Cool Church Website

I recently checked out a great church website, www.jacobswellchurch.org. Jacob's Well is a church here in Kansas City.

If you go to the community section on their website, you will find one of the most innovative church sections around. It works a lot like myspace, allowing one to add photos, subscibe to blogs, post comments, and more.

Would you like to see these features in the church's website, and would you use them?

The gospel and outsourcing to India

Today I'm at the India Missions Workshop, held at the Blue River Church of Christ in Lee's Summit, Missouri. I'll be speaking at the workshop tomorrow at 10:30 AM on "Why We Share Jesus."

Right now I'm watching a DVD on India, entitled a Day in the Life of an Indian Preacher and Shepherd. It was good to see real faces put upon the incredible spread of the gospel in India.

There are some 900,000 members of churches of Christ in India, according to some estimates.

I saw pictures of two seventy year old members of the church who lived on $5 a month from the government. I saw little children running around, happy. I saw a woman drawing water from a well. I saw actual shepherds and sheep.

It struck me how Ameri-centric we are when we talk about things such as "outsourcing to India." Americans resent such things, and I would too if my job got out-sourced. But does this not help those living in poverty in India. Does this not enable church members there to get a good paying job and support local preachers, not to mention eat?

Why are we more conccerned about jobs for Americans than jobs for Indians, who are much poorer than us? Is this right or wrong? What do you think?

The Don Imus Firing--Lack of Redemption or Justice?

When the Don Imus story broke last week, I purposefully held back on writing anything. Truth be told, I was sorting through my own thoughts as to whether or not he should be fired.

In case you have lived in a cave the past two weeks, Don Imus called the Rutgers women's basketball team a bunch of "nappy-headed ho's." After receiving a two-week suspension from CBS Radio and MSNBC, both programs fired Imus this week. Was this justice, or should Imus, who repeatedly apologized, have been given a second chance?

The question I had for myself was, if I leaned towards a second chance, was it because of my Christian background and belief in forgiveness and redemption? Or was it because I was a white male and didn't feel the true reprehensible nature of his words because of my "power" status in society? This was a real question that I debated in my own mind.

Imus' remarks were racist and derogatory towards all women. Imus has always said rude and cruel things, but usually they were directed towards those in power who were much better equipped to handle such things. This time he picked on the powerless--18-22 year old kids who should have been celebrating a great achievement, but instead find themselves belittled and made fun of for their race, gender, and physical appearance. There is nothing worse than a bully, which Imus proved to be on this occasion.

Imus was, I believe, fired for several reasons. First, the press conference that the Rutgers women's coach and team put on made Imus look incredibly small. The coach was incredibly well-spoken. Many of the members were outstanding in different ways--pretty, intelligent, talented. To their credit, they held back calling for his job and were willing to meet him. This only exposed Imus' own smallness.

Second, corporate sponsors began to flee the show. Talk radio is about making money, even if freedom of speech is allowed. But there was a sense from hearing the NBC News president speak that this was more than about money. The fact that corporations and network news executives will no longer put up with this kind of speech is telling how much America has changed in the last 50 years. Fifty years ago, racist and offensive sexist language was rampant at many levels of corporate America.

But the thing that seemed to really cause Imus to lose his job was his lack of support amongst his NBC colleagues. It was clear that he had few friends and few defenders. He simply had been cruel to too many people. There were reports that he used much racist language in private, making his apology ring hollow for many. This goes to show us that if we want people to support us during difficult times, we must build up a resovoiur of support.

I am a Christian, and I believe in forgiveness and redemption. I believe that Imus was sincere in his apology, and perhaps for the first time, wanted to change. He is a seemingly complex man, who has done much good with charity work. If we were in his shoes, would we not want a second chance too?

Truth be told, I cannot sort out my Christian background and superior, white male position enough to know which is influencing me. At the beginning of the week, I thought that he should be given a second chance based upon his seemingly sincere apology and willingness to make restitution. However, by the end of the week I became much more sympathetic to the position that he should be fired. For me, the tide turned when I heard about his pattern of racist remarks in private. It is one thing to make an on air mistake, even a large one. It is another to have a life time pattern of cruelty, both on and off the air. Tucker Carlson said that Imus was one of the most unpleasant men that he had ever known.

Imus tried to have it both ways--claiming to have an entertainment show and "shock jock" status, but then having senators and presidential candidates on his show with serious political discourse. As an American I defend his right to freedom of speech, but no one in position of power ought to use that power for cruelty to get a laugh, particularly against the powerless.

If Imus decides to put on a different show, and he can find a willing on-air partner, he should be given a second chance. Doesn't God do so with us? Justice was probably done here, but we should not be so quick to call for justice for others. As Jesus said, whatever measure we use to judge others will be used to judge us. I am saddened at his firing, even if deserved. I pray I never find myself in the same position. And if I do, I hope that I have built up enough of a resovoir of good will that others will say, no this is not who James is. He made a mistake, but we know his heart. Isn't that what you would want too?

Please let me know your thoughts. This is an important discussion.

James

Poll Resutls: Who do Americans think is going to heaven?

When USAmericans were asked in early 1997 who is most likely to go to heaven, the winners were Mother Teresa (at 79%), Oprah Winfrey (66%), and Michael Jordan (65%).

Perhaps even more interesting is that more people thought that Bill Clinton was going to heaven (52%) than Pat Robertson (47%).
Source: SoulTsunami by Leonard Sweet

What do you make of these interesting numbers?

Some Conversation Tips for Sharing Our Faith

Will McRaney Jr., in his book The Art of Personal Evangelism, gives some great conversation tips when we are trying to share our faith with non-Christians.

These tips are:

1. Use common language, not religious terms


2. Avoid being argumentative


3. Listen without interruption when the other person is talking


4. Recognize that no means no, at least for the time being
   
5. Respect the time and schedule of others


6. Try to maintain goodwill so that you canengage in future conversations


7. Avoid talking down other religious groups or individuals


8. Remember that people have intellectual limits, so do not overwhelm them with too many Scriptures


9. Try to leave with a win/win approach, not create winner and loser


10. Remember that many people are not avid readers so other forms of material will be needed--videos, DVDs, CDs, etc.

In the past, people would debate various points of faith. Today, however, debate and argumentation are death for reaching people. People are tired of religious fighting over head matters with little care for the poor, world hunger, or many other things Jesus concerned himself with.

Instead of argument and debate, we must ask questions, actually listen to the answers, share our own experience, and invite others to join us in this experience.

What do you think of these conversations tips?

Liberty's Evangelistic Growth--Are We Satisfied?

Hello all. Sorry for the delay in blogging!

We have recalcuated our church growth statistics at Liberty (see below).

Raw Growth for 2002-2007 (thru 3/14/07)
13% Biological Growth
45% Transfer Growth
42% Evangelistic Growth

Net Growth for 2002-2007 (thru 3/14/07)
20% Biological Growth
30% Transfer Growth
50% Evangelistic Growth

For fuller results. see:

http://www.libertychurchofchrist.org/yourti105973.html


The good news is that our recent baptisms and families that have been converted has pushed our percentage of evangelistic growth back above 42%. This is far above the norm. The bad news is twofold: 1) taking a kingdom perspective, sadly, most churches are not growing at all evangelistically; and 2) this growth rate does not come close to approximating the growth of the early church.

It is estimated that the early church grew at a rate of 40% per decade in the first three centuries--all evangelistic growth. As a movement, we have lost 20% in terms of our percentage of the US population over the last 26 years.

We have become so accustomed to our weak growth rate that we think that 20 baptisms in a year is very good. Indeed, we rejoice at those who accept Christ! But overall, we are failing to reach the lost in the United States.

How can we change this and regain the growth rate of the early church? What would have to happen for the church to grow 40% (evangelistically) this decade? What would it take for Liberty to do this?

Harvard's new emphasis on applied knowledge is instructive for churches

In this week's Time magazine, there is a report that Harvard is going away from just book knowledge and more towards applied knowledge in their curriculum. Out is history as a required course, and in are courses covering practical ethics, personal finance and a host of other real life issues.

"Just as one doesn't become a marathon runner by reading about the Boston Marathon, so, too, one doesn't become a good problem solver by listening to lectures or reading about statistics," says the committee chairman who made the suggested changes.

We should take note of these changes. Academia has for centuries valued knowledge for its own sake. The same has often been true for churches and individual Christians. We must go from simply giving out information and help people apply their knowledge. This will involve reallocating our time towards hands on learning. Rather than teaching a class on visiting the hospital, we need to invite others to go to the hospital with us, and teach them along the way. This should be a part of our core “teaching” curriculum.

The book Our Underchieving Colleges reports that students remember just 20% of the content of class lectures a week later. Hands on learning, however, is usually retained at somewhere around 75%. It seems that Jesus taught his disciples in both of these ways. We need to recover this type of learning in the church today.

How do you learn best—from lectures, discussion, or hands on?

Tim Hardaway's Comments About Homosexuals

Recently, Tim Hardaway was asked about a former NBA player who "came out of the closet." In response, he said that he didn't think homosexuality was right, that it shouldn't be here in the US, and that he hated gay people. He later apologized for his statement about hating gay people.

As Christians, we do believe that homosexuality is wrong. However, no Christian should hate homosexuals or anyone else. Incidents like this make hearing the Christian message difficult to hear.

For those in the church, we must take a stand against homosexuality. For those outside the church, however, God is the one who judges (1 Cor. 5). Homosexuals in the world should hear from Christians a message of love first and foremost, and then a call to accept Christ. This will entain leaving behind a homosexual lifestyle. Paul lists homosexuality as a sin, but then he says "such were some of you, but you have been washed, you have been cleansed." Christ's blood and the Spirit make this kind of transformation possible. We must call people to a different life, but we must also let them know that God will help them do this.

The message of hate must be eliminated and swallowed up by the incredible love of God.

What do you think of Hardaway's comments?

US population explodes, church membership flat

Well, I've been in bed most of this week, sick with fevers, sweats, and bad headaches. But there are people with cancer out there, so it could be worse.

Those of you who are in my Ancient-Future Church class saw the numbers I compiled on church membership in the US over the last 26 years. Apparently, others have noticed the trend, as the Christian Chronicle just published these numbers in their last issue.

If you look at the chart from www.christianchronicle.org, you can see that since 1980 the US population has grown by 32%. During that same time period, known membership in churches of Christ has remained basically flat, with growth of 1.6%. So in terms of the percentage of the US population, churches of Christ have shrunk dramatically in the last 27 years.

Obviously, we are not setting the world on fire. Not only are we not experiencing the explosive growth found in the book of Acts, but we are shrinking. Does this not show that we must reallocate our energy, time, and resources to mission and make this our primary focus, as it should be anyway? What we are doing is not working. We must face this square in the face.

What do you guys make of these numbers? What is the solution to this decline?

American Idol--thumbs up or thumbs down?

My blogger account was having some problems, so sorry for the delay!

Becki has started recording the American Idol sessions, and I have been watching it really for the first time. Seriously, before this season, I had watched maybe ten minutes of American Idol. I love music, and so I probably would have been draw to the show except for two facts: 1) I have a hard time watching TV at 7:00 PM; and 2) I suppose I at times want to just go against whatever everyone else is doing.

It is actually a pretty entertaining show I have discovered this year. Some of the singers are really good. (I was going to rush to Memphis and try out until I learned that you had to be 28 years old.) But most of the singers they show in the early rounds are truly horrific. I find myself thinking, you cannot be serious about this.

Simon is, of course, the draw of the show. He is usually a jerk, which makes the times that he likes someone very dramatic. We all sigh a sign of relief when he gives the thumbs up.

It is amazing to me how some of the contestants put their whole lives and self-esteem into the collected wisdom of three entertainment people. These guys aren't always right. And however the world looks at us, they aren't always right either. They may give us the thumbs down, but that doesn't really mean anything. Look at that girl who didn't win American Idol but when on to start in that singing movie (you Idol buffs know what I'm talking about).

Those who aren't serious I don't really feel sorry for. But I do feel badly for some pretty good people who get ripped to shreds, like that music teacher. And what does this show show about us? Are we looking for approval and self-esteem from others? Do we delight in seeing others ripped? I will keep watching, but I just wondered about these things. What do you guys think?

Young Adults want a lifestyle and authenticity, not religion

I hope everyone had a great holidays! Sorry for the long break in blogging. We will be back on at least a weekly basis again beginning today.

Our Starbucks group continues to grow, with people inviting their friends. Last Monday we had some great discussion. We talked about how Jesus was liked by the non-religious people but disliked by the religious people. The reason he was loved by non-religious people? Because he ate with, drank with them, sat with them, talked with them, loved them. He did not shout at them with a bullhorn from afar, telling them how messed up they were. While calling them to a different life, he did this in close proximity to them, as he ate and drank with them.

On Monday, one of the Starbucks workers, a lovely young woman, asked what the book we were reading was about. She indicated that she didn't have much use for "religion," but seemed interested in a lifestyle of loving and serving other people. Jesus didn't have much use for "religion"--a bunch of heartless rituals that had no impact upon one's life.

Worship of God is important. But we should not forget that we are called to serve God and others continually--it is a lifestyle. Without this daily worship, our Sunday worship will be seen for what it is--a bunch of words without any substance.

What do you guys think about "religion"?

Is a Christian Video Game a Good idea?

I came across the following news story today about a "Christian" video game -see http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061213/tc_nm/videogames_christianity_dc_1. In this game, which is based upon the Left Behind books, players try to kill or convert those non-Christians who are left behind after the Rapture. For the record, the rapture and left behind concept does not seem to match up with Scripture. But I was just wondering whether a Christian video game was a good idea or not.

On the one hand, it is good to bring God into every aspect of our lives. For those who spend hours playing video games, it would be good to reminded of Christian things. However, killing non-Christians is not a Christian concept. I guess I would have to play the game myself to better understand it. What do you guys think?

By the way, there is a new format for this blogger program, so you will have to re-register your name under the google format (see where you post). It just takes a half a second. Thanks!

Recommended book--Death by Suburb: How to Keep the Suburbs from Killing Your Soul

I wanted to recommend a great book on Christian Spirituality--Death by Suburb by Dave L. Goetz. Have you ever:
- Found yourself feeling smug because your neighbor's 13 year old kid says, "Cool car" when you got your new SUV?
- Signed up to help with the youth, only when your kid hit the youth group and never before?
- Found yourself afraid to enter Dollar General?
- Stayed up all night to finish your 6th graders' science project, while he was in the other room playing Nintendo?
- Lived vicariously through your kids?
- Given your eight year old a $2000 birthday party?
- Shopped around for a church that had the best programs for your kids, rather than asking, what church needs me most?

If any of these hit you, you will want to read this book. It has had a big impact upon my wife Becki and I. I grew up in the suburbs and minister in a suburban church. The struggles of suburban Christians are superficiality, materialism, self-centeredness, shallow relationships, worship of children, and lack of service. Goetz writes in a funny, caustic style with brutal self-disclosure and honesty. You will love this book.

What struggles do you see in suburban Christians?

Here is the link to amazon for this book. http://www.amazon.com/Death-Suburb-Keep-Suburbs-Killing/dp/0060756705/sr=8-1/qid=1165471559/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-3852808-5347201?ie=UTF8&s=books

New sign-In for comments, with better features!

Hello faithful readers/participants. I switched to the new blogger version which has better features. You will need to re-do your sign-in, this time with google. (I think that google bought blogger.com or something.) When you comment, it will give instructions on doing this. Takes about a half a second. Let me know if you have any trouble. Thanks!

The Nativity Story is banned in Chicago

On Dec. 16, at 2:00 PM at the Liberty 12 Cinema, we were rent out a movie and go see "The Nativity Story" for an outreach event. Last year we did this with the Narnia film, and we had 100 members and 80 visitors go. Several came to worship with us that next Sunday, and some are still with us today. Praise God!

This ia a great opportunity to come and invite a friend. Tickets are $6 for members and $2 for guests. Let us know how many tickets you want.

This outreach will include a three week follow-up preaching series on Christ's birth. Interestingly, this series will actually meld will into the Exiles preaching series we have been doing.

Fox News had a recent headline that said: "Chicago Christmas Festival Nixes 'Nativity Story' Ads Over Fears of Offending Non-Christians" Part of the story is below.

CHICAGO — A public Christmas festival is no place for the Christmas story, the city says. Officials have asked organizers of a downtown Christmas festival, the German Christkindlmarket, to reconsider using a movie studio as a sponsor because it is worried ads for its film "The Nativity Story" might offend non-Christians.

New Line Cinema, which said it was dropped, had planned to play a loop of the new film on televisions at the event. The decision had both the studio and a prominent Christian group shaking their heads. Read the full story at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,232239,00.html.

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Unbelievable, huh? The Christ story is offensive to America. Just another piece of evidence that we are a people "living in exile." What do you think this ban says about our nation?

We have much to be thankful for in Christ

Well, it is about Thanksgiving time. Normally, it would be our turn to go to Becki's mother's for Thanksgiving, but she just moved to Colorado. So we are going to two friends' houses for Thanksgiving, and then getting together with some neighbors on Friday. Two Thanksgiving meals--I know, it is quite a sacrifice!

Thanksgiving is always a good time to reflect on how blessed we are. Very, very few people in the world have a car, something we take for granted. Or even food--we struggle with too much food. Or clothing--we feel generous when we give away our "extra" clothing each year. Or religious freedom. Or an intact, loving family.

We are most blessed, however, because of Christ. Let us not forget him!

Pass the sweet potatoes, please . . .

OJ Simpson's "Confession"--Should he find forgiveness?

O.J. Simpson has written a book explaining how if he had killed Nicole Brown Simpson, this is how he did it. There is also an upcoming television interview of Simpson on this.

Can you imagine Simpson's children reading a book in which their father describes in detail how he killed their mother? Either Simpson is a totally insane, sick individual, or he is so wracked with guilt, that he is finding a way to confess. That he got a $3 million book deal out of this seems to point towards the former.

But as twisted as this is, commentators have been calling Simpson "sub-human" or less than human. His actions are abhorrent, but he is still made in the image of God. And that means that he does have value and worth in God's eyes. And forgiveness can be found even for people Simpson. That is the hard to believe truth of the gospel.

What do you think about Simpson and forgiveness?

The Fall of Evangelical Leader Ted Haggard

Ted Haggard, the president of a huge evangelical association and the pastor of a 14,000 member church, resigned last week amid allegations of sexual misconduct. This has led to the already rising chorus of thsoe who reject Chrisitians as hypocrites. On a side note, it turns out that Haggard also had written a diet book, and some interesting "reviews" have shown up on amazon. You have to check these "reviews" out. See http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/1400072204/ref=cm_cr_dp_2_1/002-5363646-6420856?ie=UTF8&customer-reviews.sort%5Fby=-SubmissionDate&n=283155

Dr. Archibald Hart at Fuller has some insights into why so many high profile figures, both religious leaders and CEO types, are involved in radical acts of immorality. The adrenaline high and stress that is caused from these positions is numbing and addictive, causing normal pleasure to have no effect. It takes more and more stimulus for the brain to feel any pleasure, and only this risky behavior qualifies. This is not an excuse, but an explanation. I’m sure that these are good men and women who did not go into ministry intending to be duplicitous.

For me, this is yet another reason to move away from the idolization of megachurches. These churches do great good, but the pressure is simply too high for most of us mortal leaders to handle. The more we are lauded, the greater the pressure, and the more likely we will act out. Satan is at work too, and loves scandals like these. We should pray for Ted Haggard and his family.

How do you create close friendships?

Americans are starving for close friendships. This is particularly true with men, as 90% of American males say that they have no close friends. So in churches, the concept of "community"--which is a biblical concept--has a great ring to it. We hunger for community.

But how do we create these close feelings and close friends? Friendships come through shared experiences. And for men, close friendships are usually developed through doing things together. Witness the number of men who show up at a church "work day." Men need a mission, and when they do things together, they draw closer together. C.S. Lewis said that men bond better by doing things side by side, rather than face to face.

This has great implications for how we do life groups. Many churches have life groups that meet and try to create close friendships by "sharing." There is a definitely a place for this, but a constant dose of this is off-putting for many introverts and many men. By serving together, doing community projects and the like, many will draw together in ways that are even more memorable. You can view this distinction as the difference between a family meeting time and a family vacation. The latter will usually draw a family together more.

What are some experiences that have drawn you closer to others? Road trips? Short term missions? Vacations together? Other?

New missional book by Alan Hirsch - The Forgotten Ways

I would like to recommend an excellent forthcoming book by Alan Hirsch, author of The Shaping of Things to Come. Alan's new book, The Forgoteen Ways, will be available in January 2007. It is available for pre-order at amazon -http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Ways-Reactivating-Missional-Church/dp/1587431645/sr=8-1/qid=1162842844/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0811016-6015263?ie=UTF8&s=books

I took a D.Min. class under Alan at Fuller this fall, and much of the class' material was taken from this book. I can testify that this work is outstanding. Alan looks at the explosive growth in the early church and the church in China and concludes that this growth potential is inherent amongst God's people for all time. He also gives a practical framework for how this growth might be re-activated in churches today. I will give a fuller analysis and summary of this book in a later post.

Check out Alan's new blog and website at www.theforgottenways.org. More later. James