I believe that the current model of evangelism has become a joke. When I was taught "how to" evangelize, I was given a "Que dice la biblia?" and told to begin one-on-one Bible studies. When I did it, it worked. The first three people I studied with became believers in Jesus. Now, this may have also been due to the fact that the three people were teenage boys, and the other two people who were in the room were American, teenage girls... but, I digress. Since that time, this pattern has not worked. I just don't see students jumping at the chance to study a fill-in-the-blank worksheet that tells them "all they need to know" about Jesus in 6 short lessons. For that matter, I find it rather arrogant to assume that 6 short lessons will teach you everything you need to know about Jesus.
The book of Acts has amazing stories of 3000 people turning to Christ after one sermon. But, the celebration in which the sermon takes place is the Jewish festival of Pentecost. This means that everyone there had some sort of apriori knowledge of the message being spoken by Peter. They had the history, the scriptures, and the background necessary to understand the radical message being proclaimed to them. Past this story, the message is brought to groups, families, and individuals, but there is not another mass-conversion like that in Acts. A man catches up to a chariot on foot, he disappears and reappears in Samaria, Peter has a vision, Paul is blinded on the road, and the jailor is shocked by the prisoners morality and ethic.
So, I have three questions that I wish for someone to answer:
1) What is the Gospel/Good News of Jesus Christ? - please don't give me a one sentence answer...
2) What about your life would draw people in to know Christ?
3) How are you living differently than the culture around you?
Monday, October 27, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Leaping Out Of Theology
I am a self-proclaimed geek. I always have been, and I always will be. The unfortunate part of this fact is that I get soaked into the theory, and I miss the practical side of the theory. Theories are easy. They are concrete. They are definite. They can be shown and examined. They can be argued and proven. In theology, the theory is often very difficult when practice is introduced.
Sin is sin. Sin has consequences, but it is forgiven in Christ. We are called as Christians to judge in ways that we wish to be judged (and, for me, that is not all that much.) We are also called to forgive. As a matter of fact, the Lord's prayer says, "Forgive our debts as we forgive those who are indebted to us." (YIKES!) And, these are great theories! But, the stark reality of life is the fact that Christians need more than blanket acceptance and ignorant approval of sin. Yes, hate the sin and love the sinner. Good theory. But, I have met many sinners who define themselves, their own lives, and their lifestyle by their sin. There is a delicate line that exists where we allow a person to work through his or her own problems and we begin to get trampled on and taken advantage of. The theory is rock solid, and it is still true. It can be argued, and it can be eloquently expressed. The practice of the theory is often convoluted and messy.
The church is the people in whom the Spirit of God dwells. This is a great theory. It can be argued and expressed. My last sermon at Rural Hill Church of Christ was on this very topic. I don't like to toot my own horn, but (toot toot) I think I expressed the background and comprehensive theology well and at the level of my audience. There are some dangerous applications to that theology. For instance, buildings may be one of the worst ideas and sponges of resources ever! I mean, we spend millions of dollars on a meeting place when that money could go to something or someone else. Also, organizational ministries that target specific demographics, people groups, and age ranges are not always the best idea. The early church was a conglomeration of many different peoples. They were all together, and they had relatively few disputes. Some people will also use this theory to go off and do whatever they wanted to in the first place, because "they are the church." On top of the fact that we look nothing like the early church, that was not the intent of the theory. But, does not that raise a whole new set of questions? What is the intent of the theory? What was the situation to which the scriptures were written? Why did the author mention that story? All of these are unanswerable, but significant, questions. The theory is air-tight, but the practice may even be heresy at the extremes.
A major complaint that I have with my $80000 dollar education from Lipscomb University is that my degree states that I am prepared for ministry, but I was prepared for theology with my degree with little emphasis on ministry. But, now that I am a teacher, I cannot blame the professors. The ivory tower of academia is easier to teach. How could anyone teach "messy"? One cannot test on messy. One cannot find simple ways to assess comprehensive understanding of subjective and situational practice of theory. You cannot quiz on "maybe." When my ministry or school students ask me for an opinion on a topic, I default to theory. The reason is that I believe that, if they grasp the theory, they will one day be able to answer the question they asked, but they are often not wanting me to answer the question they asked... it is another question entirely hidden behind their question. I know this, because I did it.
For most people, the embedded theology that dwells within the person will become his or her practice. Sometimes, two separate theories form the same practice. So, we should not be quick to assume that, merely because one chooses to take communion every Sunday, one is a legalist. However, we must be very careful that all theory and all theology points to the most important aspect of the Gospel in practice: "Love God with all you are" and "Love your neighbor as your self." Any theology or theory that deviates from these two commands has missed the point. And, any practice that spawns from theory (even good theory...) that does not practice these commands is not right.
In life, we must jump beyond the practice of designing and learning theology to the messy world of living out our ideals. At times, we must surround ourselves with the very people we believe are sinning in order to show them a savior. Sometimes, we must practice what we preach. Thus, we must preach with grace and humility.
Sin is sin. Sin has consequences, but it is forgiven in Christ. We are called as Christians to judge in ways that we wish to be judged (and, for me, that is not all that much.) We are also called to forgive. As a matter of fact, the Lord's prayer says, "Forgive our debts as we forgive those who are indebted to us." (YIKES!) And, these are great theories! But, the stark reality of life is the fact that Christians need more than blanket acceptance and ignorant approval of sin. Yes, hate the sin and love the sinner. Good theory. But, I have met many sinners who define themselves, their own lives, and their lifestyle by their sin. There is a delicate line that exists where we allow a person to work through his or her own problems and we begin to get trampled on and taken advantage of. The theory is rock solid, and it is still true. It can be argued, and it can be eloquently expressed. The practice of the theory is often convoluted and messy.
The church is the people in whom the Spirit of God dwells. This is a great theory. It can be argued and expressed. My last sermon at Rural Hill Church of Christ was on this very topic. I don't like to toot my own horn, but (toot toot) I think I expressed the background and comprehensive theology well and at the level of my audience. There are some dangerous applications to that theology. For instance, buildings may be one of the worst ideas and sponges of resources ever! I mean, we spend millions of dollars on a meeting place when that money could go to something or someone else. Also, organizational ministries that target specific demographics, people groups, and age ranges are not always the best idea. The early church was a conglomeration of many different peoples. They were all together, and they had relatively few disputes. Some people will also use this theory to go off and do whatever they wanted to in the first place, because "they are the church." On top of the fact that we look nothing like the early church, that was not the intent of the theory. But, does not that raise a whole new set of questions? What is the intent of the theory? What was the situation to which the scriptures were written? Why did the author mention that story? All of these are unanswerable, but significant, questions. The theory is air-tight, but the practice may even be heresy at the extremes.
A major complaint that I have with my $80000 dollar education from Lipscomb University is that my degree states that I am prepared for ministry, but I was prepared for theology with my degree with little emphasis on ministry. But, now that I am a teacher, I cannot blame the professors. The ivory tower of academia is easier to teach. How could anyone teach "messy"? One cannot test on messy. One cannot find simple ways to assess comprehensive understanding of subjective and situational practice of theory. You cannot quiz on "maybe." When my ministry or school students ask me for an opinion on a topic, I default to theory. The reason is that I believe that, if they grasp the theory, they will one day be able to answer the question they asked, but they are often not wanting me to answer the question they asked... it is another question entirely hidden behind their question. I know this, because I did it.
For most people, the embedded theology that dwells within the person will become his or her practice. Sometimes, two separate theories form the same practice. So, we should not be quick to assume that, merely because one chooses to take communion every Sunday, one is a legalist. However, we must be very careful that all theory and all theology points to the most important aspect of the Gospel in practice: "Love God with all you are" and "Love your neighbor as your self." Any theology or theory that deviates from these two commands has missed the point. And, any practice that spawns from theory (even good theory...) that does not practice these commands is not right.
In life, we must jump beyond the practice of designing and learning theology to the messy world of living out our ideals. At times, we must surround ourselves with the very people we believe are sinning in order to show them a savior. Sometimes, we must practice what we preach. Thus, we must preach with grace and humility.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Diving into Theology
Listening to language is critical to understanding a person's theological beliefs and backgrounds. It is amazing to me the language that we use, the songs that we sing, and the hope we proclaim to other people. The overwhelming truth is that most people just listen and soak up those words and phrases without much thought as to the practical application of them. Think about these phrases and how they have been used:
"Let's go to church." or "Don't run in church." or "This place is sacred." -
In Judaism, places were holy. The temple was holy, and it was the place in which God dwelt. However, the scandal of Christianity is the fact that the Lord is present by the Holy Spirit in you, and where he is (thus you are) is holy. By church, we do not normally mean "the congregation of collected individual participants within the kingdom of God who have gathered to praise God in worship." Instead, we mean the "building." So, parents tell their kids to not eat in church, to not run in church, or to not play in church. Before someone goes on an argument soap box, I agree that some of those things should not happen in the BUILDING, but the "church" is a different story. You see, if I agreed with that theology, I would not have been able to play little league baseball on a team with any Christians because I could not play or run in church. I played baseball for the glory of God ("whatever you do whether in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord.) And, with the assembly of two or more Christians (where ever two or more gather in my name, I am there), I would be forced to sit and watch my peers enjoy their sport.
"I'll fly away." or "Your soul will fly to heaven" or "It's all gonna burn anyway." -
This creation, according to the Creator, was AND STILL IS good. The serpent was a crafty created being, so God believed that the world was good even with the instrument of doubt, selfishness, and sin created within it. By and large, Christianity has bought into the Platonic dualism presented by the first century philosophers rather than the eschatological views of scripture. According to scripture, God will bring a new heavens and new earth (in other words, a similar but new creation to what we currently exist within) at the End Times. While the old heaven and old earth (which was good) will pass away, the new heaven and new earth will replace it in the same place. Rather than floating off to some ethereal heaven, Christians are called to go up to meet Jesus to come back down and dwell in the presence of the Lord forever. Also, by saying that this will all burn, we buy into the fact that the kingdom involves no real participation in this world other than "saving souls" for heaven. Quite simply, we must be ministers of reconciliation who try to pull together in the present the Garden Shalom and the End Time Shalom. The earth groans to be made new, and Christians must work to allieviate that groaning by helping all of God's creation to find its purpose and created intent.
"Go talk to the minister." or "We need a ministry for that." or "Why talk to me; I am not in ministry." -
As a Christian, you are a minister. I think the title of a full-time, paid minister is part of the embedded problem. We must use the language and understanding that all people are ministers. The "church" is supporting a ministry if its people do the ministry (not if they decide to hire a minister.) Remember, if the church is the people, the ministry will happen if the people do it. Everyone is a minister. To teens... to adults... to children... If you a part of the church, you are a part of ministry to people. You cannot get away from it. The only question is whether the person is looking to you for ministry.
"We need to go back to the Bible for that." or "He just preaches the Bible." or "You would know what to do if you just read the Bible." -
I am a very strong believer in the authority of scripture. However, I find it arrogant to assume that one person is just preaching "the Bible." Are you telling me that he speaks only in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic? All English translations and sermons are an interpretation of the words of Scripture. Some people try to speak more accruately than others, but they are still trying to interpret the text in a faithful manner. I also find these statements funny because they are rarely said by someone who was not happy with the sermon. However, the theme of Scripture is that the word cuts to the heart so much that it often offends, rebukes, angers, and condemns. Maybe I am just missing the days where we actually talk about the radical nature of the Sermon on the Mount, but I have yet to see a person crying as they left because Scripture called them out on their missing God's intent for their life while still proclaiming that the preacher "really preached the Word today." Let's be honest, for most of us, the above statements mean "He preaches insightful, fun, entertaining, and accurate (by my definition) sermons."
At some point, we must begin to think about what we say before we say it. Or, maybe the Scripture is correct: "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry." If you listen well, you will hear what someone believes. You do not have to have all the answers, and it is likely that the other person does not have them either. Have sympathy. Chose your words well because they may be the beginning of something brand new.
"Let's go to church." or "Don't run in church." or "This place is sacred." -
In Judaism, places were holy. The temple was holy, and it was the place in which God dwelt. However, the scandal of Christianity is the fact that the Lord is present by the Holy Spirit in you, and where he is (thus you are) is holy. By church, we do not normally mean "the congregation of collected individual participants within the kingdom of God who have gathered to praise God in worship." Instead, we mean the "building." So, parents tell their kids to not eat in church, to not run in church, or to not play in church. Before someone goes on an argument soap box, I agree that some of those things should not happen in the BUILDING, but the "church" is a different story. You see, if I agreed with that theology, I would not have been able to play little league baseball on a team with any Christians because I could not play or run in church. I played baseball for the glory of God ("whatever you do whether in word or deed, do it in the name of the Lord.) And, with the assembly of two or more Christians (where ever two or more gather in my name, I am there), I would be forced to sit and watch my peers enjoy their sport.
"I'll fly away." or "Your soul will fly to heaven" or "It's all gonna burn anyway." -
This creation, according to the Creator, was AND STILL IS good. The serpent was a crafty created being, so God believed that the world was good even with the instrument of doubt, selfishness, and sin created within it. By and large, Christianity has bought into the Platonic dualism presented by the first century philosophers rather than the eschatological views of scripture. According to scripture, God will bring a new heavens and new earth (in other words, a similar but new creation to what we currently exist within) at the End Times. While the old heaven and old earth (which was good) will pass away, the new heaven and new earth will replace it in the same place. Rather than floating off to some ethereal heaven, Christians are called to go up to meet Jesus to come back down and dwell in the presence of the Lord forever. Also, by saying that this will all burn, we buy into the fact that the kingdom involves no real participation in this world other than "saving souls" for heaven. Quite simply, we must be ministers of reconciliation who try to pull together in the present the Garden Shalom and the End Time Shalom. The earth groans to be made new, and Christians must work to allieviate that groaning by helping all of God's creation to find its purpose and created intent.
"Go talk to the minister." or "We need a ministry for that." or "Why talk to me; I am not in ministry." -
As a Christian, you are a minister. I think the title of a full-time, paid minister is part of the embedded problem. We must use the language and understanding that all people are ministers. The "church" is supporting a ministry if its people do the ministry (not if they decide to hire a minister.) Remember, if the church is the people, the ministry will happen if the people do it. Everyone is a minister. To teens... to adults... to children... If you a part of the church, you are a part of ministry to people. You cannot get away from it. The only question is whether the person is looking to you for ministry.
"We need to go back to the Bible for that." or "He just preaches the Bible." or "You would know what to do if you just read the Bible." -
I am a very strong believer in the authority of scripture. However, I find it arrogant to assume that one person is just preaching "the Bible." Are you telling me that he speaks only in Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic? All English translations and sermons are an interpretation of the words of Scripture. Some people try to speak more accruately than others, but they are still trying to interpret the text in a faithful manner. I also find these statements funny because they are rarely said by someone who was not happy with the sermon. However, the theme of Scripture is that the word cuts to the heart so much that it often offends, rebukes, angers, and condemns. Maybe I am just missing the days where we actually talk about the radical nature of the Sermon on the Mount, but I have yet to see a person crying as they left because Scripture called them out on their missing God's intent for their life while still proclaiming that the preacher "really preached the Word today." Let's be honest, for most of us, the above statements mean "He preaches insightful, fun, entertaining, and accurate (by my definition) sermons."
At some point, we must begin to think about what we say before we say it. Or, maybe the Scripture is correct: "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry." If you listen well, you will hear what someone believes. You do not have to have all the answers, and it is likely that the other person does not have them either. Have sympathy. Chose your words well because they may be the beginning of something brand new.
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