Get Rid of Your TV

What?! Prude! Legalist! Religious Pharisee!

I know. I was thinking the same thing. It seems ridiculous, indeed impossible, in our day and in our culture. But oh man is it convicting, especially to someone who struggles with laziness to the degree I know I do. I so want to be “jealous for my evenings”. And I’m not even married, and have no kids. If and when I do I hope I can be exponentially more jealous for my evenings, and my time in general, so that I can savor the time with them, and the time with God with them, instead of watching my brain be sucked out by Alec Baldwin on a commercial for Hulu.

So let me tell you what I’m going to try to do. If you watched this video exchange with John Piper and Mark Driscoll, and then hopefully read this article clarification of Piper’s heart in this matter, you probably find that you agree more with Driscoll. So do I. I don’t think I’m going to get rid of my TV (s) or stop going to the movies. It would be great for extra cash, but not necessary I don’t think. However, I do feel convicted to get a hold of myself and not let my TV watching push me over the cliff of wasting my short life, or lead me in the opposite direction of seeing and experiencing the beauty of Christ. No entertainment is worth either.

I’m going to gage everything I watch through the filter of Philippians 4:8 in an effort to discipline my mind. Is that reasonable? Is it ridiculous? Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, excellent, praiseworthy; this is what I should think on, and if what I am watching on TV is making me think about other things, it doesn’t make the cut. Help me, please. This is going to be crazy hard, but it’ll be worth it. Let’s see how this plays out in my normal TV watching habits:

SEINFELD

This is, and will always be, the best situational comedy on television. The simple brilliance of this show can hardly be described and will never be replaced. The casting of characters and raw acting performances were historic. I became somewhat obsessed with this show in high school, right around the time it was ending. Now, having seen each episode about ten times, I find myself referencing lines on the show in any and all circumstances. The comedy and timing of Jerry Seinfeld alone has had a huge impact on my communication style, for good or for bad. Certain parts still leave me on the floor. To me, it makes it all the more funny to know that maybe I’m the only one who thought that particular line was funny enough to leave me on the floor. Oh the subtlety.

As you know, this show is now known for the fact that it was about nothing. Essentially it was about four thirty somethings living life in New York City hardly working, complaining, drinking coffee, and screwing people over (as was so brilliantly culminated in the Finale). The nothingness of the show has been rightly described as a dangerous and ungodly portrayal of our culture and the meaning of life. Living anything like any of the characters on the show will surely be considered a wasted life when it’s all said and done. The little mention of the most glorious being in the universe (Jesus Christ) was only as a few punch lines (some fairly hilarious ones, though).

Still, it was a television show, so what would you expect? If viewed with the right amount of wisdom and discernment, lots of material from this show will present itself for use in biblical gospel presentations. I'm serious. Take for example the following dialogue between George and Kramer in the episode The Keys:

Kramer: Do you ever yearn?
George: Yearn, do I yearn?
Kramer: I yearn.
George: You yearn?
Kramer: Oh yes, yes, I yearn. Often, I sit, and yearn. Have you yearned?
George: Well not recently. I crave. I crave all the time; constant craving. I haven’t yearned.
Kramer: Look at you.
George: Oh, Kramer, don’t start!
Kramer: No, no, you’re wasting your life.
George: I am not. What you call wasting, I call living. I’m living my life.
Kramer: Oh ok, like what? No, tell me. Do you have a job?
George: No.
Kramer: Do you have any money?
George: No.
Kramer: Do you have a woman?
George: No.
Kramer: Do you have any prospects?
George: No.
Kramer: Do you have anything on the horizon?
George: Uh, no.
Kramer: Do you have any action at all?
George: No.
Kramer: Do you have any conceivable reason for even getting up in the morning?
George: I like to get The Daily News.
Kramer: George, its time for us to grow up and be men. Not little boys.
George: Why?

If you know this episode, you know that Kramer’s yearning led him to California to “find himself” after a key dispute with Jerry. Perhaps you’ve had a similar trip or period of life. I used this scene at a talk for Greek Intervarsity Christian Fellowship at IU once. My talk was on the relevance of Jesus in our joy, and my point was to tell the narrative of the Bible, to see the final accomplishment in the cross of Christ, and the final completion in the second coming of Christ, where we will have complete joy. I said that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the only complete source of joy now, and the only source of complete joy in the future. And then I asked them the same questions Kramer asked George, and I said, even if your answers were yes, how is your joy? Is it on a trajectory of completion in Jesus, or is it precariously jumping from one temporary pleasure to the next, waiting, desperately, for something to cling to, perhaps in California like Kramer? His challenge is valid and relevant to us: are we wasting our lives?

So I will continue to watch this show, when the opportunity presents itself, and trust that God can use it to expose the gospel in my life and through my life. There is value in humorously viewing our brokenness in a way that leads to the glory of a blood-stained cross, and amazingly, I think Seinfeld can be the context for that.

THE OFFICE

So far I have not found any sermon illustrations in The Office (I'm still looking). As you probably know, this show is all kinds of awkward and usually outright inappropriate. But I think it is excellent, and so as per Philippians 4:8, I’m going to watch. It has its issues, and some episodes fall short of the description of “classic”. But some greatly exceed that description. The characters alone (most of them) just make me so happy. So I think, by the grace of God, I can watch this show (and you can too!) through the filter of Philippians 4:8. Plus I work in an office so surely some of the lessons transfer over. Wish me luck. Good luck.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

Yes, I watch this show. Does that surprise you? I’ve mentioned that I do before, and even showed a clip of my personal favorite audition. I’ve said that if the title of the show were a question addressed to me, my answer would unequivocally be NO. Sadly. In my book, though, it’s the best entertainment on television. And when I say entertainment, I mean the full spectrum: funny, creative, exciting, suspenseful, breathtaking, intelligent, glamorous, and professional. I’ve personally become very intrigued by the choreography. Not being an artist, I would say that it seems to be one of the most creative, difficult, and comprehensive forms of art. It showcases story-telling, technique, beauty, emotion, and creative expression in a way no other art form I can think of does. And it captures all that in a fleeting moment that you can’t hang on a wall. And it brings out parts of the creativity and brilliance of another, related, art form - namely music - that may not otherwise have been seen. I usually like a song a lot better after I have seen a brilliant routine danced to it.

Anyway, you should watch the show, because I think you will be amazed. Unlike Dancing with the Stars, which you may know, it features talent and diversity in style and training that is beautiful and unpredictable. Unlike American Idol, which you certainly know, it actually becomes more entertaining, instead of less so, once the auditions are over. Unlike just about any other reality show, it has purpose beyond the TV ratings, and seeks to expose to the world a unique art form and develop the industry that displays that art in a healthy way.

But it is not perfect, and its purpose is not primarily to display the beauty of Jesus, so viewers (like me) who care about not wasting their lives should take caution. What it does do, purposefully or not, is display beauty that only a Sovereign and intricate God could create. If you’re not moved by the elegant, and sometimes freakish, dancing in some of these routines you need to check your pulse. So in that sense, it displays the common grace that God has lavished on all his children by creating us in His image and giving us skills and abilities that show His glory in very unique, creative, and irreplaceable ways. That is praiseworthy.

Of course, the instant that beauty is attributed to the people and not the God that created the people, you are on a slippery slope. I’m not naïve – the show is also entertaining because of the beautiful people. They don’t have to be moving to be beautiful, but indeed the moving makes them more so; in some cases scandalously. If you grew up in a legalistic, strict church culture that didn’t allow dancing, you know what I’m talking about and I’ve either already lost you at this point or started to articulate for you finally your opposition to the rules all these years.

Perhaps if all this could be true about the beauty of the people without the costume design, or lack of costume design if you know what I mean, that is featured every week, than it wouldn’t even be an issue. But it isn't true without that, so it is an issue, and I’m totally aware of it and totally vulnerable to it. But with anything, there is a thin line between appreciating the beauty in order to praise your Father in heaven, and worshipping the beauty because of the temporary pleasure of eye candy. And walking that line and coming out closer to Christ in the end is honoring to God. But knowing that you are going to fall off the tight rope the minute you start walking, and still get on it anyway, is not honoring to God. I intend to walk the tight rope and come out praising my Father in heaven. But I am aware of the risk, hope you are too, and pray that together we can encourage each other to keep our balance.

NEWS

To me, watching the news is the classic example of balancing being in the world but not of the world. It is a very difficult balance. I watch, probably, not enough local news and too much national news. I don’t know why this is. When something “breaking” is going on, I’m pretty much hooked. The death of Michael Jackson, September 11, presidential debates, the plane that landed on the Hudson; the stories they talk about for days and days are usually the ones I watch. And I think that is good. Its good to know what’s going on, good to see the emotions and perspectives of people, good to be educated on what excites and affects our culture. But I have found, specifically with news of a political nature, that there is a point in my watching where it is no longer healthy. Have you experienced this? You know you are watching just to get mad at somebody or something. Even if your (my) anger is justified, I think this is the point the TV should go off, or at least changed, to Seinfeld, The Office, or So You Think You Can Dance (among perhaps other things).

But the news is important, and, I would say, mostly noble. It is not always true, but the more professional networks don’t mislead intentionally. So it makes it through my filter, but I will be careful. And I’m convicted to be aware of more local news so that I can more easily relate with my immediate community.

SPORTS

For me, my engagement in sports is simple. I play golf and tennis and basketball (and occasionally wiffleball, as of late). I watch NCAA basketball religiously, NCAA football consistently, NFL football moderately, golf and tennis on lazy Sundays, and everything else sparingly. I get emotionally involved in IU basketball. I get really excited for March madness and college football bowl season. I root loyally for the Colts. I like the Pacers and the Chicago Cubs, but my heart is not with them. After that, my amount of sports intake and knowledge is probably less than most men my age.

So probably I don't need to say much about this category. Two things I should mention though. First, some athletic stories are so inspiring and miraculous that watching them on TV may be one of the best things you can do with your time. People like Jimmy V., Tony Dungy, Tim Tebow, Tiger Woods, and others whose names you wouldn't recognize, give performances and examples that are certainly praiseworthy beyond words. I think it would be hard to understand the emotion and drive of people without being aware of and experiencing many sports stories like this. So you should.

But second, I know the danger of having a favorite team that you prioritize above everything else in your life almost on accident. I know what it is like to be actually depressed after a devastating loss and not want to do anything or talk to anyone. I am an IU basketball fan, so if you're needing to feel sorry for someone, feel sorry for me (until the program recovers and we dominate again...). I still am not quite over the loss to Minnesota that added insult to injury after the debacle of Kelvin Sampson. I try to read this post frequently to maintain my perspective on the bigger picture.

Moral of the story is there is a lot more I could say about sports; more about the value and more about the danger of obsession. But I think you understand my point. Moderation. No team can die for your sins and no championship will satisfy your soul. So go Hoosiers, and praise Jesus.

MOVIES

This is a hard one for me because sometime in college I made the decision that I either was going to have a DVD collection, or I wasn’t. There was no reason to go halfway. So I began one, and now 300 movies later, I could easily spend the majority of my leisure time watching morally suspect content on a 50” plasma television. Over the years now I have been careful as to the content of my collection, and I very seldom watch a movie by myself, even if it is Shrek. I just have found that my time is better spent elsewhere. There is an All State commercial that talks about the wisdom of caring more about who is around your TV, rather than how big it is. So when I don’t have solid company around, the bigness of a TV is not reason enough for me to watch a flick in my spare time.

But I still do on occasion, and I still have a mammoth collection. So in the context of this post I have a fresh motivation to be intentional about this part of my life. And to quote John Piper, who says he hasn’t been to a movie in like 30 years (I don’t intend to do that):

“Being entertained by sin does not increase compassion for sinners. There are, perhaps, a few extraordinary men who can watch action-packed, suspenseful, sexually explicit films and come away more godly. But there are not many. And I am certainly not one of them.”

There are so many movies that give a glorious occasion to present the gospel, like Seinfeld, and there are so many movies that demonstrate the brilliance and beauty of artistic talent, like So You Think You Can Dance. I will look for them, and by God’s grace use them for His glory (and enjoy them along the way, which is also just fine). But for now, the quote above will suffice to share my heart about the discipline I believe God is calling me to. For me it will specifically apply to movies on television – I spend absurd amounts of time watching parts of movies I have seen 100 times. Although this is fun, I’m determined to find a more productive form of relaxation. As a wise man once told me, it is quite embarassing as a Christian to know more movie lines than bible verses.

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?

If you don’t believe and find your treasure in Jesus, this post no doubt sounds ridiculous (it is a little). In your mind you might be trying to imagine how much more fun you have, how much more happy you are, and how much more fulfillment you receive from watching television than anything else you can conceive of doing with your evenings, especially anything of a “religious” or “spiritual” nature. You might be trying to compare the relaxation, amusement, entertainment, or escape you get from TV, with the unknown pleasure or satisfaction from anything else. And because it is unknown, you easily can feel perfectly content continuing with your habits and not feeling guilty or worried about what you might be missing.

What I’d like to try to convey to you is that what you are (and what I am) missing is infinitely more valuable, entertaining, relevant, fulfilling, enjoyable, lasting, and in some ways relaxing than what you are envisioning in your head right now regarding television. And I’m not telling you to give that up or to feel guilty about watching what you watch. My goodness, why are you even reading this blog if I made such ridiculous contentions as that? What I am telling you is whatever good it offers, it does not offer forgiveness of sins, or escape from righteous wrath, or reconciliation with the God of the universe, in whose image you were created, or authentic gospel community. Without those things, a lifetime of relaxation and entertainment will be little consolation to an eternity of separation and misery. And above that, it does not offer the giver of those things (Jesus), who is more precious than all the gifts combined. The separation from him because of our sinfulness and obsession with the temporary pleasures of television will be horrible, conscious, and forever. I’m not trying to be mean or scare you; I’m trying to rescue you (and me) from a wasted life.

Television is not the point, and neither are the things portrayed and glorified through it, namely greed, violence, drunkenness, sexual immorality, etc. These things are symptoms, and vessels, by which the real problem manifests itself. The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit. Whether you (we) agree that these symptoms, or the vessel by which they come, are wrong or should be avoided is irrelevant. What is relevant, and indisputable, and the real problem, is that these things draw us away, and distract our attention, from the most glorious and infinite reality in the universe, namely, the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Television is an idol (and a killer) if it, and the entertainment from it, becomes ultimate, and not an additional, undeserved blessing from the treasure of our life (Jesus).

Please at least consider the risk you are taking unwinding your stress, losing your mind, and devoting your precious time to the unrealistic and fleeting world found broadcast through our television sets. You can still watch. Just consider. I know I am.

A Confused Culture and a Clear Christ

Writing on a blog is hard. I really try to be clear and helpful, engage the culture in a timely and relevant way, and tie my posts together enough so that if you are a faithful reader, you can really see the connection and direction of my thoughts. But then I also want them to be independent and simple enough that if you are a first time reader they will make sense to you and be worth your time. And of course I try to be brief, but so far that has been a futile effort (sorry!). I guess for me, life is too short to be brief. I want to use the words in my brain and on my heart while they are still there. And then of course I try to be humble, knowing that my words are temporary, not original, and come from a highly imperfect man. But by the grace of God I know that they might possibly lead people closer to the infallible and eternal word in the Bible, and the irresistibly desirable and infinitely perfect Person of Jesus Christ found in it.

The last year or so on this blog, within the overall theme of offering the Gospel of Jesus Christ as simple and profound truth for a complex culture, I have been trying to do two things:

1. Discern and participate in the nature and developments of the “church” in America, and understand and live what the church really is and what it should look like. Why should I go to church? What church should I go to? What does “church” mean?

2. Discern and participate in the nature and fruits of a “Christian” person, and understand this in order to live and explain it in such a way as to be confirming for the Christian, convicting and loving for the non-Christian, and effective for all so the increasing reality of loving our neighbor in an authentic and God-honoring way is realized.

These two things are starting to come to a head in my life, and in current events, which is encouraging, complicated, and a bit convicting. Encouraging because it confirms that questions, answers, and insight I have experienced in the last several months have not been without purpose, and have been from God. Complicated because what it means to be a Christian in community, and individually, is messy, and not neatly outlined in the Bible to be understood and experienced without effort. And convicting because it is real; there really are churches that are unbalanced and unbiblical in a way that is detrimental to the kingdom of God; and there really are people who profess to be Christians but defraud the name of Christ by their unbiblical proclamation or hypocritical demonstration of the gospel. The Bible commands us to be aware of and respond to both these realities.

So what I am absolutely convinced of is that as followers of Christ we have to be clear, so that we can be helpful. We have to be clear in our truth. We have to be clear in our community. We have to be clear in our love. We have to be clear that God is holy, that we are sinners, that the Bible is preeminent, and that the cross is central, to all of life and human experience. We have to be clear that if we have not love, we have nothing. It sounds simple (even if you disagree). Alas, our sinful nature has made it horribly confusing, so much so that non-Christians aren’t even listening to our message and some Christians don’t understand its power, and too many are choosing a temporary, functional savior instead of the eternal savior who went through a bloody cross to the right hand of God.

SEXUAL SAVIOR

I'll spare you the news update on the fallen Governor of South Carolina, except to say that it is clear we don't seem to be at the bottom of his failure yet. He is not the first to fall in this way, and he will surely not be the last. Such a shame that he confused some into believing he was worthy of being in the 2012 presidential conversations. Such a shame that many trusted and respected him to lead them in a confusing time in our country, and for his party. Such a shame that the adultery was not the end of this story; deception was and is there also. Such a shame for his wife and children. Such a shame that there was a spiritual component to this journey, yet little true repentence and little mention of the cross of Christ.

But we shouldn't forget about those who have fallen before him: United States presidents, popular and influential pastors, and Old Testament heroes. Let anyone who thinks he stands firm take heed lest he fall! We scorn and rebuke his actions, as we should, but we also should appreciate the gut check. In our wordly hell of loneliness, tension, and unquenced desire for companionship, do we above all else seek for sexual escape and romantic fairytales, or do we seek the crucified and exalted Christ? Mark Sanford went through spiritual boot camp looking for an answer to his condition, but in the end, the escape and romance he found in Argentina was his functional savior, and look where it led him.

FINANCIAL SAVIOR

In all likelihood, Bernard Madoff will die in prison. 150 years is a long time. Most of us are glad and acknowledge that he deserves it. And he does. He deceived and stole untold amounts of money from people of all kinds and manipulated the system in ways I am certainly not bright enough to explain or understand. His crimes will trickle down and affect generations of Americans. 150 years doesn't seem that long when you think about all that.

Yet we shouldn't be quick to judge. What was at the bottom of Madoff's motives and deception? Was it not greed? In his worldly hell of fear and insecurity, he sought after the functional savior of monetary gain and financial wealth. Are we so different? What Madoff, and all of us, actually deserve is far longer than 150 years. And no amount of money will save us from that plight. Only a crucified and exalted Christ can. Bernard Madoff escaped a life of poverty to become one of the riches men in America, and look where it led him.

PHYSICAL SAVIOR

Breaking the trend of the two men mentioned above, this doesn't seem to be the time to discuss the controversy surronding the life, nor the confusion surrounding the death, of Michael Jackson. I grew up in the 80s and for my money entertainment does not get better than the gravity-defying lean in the Smooth Criminal video. He was an amazing talent and entertainer. I will not paint a picture of his sin and brokenness and then say look where it led him. Like some, I would like to believe the Sovereign God of the Universe opened the eyes of his heart and gave him the strength to believe in his last days. It is certainly possible.

But I think it is helpful to look at his life as an example and warning of the insufficency of functional saviors. Dan Phillips says it this way:

"What Jackson did to himself is what we all do to ourselves outside of Christ. The difference is that Jackson's failed attempts were all worn obviously, in public view, on the changing tapestry of his face, while we may mask ours better. As you shrink from the Frankenstein shock of Jackson's visage, reflect: mankind was created in God's image, and still bears that image. But in seeking to take God's place and make themselves gods, our foreparents did to their whole beings what Michael Jackson did to his face: they horridly disfigured themselves and all of us, leaving a repulsive mockery of what we were meant to be. The only solution for us is not a succession of endeavors to remake ourselves. Each attempt leaves a worse spectacle than the previous, and moves us further from what we truly need. We do not need new faces. We need new natures. We need the miracle of regeneration, not the tragedy of manmade makeovers."

In our worldly hell of confused identity, low self-esteem, and ridicule from men, do we seek the temporary, functional savior of glamour, physical makeover, and external beauty, or the eternal savior of the crucified and exalted Christ?

RELIGIOUS SAVIOR

Continuing to break the trend from the first two people mentioned, I am using Obama here merely as an example of what so many in our culture do. Obviously Barack Obama is not in the same category, and actually, in many ways, doesn’t even deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with these three men, certainly not the first two. But because of the timing and relevance of his journey as outlined in this article, I included him in this post.

The Obama family is looking for a church. Can you relate? There are mixed reports on whether they have found one, but I'm not sure that is the point. The point is that so many in our culture are in the same situation, and don't seem to think it is a big deal. Some never stop looking. Some stop and find one, but it becomes a religion only to them. In their worldly hell of legalism and self-justification they seek the functional savior of religion, and accomplish their salvation when they find a building to go in every week or so. But then when life gets hard, or the church changes the music, or real trial and tribulation come, they leave the church or become angry and confused as to why their religion did not bring constant reward. Like the elder brother in Luke 15, they (we) demand a celebration because of our goodness. And if we our lucky, we realize that our goodness is detestable to God (and not really that good), and our only hope is the eternal savior of a crucified and exalted Christ.

CHRIST THE SAVIOR

There is nothing uniquely special or uniquely immoral about these men. We are all human and are all sinners, so even the President (and certainly you and I) could be included in a list such as this to illustrate the relevance of the gospel to our broken condition. We all resort to confusing functional saviors when a clear everlasting savior beckons. Rebellion against the beauty and all-sufficiency of Christ for salvation, as a talented and legendary (but disturbed) pop star, or as a crooked and deceptive scam artist, or as an adulterous governor, or as the President of the United States, or as a middle-class Joe Sixpack, or as a well-meaning social worker, (etc.), results in the same separation from the desire of our souls and purpose in creation. If you don’t agree with that statement, not much else on this blog will make any sense to you. And that is not because it is confusing. It is because it is foolishness. But it is gospel.

Because repentance and trust in the atoning work of Jesus on the cross, for a talented and legendary (but disturbed) pop star, or for a crooked and deceptive scam artist, or for an adulterous governor, or for the President of the United States, or for a middle-class Joe Sixpack, or for a well-meaning social worker, (etc.), results in the same reconciliation with the desire of our souls and purpose in creation, and everlasting joy. That is the gospel.

So as the culture challenges its expectations and desires for “church”, and the “church” challenges structure and style with new ideas and programs and manages the reality of hypocrisy and false proclamation in its midst, ultimately the gospel and the fruit and love from it is the only thing that matters. My deepest hope and conviction is that focus on the gospel will reveal (and increase) those with saving faith, and organically create and maintain the biblical, effective, God-honoring concept of “church”, namely people living the gospel word in gospel community; until He comes back and establishes forever the reality that authentic Christians living in gospel community (church) have always meant to foreshadow.

Who Do You Say that I Am?

Jesus asked this question to his disciples after his initial inquiry about what the general public thought of him. I ask it now to anyone reading this, or anyone not reading this, about what you think of me (or what you think of Christians). I am (and we are) not Jesus, clearly, so I do not expect your answer to be “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” But I hope through me, that is how you would answer this question about Jesus. I actually don't really care what you think of me (real nice, huh?), unless what you think of me affects what you think of Jesus. So the reason I am asking it is to give myself and fellow Christians a gut check as to the impression we are leaving with the people we interact with, and whether they are seeing more of Jesus or more of us in our example. If they are seeing more of us, that is very bad, because we are sinners who are completely bankrupt spiritually.

Ultimately this question cuts to the core of much of what I have been talking about. The church, or the “universal church” made up of all authentic believers in Christ, represented locally in the form of local congregations and communities of people, should be to the world a personal presentation of the holiness, preeminence, love, and community of the Triune God of the universe, who reveals and reconciles himself to us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If the Body of Christ does not look like this to the world, it is not because the biblical vision of the church is inadequate or that the absolute truth of the gospel is powerless; it means that we have not been faithful to either and thus confused a broken world as to what we are really even trying to say and do.

It is quite obvious that most non-Christians look at Christians in a negative way. Whether it is because they perceive us as hypocritical, closed-minded, selfish, intolerant, arrogant, ignorant, bigoted, violent, boring, weak, uncool, etc. depends on who you ask and what topic you are considering. Somehow, I want to try to boldly respond to some of these perceptions in a way that hopefully is not only loving and sincere, but also reassuring and honest enough to maybe lead some to reconsider their negativity. And if nothing else, what I hope to do is make us decrease, so that Christ can increase, and so that I can present the irresistibly desirable Person of Jesus Christ to both Christian and non-Christian alike. If you have a problem with Christians, I am very sorry, and please know that your feelings are justified. If you have a problem with Christ, I am very sorry for you, because He is the only one who can ultimately justify you. I don’t say that to be mean. I say it because I love you.

UNCOOL WEAKLING?

The primary category of perceptions that I want to humbly respond to (in this post at least) is that Christians are ignorant, boring, weak, and uncool. In other words, I think it is fair to say that many in the outside world look at the typical Christian as Ned Flanders. I didn’t really watch the Simpsons much until college (what?!), and still am no expert, but Ned Flanders was the devout, overbearing Christian neighbor of Homer Simpson, who in reality was a really good person. Only he was a dork, a weakling, timid, and was to others so smart that he was dumb, especially considering his profession of Christianity. Whether we are actually like this (especially men), or we rollover whenever we are excused of being like this instead of defending ourselves, or we are not really like this at all, doesn’t much matter to those who perceive us this way.

Somehow, though, we have to humbly and lovingly kill this perception because it is not the way Jesus was, or is, and it is not the way his disciples were after they received the presence of the Holy Spirit, and it is not the way that God intends us to be. I think the easiest way to do this is in our sacrificial, bold, faithful, and compassionate love for others we have to leave people with more of Christ than we leave of ourselves. In other words, somehow in our service and proclamation and demonstration of the gospel in authentic community we have to get out of the way and let Jesus Christ remain. This way, even if we are ignorant, boring, weak, and uncool, it won’t matter because they won’t see us; they will Jesus, and He is none of those things. He is the Alpha and the Omega, Savior of the world, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

UNSUNG SOLDIER

I recently starting catching up on the TV Series The Unit, starring Dennis Haysbert (“That’s Allstate’s stand, are you in good hands?”). It is based on the books Inside Delta Force, and traces the life and missions of the elite Special Forces of the United States Army. I really get into this stuff, and as I’ve gotten through multiple episodes I can’t shake the fact that I really want to be like these guys. A real life, red-blooded, legit, (I’m going to say it) Bad - Ass.

Guys who are so brilliant that they can decipher in multiple languages the best way to resolve a crisis with nuclear implications. Guys who are so street savvy that they can cope with a broken mission and escape from a foreign country with no prior plan by talking their way through international barriers and police in pursuit. Guys who are so disciplined that they can endure physical and psychological torture without compromising their country or their mission. Guys who are so fearless and reckless that they accept life-risking missions every week for the thrill of the ride and the love of country. Guys who are so multi-talented that they can start a broken-down car, diffuse a nuclear bomb, and successfully navigate through an unknown South American town in the same day. Guys who are so decisive and accurate that they eliminate the danger for a baby being used as a shield held in the arms of a terrorist. Guys who are so confident that even when all the forces seem against them and their doom seems imminent, they trust their training and their strength, and a power and a will beyond their control, and return home.

I want to be like that. Reckless, fearless, disciplined, brilliant, sold out to a cause, at the risk of my life. Ned Flanders was not one of those guys. And as I’ve watched this series, it has become painfully clear that the nature of this “unit” is that it doesn’t exist. If they succeed in their missions, they get no credit. If they fail, the government does not claim knowledge of their existence.

That’s kind of how I want to be. That’s kind of how I think Christians should look and act. No, we are not all brilliant, fearless, disciplined (whose fault is that?), navigational and mechanical geniuses, charming, or mentally and physically chizzled – shoot, I struggle changing a flat tire, or getting a bartender to wait on me at a crowded pub, or running from one end of the basketball court to the other, or navigating myself around a shopping mall. But His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by his own glory and goodness. We are fully equipped and have been deployed on a mission that will never generate credit or glory for ourselves, but will fulfill the promises and plans of a holy and gracious God and give Him all the glory He deserves. And our mission is not going to fail, despite the wars and rumors of war. It is not our mission, it is His. We fight the battles in the strength He provides and defer the glory. We need to start acting like the badass that God created us to be, knowing that we are nothing so that Christ can be everything. Then maybe the world will see us that way and praise our Father who is in heaven.

The Power of Community

This is Part 3 in a series I’m trying to put together that is essentially a summary of the book Total Church, and a plea for balance with both gospel word and gospel community. The first part was about the power of words, the second part was a link between the two, and this part is about the power of community. The ultimate goal is to see the power of the gospel. You may find it interesting (I did) that the video above is created from a different book, The Tangible Kingdom, which I have already said is less balanced. Well, be that as it may, it is a really good video, and probably the best available to demonstrate the power of community in the context of the gospel. So there you go.

I always get ahead of myself when I preview my blog posts. There is no way I could summarize the power of community in anything close to a concise form. There is no way I really could even do it from the perspective of the book Total Church, which I finished and highly recommend still. It is kind of something that you could easily talk about without ever doing, which is what I want to avoid at all costs. Just to give you a little background, my church is experimenting with a house church model and neighborhood initiative that most fundamentally is an attempt to take the church to the people, instead of assuming the people will come to church. From the beginning, I have been cautious and concerned about the lack of emphasis on the centrality of the gospel word, namely the message of the cross, in this model, as well as the negativity towards the institutional church that seems to be the driving force behind it. But all that I have said enough about in previous posts. I find myself now engaging in the concept myself as a leader of a “Life Church”, and am very excited to work through what it means to be the church in all aspects of life, and to experience and proclaim the gospel in the context of authentic community, different from any small group or bible study I’ve been a part of before.

I wish I could just say this and be done: gospel community is not only powerful, but it is essential, and through the local church it is the way God intends for his people to experience, preserve, and model His gospel word, which is the power of God for salvation and the hope of all mankind. We are at a time in our country, and our culture, where this gospel community with a healthy focus on the gospel word is certainly not automatic, and requires our intentionality.

I wish I could just say that and have you understand and experience yourself the same passion and clarity that I have on this topic through the books I have read, sermons I have listened to, conversations I have had, and illumination from the Bible I have experienced. I am overwhelmed right now with resources like this that say I lot better than I am now the ins and outs of this reality. When I started this blog, my original idea was just to lead people to these resources, in a hope that those resources would lead them to the Bible, which would lead them to Jesus. So that’s what I want to happen, ultimately. What I say is going to burn someday, whereas the Word of God will last forever.

But then I realized that if you’re reading this blog you might be utilizing all the extra time you have, and expecting you to dig into other resources is a bit of a stretch (though if you’re reading this in place of reading the Bible, stop! Go read the Word and forget about me). But anyway, I have felt convicted to summarize these things for you the best I can. This has made my job harder and discernment through the Holy Spirit all the more crucial. Much of the below is verbatim from Total Church; I pulled out quotes from each section that seemed to summarize the theme in different aspects of what we consider roles of the "church" (community, not building). My words continue at the bottom with the explanation of the Gospel of the Cross.

EVANGELISM

"In view of contemporary culture, we should not underestimate the need for authenticity among the people of God. Perhaps this need is greater when cultures are being introduced to Christianity for the first time. The Western world has advantages from a Christian influence stretching back hundreds of years. But this longevity has also brought disadvantages, including a lack of credibility. People have rejected the gospel word in part because they have not been exposed to credible gospel community. Churches have often stood aloof from society. Evangelicals have tended to run away from marginalized urban areas to populate more comfortable suburbs. Christians are often perceived as irrelevant and self-righteous. If these perceptions have any basis, we should not point the finger too quickly at people's spiritual blindness. Jesus gives the world the right to judge the sincerity of our profession on the basis of our love for each other. In other words, we should face with humility the challenge of unbelief. Our response should be one of repentance and faith resulting in lives of authentic corporate existence lived boldly before a skeptical and apathetic world."

SOCIAL INVOLVEMENT

"God has a strategy to exalt his Son and magnify his grace. That strategy is to chose the foolish, weak, and lowly people of the world as his own.....The big question is, why is the church in the West failing to reach the poor and the marginalized in our society? If our churches do not reflect the reality Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 1, then we have to ask ourselves, concerning the message we have proclaimed, the way we have proclaimed it, the church cultures we have created, the expectation we have of church members, whether in some or all of these ways we have been untrue to the message of the cross. We have left room for boasting."

CHURCH PLANTING

"It is sometimes said that those committed to church planting fall into two camps. The first camp includes those whose primary concern is mission and who see church (in the form of church planting) as the most biblical or most convenient way to pursue their commitment to mission. The primary concern of the second camp is the church. They see mission (in the form of church planting) as the best way to pursue their radical view of the church......There is a third camp - those whose primary concern is gospel-centered communities, whose priority is the gospel, and who see Christian community as the natural expression of the gospel. The New Testament pattern of church life implies a regular transplanting of churches. This creates a missionary dynamic in which new leaders can emerge and the church can re-invent itself. Church planting is part of normal church life. At present church planting carries a certain mystique. Church planters are portrayed as a unique kind of rugged pioneer. But we need to create a culture in which transplanting is normal. Every local church should be aiming to transplant and raise up church planters."

WORLD MISSION

"At present the military and economic might of Western nations is struggling to counter the threat of international terrorism. It is proving difficult to defeat an enemy made up of local cells working towards a common mission with high autonomy but shared values. They are flexible, responsive, opportunistic, influential, and effective. Together they seem to have an impact on our world far beyond what they would if they formed themselves into a structured, identifiable organization. Churches can and should adopt the same model with a greater impact as we 'wage peace' on the world."

DISCIPLESHIP AND TRAINING

"Let us make a bold statement: truth cannot be taught effectively outside of close relationships. The reason is because truth is not primarily formal; it is dynamic. The truth of the gospel becomes compelling as we see it transforming lives in the rub of daily, messy relationships.....Our lives, individually and corporately, are all too often indistinguishable from those who are strangers to the grace of God. Jesus commanded his disciples to go and and disciple the nations by teaching them to obey all that he commanded. The reason we fail to respond to that exhortation is not that the commands of Jesus are hard to comprehend. The most significant obstacle in the interpretative process is sin! That is precisely why discipleship is essential. In becoming a Christian, I am a disciple, but that is an identity, not an event. I never stop being a disciple, and I never reach the point where I no longer require daily discipleship by the gospel word in gospel community."

PASTORAL CARE

"Marriage and self-harming are just two examples that reflect the myriad of issues faced by broken people in a fallen world. Often it is at these points of "crisis" when life is painful, difficult and messy, that the hiding places of our confidence are exposed.....In a community where the Holy Spirit is at work through the gospel, there is no better place to be than among the people of God when the word of God is skillfully applied by the Spirit of God."

SPIRITUALITY

"The invitation is to become part of the new people of God, the bride of Christ. It suggests a spirituality with much more communal orientation. Here is a spirituality in which we grasp the amazing dimensions of Christ's love 'together with all the saints' (Ephesians 3:18). We model and embody God's love for one another (1 John 4:12). I have a relationship with God because we have a relationship with God. There are persons of God because there is a people of God. What does this mean in practice? First, it means we should prioritize prayer with others over prayer alone. Second, we must not separate our relationship with God from our relationship with others. Third, we need to exhort and encourage one another daily."

THEOLOGY

"In Ephesians 4:11-16, Paul affirms the role of teachers, but suggests their role is 'to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.' Notice that we reach 'knowledge of the Son of God' together. Our understanding progresses as we grow together. My growth as a Christian is in some sense linked to your growth. Only together do we attain maturity."

APOLOGETICS

"Modern Christianity has developed a rational apologetic. We engage modern society with rational proofs of God's existence. We provide scientific data to defend divine creation. We have developed logical responses to the questions raised by suffering. All of these presuppose that modern people find the Christian faith intellectually weak. But the problem is not an intellectual problem. The problem is hearts that refuse to live under God's reign. We reject God. It is a relational problem. And if it is a relational problem, it requires a relational apologetic. What will commend the gospel are lives lived in obedience to the gospel and a community life that reflects God's triune community of love. People will not believe until they are genuinely open to exploring the truth about God. They become open as they see that it is good to know God. And they see that it is good to know God as they see the love of the Christian community. As Francis Schaeffer said, 'Our relationship with each other is the criterion the world uses to judge whether our message is truthful. Christian community is the ultimate apologetic.'

"We need to persuade people that our story, the story of God, is true. But they will only explore its truth if we can first persuade them that it might be a better story. We need to address their hearts before we can begin to address the questions in their heads. We have a better story than any of the alternatives. We need to awaken a desire for God. We need to make people want Christianity to be true. Then we might be able to persuade them that it is true."

CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

"Mutual responsibility between the generations is normative for family life and the way in which values are transmitted. Should that not be normative for church also? As those relationships develop and grow over the years, and as the child moves into adolescence, the strength of those inter generational friendships can be powerful means of grace. In the purposes of God they can be ways of keeping the young adult from becoming one among the hundreds who leave our churches each week never to return."

SUCCESS

"On the final day, what is unseen will be revealed (Mark 4:21-23), and what is small will fill the earth. But in the present, God's kingdom is secret. It grows unseen. It is small in the eyes of this world. We need to trust God's word and God's reign. Success is not defined in terms of what can be seen, for God's kingdom is unseen. The crown of righteousness is given not to those who have led large congregations, but to those like Paul who can say, 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.' (2 Timothy 4:7-8) Success is to be faithful to Christ and his word.....The future of mission does not lie in grand strategies or meta structures. Christ is building his church, for the most part unseen, in the shape of thousands of small congregations. This is the future of the church - the sovereignty of the risen Christ and the 'church of the poor'."

THE GOSPEL OF THE CROSS

(Back to my words) As I have been reading all these books and articles, and going through this journey with other Christians about how to balance the gospel word and authentic gospel community in a way that brings glory to God, joy and transformation to people, and a glimpse of God’s Kingdom on earth, this has become my prayer:

Lord, please do not let the problems I have with some of these approaches to or presentations of community (which you have convicted me are legitimate), become an excuse for me to avoid the challenges in these approaches and presentations that will make me whole and gain people access to your presence and the reason they were created.

For example, many definitions of “the gospel” in emerging and incarnational community literature are confusing, which is the same as saying they are inadequate. I do not believe that the gospel is salvation in Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone, and anything else. The Gospel is not of Jesus Christ and. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Period. I believe in social justice and kingdom community and morality (etc.), but these things are not the gospel. They are the fruits and implications of the gospel, without which the gospel has no impact. But they are not the gospel. If they become the gospel, we lose the gospel; the fully sufficient work of Christ will be mixed with our own works (Mark Dever). We are saved into community; we are not saved by community. We are saved by Jesus. We are saved into a life of love towards others; we are not saved by our love of others, or their love towards us. We are saved by Jesus. We are saved into the Spirit-led process of holiness and sanctification; we are not saved by our holiness. We are saved by Jesus. The reason it is important to distinguish between the gospel and implication is that the gospel is most fundamentally about the cross of Jesus Christ. And if it is most fundamentally about anything else, it leaves room for pride.

Only the cross ultimately removes all boasting and leaves us helpless at the feet of Jesus. Only the cross completely destroys our pride and self-reliance and conquers our sin. Only the cross offers a sufficient answer to and hope for the question of suffering. The cross shows us not just touchy feely love for our neighbor, but sacrificial, radical, offensive love that enables us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Only the cross completely saves us from both younger brother rebellion and elder brother religion. Preaching the message of the cross builds a culture of confession in churches and communities instead of an environment where hidden sin destroys from the inside out (Matt Chandler). Without the cross, how can love be anything but self-centered and works-based? Without the cross, the rock that Christ is building His church on will not be centered on the true character and nature of His person and work, but on our good deeds (which aren’t that good). As Ed Stetzer says, the church is not the Kingdom of God, but it is birthed by the kingdom and in its wake. The church exists, he says, to be a sign and instrument of the kingdom, so that when people look into your church (not the building, but the community) they see what the kingdom is like. But if this is centered on us and not the person and work of Jesus, than what they see will be just sinful human beings making an inadequate effort at love and good deeds.

The less we talk about the cross, the more confused the outside world becomes between the gospel message and the peace corps message. The less we talk about the cross, the more confused and crippled the Body of Christ becomes in the preservation and proclamation of the power of God unto salvation. Paul said he resolved to know only one thing: Jesus Christ and him crucified. He talked about other things, yes, but never in any direction other than towards the centrality of the cross. Why aren’t we talking about it more? Are we really worried about what the world will think? Are we trying to please men or please God? Do we think that God’s word will come back to Him empty?

Turning the Gospel into anything more than the substitutionary death and supernatural resurrection of Jesus Christ and resulting grace for those who believe, completely apart from works, will inevitably and eventually lead to works-based righteousness. If we bank our life on anything other than the unmerited gift of God through Jesus Christ, which destroys all pride and removes all boasting, then we are too sinful to prevent any alternative or additional hope from becoming self-centered and therefore devastating. I believe this deeply. It is not an assault on community or evangelism or mission to our culture, but it is a clarification so that our community, our evangelism, and our mission isn’t missing the most important thing, which is the only thing that leads to authentic conversion and reconciliation with God, and as implication, to kingdom community. The Kingdom of God is not people just doing life together without an understanding and experience of the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross. I’m sorry. It just isn’t.

NOT A PLACE TO HIDE

But!!! I don’t want my issue with confusing gospel explanations to become my excuse to ignore the biblical and profound challenges of living an incarnational and missional lifestyle. The Gospel of the Cross is not a place to hide, it is a place to live. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, and if I don’t account for that in my posture and proclamation, than I am beating at the air. Many have articulated this differently, but a full understanding of the human condition as presented in the Bible shows that people do not reject God out some kind of intellectual obstacle, but because of a moral resistance to live other than the way they choose. If I ignore the heart issue of unbelief, and only focus on the head issue, than my hearers or readers (you) will never want to believe, which means they will never be able to believe. The way they will want to believe is when they see an authentic gospel community that embraces them and loves them without any pretense, the way God loves us and demonstrated to us in the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. Jesus told the church in Ephesus to repent of their aspiration for truth that didn’t affect their heart, or He would remove their lampstand. I am very convicted by this.

I don’t want to remain in my comfort zone of books and blogs and sermons and not go across the street or downtown or overseas to help and love people who are searching for God. I don’t want to not listen to people at coffee shops because I am too busy writing and reading about theology. I don’t want to not live among people who are sinners, as if I was not a sinner myself. I don’t want to not love others unconditionally, or only love them when I think it will benefit me, because of my obsession with sound doctrine, as if the implication of sound doctrine was not love. I don’t want to neglect the relational aspect of communion with God, and miss out on the insight and transforming power of witnessing God working through others. I don’t want to eat meals by myself in a hurry so I can finish a book or go to a church service or watch a game or go to bed, and miss the fellowship and presence of the Holy Spirit when people gather over food. I don’t want to spend all my time at home and at work, and miss out on the spontaneous and authentic community that is experienced at a “third place”. I don’t want the time I do spend at home and at work to be any less intentional in my expectation of gospel community than at church events or meetings. I don’t want to excuse myself from mission and service out of selfishness, or busyness, or cowardice, and miss out on the front row seat to the coming of God’s kingdom that is seen by taking care of someone who is hurting.

I hope I can maintain my vigor for the gospel word and the centrality of the cross of Christ while experiencing the balance with, and power of, authentic gospel community. If I can’t, than I don’t think I’ll be the person God created me to be, or the living sacrifice He intends to use for His glory. I’ll just be either another religious hypocrite or another heretical peacemaker. Neither honors our Lord or models His grace for our dying world.

More Than Words

Consider this post a link between the one before it (The Power of Words) and the one after it (The Power of Community). Consider this a three-part balanced presentation of how I am convinced our contemporary culture should understand and experience the Kingdom of God, before it is finally consummated with the return of Christ. The first part is meant to highlight the necessary focus on the gospel word, this second post you are currently reading is to connect the two together and make some clarifying observations, and the third part is meant to highlight the necessary focus on gospel community.

Essentially this presentation is a summary of the book Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community. I think this book has to be one of the best and most balanced treatments of this topic available. There are a lot of books - I mean a LOT - that talk about church, what is wrong with church, how we should reshape, or change, or do church in our culture, but frankly, most of them leave me seriously wanting. That is very ignorant and arrogant of me to say; ignorant because I haven’t read many of them, and arrogant because I certainly haven’t written one myself. But I have read the summaries, the table of contents, the first chapter or introduction, and parts in the middle of enough of them to see where the authors are going. And most of it is unbalanced and therefore unhelpful. Much of it is very good, and very convicting, and very true, but my conclusion is that Total Church includes all of these components (some of which I am uncomfortable with) but does it in a way without neglecting the balance, and therefore in a way that is helpful and loving for people, and honoring to God.

I don’t mean for this, or any of my posts, to sound critical or unloving. If it sounds that way, please tell me. I also don’t want to hinder the energy that is making real kingdom impact to the glory of Christ. I am sensitive to the challenge that those who say something can’t be done (or say it is being done the wrong way) shouldn’t interfere with those who are actually doing it. I don’t want to interfere in that way. What I want to do is humbly utilize my careful, analytical, teaching, and perhaps prophetic personality and gifting for the glory of God.

REDUCED TRUTH IS BORDERLINE UNTRUTH

My concern is the classic theological error of reductionism. The problem is not that these arguments, or movements, or books say things that are themselves untrue, but they just don’t say everything the Bible says about the subject. One side makes the assumption that the gospel word (truth and mission) will be preserved and proclaimed in gospel community, so no need to stress out about the word part of it. The other side makes the assumption that gospel community will naturally result from the faithful proclamation of the gospel word, and so no need to specifically prioritize the community part of it. Both of these sides are wrong. And so these incomplete presentations of truth can quickly become unclear truth, or unhelpful truth, or worse - untruth - without anyone even knowing it. My opinion is that Total Church offers the best example of the biblical balance between the gospel word and the gospel community that Jesus Christ intends for in His Church, and that we long for in our soul.

Let me give you one example of what I am talking about. I’m reading the book The Tangible Kingdom by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay. Let me say that it is really good and really convicting and really important for Christians to read to understand what Church should be. Emphasis on the posture of our proclamation of the Gospel was particularly helpful to me. There is a chapter titled 1700 Year Wedgie, which I also like. It is meaningful (albeit provocative). But the author would do good to be more careful with his premise. The chapter basically makes the argument that we have misinterpreted, or plain messed up, the biblical concept of church for 1700 years. Essentially everything since Constantine has been a downward spiral of unbiblical, institutionalized church that needs to be seriously rethought and modeled after the churches and incarnational communities in Acts.

To which I say: Wait a minute. I agree that Constantine screwed up the distinction that God intended between the church and secular society in a profound and devastating way. And I agree we should by all means strive to become more like the biblical model of church presented in the Book of Acts. And I agree that people are leaving, or will likely never come, to our churches. But minimizing the impact and good that the church as we know it today has done is an ignorant and offensive interpretation of church history. Millions of people have been saved, communities have been transformed, the Word of God has been proclaimed at home and around the world to the eternal salvation of souls and the temporary care of bodies, evils have been silenced, and God has been glorified in immeasurable ways during these glorious years.

Much has gone wrong, and still the name of Christ and the cause of Christianity is wrongly associated with evil and manipulation, or boredom and hypocrisy, in some cases. But God has worked mightily through Great Awakenings, giant preachers, fearless missionaries, faithful churches, selfless servants, and ordinary people to move mountains. And in most cases, this has happened through the structure of a local church by the proclamation of the gospel word. In many cases, you might say, God has worked by underground means and “Jesus movements” despite the local church. True enough.

But I’m not about to throw away the example and impact of John Calvin, John Wesley, John Owen, Jonathon Edwards, John Newton, John Knox, and some others not named John (like Charles Spurgeon, Charles Simeon, Martin Luther, Athanasius, Augustine, George Whitefield, William Tyndale, etc.) who preached, defended, and translated the Word of God in local churches in a way that saved souls, loved people, and changed the world. And in some cases they paid the ultimate price. Or people like Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, David Brainerd, William Carey, Hudson Taylor, David Livingstone, and more, who were sent out, by local churches, for the sake of the nations, proclaiming the gospel word across the globe, some giving their lives to show that Christ is more precious.

All these men did not proclaim the gospel word only as if community was irrelevant. Their radical Christian service demonstrated the gospel in a way that created and sustained authentic community. But they did proclaim the gospel word. I'd like to suggest that the greater problem today is not that the church has become institutionalized and therefore destroyed the biblical model of gospel community (though it has); but that it has become less clear in its proclamation of the gospel word and therefore been missing the power that God intended for it to have.

I get so frustrated when this presentation is made about going back to the church of Acts because of the bad that the institutional church has done (which is true) while completely ignoring the good it has done. As if God has not been sovereign, in control, and honored the whole time. We need more balance. In the ancient church portrayed in Acts the missional, incarnational, counterculture, and communal experience of gospel community (which was and is central) would have had no impact without the understanding and proclamation of the gospel word (which was and is central). We should move forward with all the energy and passion that is driving those who want to throw away the institutional church – because they are right about what the church is and should be (namely a gospel community, not a building). But we should do it embracing and protecting the aspects of the institutional church (namely the faithful proclamation of the gospel word, through preaching and mission) that have been the vehicle of God’s mighty and sovereign hand for seventeen hundred years.

CHRISTIAN AMERICA vs. CHRISTENDOM AMERICA

I was further relieved and convicted of my heart in this matter after I read Mark Driscoll’s article on the Fox News website. Responding to the recent article in Newsweek about the Decline of Christian America, which I have posted on already, Driscoll indicates that there is a distinction that needs to be made between Christian America (comprised of those people who have had a truly transforming experience with Jesus Christ and are living new lives as practicing Christians), and Christendom America (comprised of those people who have not had a truly transforming experience with Jesus Christ and are living lives virtually indistinguishable from those who are non-Christians, but who may still profess Christ). The latter is declining and the former is growing. Praise God.

To look at the damage Christendom America has caused, and to look at its resulting decline, is much less important than looking at the strength of Christian America, and to acknowledge its roots. We should embrace and even participate in the decline of Christendom America, in part because it identifies the faith and evangelicalism primarily with politics. But we should encourage and continue the advance of Christian America, and the role of the local church in that advance. This advance did not begin with the house church or emerging movements. It has been building for 1700 years in local churches, and it needs our passion for and commitment to the gospel – word and community. It always has been, and needs to continue to be, on the margins of society living as a counterculture for the common good. To challenge the institutionalized model of Christendom America is not a new idea, and gospel-centered preachers and local churches have been doing it for centuries. We need to continue it, with all the passion from the emerging and community-minded type, and all the faithfulness of the truth-saturated, gospel-centered and word-minded type.

There are obviously examples on the other side of the coin of books or arguments or movements who are mega-defensive when you say anything bad about the institutional church as if you just uttered damnable blasphemy, and who prioritize the gospel word only. These examples portray so much arrogance, so much pride, so much religion, and ultimately so much biblical ignorance, that they are hardly worth mentioning. They make the assumption that community is expendable and that Jesus Christ doesn’t care as long as you get your doctrine right and have a successful church service. Silliness. I get it. I try desperately every day not to drift into this category.

So if you are waiting for that list of books I was going to give you to read along with me so you could intelligently participate in this dialogue about the Church (was there anybody that was willing to do this?), keep waiting. In the meantime, pick up Total Church, alongside your Bible, and I think you’ll understand the topic and have a great resource to approach it with balance. And please let me know when you do so you can add to and help my imperfect, and hopefully humble, and hopefully balanced, interpretation.