Newsletters
Home Blog Page 690

USA Today Columnist Demands Dallas Cowboy’s Stadium Cancel Promise Keepers Event

By
Jesse T. Jackson
-
communicating with the unchurched

On May 5, 2021, Mike Freeman, a USA Today’s sports columnist, released an article calling for the owner of the Dallas Cowboys’ Jerry Jones and AT&T officials to cancel the upcoming Promise Keepers 2021 Men’s Conference. Columnist Freeman’s reasoning for the cancel call points to recent statements made by Promise Keepers’ Chairman and CEO Ken Harrison regarding the LGBTQ community. Freeman demanded that the Christian men’s conference event should not be allowed to use the AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, for “anti-trans hate.”

Freeman referred to a less-than two-minute excerpt of an interview posted by defense attorney Ron Filipkowski on Twitter (with 53.6k followers) that Harrison gave on the highly controversial Steve Bannon’s War Room Podcast in April. The Promise Keeper’s CEO was asked, “What are you guys fighting for, and why should people go to this conference?”

Harrison said, “One of the things they’re doing to make their agenda happen is destroying the identity of the American people, and if they can get Christians, especially Christian men, to sit down, be silent and be passive, then they can be effective. It’s working. Christian men are not standing up for what’s right. I mean, you think about how quickly we went from homosexual marriage to men putting on dresses, being called women, and playing on women’s basketball teams. Where are the Christian men?”

This “cancel culture” demand echoes a similar call to cancel Christian culture when Hemal Jhaveri, another USA Today sports columnist, demanded the NCAA ban Oral Roberts University from this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament for its biblical stance against homosexual marriage.

USA Today Columnist Attacks Promise Keepers

Freeman accused Promise Keeper’s Harrison of cloaking bigotry as religious freedom because the evangelical Christian organization stands for a biblical definition of men leading the household and also opposes same-sex marriage. Calling Harrison’s words from the War Room Podcast interview “hate speech,” Freeman said, “By allowing this conference to happen at one of football’s meccas, and by AT&T allowing it, they are helping to mainstream hate speech.” Adding that it’s “tiring,” “angering,” and “frustrating,” Freeman said Harrison exploits fear and is using “football to do it.”

“The fight to protect trans people is one of the great civil rights battles of our time,” Freeman said, and then pointed out that the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys don’t own AT&T Stadium but rather rent it, so they themselves can’t prevent Promise Keepers 2021 from using their facility they call home. But Freeman did call on influential Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones to “make it disappear.”

Freeman also pointed to this comment by Harrison as reason to deny the conference: “Don’t allow men like Harrison to use mainstream symbols like football, and a legendary business, as vessels to circulate hatred,” wrote Freeman.

What the USA Today Columnist Didn’t Mention

Freeman doesn’t mention that in the War Room Podcast interview, Harrison also stated that all people are sinners and all need the grace of Christ’s forgiveness. Harrison explained the Promise Keepers Conference was to “call men back and remind us who we are in Christ…so we can get rid of this complacency we’re in and start living for what God has made us to be, which is Sons of God.”

Promise Keepers’ CEO told ChurchLeaders.com, “We have said in every interview and press release that all are welcome to come to the Promise Keepers event to hear the good news of the sacrifice God made for each and every one of us.”

Harrison said, “The columnist doesn’t seem to realize that he’s guilty of the very thing he accuses others of—he is using actual hate speech to cancel imaginary hate speech.” Harrison said in an email to ChurchLeaders.com: “There’s nothing unusual about this. It happens to Christian men in America every day. In cubicles, boardrooms, broadcast booths, and classrooms all over America, men who express a Biblical position are shamed, ostracized, cautioned by HR, sued, and fired. No wonder men are passive—that’s the intent of the forces of political correctness.”

Franklin Graham Stands Up for Promise Keepers

Franklin Graham responded to Freeman’s article on Twitter calling it “cancel culture.” Graham said, “@PromiseKeepers has encouraged men from a biblical perspective for 30+ years. 80K men are planning to attend their Dallas event in July. This writer says AT&T Stadium & the Cowboys shouldn’t associate w/ the group due to their biblical stance on marriage. This is the cancel culture speaking. The issue is religious freedom. This event is about the freedom to believe, share, study, and celebrate biblical truth in love.”

Others shared a similar response to Graham’s. Harrison told ChurchLeaders.com. “It’s why we’ve sold tens of thousands of tickets to our stadium event at AT&T Stadium on July 16 and 17. And it’s why we believe there will be a revival in this land—starting with men.”

Promise Keepers 2020 was held virtually due to the pandemic and recorded over 1.2 million worldwide viewers. This year’s event will be held in-person at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, July 16th and 17th, and simulcasted in various locations. To register for the event sign up here.

UPDATE: Religious Colleges Face a Lawsuit Related to Protections of LGBTQ Students

By
Stephanie Martin
-
communicating with the unchurched

UPDATED May 11, 2021: (RNS) — Seventeen professional psychological societies have signed a statement asking the U.S. Department of Education to protect LGBTQ students at religious colleges and universities from discrimination.

The statement comes in response to a class-action lawsuit on behalf of 33 students or former students of federally funded Christian colleges and universities that allege widespread discrimination against LGBTQ students, including bullying and harassment.

“Decades of psychological research has consistently found that discrimination toward LGBTQ+ people is harmful, and can result in increased rates of suicide, mental health symptoms, substance abuse, isolation, and lower academic achievement in school settings,” the statement said.

It calls on the Department of Education to investigate allegations of harm and to take appropriate actions to protect LGBTQ students.

The signatories — all divisions of the American Psychological Association — include the Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, the American Psychology-Law Society and the Society for Pediatric Psychology. The statement does not represent the position of the American Psychological Association.

The statement was organized by Joshua Wolff, a clinical psychologist and professor at Adler University in Chicago.

“It’s aimed at colleges that say being LGBTQ is a sin and that take a non-affirming theological position on (sexual) identities and relational statuses,” Wolff said.

Filed in March by the nonprofit Religious Exemption Accountability Project, the lawsuit alleges LGBTQ students at 25 Christian colleges and universities were forced to attend conversion therapy, prohibited from dating people of the same sex, disciplined for social media posts, denied on-campus housing and, in one case, blocked access to affirming LGBTQ websites and resources on the campus internet.

These schools affirm a traditional view of Christianity that does not recognize sexuality outside of heterosexual marriage. Some require students to sign conduct codes forbidding same-sex dating.

Most of the schools receive federal funding in the form of student loans and research grants, but they are allowed religious exemptions to Title IX’s protections for LGBTQ students. The Religious Exemption Accountability Project counts 200 religious colleges and universities that discriminate against LGBTQ students.

The statement acknowledges the importance of religious expression and notes religion and spirituality are important to the lives of LGBTQ people. But it calls upon the Department of Education to recognize religious freedom without ignoring harmful practices and policies directed at LGBTQ students.

This article originally appeared here.

_______________________

ChurchLeaders original article written on April 1, 2021 below.

In a lawsuit filed this week, 33 current and former students at U.S. Christian colleges and universities say their schools should be ineligible for federal funding due to LGBTQ discrimination that’s permitted due to religious exemptions. The class-action suit brought by the LGBTQ students names 25 institutions of higher education and aims to strike down the religious exemption in Title IX, the federal civil rights law that bans discrimination based on sex.

“The Plaintiffs seek safety and justice for themselves and for the countless sexual and gender minority students whose oppression, fueled by government funding, and unrestrained by government intervention, persists with injurious consequences to mind, body and soul,” the suit states. “The Department’s inaction leaves students unprotected from the harms of conversion therapy, expulsion, denial of housing and healthcare, sexual and physical abuse and harassment, as well as the less visible, but no less damaging, consequences of institutionalized shame, fear, anxiety and loneliness.”

Lawsuit Is Timed for Debate About the Equality Act

The nonprofit group Religious Exemption Accountability Project (REAP), which filed the lawsuit on behalf of students, fears that LGBTQ students at Christian colleges will miss out on Equality Act protections. That’s because religious groups are trying to obtain compromises, fearing that the landmark legislation, if passed, would destroy religious freedoms.

Paul Southwick, director of Oregon-based REAP, says, “Many mainstream LGBTQ groups aren’t committed to fighting. We want to say, ‘Don’t negotiate us away.’ Don’t bargain away these students, who are really being damaged with taxpayer money. I’m worried they will be cut out of the Equality Act through negotiations.”

One reason mainstream LGBTQ groups aren’t involved in these cases, says Southwick, is that “when you talk about queer kids at Christian colleges, [groups’] responses are ‘What the h— are they doing there?” But, he points out, students may end up at religious schools because of their family’s conservative beliefs. Once on campus, “They’re treated inhumanely and subjected to these dangerous and abusive policies and practices.”

REAP says one-third of America’s 600 four-year nonprofit Christian colleges have anti-LGBTQ policies in their student-conduct codes. Citing U.S. Treasury Department data, REAP says those approximately 200 colleges receive $4.2 billion in federal funding.

Lawsuit from LGTBQ Students Aims to Personalize the Debate

Involving numerous plaintiffs helps attach names and faces to students facing discrimination, according to REAP. Plaintiff Veronica Penales, a sophomore at Baylor University, describes having a “mixed experience” there. Some friends and faculty are supportive, she says, while others are “kind of behind the scenes not rooting for you.”

Penales reports being targeted with offensive slurs and receiving a Bible in which anti-gay quotes had been highlighted. Despite her complaints, administrators have done nothing to help, she says. “I really hope this lawsuit being so public…ensures that the LGBTQ+ issue is at the forefront, as it should be.”

Elizabeth Hunter, who attended Bob Jones University after being adopted by a fundamentalist Christian family, says administrators questioned her about her sexuality, made her attend anti-gay counseling, and ended her on-campus job. The plaintiff denies trying to stir up trouble, saying she merely wanted to “affirm GLBT rights without opposing biblical values.”

Liberty University graduate Lucas Wilson, another plaintiff, says he chose the school because of its student-run conversion therapy group. Now, however, he says that group and Liberty’s culture “amplified and compounded feelings of self-hatred, feelings of shame and guilt and anxiety that ultimately took years to deconstruct.” Wilson, 30, calls Liberty a “thoroughly homophobic institution.”

Christian Schools Respond to Charges

Several schools aren’t commenting, saying they haven’t seen the lawsuit yet or don’t talk about pending litigation. But previous statements from administrators range from support for LGBTQ students to defense of their Bible-based policies.

Critics Say Saddleback ‘Violated Baptist and Biblical Teaching’ by Ordaining Women Pastors

By
Bob Smietana
-
communicating with the unchurched

(RNS) — Saddleback Church, one of the largest churches in the Southern Baptist Convention and home to influential pastor Rick Warren, ordained three women as staff pastors this past weekend, a move that critics say violates the denomination’s statement of faith.

“Yesterday was a historic night for Saddleback Church in many ways!” the Southern California megachurch’s Facebook page announced on Saturday (May 8). “We ordained our first three women pastors, Liz Puffer, Cynthia Petty, and Katie Edwards!”

The three newly ordained pastors are long-time Saddleback staffers. Petty has worked with children’s ministry and Edwards has been in youth ministry, while Puffer’s Linked-In profile lists her as a “minister” at Saddleback.

Calling them — or any woman — a pastor is, “at best, unwise and confusing,” wrote Albert  Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

A ban on women pastors was added to the Baptist Faith and Message, the SBC’s doctrinal statement, in 2000, stating that “the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”

In recent years, some Southern Baptists have argued that limit only applies to the office of senior pastor. Mohler, who served on the committee that revised the statement of faith, rejects that idea and said that no one in the group made that distinction. Ordaining a woman pastor, as Saddleback has done, violates Baptist and biblical teaching, Mohler said.

“Saddleback has taken actions that place itself in direct conflict with the stated doctrines of the Southern Baptist Convention,” he told Religion News Service in an interview.

In an online post, Mohler compared women preachers to a looming storm over the convention. He blamed women pastors for the “feminization of liberal Protestantism” and the decline of liberal churches.

“Liberal theology is the kiss of death for any church or denomination,” he wrote. “Little remains but social justice activism and deferred maintenance.”

Saddleback Church did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Mohler, a candidate for president of the SBC at the denomination’s upcoming annual meeting, stopped short of saying Saddleback should be removed from the SBC. That’s a decision for messengers to the annual meeting, he said.

Take the #Oneadaychallenge in May!

By
Greg Stier
-
communicating with the unchurched

Social Media is full of challenges. Years ago there was the #IceBucketChallenge that was used to raise awareness about ALS. It was an internet sensation that was wildly successful. More recently there was the #75Hard Challenge that calls couch potatoes to get up, eat well and work out intensely twice a day for 45 minutes (one of the workouts has to be outside!) I have friends taking this physical challenge who are seeing amazing results.

Last year my good friend Dave Gibson and I were talking about starting such a challenge when it comes to sharing the Gospel. Dave is the missions pastor at Grace Church in Eden Prairie and is the best one-on-one relational evangelist I have ever been around. He takes virtually every conversation and lovingly, yet gently, makes a beeline for the cross. I’ve been with him in countless situations where he has done this and have been blown away (and convicted) by his faithful witness.

He’s also the Leader of the Go Movement in North America. The Go Movement is a faith-sharing movement that started out of Europe ten years ago that has been wildly successful. Tens of millions of Christians have been challenged and equipped to share the Gospel on “Go Day“, the last Saturday of May. Hundreds of millions of Gospel conversations have flowed out of this movement. Only heaven knows the impact of the Go Movement…but I guarantee you, it’s HUGE!

So last April, as Dave and I were talking about Go Month, we challenged each other to have at least one Gospel conversation every single day in May. We initially called it “One-A-Day-in-May.” We both took the challenge and challenged a handful of others, including Werner Nachtigal, the founder of the Go Movement, Chuck Klein, the leader of the Campus Alliance and others.

It was a blast! Chuck Klein had almost a hundred Gospel conversations last May by simply going out everyday to ask people two questions: 1) How are you holding up during the pandemic? 2) How can I be praying for you? These two questions inevitably led to easy-to-begin Gospel conversations.

The One-a-Day-in-May challenge was simple, organic and impactful. It caught on with a handful of us and really helped us be aware of the lost people who are around us everyday and who desperately need the hope of Jesus.

This year we got a little more intentional about the movement. A small group of ten of us are taking the challenge again and challenging ten others to join us. But we are also challenging them to take the challenge and challenge ten others. After 5 generations that would mean one million believers around the world sharing Jesus everyday in the month of May. We have slightly renamed the challenge to this:

The #OneADayChallenge

Would you be willing to take it and challenge ten others to take it? Starting tomorrow May 1st, would you seek to have one Gospel conversation per day until the end of May. And, if you happen to read this blog on May 15th or June 20th or September 19th, don’t worry about it! Just take the challenge for 30 days straight! And, when you do, use the hashtag #OneADayChallenge!

Here are a couple of suggestions to help you get started:

  1. Pray for BOB everyday.

My buddy Dave Gibson prays for BOB daily. He prays, “God give me a Burden for the lost, Opportunity to share with them and Boldness to take that opportunity when it comes.” The Apostle Paul put it this way, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.  And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” Colossians 4:2-4

2. Go to where the fish are.

I’m not much of a fisherman but I know this, if you want to catch fish then you need to go to where they are. Jesus said this in Matthew 4:19, “Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.” This may mean going on a daily walk, drinking your coffee in a coffee shop or taking an Uber to work (so that you can talk to the driver.) But it means you must get out of the house and engage with others.

3. Choose your faith sharing tool.

There are tons of faith sharing tools out there. There’s The Four, 3 Circles, The Roman’s Road and many others. Pick a faith sharing tool and go for it! The method you use doesn’t matter nearly as much as the message you share. I don’t go into a steak restaurant for the plate. I go for the steak. But I want it served on a clean plate. The Gospel is the steak that must be presented. The plate is the method through which we present it. Choose your plate and serve the steak.

At Dare 2 Share, the ministry I founded 30 years ago, we highly recommend the Life in 6 Words app. Almost 40,000 have downloaded it in the last 18 months and tens of thousands are being impacted by the Good News of Jesus as a result! You simply ask someone, “If you were to describe your life in 6 words what would they be?” And they choose 6 words out of a list of 14 that would best describe their lives. Then you ask them why they chose those words and they share their story. Then you share the 6 words that best describe your life, sharing your personal testimony in the process. Finally, you share 6 words from the Bible that tell the GOSPEL story:

GOD created us to be with him.

OUR sins separate us from God.

SINS cannot be removed by good deeds.

PAYING the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again.

EVERYONE who trusts in him alone has eternal life.

LIFE with Jesus starts now and lasts forever.

If you can swipe and read then you can share the Gospel using the Life in 6 Words app. I’ve used it hundreds of times and have never been turned down to engage someone in a Gospel conversation. Not once. I simply start talking with someone and, after a few minutes, I’ll say, “Hey can I show you this cool app called Life in 6 Words?” then, I open up the app and get started. Here’s a quick overview of how the app works:

Download the app in your App Store (it’s free) and go for it!

But, whether you use the Life in 6 Words app, The Four, 3 Circles or something else, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you share the Gospel lovingly, clearly and boldly!

Will you take the #OneADayChallenge in May (or whenever you read this)? Go for a full month of faith sharing the Good News of Jesus and watch how it will strengthen your faith, soften your heart and open your eyes.

I’m taking it again this May. I’ve challenged ten others to take it with me. And now I’m challenging you to take it.

For more information go to the Go Movement One A Day Page.

This article originally appeared here.

12 Memorial Day Sermon Resources

By
Daniel So
-
communicating with the unchurched

Memorial Day is a time of remembrance for those who have given their lives in military service for our nation. How can your church continue to worship God, preach the Gospel, and honor fallen heroes? Have you thought about it theologically, or planned ahead to find Memorial Day sermon resources?

Memorial Day Sermon Resources

1. 7 Memorial Day Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Preach

Every preacher knows the pressure of holidays and the expectations that come with preparing a Sunday message appropriate for the weekend. We all need Memorial Day sermon resources. Memorial Day is about remembrance, and as preachers the important questions we face are what should we remember and why?

2. Illustration — Memorial Day, A Time For Healing

Abraham Lincoln pondered these thoughts in the late fall of 1863. His darkest fear was that he might well be the last president of the United States, a nation embroiled in the self-destruction of what he described as “a great civil war..testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure.” He began his remarks with those words as he stood on the battlefield near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19th of that year.

3. Illustration — Sacrifice Stats

Memorial Day reminds us of the true cost of freedom. Freedom isn’t free. It comes at a great cost. I have read and heard the stats, and so have most of you.

4. Illustration — When The First Memorial Day Was Celebrated

When the first Memorial Day was celebrated, a group of women from Washington D.C. asked the War Department for permission to put flowers on the soldiers graves at Arlington Cemetery.

5. Sermon — Freedom Isn’t Free

The purpose of this sermon is to motivate the hearers to affirm to others – while tears, pain, and death still exist – to set aside time to commemorate those that have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom in which all Americans enjoys.

6. Sermon — The Memorial Day

Sunday is the ultimate “Memorial Day” when we take of the Lord’s Supper. The correlation to our nation’s “Memorial Day” is intriguing.

7. Sermon — Heroes: Memorial Day

What is a true hero? Many have given their lives so that we might live ours more abundantly! 

8. Sermon — Remember, Relate, and Rejoice!

On Memorial Day we remember also Christ’s death and sacrifice to set us free and give us eternal life.

9. PowerPoint Package — Remembering the Sacrifice

Honor all the heroes who have made sacrifices for their families and their country with this timeless patriotic presentation template. Features Title, Welcome, Upcoming Events, Announcements, Contact Us, Thank You, and blank slides.

10. Video — Honor Them

A Memorial Day tribute video honoring those that have lost their lives fighting for our freedom. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13

11. PowerPoint Package — Memorial Day

Announce your Memorial Day weekend events and support your patriotic message.

12. Motion Background — Flowing Stripes

An exciting motion background depicting an American flag to use with your church presentation software for strong Memorial Day sermon resources. This motion background is a loop video that can repeat seamlessly.

We hope these Memorial Day sermon resources will help you and your team to plan ahead, and honor those who have served.

Creating a Church Annual Report

By
Church Fuel
-
communicating with the unchurched

If your church’s fiscal year ends this summer, it’s almost that time of year again. Time to create your church annual report, something to document what God did in your church and communicate plans for the future.

Creating a Church Annual Report for Your Church

It may seem like a time-consuming exercise, but the process and the end result are worth it. To help speed things along, here are some tips for putting it together, lots of great examples and some practical suggestions on how to use it throughout the year. 

What should go on your church annual report?

  • Stories. Make sure your report doesn’t look like a financial report or a business presentation. Tell stories of what God did in the lives of real people. Remember, facts may inform but stories will inspire.
  • Pictures. Pictures tell stories, so make sure you fill your report with lots of them.
  • Numbers. If you track attendance, giving, baptisms or groups, create some charts to show the numbers. There are a LOT of people in your church who care about this.
  • Plans. Your annual report provides a great opportunity to cast vision for the future. Lay out some of the plans and goals for the coming year.

Here are some real-church examples of a church annual report.

And here are some business examples to inspire you.

What should you do with your church annual report after you make it?

  • Put it on your website, especially your online giving page and your About Us page. People who give (or who are thinking about giving) will be reassured to find this information and it will build confidence.
  • Email it to new members, new donors or new volunteers throughout the year. Again, you’ll build confidence and trust while reminding people why they do what they do.
  • Include it with contribution statements. If you’re going to mail something out, you might as well make it interesting and fun.
  • Review it once or twice a year as a way to remember where you’ve been and where you’re going.

Are you making an annual report this year?

This article about creating a church annual report originally appeared here. 

Saddleback Church, One of the Largest in the SBC, Ordains Its First Female Pastors

By
Jessica Lea
-
communicating with the unchurched

Saddleback Church has appointed its first female pastors, despite being affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, which specifically prohibits women from being ordained. 

“Yesterday was a historic night for Saddleback Church in many ways!” said Saddleback in a Facebook update posted on Friday, May 7. “We ordained our first three women pastors, Liz Puffer, Cynthia Petty, and Katie Edwards!” 

At present, little is known about what each of the women’s roles will entail, including whether their responsibilities involve preaching in front of the whole congregation. 

Saddleback Church Makes ‘Historic’ Change

Saddleback Church is a megachurch based in Lake Forest, Calif., and is led by “The Purpose-Driven Life” author, Pastor Rick Warren. The church lists 15 national and four international campuses on its website and has over 23,000 members.

One of the newly ordained women, Cynthia Petty, shared in an interview with LiveGood how being selected for the new position has impacted her. “I had always been involved in churches where women could lead, under the authority of a male pastor,” she said. “So, this change in philosophy for ‘women in ministry’ was revolutionary. I was honored and felt extremely humbled.  And the thing I believe meant the most to me was how this would be groundbreaking for all the younger women ministers on staff who really did have the desire or dream to be a pastor one day!”

Petty learned she had been selected as of the church’s first female pastors in the fall of 2020. She said Warren called her on Nov. 2 and told her “that he and the elders had been discussing for many months the possibility to ordain women as pastors at Saddleback Church.” She said, “He told me that the elders unanimously voted to appoint me one of the first three women pastors at Saddleback Church! And that it would be announced in the staff meeting that afternoon! He affirmed my leadership and my calling to ministry, and it was a conversation I will not forget.”  

According to Petty’s LinkedIn profile, she went to Golden Gate Seminary and has been serving as a children’s minister at Saddleback for over 22 years. Her new title will be NextGen Ministries Pastor. Based on the responsibilities of Saddleback’s NextGen Pastor Kurt Johnston, described here, it seems likely Petty will be pastoring students.

Liz Puffer’s LinkedIn profile says she attended Rockbridge Seminary and lists her as a “Minister at Saddleback Church,” where she has served for over 27 years. Katie Edwards is currently serving as Lake Forest Student Ministries Pastor at Saddleback and has been doing junior high ministry for 21 years. 

Saddleback Church and the SBC

Saddleback Church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and is among the largest churches in the denomination—which takes a clear stand against women being pastors. An SBC resolution from 1984 states, “We encourage the service of women in all aspects of church life and work other than pastoral functions and leadership roles entailing ordination.” Article VI of the Baptist Faith & Message (BF&M) 2000 says, “While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”

Several prominent SBC leaders commented on Saddleback’s decision on Twitter. Dr. Adam Greenway, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, tweeted a quote from his seminary’s founder, B.H. Carroll:

Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Kansas City, Mo.) president Jason Keith Allen tweeted, “This is a disappointing departure from the clear teaching of Scripture, the BF&M, & long-held SBC consensus & practice.”

Dr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, critiqued Saddleback’s decision with a quote from John A. Broadus, a former president of his seminary—and a former slave owner.

150 People Expelled From FL Church After Trying to Vote Out Leadership

By
Stephanie Martin
-
communicating with the unchurched

One hundred fifty official members have been expelled from a conflict-ridden congregation in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Leaders of First Baptist Church (FBC), led by Pastor James Welch, recently terminated the membership of a “discontented” and “disaffected minority” who had rebelled against leaders.

The dissenters had formed an Advocacy Group and voted out the church’s leadership last fall. But church leaders say those actions are invalid and warrant “biblical discipline.” Attempts to solve the disagreement, including arbitration, have been unsuccessful.

James Welch and FBC—Behind the Dispute

Strife at the 113-year-old church began soon after Pastor James Welch took the helm two years ago and made staffing changes. Some church members became upset by what they describe as his heavy-handed leadership style and the creation of “a toxic environment and polarized atmosphere for both congregants and staff.” Weekly attendance, they add, has plummeted during Welch’s pastorate.

When Welch canceled FBC’s longtime Christmas pageant, an event that drew thousands of attendees annually, local press began covering the internal drama. Church member Deanna Weilhouwer, who sold pageant tickets for 24 years, told the Sun Sentinel those sales funded about one-third of FBC’s annual budget. “An astute businessperson, especially a pastor, does not go into a spending frenzy and make changes before they assess programs, the facilities, and get to know the people,” she said last fall.

Welch, meanwhile, maintained that leaders decided to end the pageant in order to focus on other outreach efforts. Tension came to a head in November 2020, when the Advocacy Group called a meeting and voted to fire Welch, the board of trustees, and half of the deacons. But Welch, in a video email, informed congregants the meeting was “unofficial” and “none of the decisions they made at that meeting have standing in our church.”

Arbitration Was Unsuccessful

FBC is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention, which grants autonomy to individual congregations. The church says its bylaws “contain no provisions for removing the pastor” via “a vote of no confidence from any portion of the congregation.” Efforts to settle the conflict, including working with Peacemaker Ministries and the Institute for Christian Conciliation, were unsuccessful.

In its announcement about membership terminations, FBC indicates that its “patient efforts” to reach consensus were met with “repeated delays, constantly shifting positions…unreasonable demands…and demands for amnesty from church discipline” on the part of the Advocacy Group. Those dissenters, the church adds, can go through a restoration process, if desired, and reapply for membership after one year.

But according to expelled member Brian Keno, that’s unlikely. He describes his fellow Advocacy Group members as “livid” about the purge. “Why should we submit to this?” he tells the Christian Post. “What did we do wrong?”

Keno, a prominent jeweler in Fort Lauderdale, was escorted off church premises last fall when he announced the meeting to vote on leadership. He says it’s extremely upsetting to be “booted out of our church for doing nothing other than trying to be a representative of our body, a congregational-led church.”

Church leaders, meanwhile, say, “We are moving forward from this controversy and focusing our attention and resources to be a movement of hope in our city and beyond.”

California Bill Could Bar UC Health From Affiliating With Catholic Hospitals That Limit Abortions

By
Alejandra Molina
-
communicating with the unchurched

LOS ANGELES (RNS) — While district of San Francisco state Senator Scott Wiener, a Democrat, has hailed the University of California Health System as embodying the state’s progressive values, he has also lambasted its contracts with facilities that he said forbid gender-affirming and abortion health care.

These contracts often include partnerships with Catholic-affiliated institutions like Dignity Health, the largest hospital provider in California, which, according to its website, “agree(s) not to perform certain services like elective abortions, elective sterilization or in-vitro fertilization.”

Wiener has said these restrictions “endanger lives” and, now, he wants to pass legislation that would bar UC Health from contracting with hospitals that prevent UC physicians and medical students from providing reproductive and LGBTQ-inclusive care, including: contraception, tubal ligation, abortion, gender-affirming care and treatment for incomplete miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.

UC Health said it affiliates with other health systems, as many of its hospitals operate at capacity. And, in California, “Catholic facilities are often the most likely to provide care to medically underserved populations, because of their commitment to serve the poor,” according to a UC Health 2020 report.

“We know that right now, a very tiny percentage of UC patients are a part of these affiliations,” Wiener said during an April 21 hearing for the bill.

However, he added, “Now is the time to set the ground rules and to make clear that UC values, that California values, mean people get the access to care that they need, and that we don’t bind UC practitioners with these non science-based restrictions.” Wiener said the restrictions disproportionately impact patients of color and low-income people.

Senate Bill 379 would ensure that, moving forward, UC Health would only affiliate with hospitals that will allow its staff to provide all necessary care. The bill cleared the Senate Health Committee in late April and is scheduled to be heard May 10 by the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

The bill is co-sponsored by Equality California, NARAL Pro-Choice California and ACLU of California and opposed by organizations like Dignity Health and the Alliance of Catholic Healthcare, which represents the state’s Catholic-affiliated health systems and hospitals.

During the April 21 hearing, Shelly Schlenker, with Dignity Health, said the bill would not “expand access to care, but it will end partnerships that save lives.”

She said it undermines residency programs that train doctors and devastates “the medical safety net which is the lifeline for our most vulnerable residents.”

In a May 3 letter addressed to California state Senator Anthony Portantino, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Alliance of Catholic Healthcare opposed Wiener’s legislation, saying affiliations between secular and Catholic health care providers “are at the core of California’s public health care safety net.”

Also, the letter stated, “there are numerous inaccuracies about the care provided in Catholic health care facilities that continue to be alleged and must be addressed directly.”

For example, the Alliance of Catholic Healthcare said that even though elective sterilization procedures are not permitted for patients, “we expect the physician to ensure that care is provided in a facility that provides that service.”

Regarding LGBTQ health care, the Alliance of Catholic Healthcare said Catholic hospitals offer primary, specialty and urgent care for LGBTQ persons as well as hormone therapy for transgender patients.

When it comes to residency programs, the Alliance of Catholic Healthcare said that, while elective abortions are not usually performed in any hospital, residents in Catholic-affiliated hospitals are trained on the equipment and procedures used in direct abortions, “because the procedure and equipment is appropriate to address a myriad of other gynecological conditions.” The same goes for IUDs, which is a multipurpose device, it said.

Dr. Jody Steinauer, who leads UC San Francisco’s Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, sees things differently.

During the April 21 hearing, Steinauer said the university’s contracts require UC medical providers to “limit the care we provide patients.”

“People trained in hospitals that restrict them from providing family planning care do not learn the basic skills they should,” Steinauer said.

“Many medical students graduate without knowing how to counsel someone about all contraception options, and many OB-GYN residents do not feel comfortable placing an IUD or doing postpartum sterilization,” she said.

“Because most UC trainees stay in California, I am worried about the impacts on their future California patients,” Steinauer added.

Steinauer testified on April 21 along with a woman named Maddie, who said she experienced internal bleeding from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Humboldt County. She said she didn’t understand why her surgery had been delayed for hours until the following day when she asked and learned the procedure was considered an abortion.

“Despite the fact that my ruptured fallopian tube had led to hours of internal bleeding and pain, my time-sensitive care was significantly delayed due to the restrictive policies of St. Joseph’s Hospital,” she said. “My experience was far more terrifying, painful and traumatizing than anyone in my situation should have to endure.

“My life shouldn’t be put at risk because of a hospital’s non-medical, ideological restriction,” she added.

This article originally appeared here.

‘I Quit!’ — For Some Pastors, the Past Year Was a Sign From God to Leave the Ministry

By
Bob Smietana
-
leaving the ministry
A pastor preachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Diana Polekhina/Unsplash/Creative Commons

(RNS) — Jeff Weddle, a 46-year-old, wise-cracking, self-deprecating, Bible-loving, self-described “failing pastor” from Wisconsin, was already thinking of leaving the ministry before COVID and the 2020 election.

He was, as he put it, fed up with church life after two decades as a pastor.

Then, what he called “the stupid” — feuds about politics and the pandemic — put him over the edge. People at church seemed more concerned about the latest social media dustup and online conspiracy theories — one church member called him the antichrist for his views on COVID— than in learning about the Bible.

Sunday mornings had become filled with dread over what could go wrong next.

He eventually decided, “I don’t need this anymore.” Weddle stepped down as pastor, walked out the door and hasn’t looked back.

The last eighteen months or so have been difficult for pastors like Weddle. Already stretched with the day-to-day concerns of running a congregation at a time when organized religion is on the decline, they’ve increasingly found that the divides facing the nation have made their way inside the walls of the church.

Clergy also felt a sense of isolation, cut off from contact with their congregations and unable to do the kind of in-person ministry that drew them to the pastorate. Instead of preaching and visiting the sick, they had to become video producers and online content creators.

Chuck DeGroat, professor of counseling and Christian spirituality at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, said pastors have long had to mediate disputes over theology or church practice, like the role of women in the church or the so-called “ worship wars ” of recent decades. They now face added stresses from the pandemic and polarization, with people willing to leave their churches over mask policies or discussions of race.

“I’m hearing from pastors that they just don’t know what to do,” he said.

A recent survey of Protestant pastors by the research firm Barna Group found that 29% said they had given “real, serious consideration to quitting being in full-time ministry within the last year.”

David Kinnaman, president of Barna, said the past year has been a “crucible” for pastors. Churches have become fragmented by political and social divides. They have also become frayed, as “people’s connectedness to local congregations is waning.

“The pandemic was a great revealer of the challenges churches face,” said Kinnaman.

The Rev. Kerri Parker, executive director of the Wisconsin Council of Churches, whose member organizations include about 2,000 churches and a million Christians, has been concerned about the stresses clergy have been under since 2020.

Last summer, the council surveyed clergy and found about a quarter said they were considering retiring or leaving the pastorate due to the stresses of ministry during COVID.

In a recent follow-up survey, said Parker, about a third of respondents said they were considering their options or thinking about leaving.

Parker said that unlike past crises, like floods, tornadoes or other disasters, pastors won’t be able to escape the fallout from COVID-19 once the pandemic is over. If there’s a flood, she said, a pastor could stay at their church, help them clean up and rebuild and then at some point move to another church that hadn’t been through that disaster.

But COVID affected everyone.

“So where do you go?” she said. “Out of the church.”

For Brandon Cox, serving as a pastor had been a joy until last year.

In 2011, Cox and his wife, Angie, had started a new church in Bentonville, Arkansas, called Grace Hills. Cox described Grace Hills as a “Celebrate Recovery”-style congregation, inspired by the support group ministry founded at Saddleback Church in Southern California, where Cox had once worked.

UPDATE: Pastor Calls Police ‘Gestapo-Psychopaths’ During His Arrest Over the Weekend

By
Stephanie Martin
-
pawlowski
Screengrab Youtube @CityNews Edmonton

UPDATED May 10, 2021: First, the viral video of Polish-Canadian Pastor Artur Pawlowski made it rounds on news outlets and internet screens for his yelling at police to leave the church’s property. Then he called them “Nazis” during his church’s recent Easter service. Since then, he hasn’t been able to keep himself out of the news or watchful eye of the authorities.

This weekend was no different when both he and his brother Dawid Pawlowski were arrested and charged with “organizing an illegal in-person gathering,” according to a Calgary police statement. “Including requesting, inciting or inviting others to attend an illegal public gathering, promoting and attending an illegal public gathering,” the statement also read.

In a video taken by what appears to be some of Pawlowski’s supporters, police can be seen handcuffing the brothers and dragging them off to police cars. Those taking the video can be heard asking the police for their names, badge numbers, and asking, “How do you feel being a Nazi now?” These onlookers accused the police of being part of the gestapo (the secret police of Nazi Germany). “Whatever happened to ‘Canada? God keep our land glorious and free’,” one of them said to the officers.

Pastor Pawlowski can be heard calling the police what it sounds like “Gestapo-psycho-bots” or “Gestapo-psychopaths” while he was on his knees in the middle of the street being handcuffed.

On Thursday April 6, 2021, the Alberta Health Services obtained an order that imposed new restrictions on organizers and demonstrations. The new orders, which apply to worship gatherings, require them to follow public health restrictions which include gatherers to wear masks, social distance, and limit attendance.

None of these orders were followed by the outspoken anti-mask wearing pastor during a worship gathering on Saturday morning prior to his arrest; congregants were without masks and disregarded social distancing guidelines.

In Calgary police’s statement they said, “It is important to understand that law enforcement recognizes people’s desire to participate in faith-based gatherings as well as the right to protest. However, as we find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic, we all must comply with public health orders in order to ensure everyone’s safety and well-being.”

ChurchLeaders original article written on April 26, 2021:

Artur Pawlowski, pastor of the Street Church in Calgary, Alberta, again chased away police officers and a health inspector who showed up at his church on Saturday, April 24, 2021.

“I do not cooperate with Gestapo,” Pawlowski told the health inspector, who was flanked by several armed, black-clad Calgary Police officers. “I do not talk to the Nazis. You came in your uniforms like thugs. That’s what you are. Brownshirts of Adolf Hitler. You are Nazi Gestapo, communists, fascists. I do not cooperate with Nazis. Talk to my lawyer. You are not allowed here, you are not welcomed here, and I’m not going to cooperate with Gestapo like you, okay?”

Pawlowski would not allow the health inspector to speak, but instead interrupted her repeatedly while filming her. He called her “lady” and yelled at her at the top of his lungs repeatedly: “NOT THIS DAY! NOT THIS DAY!…YOU UNDERSTAND!? MAKE AN APPOINTMENT.”

 

“You are sick, that’s what you are!” he yelled as they left. “And rightfully so you change your uniforms to black, because you are exactly acting like the Gestapo of old.”

The officers and health inspector then left the premises but not before one of the officers told Pawlowski to “have a nice day.”

___________________

ChurchLeaders original article written on April 5, 2021 below.

A pastor and political activist in Canada went viral Easter weekend for screaming at police to leave church property. On Saturday, Artur Pawlowski, pastor of the Street Church in Calgary, Alberta, chased away six police officers and a health inspector who showed up during a worship service.

“Immediately go out and don’t come back,” Pawlowski shouted. “I don’t care what you have to say. Out! Out! Out of this property, you Nazis.” The Polish-Canadian pastor later posted video of the confrontation online, thanked supporters, and requested donations for his church.

Though police issued no tickets Saturday, Pawlowski has been fined during the pandemic for violating public health orders. In Calgary, churches may meet for in-person worship but at only 15 percent capacity, and face masks are mandatory.

Pastor Artur Pawlowski: ‘How dare they?’

An irate Pawlowski demanded that authorities leave the premises, hollering, “Do not come back without a warrant.” As officers walked away, the pastor continued filming, calling them “unbelievable sick, evil people” and “Gestapo, Nazi, communist fascists.”

Speaking into the camera, Pawlowski said, “Can you imagine those psychopaths? Passover. The holiest Christian festival of the year, and they’re coming to intimidate Christians during the holiest festival? Unbelievable. What is wrong with those sick psychopaths? It’s beyond me. How dare they.”

The pastor, who has been leading religious-freedom marches in Calgary, continued: “We’re living in a total takeover of the government with their thugs, goons, the brown shirts, the Gestapo wannabe dictators. Coming to the church armed with guns and Tasers and handcuffs to intimidate during Passover celebration? … They want to enslave us all like the Egyptians did. They want to be the Pharaohs of today … People, if you don’t stand up, wake up, I don’t know what will happen tomorrow.”

On Easter Sunday, Pawlowski posted on Facebook: “Wow! In just 24 hours the video of the attack on our Church by the authorities has been literally seen by millions of people! Thousands of messages of support are pouring in! I hope that this will encourage others to stand up and fight for their rights. Say NO to the bullies and traitors!”

The pastor also retweeted messages of support, including some that reference his nationality. “The Polish have a PROFOUND understanding of totalitarianism (fascism, communism) and sent the police away!” one tweet states. Another notes: “This is Pastor Artur Pawlowski who has had a taste of tyrannical governments growing up and has been fighting back since last year to keep his church open and feeding the homeless.”

Police, Health Agency Defend Their Actions

In a statement, Calgary Police responded to the incident, saying, “The organizer of the gathering was uncooperative with the health inspector, and repeatedly raised his voice asking all parties to leave the premises.” Police add, “We do not wish to disrupt anyone’s holidays or religious or spiritual events, however we must support our partner agencies when called upon to help ensure everyone can safely celebrate these occasions.”

Alberta Health Services, which sent the inspector to Street Church, said, “Our inspectors have an important job to do, and we ask that business owners and organizations treat them with respect. We stand by all of our public health inspectors who are doing an incredible job in trying and challenging circumstances.”

Jesus the Outdoorsman

By
Jimmy Sites
-
communicating with the unchurched

The night was still, as if holding its breath.  The moon spotlighted the calm surface of the lake, exploding in a brilliant shimmer of white light on blue-green water.  The fishing was slow.  On such a night as this the fisherman must be stealthy.  He must know the 10 percent of the lake where 90 percent of the fish hang out.  He must avoid the other 90 percent of the lake where the remaining 10 percent of the fish live.  The right location improves his odds of putting a fish in the skillet, and such was the objective of the bearded outdoorsman who had an early-morning lakeside breakfast on his mind.  

His friends were unaware of his presence only one hundred yards away.  They were in the boat fishing the river channel where it ran into the lake.  He was fishing from the shore.  These friends were some of the best fishermen in the country.  They had figured out how to make a living catching fish.  Many little boys in the region had grown up dreaming of the great catch, the legendary “boat filler.”  These men were no different.  The dream drove them to learn the trade, to hone not only hooks but also their skill, to seek the great catch that would land them on the cover of the regional news, turn them into living legends, and pay for the boat upgrade.  

The professional anglers in the boat had experienced the “boat filler” only one time before, precisely three-and-a-half years earlier.  Maybe they were even thinking of that incredible moment as they threw the nets out for another try, hoping to change their luck.  They tried all the hot spots.  They pulled out every trick, all to no avail.  The fish simply weren’t cooperating.  

The fisherman with the huge calloused hands and the loudest mouth made the announcement, “Let’s call it a night boys.”  His voice couldn’t conceal the disappointment.  For the next two hours they reeled in and folded their nets, careful to clean the weeds from every strand of netting.  

Meanwhile, on the shore and out of sight in the darkness, the lone outdoorsman was also reeling something in – several fish.  He, too, had grown up within a few miles of the lake.  He had some secret fishing holes of his own.  He quietly cleaned and prepped the fish for cooking, then started a fire to finish the task.  He had brought additional breakfast foods that compliment fish, and he retrieved these as the fish broiled over the hot coals.  Then he turned his attention to the fishermen in the boats.  

“Done any good?” he yelled.  

“No,” came the reply skipping across the surface like a rock.  “We’ve fished all night and haven’t caught a single fish.”  

They were probably thinking more than what was said – “the moon’s wrong” . . . “the barometer must be falling” . . . “we’re not holding our mouths right.”

Then they heard the words that would make any professional angler laugh in such a moment, especially when the words were spoken by a spectator standing on the shore without a boat;  “Try casting back out on the right side of your boat and you will catch some.”  

For some reason, the men who made their living at fishing listened to the man who didn’t.  They may have been ushered back by the words to an earlier occasion when similar words were spoken and they caught so many fish their boats were about to sink – the day they experienced the “boat filler.”  That was the day that they became household names in all the fishing villages.  That was the day that so many fish flopped in the boats that every mortgage among them could have been paid off.  Yet that was also the day that four fishermen walked away from their miraculous catch and their flopping fortune.  That was the day that Jesus had called them to leave everything behind, follow him, and be “fishers of men.”  He certainly knew how to pick up on a guy’s interest, they had discussed among themselves.  But then after three-and-a-half mind-blowing years, he had gone and got himself killed down in Jerusalem about 90 miles away.  They, too, had even experienced close calls.  So, disheartened by all that had happened, they had returned to what they knew best – fishing.  Yet, here again is a stranger telling them to try one more cast on the other side of the boat.  What could they lose except time, and they certainly had plenty of that on their hands now.  

Out went the nets.  In went the fish.  Tight went the ropes.  Open went the mouths.  Gape-jawed.  Eyes wide.  Knuckles taut.  Biceps burning as the fishermen struggled with 153 of the biggest fish that have ever been pulled from Lake Gennesarat.  

The big man with the loud mouth became very quiet.  He recognized the great fisherman on the shore, and he was so in awe that he dove out of the boat and into the water and began to swim the 100 yards to the rocky beach.  As far as we know, the burly fisherman Peter didn’t say anything to the man on the shore when he arrived.  For once in his life he was speechless.  

The other six fishermen were rowing the boat and pulling the heavy net that was loaded to the brim with huge fish.  The bearded campfire cook, noticing that Peter was looking at the fish smoldering over the open fire, probably realized that Peter was thinking of a different fire – the one around which he was standing a few nights before in Jerusalem when he had denied Jesus three times.  Rather than allow Peter to dwell on this failure in his life, he made a simple request of such a huge man; “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.”

As if to pay penance for his sins of denial, Peter didn’t just bring a few.  He grabbed the entire net full of hundreds of pounds of flopping fish and drug the whole catch to Jesus.  This action fits Peter’s personality so well – it’s all or nothing.  

The fisherman chef then invited the seven fishermen to join him for breakfast.  He tore the bread into pieces and passed them around, no doubt to remind them of the last supper he shared with them when he had instituted the Lord’s Supper the night before his crucifixion.  He then dished out the fish he had caught and prepared.  

It was a breakfast that these disciples would not soon forget, for with this breakfast Jesus proved to them that he was the real deal . . . the same man that they had known before who was now doing the same things he had always done with them.  This just proves the point that Jesus must have been an outdoorsman who loved to catch fish and even cook them.  That’s why this breakfast was so important not only for Peter, as Jesus later took him on a walk and restored his spiritual passions through forgiveness of his denials, but also for the other disciples who had seen his dead body with their own eyes.  They had to be convinced that he truly was resurrected.  They were probably thinking, “This has to be him!  He has the same mannerisms and cravings for fish!”

Jesus may have earned his living as a carpenter, but he lived his hobby as a fisherman.  You might say he had fish on the brain.  

Jesus the Fisherman

Consider all of the other Bible verses that associate Jesus with fish:

  • Jesus also ate fish on his very first post-resurrection appearance to his disciples while they were still in Jerusalem. (Luke 24:42-43)
  • Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 men, plus women and children, with a boy’s lunch of fish and bread (Matthew 14:15-21; Mark 6:35-44, Luke 9: 12-17; John 6:5-14, )
  • Jesus repeated the miracle by feeding fish and bread to 4,000 men, plus women and children. (Matthew 15:32-38; Mark 8:1-9)
  • Jesus sent Peter to the lake to catch a fish and look in its mouth where he would find a coin to pay for taxes. (Matthew 17:27)
  • Jesus tells the fishermen to try their nets on the other side of the boat, and they catch enough fish to almost swamp the boats. (Luke 5:1-11)  
  • Jesus calls the disciples Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow him and be “Fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17)
  • Once again Jesus tells the fisherman to try casting on a particular side of the boat, and they end up catching 153 large fish. (John 21:6 & 11)
  • Jesus cooks a breakfast of fish for the disciples. (John 21:12-13)

The more I realize that Jesus was God in flesh walking and living and fishing and eating and cooking on this earth, the more real he becomes to me.  He was a man’s man in every way.  

Jesus the Outdoorsman

Jesus loved the very creation that he had made at the beginning of time.  He invested himself in the creation.  He shaped and sculpted the mountains with his powerful words.  Then he became a man and climbed them.  Consider the following verses that either blatantly or remotely connected Jesus with the outdoors:

  • He was familiar with the nature of wolves. (Matthew 7:15; 10:16)
  • He referenced snakes, and evidently didn’t care much for them. (Matthew 10:16;  23:33; Mark 16:18)
  • He understood the ways of foxes. (Matthew 8:20; Luke 13:32)
  • He often referenced birds in his teachings. (Matthew 8:20; 10:16; 10:29; Luke 12:6-7, 24; 13:19; 34)
  • He referenced wild animals. (Mark 1:13)
  • He knew that green wood doesn’t burn well, and how to use dry wood to make a fire. (Luke 23:31)
  • He knew how to get a charcoal fire glowing and cook fish on it. (John 21:9)
  • He had an appreciation for wild flowers and grasses.  (Luke 12:27-28)
  • He made a reference to fishing lines and knew how to use them.  (Mathew 13:47-48)
  • He probably spoke with a country accent [distinguishable dialect].  (Luke 22:59)
  • He was familiar with all types of trees and foliage. (Luke 6:43-44; 13:18-19)
  • He understood the use of light to help one in darkness. (Matthew 5:15)  
  • He was familiar with food plots. (Luke 8:4-8; 14:35; John 12:24; 15:1-2, 5-6)
  • He mentioned a backpack and a weapon [being prepared/having the right equipment]. (Luke 22:35-36)
  • He understood the importance of having a good guide. (Matthew 23:16, 24; Luke 6:39)
  • He gave a three-step plan for following a guide. (Luke 9:23)
  • He experienced the danger of being on a boat during a storm. (Matthew 8:23-27)
  • He knew the unpredictable nature of the wind. (John 3:8)
  • He was familiar with gnats [pesky bugs!]. (Matthew 23:24)
  • He encountered hogs. (Mathew 7:6; Luke 8:26, 32-33)

The most compelling to me were all of the verses that portray Jesus’ love for hiking and camping in the hills.  He seems to have loved the Galilean hills around the lake.  I can understand why, having personally spent some time there.  The lake (known as the Sea of Galilee in the Bible) is beautiful, and the surrounding countryside is lush with green grass and colorful flowers.  Reforestation is taking place to restore the forests as they were in Jesus’ day.  The fishing is good and the river flowing into and out of the lake is much like a California stream winding its way lazily through the hills.  The atmosphere is laid back and casual, far different from the fast pace of Jerusalem ninety miles to the south.  I even saw a deer grazing in a field just a few miles north of Capernaum on the northeast end of the lake.  

Being familiar with the terrain helps me understand why Jesus was constantly seeking the solace of nature in the Galilean hillsides.  Understanding how important it is for me to have quiet for hours at a time in a deer stand (my prayer time), I understand how Jesus must have felt about getting away from everyone so he could pray.  Consider the following verses that portray Jesus spending time in nature:  

  • Matthew 9:1; 13:1-2; 14:13, 22-23, 25; 15:29; 24:3
  • Mark 1:35; 2:13, 23; 3:7, 13; 4:1; 4:35-36; 5:21; 6:46; 9:2
  • Luke 4:42; 5:1-3, 16; 6:12; 8:22-23; 9:28, 37; 11:11-13; 21:37; 22:39
  • John 3:22; 4:5-6; 6:1, 3, 15; 7:53; 10:40; 11:54; 18:1-2; 21:1

In two of these verses it appears that Jesus even camped out:  Luke 9:37 and 21:37.  I believe it’s safe to say that Jesus was an outdoorsman.  I can only imagine what it would be like if Jesus had come to earth today as a man. 

 Where would he go?  What would he do?  

Naturally, he would fulfill his mission just as he did in the First Century AD.  He would sacrifice himself for mankind.  

But during his years on earth, I don’t think it’s a stretch to think that Jesus might be found fishing for bass or trout, or hiking in Alaska, or setting up a tent camp in the Sierra Madres.  

He might spend a lot of time sitting in a deer stand praying.  There’s no doubt in my mind that he would love coming across a patch of morel mushrooms during turkey season.  

He would probably own a well-built backpack filled with gear.

I think he would be familiar with the outdoor magazines and TV shows, would probably love going in Bass Pro Shops, and would know the best guides and probably use them as analogies in his teaching.  

He would likely fit in well at a wild game supper hosted by a church.  He might even get mad and throw over a few tables if he sensed that vendors were trying to milk people for personal gain at such events.  

Make no mistake about it – Jesus was a man’s man.  He wouldn’t even back down when the most feared and powerful being of the dark world challenged him.  He kicked Satan’s forked tail.  Yet he was gentle enough to hold a child in his hands and say, “Unless you become like this little child, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”  

He is my hero.  He is my companion whenever I head out on an adventure.  I am proud to call him my traveling companion.  And I am honored to call him my Lord.  Are you?

Livestream Worship Services and the Power of Close Ups

By
Phil Cooke
-
communicating with the unchurched

With the explosion of filmmakers, social influencers, livestream worship services, and YouTube producers these days, when it comes to shooting video, there appears to be a significant lack of understanding the power of a close up. In classic Hollywood movies, close ups were used strategically to help enhance the story – particularly when it came to emotional moments. And today, the greatest filmmakers are masters of close ups – which makes me wonder: why do so few video shooters and directors today avoid such a critical shot?

Perhaps it’s because equipment costs have lowered the bar so much that anyone with a mobile phone can call themselves a “filmmaker” – whether or not they actually had any media education, worked with mentors, or spent time on professional sets. But regardless of the cause, let’s talk about why close ups are so important when shooting short videos, social media, or live-streaming.

Livestream Worship Services and the Power of Close Ups

It’s been said that the “eyes are the window of the soul,” and that’s absolutely true. In a video, there’s nothing like seeing facial expressions to help viewers understand the story. Eye movement, smiles, facial changes – all work together to share a message that can as important – if not more important than what’s actually being said.

But in video after video, a growing number of shooters focus on wide shots – which is particularly ineffective during a teaching or training video. But when I’m watching a podcast, short video, or livestream teaching, I’m not interested in the plants in the room, the pictures on the back wall, or the furniture.

And it’s especially frustrating when watching on a mobile device (which is exactly what most of your audience is doing.) A phone video screen is already small, so filming a speaker or program host in a wide shot makes little sense. A wider shot simply makes a person so tiny it’s nearly impossible to see facial expressions or emotion.

I watched a live-streamed sermon from a church recently and at least 90% of the pastor’s message was a wide shot. I could see a row of plants to his right, the piano to his left, a window behind, and a huge stage (with a used coffee cup sitting on the edge) – none of which I was interested in. A simple closeup would have been far more powerful in telling the story.

Worse, on two-camera shoots it’s not unusual to see the odd set-up of a wide shot as the main camera with a close up as a side shot for occasional edits. Essentially, it’s the exact opposite of a recommended setup for livestream worship services.

 

This article about livestream worship services originally appeared here.

Denzel Washington: Prayer and the Holy Spirit Have Protected Me

By
Jessica Lea
-
communicating with the unchurched

Acclaimed actor, director and producer Denzel Washington recently appeared on Instagram Live for a conversation with his friend, A.R. Bernard, the lead pastor of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York. During the discussion, Washington shared examples of the grace God has shown him over the years, especially through his family and the Holy Spirit.

“It was a supernatural, if not once in a lifetime experience…that I couldn’t completely understand at the time,” said Washington, describing a moment in the early 80s when he was filled with the Holy Ghost. The actor, who is known for movies such as Malcolm X, Glory, and Training Day, had decided to visit the West Angeles Church of God in Christ (COGIC) in Los Angeles. When the church gave an altar call, he thought, “This time, I’m just going to go down there and give it up and see what happens.”  

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by A. R. Bernard (@therealarbernard) on

Denzel Washington Is Filled with the Spirit

Denzel Washington then had a dramatic experience being filled with the Holy Spirit, an event that left a mark on him—although he was not prepared to follow God wholeheartedly at the time. “I was filled with the Holy Ghost and it scared me,” he said. “I said, ‘Wait a minute. I didn’t want to go this deep.’ I wanted to party.”

Bernard commented that it seems God gives us encounters like this to help us stay grounded, and he asked Washington if that experience did in fact help him stay grounded throughout his career. “It kept me grounded in spite of myself,” Washington replied. “I accepted it, I definitely experienced it, but I wasn’t ready to live it…You have that moment, that ‘knock from the horse’ moment, if you will, but that doesn’t mean the rest of your life is going to go the way it should.”

Six Reasons to Preach on the Same Subject More Than Once

By
Dr. James Scott, Jr.
-
communicating with the unchurched

Someone once told the story about a minister who preached an unusual sermon one day, and used a peanut to illustrate several things from the Bible. One of the members greeted him at the close of the service and said, “That was very interesting, Pastor. I never expected to learn so much from a nut!”

Sometimes using a prop — even a peanut! — can help us be more effective in our preaching.

So you can preach on the same subject more than once.

I know some preachers might think I’m a nut to suggest it could be wise to preach on some topics more than once considering there are a vast number of things to preach on, but here are just six reasons for you to preach on the same subject multiple times.

1. We forget what was preached. Even if you leave your church building on a Sunday morning saying to yourself, “That was a great sermon!” by the following Sunday you won’t recall much of it. The human brain is fascinating, but with the constant flood of information it receives, the brain selects only so much for long-term memory. One study, exploring how adults learn best, claims that we remember about only five percent of what we learn through lecture format.

So why do we need to preach on some biblical subjects more than once? We forget, and need to be reminded.

Keep in mind that a central reason we observe Communion is to remember that Jesus gave His body, and shed His blood, on our behalf for the forgiveness of sins. You would think we wouldn’t forget that, but it often is not every day that the average Christian actually brings to mind that specific sacrifice Jesus made for us.

Because we are so forgetful, some biblical topics need to be preached about more than once.

2. We don’t master the lesson the first hearing. Hearing something for the first time usually doesn’t result in mastery of that topic. We’ll need to hear it again, and more about it, to begin to have full comprehension of a topic. For that reason, some biblical topics need to preached more than once.

3. There are multi facets to a single topic. Some preachers try to cram everything there is to say about a topic in a single sermon, often resulting in not handling many of the points well. Many biblical topics have multiple facets to them which can require the need for more than one sermon to adequately and fully cover a topic. For that reason, some topics need to be preached more than once.

4. To go deeper than an introduction. Sometimes a topic needs an entire sermon just to effectively introduce the subject to your congregation. You’ll then need to preach additional sermons on the same topic to deal with some of the finer points of the same subject.

5. Your audience changes over the years. Your church audience is likely in a state of ongoing change — adding new members, some members moving away, etc. As your audience changes, they won’t all have heard some of the sermons you’ll want them to hear. Preach the topics again!

6. It’s that important! There are some things – like the Gospel – that we need to hear over and over and over again. We need to start every day of our lives hearing that our sin had separated us from God, but God, in His love for us, sent His Son, Jesus, who died on the cross to redeem us from sin, and defeated sin’s consequence of death so that now we who surrender our lives to Him are new creatures! We go out into the world each day as those new creatures, created in Christ Jesus, and appointed as His ambassadors to the world … If we walked out the front door to go to work, or school, or anywhere else each day with that Good News fresh in our minds, we might live differently!

Some biblical topics are so important that we need to hear them preached again, and again, and again!

Let me say to my fellow preachers, don’t feel pressured to always preach on a new topic every time you get behind the pulpit. Know there are several things your congregation needs to hear again, perhaps in a deeper, wider, different approach than the first time you preached it, but they need to hear about that topic again nevertheless. Keep preaching on these things until your congregation begins to mature in the Word about those things.

This article originally appeared here.

Why Your Church Should Be Singing Older Songs

By
Fred McKinnon
-
communicating with the unchurched

Why can’t you just sing some of the older songs? If you’ve been a worship leader for more than two weeks, you’ve likely had this question. It’s rarely asked in a sincere tone and usually comes with a sting of harsh judgment.

I’ve been involved in worship ministry since I was a teenager. I watched the birth of what we would call the “modern worship music” and have seen it’s blessings over the years. I’ve also been caught up in the crossfire of the arguments and wars over musical style and selection.

I love new songs. I firmly believe in introducing new songs to our congregations. The final “Amen” at the end of the Book of Revelation was not the final “Amen” for those of us who are crafting songs to tell the great story of the Kingdom.

There is also something stirring and powerful about singing the old songs. Many worship leaders just don’t want to hear this. If that’s you and you feel a resistance building up as you read this, I hope you’ll take a deep breath and listen.

A few days ago, I was driving my kid to school and we were playing around with Spotify on my iPhone. He was playing some of his favorite songs for me. I decided to have him search for some of my favorite songs from the past. The conversation went something like this:

“Jon Michael, see if you can find this one … it’s called “The Way It Is,” and it will be by Bruce Hornsby and The Range.”
“Sure, Dad, I found it … do you want me to play it?”
“Yes — you may recognize this. It’s one of the most awesome piano tunes ever.”

As the opening piano riff started my 12-year-old lit up and recognized it immediately. I felt this overwhelming joy rise up in me as memories from the past flooded into my soul. I’ve had so much fun not only listening to this tune, but also playing it. I used to spend countless hours with that cassette tape (yes, cassette tape) rewinding it over and over and pausing it so I could learn the piano solo note by note.

I dropped JM off at Glynn Middle and enjoyed the song three more times at very high volume on the drive back to St. Simons Island. I was elated. I hadn’t enjoyed that tune in a while. It set the mood for the day.

Now, I’ll transition to a Hillsong United concert I attended a while back.

I hadn’t listened to their newer albums as much as I’d done before, so many of the songs were new to me. I thoroughly enjoyed them and found myself worshiping and connecting with God through the music.

Then, it happened … about three-quarters of the way through the night … it started …

The opening riff to “From the Inside Out.”

The venue was packed with thousands of worshipers, and there was this incredible surge of applause and response. To most, this would be considered one of their “old songs.” Yet, it was embraced and celebrated.

  • This song had history.
  • This song was celebrated because of its meaning.
  • This song was powerful because nobody had to stare at the screen for the words. It was memorized by all.
  • This song was championed by the crowd as the voices of thousands rose to great levels. It was familiar, yet special.

Worship leaders, please listen … it’s not only OK to sing older songs, you SHOULD sing older songs.

Many of these older songs evoke memories of when a person was first drawn to the love of Christ. They take the worshiper back to a place of significance in their spiritual journey. They renew the passion and feelings of that moment and remind us of what God did.

Think about the Eucharist. It’s a reminder. We celebrate Communion “in remembrance.” There is something about going back to a place and reminding ourselves of what God has done. Old songs can help us do that.

Worship leaders … it may be that the older songs can’t be done in the style that you prefer. It may be that the song means NOTHING to you, but we have to remember that it’s not about us at all.

Would you consider this and be intentional about splashing some of the old in with the new?
I’d love to hear your thoughts about it!

What Is the Mission of the Church?

By
Brandon Hilgemann
-

The word mission is not a biblical word, so we must define what we mean when we talk about a mission. The word mission comes from the Latin words mitto (to send) and missio (sending). So mission implies that someone has sent something to accomplish a task. In other words, God has sent the church to accomplish a task. So perhaps a better way to reframe this question is what has God sent the church to accomplish? While there may be many good things the church could do, what is the primary thing that God has sent us to do? What is the mission of the church?

Most Christians can agree on the basics of the faith. Most would agree with Gregg R. Allison that “the church is missional. It is the body of divinely called and divinely sent ministers proclaiming the gospel and advancing the kingdom of God.”1 However, while we may agree that the church is missional (sent on a mission), there is a growing debate about what exactly we are sent to do.

The majority of the debate surrounds the church’s calling to share good news (evangelism) and do good works (social justice).

Most scholars debate the mission of the church like there is a pendulum with one side swinging toward good news and the other side toward good works. Swing too far toward good news, and the good work people fear you will lose your love for people. Swing too far toward good works, and the good news people fear you will lose the gospel.

The irony is that no pastor would stand before their congregation and say, “Do not do good works.” And no pastor would say, “Do not share the good news.” Both are good and important aspects of the church’s mission.

So: What is the Mission of the Church?

Is it good news, good works, some combination of both or something else entirely?

I will argue that the mission of the church is not just good news, and it is not just good works. The mission of the church is to make disciples. And disciple-making, as defined by Jesus in the Great Commission, is a combination of both good news and good works.

WHAT DID GOD SEND US TO DO?

If the church’s mission means that the church was sent by God to accomplish a specific task, then we must begin by asking, “What did God send us to do?”

The Great Commission is the primary place where we see God sending his church. We call it the Great Commission because it is where Jesus gave his disciples their mission, and this is still the church’s mission today since we are still disciples of Jesus.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he stood before his disciples and proclaimed:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matt 28:18-20).

To better understand Jesus’ commission to us, we need to walk through six parts of this commandment. It may be helpful to reframe them as six questions.

1. Jesus gives us the why.

Why should we do this mission?

Jesus reminds us of his authority. Being God, he has all authority in heaven and on earth. It is a reminder that what he is about to say is more than a suggestion, it a commandment from God, himself.

There are other reasons to carry out Christ’s mission, such as our love for others, but our primary reason is simply that God has commanded us to do it. If there were no other reasons, this should be reason enough.

2. Jesus gives us the when.

When should we begin this mission?

Jesus commands the disciples, “Go.” In other words, he is initiating the mission, sending us to accomplish a task. There is a sense of immediacy in this command.

We are to begin immediately.

3. Jesus gives us the what.

What are we sent to do?

Jesus tells us the specific task that he is sending us to do: “Make disciples.” This is our mission. We are sent to make disciples of Jesus. But Jesus, in his infinite wisdom, knows that making disciples is too vague of a mission.

We need more guidelines. So Jesus continues to define what he means by making disciples.

4. Jesus gives us the where.

Where are we sent?

He tells us to make disciples in “all nations.” So our mission is not limited geographically, or ethnically. The disciples may have been inclined only to reach Jews in Israel, but the mission is broader than that.

Our mission is to make disciples all around the world among all people from every tribe, tongue and nation (Rev 7:9).

Is Secular Music a Sin?

By
Megan Briggs
-
communicating with the unchurched

It may not rise to the level of justification by works versus justification by faith alone, but the debate over whether or not Christians should listen to secular music is a prominent one. Many Christian parents strive to think deeply and clearly about this issue as they raise their children to honor the Lord. Is secular music a sin? Into the fray of this debate comes a video published by Joe Solomon who tackles this and many other ethical issues on his YouTube channel.

Is Secular Music a Sin?

Solomon reminds viewers of a basic precept that in general, music affects your mood, which in turn affects your behavior. This does not mean that we will always act out on what is being said in music, but we have to acknowledge that not only does music provide us information that shapes our worldview, but it will also bring a mood, whether we acknowledge it or not. For instance, a couple who is wanting to be romantic will probably not listen to head banging rap nor will criminals listen to slow R & B before they rob a bank.

Is secular music a sin? Put simply, music is powerful, but Solomon isn’t advocating that all secular music needs to be trashed by Christians. In fact, there are some love songs written and sung by secular artists that are not contradictory to a biblical view of love. If Christians trash all secular music, then do we also trash all the arts such as paintings, sculptures, movies, and even buildings that were not created by Christians? Interestingly, the Apostle Paul when he dialogued with the pagan philosophers in Athens actually invoked these lines from pagan poetry:

For “In him we live and move and have our being”; as even some of your own poets have said, “For we are indeed his offspring.” (Acts 17:28).

By no means was Paul supporting the worship of false gods but rather using the Greeks’ prevailing worldview to build a bridge to the true Gospel. In a sense, Paul was using their culture against their culture.

Cultural bridge-building in order to share the Gospel is important, but it does come with a big HOWEVER. Solomon is not endorsing a “free for all” for Christians to listen to secular music. We have to acknowledge that much of secular music glorifies sinful behavior such as sex, materialism, pride, and the list seemingly goes on. This stands in contradiction to how the Scripture exhorts Christians to think. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul wrote,

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (Philippians 4:8).

We certainly don’t want to limit the practice of Christianity to keeping a list of rules, but we must always strive to get to the issue of our hearts and minds. A simple analogy is to imagine a guy driving a car with his wife as a passenger and jamming out to a song that brags about a guy cheating on his wife. Common sense would tell us that his wife would be hurt and rightfully demand that he change the song. Though the husband may justify it by saying he would never “actually” cheat on her, we actually use type of reasoning in our relationship with someone infinitely more important: God.  So let us as Christians continue to throw off those things that stop or hinder us as we pursue maturity in Jesus (Hebrews 12:1). A great place to start is to discern and possibly spurn the tunes that are impacting more than our ears.

So let us as Christians continue to throw off those things that stop or hinder us as we pursue maturity in Jesus (Hebrews 12:1). A great place to start is to discern and possibly spurn the tunes that are impacting more than our ears.

Chuck Norris Writes Tribute for 100-Year-Old Mom for Mother’s Day

By
Jesse T. Jackson
-
communicating with the unchurched

Iconic movie star, television actor, martial artist, producer, and Christian Chuck Norris wrote an article this week honoring his wife, Gena, and his mother, Wilma Norris Knight,for Mother’s Day. Norris’ mother turned 100 years old on Tuesday May 4, 2021.

Jokingly describing his latest interaction with his mother, Norris said he told her, “You’re a centenarian!” to which she humorously replied, “I’m not a centipede!”

Norris shared that his mother lived through the Great Depression and picked cotton with her family to survive. She married at the age of 16 but his alcoholic father left his mom to raise him and two brothers by herself.

Chuck Norris Writes of His Mother’s Faith

The 81-year-old actor said his mom “has been an example of perseverance and faith her whole life.” He explained that “she is the last survivor of her 11-member biological family. She’s also endured the deaths of her two husbands, a stepson, two grandchildren and my younger brother Wieland in the Vietnam War. She’s had cancer repeatedly and has gone through roughly 30 different surgeries for a host of issues—and yet she’s still here to tell about it.”

Attributing growing up in church to his mother, Norris gave his life to Christ at the early age of 12, was baptized, and shortly thereafter attended a Billy Graham crusade that helped grow his faith in Christ.

The iconic tough guy revealed that his mother prayed for him his entire life. She started from the time he was born and she almost died from complications. Even when he was an adult, she prayed for a woman to come into his life and change him—which led Norris back to Jesus. Norris said that he “nearly” lost his soul to Hollywood a few decades ago, but his mother prayed for his success and his salvation.

Chuck Norris Pays Tribute to Wife Also

Not leaving his wife out of his Mother’s Day tribute, Norris celebrated Gena by saying how much she helps him run all his enterprises, takes care of their twins, and is the love of his life and best friend. “I am overwhelmed with gratitude to God for these two incredible women’s influence in my life. I wouldn’t be the man I am without them,” he wrote. “I thank God for you both every day! And I thank you for helping God to make me all I can and should be.”

The karate-kicking proud American superstar said at a book signing back in 2004 that his mother “loves Jesus with all of her heart and soul and made sure we understood that. She influenced me spiritually and instilled in me a sense of responsibility that carried over in my later adult life. She always told me ‘God has plans for you,’ and I didn’t know what she meant. I think I do now.”

How Cancel Culture Looks a Lot Like Old-Fashioned Church Discipline

By
The Conversation
-
communicating with the unchurched

(THE CONVERSATION) Blink and you may have missed one of the more recent controversies over cancel culture.

On March 23, 2021, columnist Hemal Jhaveri published an opinion piece at For The Win, a sports commentary website operated by USA Today. In it, she remarked on the “Cinderella story” then forming around the surprising success of Oral Roberts University, an evangelical Christian school, in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Rather than cheer, Jhaveri suggested, fans should protest the team over the “university’s deeply bigoted anti-LGBTQ+ policies.”

Two days later, USA Today published a response by Ed Stetzer, a professor at the evangelical Wheaton College, who criticized a supposed “mob” for rushing to cancel ORU from March Madness. Ironically, it was Jhaveri who was canceled – that is to say, fired – by USA Today the next day in the wake of a tweet about mass shootings, one that she would acknowledge was ill-considered. ORU’s basketball team, meanwhile, was removed from the tournament not by howling protesters but by Arkansas in a Sweet 16 matchup.

Church discipline

Extensive debate has swirled around the purpose, effectiveness and even the very existence of what has been called “cancel culture.” The phrase itself may have originated as a joke. But the phenomenon is rooted in what has been characterized as efforts by political progressives to “call out” individuals and organizations engaged in offensive or damaging behavior. It entails public efforts, usually on social media, to shame the perpetrator and instill consequences and has been seized on by many on the political right as a wedge issue in the so-called culture wars.

But “canceling” is not wholly embraced on the left, nor is it unknown among political or religious conservatives.

In fact, cancel culture should have a ring of familiarity for Stetzer, a Southern Baptist. As a scholar of practical and political theology, I see echoes of the phenomenon in the history of the church.

From their origins in the 17th century through the late 19th century, Baptists in America – most especially in the South – vigorously engaged in the practice of church discipline. Believers who had allegedly sinned would be accused, tried and then convicted by their peers – the verdict was decided by democratic vote. While the repentant were restored to fellowship, the obstinate were excommunicated, or to borrow from today’s parlance, “canceled.”

Cleansing the body politic

Baptists prosecuted their own for a panoply of offenses, including alcoholism, social dancing and erroneous beliefs. They disciplined white males for mistreating their wives and slaves, but they also disciplined wives for disobedience to their husbands.

At its height, the church discipline generated a massive turnover in membership. The historian Gregory Wills, in his book “Democratic Religion,” claims that Baptists in Georgia excommunicated more than 40,000 members in the years preceding the Civil War.

Church discipline relaxed over time and essentially disappeared by the end of the 1920s. But some Southern Baptists today aim to restore its place in congregational life as a bulwark against what they see as “moral relativism” and a way to address what they see as offenses such as homosexuality, sex outside of marriage and false teaching.

At first glance, evangelical disciplinarians and progressive “cancelers” may seem worlds apart. Yet I believe they share certain key features. They both express what can be described as a purity ethic that aims to root out behaviors deemed to be harmful from the body politic.

Both struggle with the question of appropriate response. Do the offender’s actions warrant exclusion? Is there an opportunity for rehabilitation and, if so, how is this achieved?

Both disciplining and canceling are also, in my view, acts of meaning-making that may be called religious. As the sociologist Peter Berger famously argued, religion erects a “sacred canopy” that provides order to one’s experience of the world. Secularization has, in many cases, transferred the function of religion to other domains, especially politics.

So, just as a Baptist in 1821 maintained his sacred canopy, the Kingdom of God, in part through upholding church discipline, a political activist in 2021 might maintain their “sacred canopy” – whether it is called “social justice” or “freedom” – by calling out opinions they consider too abhorrent to be tolerated in contemporary society.

[Explore the intersection of faith, politics, arts and culture. Sign up for This Week in Religion.]

Chance of reconciliation

We not only discover a form of “cancel culture” in the history of American evangelicalism, but also some examples of how to overcome the polarization that often defines its contemporary expressions.

In 1817, one “Brother Lancaster” was brought before the membership of Powelton Baptist Church for allowing dancing at his daughter’s wedding. Lancaster admitted his guilt but turned accuser, declaring that the church had neglected to address weightier sins, including favoritism of the rich over the poor. The pastor, Jesse Mercer, was brought to tears and prayed for reconciliation. The church welcomed Lancaster back in to the fold, then broke into song.

For a fractured nation, Lancaster’s story provides an important reminder from Stetzer’s and my ancestors in faith. The quest for moral accountability finds its greatest successes – and surprises – when rebuke and counterrebuke give way to authentic listening.

Editor’s note: The main image on this article was changed on May 1, 2021.

The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. The Conversation is wholly responsible for the content.

Rev. Dr. Christopher Schelin serves as an administrator and faculty member at Starr King School for the Ministry. His primary role is coordinating student services programs as the Dean of Students. As the Director of Contextual Education, he oversees praxis-oriented learning opportunities beyond the classroom, such as field education internships and clinical pastoral education.

This article originally appeared here.

1...689690691...1,192Page 690 of 1,192
855,266FansLike

New Articles

first Father’s Day in heaven

First Father’s Day in Heaven: Minister to Children Coping With Loss

Stephanie Martin -
The first Father’s Day in heaven can be difficult for children. Learn how to minister well to these students.
how to teach the Ten Commandments in a fun way

How To Teach The Ten Commandments in a Fun Way

Father’s Day devotion

Father’s Day Devotion Focuses on Dads As Encouragers

kids church games

Kids Church Games: 17 Just-for-Fun Children’s Ministry Activities

New Podcasts

Joby Martin

Joby Martin: What Happens When Pastors Finally Understand Grace

Jessica Lea -
Joby Martin joins “The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast” to discuss what happens when a church leader has truly been run over by the “grace train" and understands the profound love and grace of God.
Jennie Allen

Best of 2024—Jennie Allen: Why Church Leaders Need To Pay Attention...

Jon Acuff

Best of 2024: Jon Acuff—How To Pursue Success Without Destroying Your...

Libin Abraham

Libin Abraham on God’s Surprising Job Description for the Pastor

ChurchLeaders.com is dedicated to resourcing, informing, and connecting a community of church leaders for greater Kingdom impact worldwide.
Contact us: support@churchleaders.com

Company

Trending

Popular Categories

© ChurchLeaders