You Can Know God

The Golden Compass

I've gotten several e-mails from people inside our church and outside of it asking what I think and what we should think about this movie that's coming out in December. It's a movie staring Nicole Kidman that's based on this book. I don't know much about the book or movie, but here's what I've learned so far.

• The author is not a Christian, and wrote the book as a response to CS Lewis's Narnia. Apparently, the book drops subtle hints about God not existing. The author is more blatant than that in real life.


• They say the movie version removes these anti-God references, but some Christian groups are still not cool with it. I think a lot of people are not sure what to think. Here's a link to what Snopes dug up.


• In general, movies don't present Christian agendas. These aren't Christian people making Christian movies. It shouldn't surprise us when a movie has an anti-God theme.


• I'd definitely be careful and pay attention, or see it before your kids.


• Stuff like this can be a great open door to teach your kids that not everybody loves God. In fact, in the Bible, they killed Him. Don't be so quick to boycott, but check things out, understand, and use it to teach.

I just ordered the book from Amazon, and I'm going to read it. I want to be able to have intelligent conversations with people and with my kids about this kind of stuff.

The Controversial Church (Part 3)

As I finish up this series of posts, I want to take you back to where all this controversial stuff comes from in the first place. The bottom line is...Jesus was controversial. He constantly said things and did things that didn't fit people's pattern. He broke molds and confounded people's thinking. Consider.

1. He consistently offended the religious crowd. Not only did he flat out call them names (brood of vipers), he did things that offended these hyper-religious people. He broke their laws (not God's laws) and broke their traditions. The people we offend with our marketing and strategies are not unchruched people - it's deacons and super-Christians from other churches. Because we care more about raising money for missions instead of raising money for choir robes, that ticks some people off. Because we show up at a public event with a flier advertising "Porn Sunday," that bothers people that don't think that the church should stoop to such tactics.

2. He said controversial things. The whole messiah talk probably generated a lot of controversy, and if blogs were around back then, his claims surely would have showed up on technorati. He blew peoples minds with one liners and teachings. Murder, murder you say. I'm telling you that anger is the same thing. Adultery is bad, yes. But I'm saying lust is just as damaging. People talked about Jesus' message, because it was out of the ordinary. It wasn't the same stuff they were used to hearing for decades.

3. He was accused of being lots of things. He was accused of being drunk. He was accused of being blasphemous. Jesus took lots of heat from lots of people. I really think that if people aren't complaining about what the church is doing, then that means you're invisible. People don't take notice of a church that has no influence (I'm not talking about political influence...I'm talking about influence in people's lives). We're not seeking to antagonize people on purpose...we're not seeking controversy, but I understand that when something works, people will be there to throw rocks.

4. He hung out with the wrong crowd. He hung out with people that He wasn't supposed to care about. He talked to prostitutes and touched lepers. And some people didn't like that about Jesus. He thought he should have kept to the right crowd. I can't help but imagine that were Jesus here today, there would be people that would want him to speak on the church circuit instead of in the bars. Jesus hung out with people that were far from God. Sure, it was his mission. But I am convinced that he liked hanging around those people. I think Jesus was the center of attention at these places, not because of his wild antics, but because he was a magnetic person who people liked to be around. I don't think it's mistake that the first recorded miracle of Jesus took place at a party to which he was invited.

Poker Pastors

I actually skipped our Journey Group tonight and went to hang out with my pastor friend Gary.  I hope Anthony isn't too mad.  We drank beer and played poker...just kidding.  I didn't drink beer and Gary didn't even play poker.

Revolution Church organized a charity poker tournament and raised $6,000 for the Cherokee Child Advocacy Council.  I'm sure Gary took a lot of heat for organizing this kind of event, but I love it.  I love it when the church lays aside preferences and actually gets out in the community and does something.  There may be a pastor that is ticked off, but there's a worthy charity that now has some much needed money, and some kids are going to feel that.

One of the blogging pastors that I read is about to launch a Tuesday night church service in a bar.  Think he's going to catch some flack from the religious over that one?  Do you think the bar is going to catch any flack from drunk people for letting a church in?  In our county, we're debating if churches and schools can meet, but in Virginia Beach, churches and bars are mixing.  What an amazing example of the church being the church in the culture.

By the way, I'm not a hard core poker player or anything.  But I did come in third and Gary hooked me up with a couple nice prizes.  Gary writes about it here.  Maybe poker tournaments are the new church golf tournaments.

Porn Sunday

On September 23, we're joining with a couple hundred other churches across the US to talk about the subject of Pornography. It's one of the issues that we're dealing with in this series.

Over the weekend, a team of people from our church handed out some of the fliers at a downtown event. I wasn't there, but apparently, the cops came by and asked them to stop. Since they were mostly done, they honored their request. It's a good thing I wasn't there, because I wouldn't have stopped. It's not against the law to pass out fliers in a public place.

Apparently, there were also some people that were upset. I heard about a couple that wasn't going to come to Oak Leaf anymore because of these fliers. Ummm....okay. I'm not sure why somebody would have that response, but I am convinced that more and more people in Cartersville just don't read. You guys get offended before you actually read the words!

For the record:

1. This is a national event. Here's the website.

2. We're not promoting porn. The first word on the flier says "confronting." I'm not really sure how any literate Christian would be offended by anything this flier says.

3. If you don't think this is an issue that the church needs to talk about, then you need to get your head out of the sand. Pastors struggle with this. It's hurts families and kids. It tears lives apart. It's a real issues that needs to be talked about it. And if a flier is the thing that gets a porn addict to come to church and start treating his wife with more respect, then great! I'd rather offend a super-spiritual Christian than lose track of our mission.

The Problem with Christian Schools

Let me stir the pot a little bit today.

I just read an article about a movement in Baptist circles to put a renewed emphasis on starting private, Christian schools. Before I give my opinion, let me say that I attended a public and a private school growing up, and that I taught a year in public school and a year in a Christian school. I do not think any one form of schooling is the solution to the problems of our day.

Apparently, Southeastern Seminary, where I attended, is leading the charge. Here's a quote from the article. "In the public schools, you don't just have neutrality, you have hostility toward organized religion," said Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest. "A lot of parents are fed up."

Here's the problem I have with this. Of course there is hostility towards organized religion. It's called the world. There's hostility towards God in countries all over the world, yet we send missionaries there. In fact, it's that where we SHOULD be sending missionaries. It seems like there was hostility towards Jesus and the disciples. Jesus told them to expect it and Paul said to consider it an honor. He didn't tell his disciples to remove themselves from an area that was hostile towards religion.

I know that Baptists aren't calling for a mass exodus from public schools (though that does seem like a silly resolution that they would try to pass at a convention), but this is a step in that direction. I don't have any problem with someone who homeschools their children (we have MANY of those parents at OLC) or parents who choose to send their children to Christian school (we did that with Lauren for 2 years). But I do have a problem with refusing to be in the world.

I think pulling children out of public school can be like pulling light out of the darkness. Remember, you're removing yourself from relationships with those parents too. If the salt doesn't encounter the world, it's not much good. Schools are where people that don't know Jesus congregate. If your faith is solid, and you're teaching your child about Jesus at home (where it's far more important for them to learn), can't they serve, invite, share, and be a missionary in the school system.

What if we launched a movement to send Christians INTO the schools, instead of pulling them out and creating our own bubble-like institutions? What if we really viewed public schools like the mission fields they are, instead of complaining that they are too worldly?

I just dropped my 5 year old at school this morning and took in snacks for the class.  Her teacher took a moment to tell me how glad she had Lauren in her class, that she was sweet, and she had invited the whole class to Oak Leaf Church.  When I drop her off in the morning, we pull over in a parking spot and say a prayer.  She prays for her friends and teachers, and I pray that she would think of school as an opportunity to let people know about God.

I'm not saying that Christian school is bad, or that homeschooling is evil.  There are valid reasons and circumstances where those things might be best.  I'm just saying that we shouldn't be so quick to pull our kids (and ourselves) out of environments that are anti-God.

Issues are Killing Me

 

 

 

I'd really like to ask for your prayers. After we finish the "Isn't She Lovely" series at OLC, we're going to do a series that is the scariest thing we've ever done. We're going to take five weeks and talk called Issues. These topics are huge, and there are strong opinions all over the map. Specific questions I will attempt to answer are:

• Does a woman have the right to choose?
• Do gay people go to heaven?
• Can I drink a cold beer and still be a Christian?
• Does looking at porn really hurt anyone?
• Does the Bible really condemn divorce?

I've been thinking about these topics for a year, and have been reading tons of books for the last few weeks, written by people I agree and disagree with. I'm knee deep in prep right now. I am getting worried e-mails and in-person questions from people and I know I am running the risk of offending everyone in the month of September. Our staff is helping me with some of the content for these messages and we had a four hour meeting yesterday.

I think this series will be another defining moment for our young church, but all this preparation and weight is going to take it's toll on me. These are not theoretical issues, but real stuff. I think you're going to be challenged to get out of your comfort zone in this series.

When this series is over, I am going on a personal vacation/sabbatical/reading trip by myself for 7 days. I'm planning on this thing taking everything I've got.

Isn’t She Lovely

Tomorrow, we are kicking off a new four-part series called "Isn't She Lovely?" We're decorateing the place like a wedding and it's going to be a lot of fun.

On August 19, we'll celebrate our one year anniversary as a church. We'll have a big old wedding cake/birthday cake and a photographer will be there to take pictures. And since you are supposed go to a wedding and a birthday party with presents, we're asking everyone to bring a gift card to your favorite store or restaurant. You choose the amount and the you choose the place. We're going to give all these gift cards to local public school teachers.

After this series, we're doing the scariest series we've ever done...something called "Issues." I'm going to be talking about the big issues of abortion, divorce, homosexuality and drinking. And we'll join with hundreds of other churches for Porn Sunday on September 23. I think this series will raise some eyebrows and cause a stir, and we're praying that God would use it for His glory.

Church Speak

Christianese. Churcy talk. I'm taking about words like...

Visitor
Committee
Preaching
Sermon
Bless your heart
Sanctuary
Fellowship
Sunday School
Brother
Pews
Member
Amen

All of these words come from a church culture that regular people do not understand. Unless you grew up in a Baptist church, you have no idea when someone responds when they invite you over for some fellowship.

Don't say, “This way to the sanctuary,” or call anyone “brother.” Unchurched people don't know those terms. You can help guests find the right theater, but "sanctuary" is a church term that outsiders may not understand. Don’t talk about how great Sunday School is for the kids, or ask how many members we have. And since “Amen” really means “Yes, I agree,” just say “Yes.”

Insurance guys can use insurance terms around regular people, and we will have no idea what they mean. Lawyers can use legal terms, which their lawyer friends may understand, but the general public will not.  Church people can use church speak - other church people will get it, but the unchurched will not relate.

Be Different

My friend’s questions continue with this: God calls us to be separate from the world, set apart and holy. It seems within the emergent church movement, there is this strong desire to be just like the unbeliever because that is the only way you can share the Gospel with them. In terms of your dress, language, movies and t.v. you watch, and your Sunday morning concerts. How do you say you distinguish yourself from the secular world?

This is a great question, and personally, a great tension. As Christians, we follow Jesus, and try to live as He would live. We’re called to be holy, set apart, and live like “called out ones.” At the same time, we’re called to live in the world, rub shoulders with lost people, and make a difference.

On one hand Jesus said “love not the world,” and then another time he said “love your neighbor.” I think the “love not the world” focuses on a worldview. Romans 1 talks about people who elevate their position above God and only seek their own interests. They worship the created rather than the creator. That’s a wordly view. On the other hand, we’re surrounded by people, and we’re called to love them and be near them. All in all, a delicate balance, and there are probably strong opinions on both sides.

There are things that I don’t do because I am a Christian. There are things that I don’t say because I am a Christian. But I don’t think a checklist – I don’t drink; I don’t cuss; I go to church – is all that God had in mind for being different. I think it’s much bigger and much more important than that. I think my children are different from most children because of the Biblical worldview that we teach. I think that my overall thoughts and beliefs are different from the world because of how I was raised and what I read and think. It’s a renewed mind that transforms us, not a renewed behavioral checklist.

As far as the specifics of dress…I don’t know what dress like the world or dress like Jesus means. Should I wear robes and sandals and ride on a donkey? I don’t think so. I think Jesus dressed like a first century carpenter…he looked normal for his day. That’s how I dress. I dress like me. I dress like a lot of other people. When I go to a wedding, I wear a suit because that’s what’s socially acceptable. It’s just normal, I guess. I don’t think it really matters if a person wears a suit to church or comes in sandals. The Bible doesn’t tell people how to dress when they come to church, unless you’re an Old Testament priest. In different religious traditions, pastors and priests wear different things, and that’s cool. I can’t imagine getting to heaven and Jesus saying, “Well done, except you didn’t dress right.” I wear jeans and polo shirts or button up shirts nearly everyday of my life.

I do think it’s pretty funny that the standard “uniform” for young church planters these days seems to be jeans, an untucked long-sleeved shirt, and a goatee. For the record, I’ve had a goatee since I was married. And the main reason is because my wife doesn’t like it when I shave it off. And I've been untucking my shirt ever since I was a kid and my mom wanted me to tuck it in. :)

I personally love stories, and movies are stories. I go to movies pretty frequently, but there are some movies that I won’t go see. I will see an R rated move like the Passion of the Christ or Saving Private Ryan. I won’t go see a movie that’s filled with nudity, because that’s not spiritually healthy for me. I don’t go see horror movies and slasher movies, because there’s a check in my spirit on that. I don’t think all movies are evil, but I think some are not appropriate for me and my family.

Same goes with music. I don’t just listen to Christian worship music. I think a lot Christian music stinks. I like all kinds of music, because I’m a wanna be rock star. ☺ But there is some stuff that I don’t listen to, because it’s filled with profanity, vulgarity and sexual stuff. This is why I don’t listen to much hip hop. I think God gives us a conscience and we’re to operate with wisdom. At Oak Leaf, we play the music of the day. Music is something that can help us connect to God…it’s like a language. Guitars, drums and keyboards are like words and letters. It’s a part of our culture and a way of life. In the Old Testament, David used instruments that we no longer have. Stringed instruments were around before keyboards and organs. And in the 1800’s, organs in churches became popular. It’s a constant ebb and flow.

I guess it would be a lot easier if God would have just given us a constantly updating list of do’s and don’ts. But instead, He gave us His Spirit, which leads and guides. I think blanket statements like all movies are bad, or pastors should wear suits, fall so short of what God wants. It’s not the external, it’s the internal. It’s not just our actions, it’s our actions plus our thoughts and our motives that God will judge.

People put the line at different places, and there is freedom in Christ, but your conscience is a God-given guide. And we have lots of Biblical principals to guide us.

Don Imus, Al Sharpton and Rap Music

I don't usually get into politics, but wanted to share a quick thought on this Don Imus fiasco.  He got fired for some insensitive remarks about some Rutgers women. While I certainly don't understand what he said, I'm not sure what all the fuss is about.  Al Sharpton, who calls himself a reverend, has said far worse things.  I read some quotes from him using the "N word" over and over and consistently saying "us" and "them."  How is this moron not causing more harm towards race relations?  He needs to get off of any stage he's on.

And how is it that one radio DJ gets fired for referring to people as hoes, yet the majority of profanity filled hip hop is played on public airwaves consistently.  The stuff in this music is much worse and much more insensitive.  Again, I'm not condoning what he said...there are just many more people that need to clean up their act.  Why no outrage for the content of some of this music or for the idiot racist remarks from Al Sharpton.