over the world.  There are 38 million of us in North America alone.  About 1 in 5 Christians in the United States are Baptist.

We are diverse.  From Jesse Jackson to the late Jerry Falwell there are Baptists of all types.  Bill Clinton, John Grisham, Al Gore, Billy Graham, and on and on the list goes.  Baptists who are fundamentalist, conservative, moderate, and liberal fill pews everywhere.  Baptists dance and Baptists don’t.  Baptists drink and baptists don’t.  Baptists sing gospel hymns, praise songs, and high church pieces. Baptist preachers wear suits, robes, blue jeans, and shorts.  Baptists embrace Calvinism and Baptists reject it.  Baptists support women in ministry and some want them to stay home in the kitchen.

So what does make one a Baptist?  What is our core?  What makes us who we are?

One word defines a Baptist- Freedom.

Baptists like other Christians believe in basic orthodox Christian views but the issue of freedom is what we have stressed and that has been a part of our unique DNA.

Believers Baptism was a beginning major issue for us.  From the beginning we rejected infant baptism and taught that a person must freely come to Christ in faith and then be baptized.  A person gets to choose and it is his/her choice and no one can decide for anyone.  In time our method of baptism-immersion gave us our name but even in the beginning the first baptist John Smyth poured water over himself to start the movement.  It was the fact that a person accepted Jesus then was baptized that he worried about most.  Immersion has become our practice as we have determined this is the NT model.

Baptists have stressed that our churches must be free.  No other body controls a baptist church.  Baptists do not have a head church and each congregation is free to determine her own course.  Churches freely come together to partner but no one determines what the other should do.  Baptists believe in religious freedom and do not want the state to run us not should we run the state.  Baptists believe each member is free to come to Christ, grow in faith, and is equal before God.  We have deacons and pastors and yet each member has an equal vote, calls their own clergy, and makes decisions for the church.  The pastor, deacons, nor anyone else runs the church.  We are congregational in government polity.

Granted in recent years some Baptists are mixing too much with politics.  Some of those Baptists are trended on church autonomy.  This isn’t good and goes against who we are.  If they want to do that I wish they’d change their name to something else because it simply isn’t the Baptist way.

Baptists influenced this country in regards to religious liberty.  Roger Williams started not only Rhode Island but the first Baptist church in the US.  He did not remain a Baptist and was always a seeker but he does model that Baptist drive for freedom.  We have many other examples of such freedom even up into the 20th century with great civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Our roll call is long and diverse but we have many examples of liberty seekers in our fold.

So are we better than Methodists, Presbyterians, etc?  Not at all.  They bring so much to the faith table but so do we.  We need to know who we are and what we offer in the Christian community today.  We should never forsake our core DNA.

Happy birthday!  Go to DQ and buy an ice cream cake, call your Baptist friends, and throw a party.  Do it in honor of all our kin- even those we might not agree with on all things!

Blessings,

Derik

Doing Theology

When you hear the word “theology” what comes to your mind?  To some it is a negative term.  Some think that discussing theology is something for an educational institution.  Some ministers make fun of seminary and ridicule education.   There are clergy and other Christians who feel threatened by scholarship and education.  I’ve heard the same lines in my life time.  “Be careful about it.”  “It might ruin your faith.”  Stories of eager young people who head to seminary and find their zeal destroyed have been told time and time again by those who mean well but promote an anti-intellectual attitude.

Thinking theologically is essential to spiritual formation.  Christian discipleship is about being theological.  Theology is a word that means to study God.  We are all students of God!  All of us who read the Bible, go to church, and discuss faith are doing theology.  Now you can do theology well or poorly but all churches do theology.

Being a Christian does not mean we check our brains at the door when we walk into the sanctuary.  We need to have a faith that is heart and head.  Our faith is not just feeling nor is it just ideas.  Faith is trust in God but in that relationship it is about growing in that relationship.  Growing means we have to ponder the questions of faith and be open to sharing and discussion.

So how should the church be theological in the 21st century?

*A theology grounded in grace and love.  So much division is destroying the witness of the church today.  When we disagree we should always do so with love and grace.  Even if the issue is big and we feel the other side is speaking against crucial and key elements of our faith we must always remember ‘they will know us by our love.’

*A theology with a strong foundation.  We can’t just say we believe something just because we want too.  As Christians we need to base our faith on a strong foundation.  I believe this foundation is a Christ centered one.  Christ is the core of who we are and so there are essential beliefs that shape all else.  We have to make sure we understand what those are and understand how to talk about them.  For me the core is Christ.  A Christ0centric faith is crucial.  Jesus Christ is what makes me Christian.  Christ’s life, death, and resurrection are essential.  I have to decide that those doctrines related to that are core as well.  And I have to realize that specific details may not be in unison but the core must be.  For example the Bible is the word of God and essential to me as a source of my faith.  Yet I realize there are differences in Bibical understandings, etc.

*A theology that is growing.  We don’t just come to know Jesus, get baptized, and memorize a few verses.  Our discipleship is ongoing, life long, and growing.  Each believer must be involved in a church that promotes thought, growth, and service.  We need to read, study, pray, serve, worship, etc.

We are theological beings.

Blessings,

Derik