HT
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Keller on Gospel Presentations
From Keller's lecture: The Supremacy of Christ & the Gospel in a PoMo World" (~27min):
"I haven't seen a Gospel presentation—a relatively short but comprehensive Gospel presentation—recently that I think actually really, really addresses postmodern people. The older Gospel presentations of Evangelism Explosion and the Four Spiritual Laws were great on systematic theology—God, Sin, Christ, Faith—and they got across the idea of grace vs. works but there was no story arc—Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. It wasn't there. They had systematic theology, but it didn't have biblical theology (what we call it). It read across the grain of Scripture and did a good job of summarizing, "This is God." "This is what the Bible says about sin." "This is what the Bible says about Christ." "This is what the Bible says about faith." But the basic narrative arc of Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration, was not part of those Gospel presentations. And as a result (critics rightly say), the older Gospel presentations that so many of us grew up on were very individualistic, they helped you get your relationship right with God, but they were in a sense almost consumeristic, and the idea of the kingdom of God was never part of those Gospel presentations. So the Lordship of Christ over all my life—the Lordship of Christ over all of life—its not part of the Gospel presentations; it doesn't follow on from them.
"Now, if you go to the emerging church, if you go to the post liberal church, all the emphasis when they talk about the Gospel, all the emphasis is on the kingdom. All of it. It's all on Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. And all the emphasis therefore is on the fact that we had a world that we wanted (you see its all done corporately instead of individualistic), we had a world that we wanted and we've lost the world that we've wanted and now Jesus Christ has created a people and He's brought the kingdom and now you need to be a part of His kingdom program which is going to heal the world of injustice. And what you have there is an emphasis on the corporate, an emphasis on the kingdom, but you do almost always in these newer presentations of the Gospel lose the emphasis on grace vs. works, and on substitutionary atonement, and on the way in which Christ absorbed the wrath of God. And you don't see—when you hear these conversations, when I hear these Gospel conversations—I don't want to walk out of these presentations saying, "My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose went forth and followed thee"….
"It's going to take all our theological thinking now (not Bill Bright, not Billy Graham) but all our best theological thinking to develop user friendly Gospel presentations that merge both systematic theology and biblical theology in such ways that people can grasp [it] rather quickly and rather easily…."
"I haven't seen a Gospel presentation—a relatively short but comprehensive Gospel presentation—recently that I think actually really, really addresses postmodern people. The older Gospel presentations of Evangelism Explosion and the Four Spiritual Laws were great on systematic theology—God, Sin, Christ, Faith—and they got across the idea of grace vs. works but there was no story arc—Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. It wasn't there. They had systematic theology, but it didn't have biblical theology (what we call it). It read across the grain of Scripture and did a good job of summarizing, "This is God." "This is what the Bible says about sin." "This is what the Bible says about Christ." "This is what the Bible says about faith." But the basic narrative arc of Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration, was not part of those Gospel presentations. And as a result (critics rightly say), the older Gospel presentations that so many of us grew up on were very individualistic, they helped you get your relationship right with God, but they were in a sense almost consumeristic, and the idea of the kingdom of God was never part of those Gospel presentations. So the Lordship of Christ over all my life—the Lordship of Christ over all of life—its not part of the Gospel presentations; it doesn't follow on from them.
"Now, if you go to the emerging church, if you go to the post liberal church, all the emphasis when they talk about the Gospel, all the emphasis is on the kingdom. All of it. It's all on Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. And all the emphasis therefore is on the fact that we had a world that we wanted (you see its all done corporately instead of individualistic), we had a world that we wanted and we've lost the world that we've wanted and now Jesus Christ has created a people and He's brought the kingdom and now you need to be a part of His kingdom program which is going to heal the world of injustice. And what you have there is an emphasis on the corporate, an emphasis on the kingdom, but you do almost always in these newer presentations of the Gospel lose the emphasis on grace vs. works, and on substitutionary atonement, and on the way in which Christ absorbed the wrath of God. And you don't see—when you hear these conversations, when I hear these Gospel conversations—I don't want to walk out of these presentations saying, "My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose went forth and followed thee"….
"It's going to take all our theological thinking now (not Bill Bright, not Billy Graham) but all our best theological thinking to develop user friendly Gospel presentations that merge both systematic theology and biblical theology in such ways that people can grasp [it] rather quickly and rather easily…."
Cyncism
John Sartle:
This is where cynicism takes hold: with our realization that nothing or no one can be totally trusted, and we can’t even point the finger of accusation at others because we ourselves cannot be trusted. We must number ourselves among the unfaithful and untrustworthy. Cynicism is the temple to which we finally come after stopovers at the houses of all the other gods. It is the temple at the end of “temple row.”
Read the entire article entitled "The Altar of Cynicism" here.
This is where cynicism takes hold: with our realization that nothing or no one can be totally trusted, and we can’t even point the finger of accusation at others because we ourselves cannot be trusted. We must number ourselves among the unfaithful and untrustworthy. Cynicism is the temple to which we finally come after stopovers at the houses of all the other gods. It is the temple at the end of “temple row.”
Read the entire article entitled "The Altar of Cynicism" here.
Childers on the Church as God's Vehicle
Steve Childer's plenary session:
Childers then stressed the importance of vision – not just for a particular church plant, but for how church planting fits into God’s mission in the world of bringing glory to Himself by redeeming sinners out of every tribe and language and people and nation (Rev. 5:9). God’s vehicle for accomplishing this is the church. We need to see our personal stories within God’s over-arching story.
Childers' message was broadly divided into four headings:
I. A Vision for the Glory of God
II. A Vision for the Kingdom of God
III. A Vision for the Church of God
IV. A Vision for the Gospel of God
I. A Vision for the Glory of God
Key Question: What is God’s purpose for the world?
Answer: To bring glory to God.
II. A Vision for the Kingdom of God
Key Question: How has God chosen to glorify His name among all nations?
Answer: Through the expansion of His kingdom.
III. A Vision for the Church of God
Key Question: How has God chosen to advance His Kingdom in the world today?
Answer: Through the multiplication of churches.
IV. A Vision for the Gospel of God
Key Question: How can we be empowered to do this?
Answer: The gospel is the power to save the lost and to grow the saved.
1. Good News for the lost: A new record
2. Good News for the found: A new heart
3. The Good News for the Community: A New World
Read the full summary at Alex Chediak's blog.
Childers then stressed the importance of vision – not just for a particular church plant, but for how church planting fits into God’s mission in the world of bringing glory to Himself by redeeming sinners out of every tribe and language and people and nation (Rev. 5:9). God’s vehicle for accomplishing this is the church. We need to see our personal stories within God’s over-arching story.
Childers' message was broadly divided into four headings:
I. A Vision for the Glory of God
II. A Vision for the Kingdom of God
III. A Vision for the Church of God
IV. A Vision for the Gospel of God
I. A Vision for the Glory of God
Key Question: What is God’s purpose for the world?
Answer: To bring glory to God.
II. A Vision for the Kingdom of God
Key Question: How has God chosen to glorify His name among all nations?
Answer: Through the expansion of His kingdom.
III. A Vision for the Church of God
Key Question: How has God chosen to advance His Kingdom in the world today?
Answer: Through the multiplication of churches.
IV. A Vision for the Gospel of God
Key Question: How can we be empowered to do this?
Answer: The gospel is the power to save the lost and to grow the saved.
1. Good News for the lost: A new record
2. Good News for the found: A new heart
3. The Good News for the Community: A New World
Read the full summary at Alex Chediak's blog.
Monday, February 4, 2008
College Students Walking Away from the Faith
More than two-thirds of Protestant young adults exit the church between the ages of 18 and 22, according to a recent report by LifeWay Research, a branch of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Among the chief reasons young adults gave for quitting church - one in four mentioned the transition to college, while 22 percent said they moved too far from church to keep attending and 27 percent said they just wanted a break. Another 23 percent named work responsibilities as the primary factor.
"The years immediately following high school graduation often determine the course of a person's life as decisions are made about careers, lifestyles and spouses," says George O. Wood, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God. "It's a tragic loss when a young person walks away from the body of believers during this crucial time. We must pray and do our best to not let that happen."
Wood says approximately 60,000 AG youth are expected to graduate from high school next spring. National statistics indicate 50 to 70 percent will leave the faith within four years. Among those who attend evangelical colleges, however, the percentage is only about 5 percent.
Read entire article.
Among the chief reasons young adults gave for quitting church - one in four mentioned the transition to college, while 22 percent said they moved too far from church to keep attending and 27 percent said they just wanted a break. Another 23 percent named work responsibilities as the primary factor.
"The years immediately following high school graduation often determine the course of a person's life as decisions are made about careers, lifestyles and spouses," says George O. Wood, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God. "It's a tragic loss when a young person walks away from the body of believers during this crucial time. We must pray and do our best to not let that happen."
Wood says approximately 60,000 AG youth are expected to graduate from high school next spring. National statistics indicate 50 to 70 percent will leave the faith within four years. Among those who attend evangelical colleges, however, the percentage is only about 5 percent.
Read entire article.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Do We Even Like God?
From Larry Crabb's Shattered Dreams:
"In our struggle to handle the pain of shattered dreams, however, one question is rarely talked about with honesty. The question is this: What do we do with how we're feeling toward God?
Do we even like God, let alone love Him? Is He on our list of cherished friends? Are we resting in His goodness, confidently trusting Him to work all things together for our good?
In the chaos and heartache of dreams that crumble, God so often seems to pull away. When we cry the loudest, He sometimes turns a deaf ear. Nothing changes.
And when He fails - we feel betrayed, let down, thoroughly disillusioned. He neither reverses the tragedy nor fills us with peace and joy.
How do we trust a sometimes disappointing, seemingly fickle God who fails to do for us what good friends, if they could, would do?
"The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name" (Zechariah 14:9).
The best hope, our highest dream of being in His presence where nothing ever goes wrong and where we fully enjoy Him more than every other blessing, will not be granted till the next life.
We will not suffer in heaven."
"In our struggle to handle the pain of shattered dreams, however, one question is rarely talked about with honesty. The question is this: What do we do with how we're feeling toward God?
Do we even like God, let alone love Him? Is He on our list of cherished friends? Are we resting in His goodness, confidently trusting Him to work all things together for our good?
In the chaos and heartache of dreams that crumble, God so often seems to pull away. When we cry the loudest, He sometimes turns a deaf ear. Nothing changes.
And when He fails - we feel betrayed, let down, thoroughly disillusioned. He neither reverses the tragedy nor fills us with peace and joy.
How do we trust a sometimes disappointing, seemingly fickle God who fails to do for us what good friends, if they could, would do?
"The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name" (Zechariah 14:9).
The best hope, our highest dream of being in His presence where nothing ever goes wrong and where we fully enjoy Him more than every other blessing, will not be granted till the next life.
We will not suffer in heaven."
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tripp on the moment by moment miracle of prayer
I never get used to the moment by moment miracle of prayer. It's an amazing thing that God would ever even once listen to me, let alone answer! In little moments and big, again and again, I choose my own kingdom over his. I often run to him for help for messes that in my foolishness and rebellion I've made. I've no righteousness to present as an argument that he should hear me. I've no autonomous wisdom that I can present as a reason for his attention. I've no independent track record of good deeds that would get his attention. I've often been more fickle than loyal. I often justify my sin rather than seek his forgiveness. I struggle with being more attracted to the temporary pleasures of this physical world than I am committed to godly living. The desires of my heahttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifrt wander again and again. I forget my identity as his child, and in my amnesia seek identity where it was never meant to be found. Again and again I contradict the theology that I say I believe with the way that I live. I sadly have to ask for his forgiveness for the same things over and over again. Undeserving is the way I always stand before him.
This is precisely why David appeals to God's mercy as he prays. He can't look to himself for any reason that God would listen and respond. Yet, the miracle of his existence and ours is that he doesn't have to fear God's rejection or fall into thinking that prayer is an exercise in spiritual futility. Why? Because God is his own reason for answering. Prayer finds its hope, not in the qualifications of the one praying, but in the character and plan of the God who's hearing. He answers because of who he is. He answers because of what he's doing. He answers because he loves to see us come and he loves to provide just the grace for that moment.
Read the rest of the article here.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Holistic Ministry
"There is no longer a need to qualify a mission as 'holistic,' nor to distinguish between a 'mission' and a 'holistic mission.' Mission is, by definition, 'holistic,' and therefore 'holistic mission' is, de facto, mission. Proclamation alone, apart from any social concern, may be perceived as a distortion, a truncated version of the true gospel, a parody and travesty of the good news, lacking relevance for the real problems of real people living in a real world. On the other end of the spectrum, exclusive focus on transformation and advocacy may just result in social and humanitarian activism, void of any spiritual dimension. Both approaches are unbiblical; they deny the wholeness of human nature of human beings created in the image of God. Since we are created 'whole,' and since the Fall affects our total humanity in all its dimensions, then redemption, restoration, and mission can, by definition, only be 'holistic'"(323).
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Evangelism Shift
Your Journey Blog lists his change of thinking regarding evangelism...
...from event to process...
...from combative to attractive
...from monologue to dialog
...from short-term to long-term.
...from event to process...
...from combative to attractive
...from monologue to dialog
...from short-term to long-term.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Non-Attendees Find Faith Outside of Church
"We no longer have a home-field advantage as Christians in this culture."USA Today reports:
A new survey of U.S. adults who don't go to church, even on holidays, finds 72% say "God, a higher or supreme being, actually exists." But just as many (72%) also say the church is "full of hypocrites."
Indeed, 44% agree with the statement "Christians get on my nerves."
Many of the unchurched are shaky on Christian basics, says LifeWay Research director Ed Stetzer.
Just 52% agree on the essential Christian belief that "Jesus died and came back to life."
And 61% say the God of the Bible is "no different from the gods or spiritual beings depicted by world religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.," although Buddhist philosophy has no god and Hindus worship many.
Most of the unchurched (86%) say they believe they can have a "good relationship with God without belonging to a church." And 79% say "Christianity today is more about organized religion than loving God and loving people."
Calvin the Evangelist
Calvin the Evangelist
If Calvin is taken as a model, Reformed theology ought to produce not only the best theologians. but also the best pastors and missionaries.
If Calvin is taken as a model, Reformed theology ought to produce not only the best theologians. but also the best pastors and missionaries.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Interruptions
"My whole life I have been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted, until I discovered the interruptions were my work." -Henri Nouwen
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