Lee Grady Really Hits It Again!

Lately, Lee Grady, editor of Charisma magazine has been hitting home runs with his editorials. I am glad, since a few years ago many of us were pulling our hair out over his sympathies with the Third Wave Charismatic movement. The September issue of the magazine has one of the best of his pieces I've read yet. His main point is that we need to go deeper in our walk and our theology. He lists four things as the basics of the gospel. They are,

1) Human beings are sinners

2) God is just, and He judges sin.

3) God's love is revealed in Jesus

4) Jesus provided full atonement.


Sounds like the right gospel message to me!

The editorial isn't up at the Charisma site yet, but when it is, I will provide a link here for it.

The Three Areas

Throughout the years I've identified three main areas of church life, which if not whole, will usually sink the church and hurt the congregants. Here are the three areas with my commentary on what happens when they aren't functioning 100% (or at least close).

Area 1-Theological

More and more churches are watering down or even dumping the gospel of sin/a need for a Savior/Jesus'redemption of us through the cross and then the Resurrection. I've been seeing this for the past 20-25 years and I cannot tell you how damaging this is to church attenders. I know it sounds "right" to be relevant and cool and preach lots of self-esteem-feel-good teaching, but believe me, it damages people when they are ignorant of the truth. God has a Truth and that is how He runs the world. He doesn't run it on what you or I think. He runs it on how He thinks. I learned this the hard way. Will you?

Area 2-Organization/Communciation

Some churches try to withhold information to their members in a controlling-type of situation. Communication goes right along with the organizational structure and so if the organization is very controlling, the communication will often be absent or nearly so. Other churches are at the opposite extreme being very "hang-loose." This is a throwback to the 1960's and I see much of the '60's coming into our churches recently. Communication is also hindered in the hang-loose atmosphere.

Area 3-Interpersonal Ministries
Many churches fool themselves into believing they are are the "friendly" church. I cannot tell you how many churches I've heard say this but the opposite is true. I really don't understand why church leaders don't send someone who no one knows to their churches to see how churches really treat people. I actually have heard of a company that churches can hire to send people to evaluate how they are treated and if their church service communciates. We need many types of ministries, all thought out carefully, to make this area stronger. Here are a few,

First, a good visitor intake system. This is very difficult in the church service at large. I am researching what churches do about this, and frankly, I cannot find anything even half-way functional. I am still looking.

Second, there is absolutely no excuse for a person to show up to an adult Sunday School class and there is no greeter and/or person introducing the new one to the class. But amazingly, there are many classes who don't get it. I read a very interesting book by two Southern Baptist writers whose research shows that most people stay or leave churches depending on the adult Sunday School class. I would have never thought that is true. Interesting.

Third, small groups that are truly heterogenous (combined ages, singles and marrieds, various social-econmic levels, etc.). If groups just have already-formed friends in them, that won't be as effective and cannot accomodate newcomers.

If these three areas are doing well, it is my absolutly firm belief that church will be doing well.

Around the Blog-o-sphere

In my 46 1/2 years of being an evangelical Christian I've never heard so much discussion about which atonement is the right one WITHIN the evangelical ranks (there was always a discussion between evangelicals and liberal Protestants) until recently. And now with the emergence (sorry for the pun) of the Postmodern evangelicals, the discussion ensues. Here is a good blog post on the 9Marks site about what the postmoderns are saying vs. what this 9Marks writer thinks they should be saying. It also makes a BIG pitch for adopting the penal substitutionary atonement theory.

Not Just Important, Not Even Just VERY Important. "Of FIRST Importance."



*Lee Grady, editor of Charisma magazine, writes a much-needed editorial about those Christians who are obsessed with things "last days." For years I have been saying the same thing because I've seen so many Christians sidetracked by this obsession. Jesus will come when He comes folks. Yes, we need to be as ready as possible, but let's not try to figure it out (which Acts 1:7-8 says we shouldn't do) or get obsessed with last day events to the exclusion of what needs to be done in our lives, churches and world TODAY.


Fire in My bones



*Having grown up in liberal Protestantism, I get tired of the "social gospel" because I haven't seen it accomplish much. I do think we should care for the poor, however, but my question is ---HOW? Lately I've been trying to read evangelicals that refuse to compromise the cross and Christ's substitutionary work who are also articulating a type of social gospel within that context. I'm reading a very good book which I'll share when I finish it. Meanwhile, here is a blog post by Kevin DeYoung (one of the Why We Aren't Emergent authors), which I think is really a good start to this vital subject.

Social Justice and the Poor



*And last, but certainly not least, one of my favorite bloggers, Dan Edelin, weighs in on a topic near and dear to my heart. Maybe Christians should listen more to the simple person and the elderly (it's the elderly part that is near and dear...LOL) instead of the souped-up evangelical "stars"(my description, not his), including even those 35-year olds with the Ph.d's.

Equipping the Saints: The Simple Genius

NPP and the Covenant....Hmmmm

Those who say they are into the New Perspective on Paul would obviously be into the covenant we have with God through Jesus Christ, right? Then why don't many, if not most of them, believe that Christians have a right to be healed from God? Isn't that in the OT covenant and it says in the NT we have a better covenant than they did? Yes it does. Puzzling indeed.

Atonement Theories

I am more and more convinced that the answers to life are contained in the Atonement. But, recently, the "usual" substitutionary atonement theory has been questioned. So then, the answer of what is the foundation of our faith and our life--the Atonement, becomes a question - which Atonement?

I'm reading a book which sheds light on various theories, entitled The Nature of the Atonement, edited by James Beilby and Paul R. Eddy. The book presents four atonement views, explained by a backer of the theory, with the others writers answering.

The four theories are,
1. The Christus Victor view explained by Gregory Boyd
2. The Penal Substitution view explained by Thomas R. Schreiner
3. The Healing view explained by Bruce R. Reichenbach
4. The Kaleidoscopic view explained by Joel B. Green. This view says all views are equal which is similar to Scott McKnight's premise in his book Community Called Atonement.

The book begins with an introduction by the editors organizing atonement theories (the four views as well as others) under three headings. Here are the editors' structure. This was very helpful to me and I hope it will be helpful to you too.


1. The Christus Victor Paradigm (satanward)
This view is satanward in its focus and includes the Christus Victor and Ransom theories of the atonement.

2. The Objective Paradigm (satanward)
This view includes substitutionary view), the satisfaction theory of Anselm and the moral government view.

3. The Subjective Paradigm (humanward instead of satanward
This view comes from the humanistic theories of Abelardian roots. It includes the healing theory as well as any view of the atonement as reconciliation, family-adoption revelatory, etc. I would think that the moral example and social justice atonement would also fit under this view.

Although I just started this book, I do recommend it in order to understand what so many evangelicals are getting into today as many are leaving the older, usual view of substitution/Christus Victor. I think what got me interested in this subject is the emergent social justice theory of atonement as well as examining the moral example that I grew up with in my liberal Protesant church. Is the substitionary atonement really the one we need to follow as our Calvinist friends seem to tell us? Or, as McKnight says, should we adopt all views and try to synthesize them together? Can two or three go together and the rest we leave behind? I believe we all must decide for ourselves which is true and is Biblical. As for me, after reading the first chapter on Christus Victor by Gregory Boyd, he has pretty well convinced me that this is probably the one I tend to follow. Thankfully, this view does include the substitutionary atonement so I don't have to choose one over the other which I wouldn't be able to do.

A Godly Young Man

Tim Challies has a four-part interview with Burk Parsons, associate pastor at St. Andrews Chapel in Florida (R. C. Sproul is the head pastor there). Parsons was one of the early members of the Backstreet Boys singing group, but pulled out before they actually got started. Then later he was tapped to be in NSync, but once again declined. Why did he decline and what is the story of his life? You've just got to read this four-part interview as I rarely see a young person today with the level of seriousness and commitment to Christ as this young man displayed even when he was a young teen.


Part 1

Part 2

Part3

Part4

Discipleship in Our Churches

I was reading yesterday's blog post at Cerulean Sanctum (the link is below) on discipleship and thought I would share my thoughts about the subject.

First of all, out of the 10 or so churches I've been a member of in the past 43 years, I have to admit that I've only been in one that offered a class (more than a few months) for new Christians or those who wished to review the foundations of Christianity. In most churches you go to a Sunday class organized usually by age and marital status, athough some churches are beginning to organize around topics. However, the new Christian is usually thrown together with those who are 40 years in Christ. What's wrong with this picture? There is no discipleship....nada.

Some churches are putting together a college-like approach, offering "Christianity
101, 102," etc. Then those who have been Christians awhile take the 202,203, etc. level. The highest levels are on the 400 or 500 level. This is where you really get into deep Bible study and doctrine, as well as leadership topics. The only problem with this approach is the homogenous makeup of the classes. In other words, newer Christians are all in a class together; advanced ones are all in a class together. However, I think that could be balanced the the addition of home groups or some other types of heterogenous groupings within the church.

The problem in my church, as well as in most, seems to be breaking up the
age-marital status classes and initiating this new Christianity 101-201-301-401 level approach. However, the Sunday School classes won't easily give up their history of meeting together. I'm not sure what the solution is, except to begin to offer a few of those level classes to see if any will come. But the problem I see with this is only new people will join them. That would be a shame as you would have a divided church - newer members vs. longer-time members. Has anyone solved this discipleship problem in their chruches? Remember, I am talking about including the entire church, not just "mentoring" a few.


Here is the excellent post at Dan's blog:

Equipping the Saints: What We Must Expect…and When

Did You Know These People?

I received this in my email and thought of so many things you could preach about this.


Death is certain but the Bible speaks about untimely death!

A very interesting, read until the end.....

It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7):

'Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sow, that shall he also reap..


Here are some men and women who mocked God :


John Lennon (Singer):

Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said:

'Christianity will end, it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that..I am certain. Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple, today we are more famous than Him' (1966).

Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ, was shot six times.


Tancredo Neves (President of Brazil ):

During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God would remove him from Presidency. Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made President, then he died.


Cazuza (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet):

During a show in Canecio ( Rio de Janeiro ), while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and said:'God, that's for you.' He died at the age of 32 of LUNG CANCER in a horrible manner..


The man who built the Titanic

After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the Titanic would be. With an ironic tone he said:
'Not even God can sink it'
The result: I think you all know what happened to the Titanic


Marilyn Monroe (Actress)

She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show. He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her. After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said:
'I don't need your Jesus'.
A week later, she was found dead in her apartment


Bon Scott (Singer)

The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang:
'Don't stop me; I'm going down all the way, down the highway to hell'.
On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he hadbeen choked by his own vomit.


Campinas (In 2005)

In Campinas , Brazil a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a friend..... The
mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the drunkenness of her friends and she said to the daughter holding her hand, who was already seated in the car:

'My Daughter, Go With God And May He Protect You.'

She responded: 'Only If He (God) Travels In The Trunk, Cause Inside Here......It's Already Full '
Hours later, news came by thatthey had been involved in a fatal accident, everyone had died, the car could not be recognized what type of car i t had been, but surprisingly, the trunk was intact. The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact. To their surprise, inside the trunk was a crate of eggs, none was broken.


Christine Hewitt (Jamaican Journalist and entertainer)

Shesaid the Bible (Word of God) was the worst book ever written. In June 2006 she was found burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle.


Many more important people have forgotten t hat there is no other name that was given so much authority as the name of Jesus.Many have died, but only Jesus died and rose again, and he is still alive...

Phil Johnson of Team Pyro has written a home run post again. He has a winner, IMO, in his post, entitled Whither Evangelism?. Here are some snippets from his post, but I hope you will click on the link and go read the whole thing for yourself.


--"Although I hold firmly to historic evangelical doctrine, I thoroughly despise what the contemporary evangelical movement has become."

--"The average evangelical today couldn't even tell you what the original doctrinal distinctives of classic evangelicalism were. In fact, post-modern evangelicals don't really have any clear doctrinal identity."

--"[Martyn]Lloyd-Jones warned that doctrinal indifferentism was beginning to drive the evangelical agenda, and he knew that would spell the ultimate demise of the evangelical movement as a truly evangelical entity."

--"Evangelical principles live on here and there, but the label has been commandeered by people who have no right to it. It has been bartered away by those who promised to be the movement's guardians and mouthpieces—Christianity Today and the National Association of evangelicals being among the chief culprits. But rank-and-file evangelicals are to blame as well, because they were content to abandon their own heritage and run after cheap amusements. The average American today thinks evangelicalism is a political position or a religious ghetto rather than a set of biblical beliefs."


--"I frankly don't care if neo-evangelicalism dies as a movement. Frankly, I hope it does—the sooner, the better."

Fantastic Quotes of the Week

Let me set up the background of these two quotes. In this month's issue of Charisma magazine, there is a very good article by Dave Buehring entitled, "What I Learned From the Fathers." The "Fathers" are Winkie Pratney (revivalist and discipler), Henry Blackaby (pastor and teacher), Jack Hayford (former Foursquare President), Lloyd Ogilvie (pastor and former Senate chaplain), Loren Cunninghan(YWAM) and John Perkins (racial reconciliation). Buehring tells us what he learned from these men. Here are two great quotes in the article from Perkins and Blackaby.

First, from John Perkins,

I think this new generatiin is defining the kingdon of God, but they might not be putting Jesus in the center because they are reacting against the church. It's the kingdom in right perspective, but I think the kingdom might be without the king, without really seeing the Lordship of Jesus Christ..


That really nails it for me.


Now the quote from Blackaby,

Be student of the historical activity of God. Don't turn away from it. I think God at this point is giving a plumb line for the next generation. I think we're at a crossroads. Look for the old ways and walk in them. They're not the ways of men They're the ways of God.

Fantastic!!

The Result of Postmodernism

I am reading a fascinating book on how the postmodern philosophers in France used their poststructuralist and deconstrucuralist philosophies to "ignore" the Holocaust and the Nazi occupation of their country between 1940 and 1945. The name of the book is, The Deconstruction of Literature: Criticism After Auschwitz, writtten by David H. Hirsch, professor of English and Judaic studies at Brown University.

Here is a little background for the quote I am submitting for your consideration, as well as my comment about the relation to emergent Christianity.

*Martin Heidigger's philosophy is seen as a fundamental foundation for the later postmodern poststructuralism and deconstructionism. He was a committed Nazi in Germany (he headed a university there during War II). After the war he made no apologies for his anti-Jewish, pro-Nazi stance before and during the war.

*Many of the French postmodern phlosophies followed a more Marxist line and some were committed Marxists.

*This Marxist strain is seen in almost all of our secular universities today, largely built on much of postmodern philosophical ideas.

*The author, Hirsch, is saying that their philosophies not only ignored Nazism and the holocaust, but in some cases (especially with Heidigger) was almost pro-Nazi in thinking.

* As you read this quote, please understand that this postmodernism/Marxist thinking and it's "Christian" Marxist liberation-theology-cousin is flooding into our churches, Christian colleges and seminaries today through the emergent movement.


Here is the quote from Hirsch's book,

"While claiming to be revolutionary, Heidiggerian and Marxist poststructuralists and deconstructuralists were promoting not only a highly reactionary philosophy, but an obfuscation of history – a myth that nothing terrible had happened during the occupation years [of France by Nazi Germany] years of 1940-1945, that the “crisis” of European culture lay in”humanism,” in the ideology of constitutional democracy, and int eh excess of capitalism rather than in Heidigger’s antihumanism and Nazism. Heidigger and Marx, who were part of the problem and certainly strange bedfellows, were now promoted as the solutions to the problem. One of the unfortunate, but perhaps not unintended, consequences of deconstructionist nihilism is the imposition of the dogma that all human acts must remain morally undifferentiated, since difference exists only in the language system, only as differences in sounds and concepts, in signifiers and signifieds, so that the only difference between a collaborator and a resister is a difference in sound images.”