Singing Songs From Questionable Sources

June 2, 2020

I had already been working on this post when I received this email from Ethan:

“For the past year, I’ve struggled with the idea of playing ‘good’ songs (obviously room for defining some terms there…) from questionable ministries. In playing their songs, am I advocating for their entire ministry? In playing their songs, am I necessarily pushing my people toward their church (i.e., when the CCLI info pops up at the end of the song)?”

I took a stab at this question eight years ago when I wrote “Does it Matter Who Writes the Songs We Sing?” Since then, I’ve been asked the question so frequently I’ve tried to refine my thinking on this topic.

What Makes a Song Source “Questionable?”

Songs can be from “questionable” sources in at least three ways:

It’s recently come to light publicly that the composer of a song is living or has been living in unrepentant sin.
A composer is part of a denomination that teaches what you consider a distortion of the gospel.
The song springs from a church or ministry that has theology or practices you think are unbiblical.

Interestingly, I’ve visited websites and blogs that view Sovereign Grace Music as one of those “questionable sources,” usually because we’re continuationist, Reformed or use contemporary music styles.

So whatever your reasons for questioning the origins of a song, here are some thoughts.

First Things First

Let me start with some general observations.

First, to dismiss this conversation as irrelevant, petty or unnecessary (e.g., “Who are you to question my sincerity?”) fails to appreciate the diverse and deep ways songs affect our thoughts and emotions. It also minimizes the importance Scripture gives to singing (Eph. 5:18-20; Col. 3:16-17). To say, “It doesn’t matter who writes the songs we sing,” isn’t helpful, because it does matter to many people. In fact, I’m asked this question more than any other. By a long shot.

Second, exercising discernment isn’t the same thing as sinful judgment. Our culture often wrongly equates disagreement with disdain and insists that to make distinctions is to be condescending. But God tells us in Scripture to judge rightly, distinguish between those who should hear our message and who shouldn’t, be able to discern who a fool is, avoid people who cause divisions, and know the difference between sheep and wolves in sheep’s clothing (Jn. 7:24; Mt. 7:6; Prov. 13:20; Rom. 16:17; Mt. 7:15).

5 Reasons We Struggle to Be a Friend of Sinners

Matt Brown

June 2, 2020

Amazingly, Jesus, the most holy person to ever walk the face of the earth, was also known as a “friend of sinners” (see Matthew 11:19).

One of my pastors recently shared—out of all of the names and attributes of God throughout the Bible, there is only one that is actually attainable by you and me—friend of sinners.

Since we are called to follow Jesus, it should be our goal to be a friend of sinners as well.

But this can be a struggle for any Christian. Once we are saved out of sinful habits and destructive tendencies, it can be really easy to surround ourselves with only Christian friends, and Christian activities, and become insulated from the world around us that needs God so much.

When we get so wrapped up in what is known as the “Christian bubble,” we soon forget what it feels like to be “without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).

How can we get back to this holy calling of being a friend of sinners? What obstacles stand in our way? Here are five reasons I believe we can struggle to be a friend of sinners:

1. We’ve forgotten how much God loves the world.

John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” If you’ve forgotten how much God loves all people, even struggling sinners, read how God opened D.L. Moody’s eyes to his incredible love here.

Earlier this month, we had the opportunity to travel to Israel and visit some of the places of the Bible.

In Joffa, we saw the port where Jonah ran from the call of God to preach repentance to Nineveh. He was eventually swallowed by a large fish and spit up on the shore. In this very same port, many years later, the Apostle Peter stayed at a friend’s house and had a vision from God to preach the gospel to the Gentiles as well as Jews.

Interestingly, in this same area, God was repeatedly trying to get His message across to take His hope to lost and broken sinners.

We need God to break our hearts for what breaks His: a lost world. God’s heart breaks for millions of people in our world who are “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a Shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

God longs for people’s eyes to be opened, and the veil to be removed so they “see the bright light of the gospel in the face of Christ” (see 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:6).

2. We’ve filled our schedules too full.

One of our biggest challenges to doing what we know we ought to do is margin in our schedules.

In 1970, two psychologists discovered that not having enough time made the difference between seminary students being a good samaritan or passing by a person in need.

Learn to not pack your schedule so full of good things that you don’t have time for the best things. Leave spaces in your schedule to befriend and have real conversations with people who are far from God.

3. We’ve forgotten how to deeply connect with others.

In their book 5 Gears, Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cochram share the importance of learning to slow down and deeply connect with other people.

Sometimes we can get so busy rushing about life that we go months without deeply connecting with others. It’s important to shift gears, slow down and connect deeply with others. Including those who are outside the church.

4. We’ve forgotten how to be hospitable.

One of the most meaningful ways to connect deeply with others is through hospitality, and sharing meals together.

This is a simple and practical way we can take a step to befriend people outside the church: invite them over for a meal, or go out for a meal together.

And don’t start the conversation with your faith or the gospel. Connect with them, and share life with them. Unless the Lord impresses you, be patient to show the them gospel in your kindness and care, and when they “ask you about your hope” (1 Peter 3:15), they are primed to hear what God has meant to you.

5. We are too condemning.

If we spend too much of our energy on social media berating culture, we can seem unapproachable and harsh. We have to balance what we say with grace and love, and not pick a fight with every culture-war that pops up. People outside the church should see the love, compassion and grace of Jesus in our tone online and offline.

It’s unacceptable for Christians to be fundamentalists about every Scripture except for the loads of passages about the importance of showing love, kindness, gentleness and compassion. It’s not one or the other. We are called to spread truth, always with love and grace.

As Seth McBee stated, “Jesus must’ve known how to balance truth and love, because He definitely spoke the truth, and he still got invited to the parties.”

The Divorced-Deacon Dilemma

Joe McKeever

June 2, 2020

A safe course here would be to spend all our energies pursuing the multi-faceted question “Can a divorced person be a deacon?” and at the end, choose the safest and most reasonable exit without coming down on a firm position. But where’s the fun in that?

“Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.” (1 Timothy 3:11)

There it is. One simple sentence that has divided and perplexed and frustrated the Lord’s faithful people for eons.

Let’s state our position up front so there can be no doubt. As a general rule, divorce disqualifies a man from service as either a pastor or deacon. However, there are exceptions.

And by “exceptions,” I most definitely do not mean we must convene an investigating committee to search out the reasons for the man’s divorce and establish a) that he was sinned against or b) that he was unsaved at the time and has since come to the Lord. This kind of scrutiny over a person’s ancient history is outside the capability of any preacher on the planet. All we have to do is look at the Roman Catholic Church’s annulment processes to see a) how complex this can get and b) how hypocritical it all appears to the outside world. We will grant that their intent is good, but the product is a disaster.

The exception—that is, the divorced men who can be considered as deacons—applies when the divorce occurred decades ago and the man has lived an exemplary and godly life since.

That’s where I am at the moment. Good people will agree and disagree, and I’m fine by that. We each have to come to our own conclusion as to the Lord’s will.

This is an emotional, volatile subject.

Yesterday, I posted this question on Facebook: “Can a divorced person be a deacon?” An hour later, we had over 40 responses. This morning, the number is approaching 150. And as one might expect, the answers were all over the map.

Few people are without an opinion on this subject.

Anyone who wishes to see just how explosive a subject this is should stand in a church business conference and make a motion that the church change its stance on divorce.

Either way, it doesn’t matter. If your church ordains divorced people, move that it reconsider. If your church opposes ordaining the divorced, move that it consider changing and begin ordaining them. Then, stand back and watch the fur fly.

One has to wonder why people feel more passionate about this subject than issues of greater weight such as abortion or integrity or morality or world missions or the displaced people of Sudan or the starving children of Central Africa.

For our purposes here, suffice it to say, “They do.” (Pastors, be forewarned!)

Created for Community: Three Re-opening Options

Bryan Haley

June 2, 2020

I’ve heard lots of people talk about their longing and excitement for the grand reunion that will take place once life gets back to “normal.” Many churches even promoted their Easter Sunday worship as merely a mini-celebration of the resurrection—anticipating the real party once the congregation gathers together again in person after re-opening. I think this longing points to the fact that we were created to be in community—and I love hearing stories like this (but that’s for another article). Many churches wish that one Sunday a switch is going to flip and everything will go back to the way things were before. But this scenario seems unlikely. As we look to other parts of the world that are ahead of North America in the fight against COVID-19, there are few options we can consider. And, of course, this all depends on your area’s restrictions and guidelines.

Re-Opening Option 1: Continue to Meet Digitally Until Mass Gatherings Are Allowed

Looking at other places around the globe, the trend seems to point to a relaxing of rules followed later by more contracting—and this back and forth might continue until a vaccine has been created, approved, and available. So one option might be to remain fully digital until your region says all mass gatherings are safe to commence again. This is an especially attractive option for larger churches (more than 250) because being required to stop gathering in person a second (or third or fourth) time might be a lot harder on the congregation than the first time around.

Tip: If your church goes this route, it is vital to have a solid communication and connection strategy in place.

Re-Opening Option 2: Midweek Only

Chances are, your church gathers all together just once a week. Throughout the week, though, you have smaller ministries, gatherings, prayer times, Bible studies, and more that happen. One way to help provide in-person connection while also avoiding large gatherings would be to open your building to midweek ministries—those smaller gatherings of 10, 20, or even 50 people (depending on what government guidance is)—while keeping worship services all online. This might allow for quicker and deeper connection with your congregation because it’s smaller groups of people who are centering on a subject or theme. If you choose to go this route, be sure to communicate clearly your church’s plans to help keep the virus at bay through disinfecting and other means.

Tip: This could also be a great way to start (or revamp) your church’s small group ministry.

Re-Opening Option 3: Take a More Fluid Approach

Another option that your church may want to consider is taking a fluid approach to how your church is gathering each week. Most of our congregations have a strong desire to gather together again. While we can’t just snap our fingers and get back to normal, we can provide as many opportunities as possible for people to come together again. This could look like following your area’s guidance for group gatherings and amending your worship service schedule to meet the current needs. For example, let’s say you’re a church of 400. What if your state is only allowing groups to meet together 100 at a time? Your church could offer four service times on Sunday, along with live streaming. As the guidance expands and contracts, you could add or reduce services as needed. You could also ask people to RSVP to which service they plan to attend and make it more of a “ticketed” event to help ensure you’re following the guidelines in place. With this approach, in-home watch parties might also be an option for those unable to make the service in person.

Tip: Make sure you’re on top of your communication game if you want to take the fluid approach. There will be lots to communicate over the coming weeks, including changing service times, need to RSVP, etc.

As church members, we’re extremely excited to be back together in person. However, we need to recognize that in all likelihood we will not resume “normal” church life as soon as restrictions are lifted. Instead, let’s plan wisely so that we can lead our churches into new seasons of uncharted territory.

Has your church discussed ideas on what this next phase of ministry might look like? I’d love to hear what you’re planning—add a comment below!

This article originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Trump Abused ‘our sacred space’ with Photo Op, Bishop Says

Stephanie Martin

June 2, 2020

Hours after sustaining fire damage during riots in Washington, D.C., the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church near the White House became the center of another firestorm. Following a Rose Garden speech in which Donald Trump declared himself “an ally of all peaceful protesters” yet also threatened to deploy the military against unruly crowds, the president walked across the street to St. John’s and held up a Bible. “We have a great country,” Trump said, later adding, “We’re going to keep it nice and safe.”

The president didn’t address the ongoing protests across America—some of which have turned violent—or what sparked them: the death of George Floyd, a black man, in the custody of Minneapolis police.

Bishop Decries Abuse of ‘our sacred space’

The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of Washington’s Episcopal Diocese, quickly spoke out against Trump’s unexpected stop at St. John’s. No one reached out beforehand about “using the church as a backdrop in that way,” she says. “I was outraged that [Trump] felt that he had the license to do that, and that he would abuse our sacred symbols and our sacred space in that way.”

Budde says of the president: “He did not pray. He did not offer a word of balm or condolence to those who are grieving. He did not seek to unify the country.” Her faith tradition, Budde says, doesn’t support Trump’s “incendiary response to a wounded, grieving nation” but rather aligns itself “with those seeking justice” for Floyd’s death, “in faithfulness to our Savior who lived a life of nonviolence and sacrificial love.”

When asked if Trump was welcome in the future at St. John’s, known as “the church of the presidents,” Budde said all citizens are welcome “to kneel before God in humility.” And when asked what she’d preach to the president, she replied, “I would give him the same message I would give to all of us: That we have to look deep, we have to go to the root causes of the pain that we are witnessing. We have to keep our focus on the sacredness of every human life and the outrage and anguish that we are hearing from so many of our nation’s young people and people of color.”

Other Faith Leaders Respond to Photo Op

A range of religious leaders echoed Budde’s anger. Jesuit priest Father James Martin tweeted: “This is revolting. The Bible is not a prop. A church is not a photo op. Religion is not a political tool. And God is not a plaything.” Rabbi Jack Moline, Interfaith Alliance president, called the incident “one of the most flagrant misuses of religion I have ever seen.”

On Tuesday morning, a group of D.C.-area African-American Baptist pastors received permission to pray and speak in front of St. John’s. “We are enraged as local pastors,” one said, and call “for repentance of this president and this government.” Another referred to Trump’s photo op as “the rape of a church and God’s Holy Word.”

Southern Baptist Convention president J.D. Greear said in a statement, “The Bible is a book we should hold only with fear and trembling, given to us that in it we might find eternal life. Our only agenda should be to advance God’s kingdom, proclaim his gospel, or find rest for our souls.”

Franklin Graham, a Trump supporter, tweeted that the president “made a statement” in front of St. John’s Monday evening, proclaiming that “God & His Word are the only hope for our nation.”

Trump adviser Johnnie Moore also praised the president’s appearance at St. John’s, tweeting that Trump’s “in-total-control walk” to the church defied “those who aim to derail our national healing by spreading fear, hate & anarchy.”

On ChristianityToday.com, Ed Stetzer and Andrew MacDonald describe Trump’s photo op as “jarring and awkward,” writing, “It did not play well, even with many of the president’s supporters.” They add, however, that the Bible’s contents have the power to “heal our deepest wounds and cut through the most hardened hearts.”

White Prayer Vigil Participants Confess ‘years and years of racism’

Jessica Mouser

June 2, 2020

Violence has erupted throughout the country in response to the death of George Floyd, but two ministry leaders in Houston—one white and one black—are showing people a different way. The two men led a prayer vigil Sunday, and the event featured a powerful moment when the white participants knelt in front of the black participants, asking for their forgiveness.

“I believe you came here because you agree that we owe the black community an apology,” said Bobby “Tre9” Herring, who organized the event with Pastor Johnny Gentry. “Maybe it’s for neglect. Maybe it’s for the fact that we just didn’t get involved in helping the black community. Maybe it’s something we said. Maybe it’s our stereotypes. Maybe it’s just being insensitive altogether. I don’t know what yours is…For me as a white man, I’m going to own that. We can bring true healing if we start owning it.”

Herring is a Christian rap artist and the founder of the non-profit Eyes on Me, which serves at-risk youth and their families in the Houston area. He and Gentry, the pastor of Free Indeed Church International told Fox 26 Houston that they are calling their meetings (which are essentially prayer walks) “praytests,” in order to differentiate them from the violence occurring elsewhere in the nation. Herring posted on his social accounts Saturday, showing people walking through Houston and praying at various places.

View this post on Instagram

#Praytests happening all over the city. Started in Greenspoint today. I’ll be a poor excuse of a man before I sit back and watch the enemy write the narrative about Christians and how we respond. Some say we don’t do nothing as the church, or even as white people specifically to combat racism, hate and violence against the oppressed. Not in Houston, TX we do not sit back and watch. We aren’t reactive we are proactive. We’ve been screaming out for laborers for 11 years and there is no reason why anyone should become social media hate mongers when you choose to do nothing to bring the solution. Where will everyone be when the media stops covering the protests? We always tend to go back to our comfort zones. Well now that God has touched your heart and fired you up saints let’s go! We can make a move on the enemy right now. This prayer walk is just the beginning, we got lots more to do, DM me and plug in. #GLOBEMovement #houstonriots #houstonriot #prayforchange #prayerwalking #multiethnicchurch #unity #onechurch #missionaryminded #blacklivesmatter #alllivesmatter #policelivesmatter #proactivevents #communitylove #greenspoint #Christians #tre9warcry #eyesonmeinc #hiphophopemissions #dtsbrotherhood #ldtssisterhood #disciplethestreets #justiceforgeorgefloyd #georgefloyd #georgefloydprotest #georgefloydpraytests

A post shared by Tre9 (@tre9online) on May 30, 2020 at 1:30pm PDT

Gentry: Prayer Vigil Was ‘prophetic and historic’

On Sunday afternoon, a diverse group of hundreds of people met in the pouring rain for a prayer vigil at Cuney Homes in Houston’s Third Ward. George Floyd grew up playing basketball there, and the crowd gathered at a basketball court with Floyd’s name written in the center of it.

Herring and Gentry had written out prayers on index cards and asked a few people to pray in front of everyone there. When the prayer circle ended, Herring said he “felt the burden” to ask people to separate by race and face each other on either side of the court. After they did so, he told those standing behind him that he had no problem if anyone disagreed with what they were about to do and preferred to leave, but he wanted to kneel in repentance before those gathered from the black community and ask their forgiveness. Herring emphasized that “other stats” that could be brought up were irrelevant and that it didn’t even matter how much he personally already serves in the black community. The point, he said, is that right now the black community is hurting. “That hurts me,” said Herring, “because I’m part of the body, and when one part hurts, we all hurt.”

So the white attendees knelt behind Herring, who led them in a prayer of confession to those standing before them on the other side of the court. Kneeling opposite Gentry, Herring asked God’s forgiveness for “years and years of racism, of systematic racism, of bigotry, of hate.” He prayed that God would raise up people who would “get involved” and become friends, allies, and neighbors to those in the black community. “We honor them,” said Herring. “God, we love them. You love them.”

As Herring was finishing his prayer, the black participants also knelt down. Several of them were crying. Gentry asked the people now kneeling behind him, “If ya’ll receive it, when I count to three, can you say, ‘We receive it’?” He then counted to three, and the crowd behind him proclaimed, “We receive it!”

The two groups continued kneeling across from each other with bowed heads. Herring and Gentry clasped hands, and the pastor offered a prayer in response to Herring’s confession. “You are the God of reconciliation,” said Gentry, as those behind him affirmed his words. “Not only do we receive their repentance but, God, we repent as the black community for holding unforgiveness, for acting out of anger, for Father God, failing our own community at times.”

Gentry later said, “Today was prophetic and historic. The white community repented to the black community for generations of systematic racism and injustice. The black community received and reciprocated repentance.”

On Facebook, Herring described his feelings leading up to the moment he decided to lead people in that prayer at the prayer vigil. “I kept wrestling with what to say to whoever showed up, regardless of how many, or their status,” he said. “It only left my stomach in knots, my mind cluttered & my heart heavy all day long. My thoughts were all over the place & I couldn’t bring myself to write a speech or make special plans so I said to God, ‘Will you please use my mouth to speak your words during our time together?’” He added, “All day I kept thinking about how George Floyd’s legacy should be honorable and spark a unified movement, rather than the violence and division we are seeing everywhere.”

Gentry echoed that sentiment when he explained the mindset of the “praytest” movement to Fox 26 News. “Let’s not tear up our cities,” he said. “Let’s not dishonor authority. Let’s not dishonor others. Let’s do what we have to do but keep it respectable and honorable so others can align with us.”

Gentry and Herring are planning more “praytests” this week, including another prayer vigil this evening. Reflecting on Sunday afternoon, Gentry said, “Powerful. I’m speechless and in awe of God.”

Pastor, Calvin Seminary Grad and Wife Killed in Tiv-Jukun Conflict

Megan Briggs

June 2, 2020

tiv — Screengrab Facebook @Emmanuel Bileya

A pastor serving the Christian Reformed Church in Nigeria (CRCN), Emmanuel Bileya, and his wife, Juliana, have been killed. The couple was attacked while working their farm in Taraba state, Nigeria. They leave behind eight children and a congregation full of believers. Just a few weeks ago, Bileya wrote to his friends in the United States asking for their prayers as his town in Nigeria was immersed in a tribal conflict between the Tiv and the Jukun.

“Sometimes I feel like leaving Nigeria to work somewhere else that is more peaceful. I am tired of the insurgencies, communal clashes, armed robbery, kidnappings, poor economic that renders us live hand to mouth, and other serious vices. GOD THE SOVEREIGN IS OUR ONLY HOPE,” Bileya wrote in his letter.

Bileya had the chance to study in the United States at two different religious institutions. The pastor attended Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan and The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Jacksonville, Florida.

Tribal Tensions Between Tiv and Jukun/Itchen

At Calvin Seminary, Bileya studied under John Witvliet, who shared an excerpt from Bileya’s letter on his Facebook page. The letter goes into detail about the tribal conflict plaguing the local government area (LGA) in which Bileya lived: Donga LGA, in Taraba State, Nigeria. Bileya, who belonged to the Jukun/Itchen tribe, did not shy away from describing the violence perpetrated by both the Jukun and the Tiv:

Please, pray for my Local Government Area (Donga LGA, in Taraba State of Nigeria). It is a very very serious matter beyond Corona Virus pandemic: It is war. Tiv tribe is in a serious war with my people and where I work (Jukun/Itchen tribe). So far more than 10 of our (Jukun/Itchen) villages have been completely destroyed and people killed. The Jukun/Itchen tribe has retaliated by destroying Tiv tribe’s villages and killing their people as well. This war has been going on for about a month now in my area, since April 2020. The Tivs have destroyed our churches and rumoured that they plan to come to destroy the church where I am working at, which is in Itchen town called Mararraba located in Donga LGA of Taraba State in Nigeria. For some time now, many people have fled the town for safety including my family but I have remained in Mararraba praying and hoping for God’s restoration of peace and protection of the town and church.

Both the Tiv and Jukun tribes have been majorly sustained by farming and leaving together in Jukun area. The Tiv have been migrating to the Jukun land in mass, looking for fertile farmland. Also, both the Tiv and Jukun people are majorly Christians and both their churches the NKST of Tiv and the CRCN of dominantly Jukun were planted in Nigeria by the same missionaries and are of the Reformed faith affiliation (Calvinists).

The truth is that the war started from a farm dispute. An Itchen man, a member of my branch church in an Itchen village called Gidan-Adamu kindly gave part of his farmland to a Tiv man to farm. But this year, 2020, the Tiv man encroached more into the Itchen man’s farmland of which the owner disagreed. A farm dispute resolution committee with a membership of both Tiv and Itchen was set up to resolve the issue. Although yet to be resolved the Tiv man invited a team of 200 Tiv people who came in mass and with guns and forcefully went ahead to farm on the Ichen man’s farm. When the Itchen man so them and tried to stop them they beat the life out of him to the point of death leaving laying on the ground supposedly dead with 3 marched cuts on his head. He was brought to a hospital in Mararraba where I visited him in the theatre while the doctors were still stitching his head wounds. He survived. While we were trying to calm the situation in town Itchen youths retaliated by beating a Tiv man on his farm. After this, after 2 days Tivs shot 4 of my church members who decided to leave Gidan-Adamu village to a different peaceful village to look for a job: 2 were killed 2 survived. I buried the 2 boys. In summary, the Tiv people attacked the Gidan-Adamu village 2 times without success but succeeded on the 3rd attempt, they killed some of the villagers and burnt down the whole village with our branch church and the pastorium. The next day the Tiv again attacked and burnt down a neighbouring Itchen village called Gankwe on the same area (where a colleague pastor of our church lost all his belongings + school certificates, he and his family stayed with me for some days before moving to a safer place). The Tiv went ahead to burn down more Jukun/Itchen villages, they destroyed 8 Jukun villages serially. At this, the Jukun youth went to their hideouts to stop them and so we are now in a fullfledged war against each other. The Tivs have succeeded in destroying more than 10 villages of the Jukuns and the Jukuns have also burnt down more than 5 of the Tiv villages. Many lives and properties have been lost.

Bileya went on to explain that he believed there weren’t enough security personnel in the region to quell the fighting due to the coronavirus lockdown, the fight against Boko Haram, and “other serious insurgencies” occurring in Nigeria. Witvliet indicates Bileya had been communicating about the ongoing conflicts in Nigeria for several years.

Robert Morris: Why Many White Christians Don’t Understand Racial Tension

Megan Briggs

June 2, 2020

Robert Morris believes the reason America still has a problem with racism is due, in part, to the church. The pastor of Gateway Church in Dallas, Texas addressed his congregation several years ago on Sunday, October 15, 2017, and discussed the country’s ongoing racial tension then. Tragically, his message is just as timely today as it was then.

“We have a problem in our country and I believe obviously all of us know Jesus is the answer,” Morris begins, “but I believe the reason we still have this problem today is because of the church. I don’t believe the church has taken the stand that the church needs to take [on racism], and I want us as a church to take a stand.”

Morris then employs a water bottle to explain the havoc misunderstanding is wreaking on the nation. Holding the bottle up, with its brand logo facing the audience, Morris asks “What word do you see?” The congregation replies with the brand name. Then Morris, looking from his perspective, tells them “I don’t see that. The word…is not on this side.”

The climax of his practical illustration about racial tension lies in these words: “I’ll never see what you see until I take the time to walk around the bottle.”

Morris then relates the illustration to the current racial tension and arguments around racism embroiling the U.S.: “We have a problem in our country, mainly because white people don’t understand. It’s really true. And we need to take the time to walk around the issue and see what our brothers and sisters are seeing and see what they’re feeling.”

Morris encourages the congregation, which from crowd shots featured in the following video, looks to be predominately white, not to argue about protests or demonstrations. Instead of arguing, he insists, take the time to understand what your brothers and sisters are trying to say. He also instructs them not to see it simply as an issue or as history, “but as people.”

Morris is the lead pastor of the Texas megachurch, which is the largest congregation in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The church sees a weekly average attendance of 36,000 people across its seven campuses (one of which is in Arizona).

What the Bible Says About Racism

In his sermon, Morris states there are 7 reasons that racism is “pure sin.”

Racism is pure evil.

2. Racism is pure self-righteousness.

3. Racism violates the Great Commission.

4. Racism violates the Great Commandment.

5. Racism questions God’s creation.

6. Racism questions God’s plan.

7. Racism questions God.

Watch Robert Morris’ entire sermon about racial tension here.

If We Can’t Sing in Church…

David Manner

June 2, 2020

Most of us have seen the articles, blog posts and videos this last week indicating the potential for a higher level of asymptomatic spread and aerosolization of COVID-19 through choral and congregational singing. The emotional responses from music and worship leaders run the gamut of fear and grief to outright denial. What if we can’t sing in church?

It is obviously still too early to be certain how these theories will play out and influence our musical worship in the future. What is certain, however, is that even if our congregations and choirs can’t sing together for a season, worship can and will still occur. It may look different but it most certainly won’t disappear.

An older member of one of my previous congregations was a fine vocalist and instrumentalist when he was younger. But because of laryngeal cancer surgery, he could no longer sing and even had to learn a new way to talk. One Sunday while leading congregational singing I observed this gentleman whistling the songs as other congregants sang. Just because he was physically unable to sing didn’t keep him from actively participating in worship. He just had to figure out a new way to do it.

If We Can’t Sing in Church, How Will We Worship?

Worship leaders, if our congregants and choirs aren’t able to worship through singing, then it will be our responsibility and calling, by the way, to help them figure out a new way to do it. Our methods might have to change but our calling to lead and their calling to respond certainly hasn’t changed.

This conversation is not that different than the conversations we had a couple of decades ago when worship styles and methods changed. As leaders, we often encouraged and even admonished our congregations that even though “we’ve never done it like this before” it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t or couldn’t. Some of us as worship leaders need to have that same conversation with ourselves as we lead through this uncertain future.

Oh, if we can’t sing and worship through congregational and choral songs for a season we will definitely need to spend some time lamenting what we no longer have. But once we’ve had that opportunity to ask God why we have to walk through this desert, we’ll need to move pretty quickly from those complaints to “but I trust in You, O Lord.” Then we’ll need to figure out a new way to do it because our congregations will need it and our God will expect it.

This article about if we can’t sing in church originally appeared here.

Increasing Struggle With Mental Health … 3 Thoughts for Church Leaders

Eric Geiger

June 2, 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought significant disruption to community, structure, exercise, and meaningful work. Therefore, the pandemic is having a devastating impact on people’s mental health. People we love in our churches and in our communities are struggling. While we were rightly concerned about surges in Covid-19 cases, we should also be concerned about the surges in the struggle with mental health, specifically anxiety and depression. How should we be responding to the increasing mental health challenges in the midst of this pandemic?

Here are three thoughts to help people who struggle with mental health:

1. Recognize when we struggle and help people recognize when they struggle with mental health.

This is not a time for Christian clichés or trite statements that are divorced from the painful season surrounding us. While we must, as ministry leaders, be optimistic and faith-filled, we must not minimize the loss that people are feeling or rush through the grieving people are experiencing. Yes, we must use this time as an opportunity to make the best use of everything and point people to Jesus. But we must simultaneously recognize the pain and loss around us. This includes being honest about our own sense of loss and struggle and being honest about our own struggles.

Though I have not done this perfectly, I have attempted to help our team and our church grieve in this season. I have led our team to share things we are grieving, losses we are experiencing. We will hold a special worship service next Monday night to help people lament. I have tried to be honest about my own struggle with mental health in this time – the losses I am feeling. People won’t cry out for help if they don’t think they need help, so we should model that all of us are in need of help.

2. Fight and help people fight.

When you understand the predictors for mental health that psychologists have pointed to for years, it is no surprise that people are struggling more in this season. For example, being in community with others is a proven way to fight for your mental health and peace. It is not the only way, but it is an important way. Isolation hurts us, and it is much easier to surrender to isolation in the midst of a global pandemic.

It would be a mistake to “wait until everything is back to normal” to resume providing opportunities for community and connection for people in our churches. While I do not believe a small group over Zoom is as effective or as desirable as a group in person, it is what we have now. And we must help people fight for their spiritual and mental health by making it as easy as possible to be in a group. Especially in this time! As a church we are moving hundreds of people to groups and helping our existing groups gather digitally. It is a lot of work, but it is so important.

At the same time, fight for your own mental health. Take an honest look at what has been lost. If your exercise routine has been disrupted, fight to find a new one. If structures have been dismantled, fight to put some new ones in place. As a church leader you are not immune to the challenge and struggle with mental health.

3. Call for help and help people call for help.

If you need help, ask for it. And help people in the church call for help by providing a simple path to do so – such as a number to call or text. Make it as easy as you can to help people call for help in the midst of this overwhelming season. If you have people on your team or in your church that are experienced with issues surrounding mental health and can help, rely on those people. If you do not, find people in your community who can help and quickly build pathways for your people to those experienced experts.

This article about helping people who struggle with mental health originally appeared here.

The Chocolate Hummus of Ministries Left Behind

Allen White

June 2, 2020

The Coronavirus pandemic has created some interesting times for life and ministry. Back in March 2020 toilet paper disappeared from the store shelves along with hand sanitizer. While the second one made sense in combating a virus, the first one was a bit of a puzzle.

What also seemed curious were the items left behind on store shelves. Items that didn’t appear on anyone’s shopping list included things like chickpea-based linguine, chocolate hummus, dryer sheets, obscure canned veggies like artichokes and asparagus spears, plant-based proteins, and oddly enough, Dasani bottled water. “Chocolate hummus is the canary in the coal mine. If you see it selling out, it’s time to start fleeing into the woods,” according to Aaron Mak in a post on Slate.com.

What Are Churches Leaving Behind?

Once stay-at-home orders too place, churches went online. Worship services went online. Small groups went online. Giving went online. But, some things got left behind.

In a recent survey of churches across North America, pastors reported not only what they stopped doing, but also what they’re not bringing back. This included things like the church bulletin, working at the church office, tons of physical meetings, large group speaking events, and too much programming.

One shift is to stop gauging the church’s success on Sunday worship attendance. One pastor wrote, “We need a more unified and thoughtful approach going forward.”

Scarcity brings clarity. What will your church leave behind?

What Are Churches Starting and Keeping?

Every church represented in the survey reported a much stronger online worship attendance after March 1, 2020 than their average weekend attendance in February 2020. While some churches just expanded the reach of an existing online campus or streaming service, others have discovered that through online services, they are engaging a larger part of their congregations and attracting people outside of their church (often outside of their state!).

Churches are also engaging in an uptick of personal ministry. Pastors are using text messages, phone calls, personal emails, handwritten notes, and of course, Zoom meetings. The overall tone of ministry has become more informal and more experimental. Restrictions have forced churches to rethink the methods in fulfilling their mission.

This is a time of learning. The church is learning what to do and what not to do. The church is discovering what really matters, what doesn’t seem to matter, and what used to matter. And, of course, the church is waiting. Waiting on the Lord is a good thing.

The church is discovering that it’s much more than a Sunday service in a building. We’ve all said that, but now we’ve lived it. As Alan Hirsch says the church is playing chess without the queen. With the queen of the worship service gone, it’s a chance for the church to see what all of the other chess pieces can do without her. That’s not saying the on-campus worship service shouldn’t come back. But, it is causing everyone to look at what is working during a crisis.

A while back someone said, “Right now everything is a startup.” How is your church a startup? How are you innovating? What have you discovered?

And, most importantly, what is the chocolate hummus in your church?

This article about ministries left behind originally appeared here.

Jack Brewer: Racism Is a Spiritual Enemy, Not a Physical One

Megan Briggs

June 1, 2020

Jack Brewer, a former safety for the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, spoke to Fox News’ Martha MacCallum about the protests that turned into riots in some U.S. cities this weekend.

“It’s emotionally draining to write this often about unarmed black men losing their life at the hands of evil individuals…it’s even more draining to watch polarization and identity politics being used to divide us following a brother or sister’s tragic loss of life. This is definitely a war—I just hope we keep our eye on the actual enemy,” Brewer wrote in an op-ed for Fox News on Friday.

The real enemy, according to Brewer, is evil itself, or Satan. “We live in a world where Satan drives racism.” As Brewer sees it, the fight against racism isn’t one “of the flesh” but rather a spiritual battle.

We won’t solve the problem by “blaming it on President Trump, blaming it on the mayor, blaming it on the governor,” Brewer explains. Rather, what he thinks we need to do instead of looking for a politician to blame is to repent. “Our country has a long history of oppression toward black people, of a police culture that has not been very good.”

Brewer believes most Americans agree on the need to address racial injustice and police misconduct. In fact, Brewer says he’s spoken to people across the country, including police officers, who agree that George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police was “a horrible thing.” This tragedy of Floyd’s death should have united us, but Brewer believes “we can’t get away from identity politics long enough to address “the sick and evil enemy of racism.”

Brewer also brought up the Atlanta riot, which occurred in a city where “there is so much prosperity for African Americans and that’s so rich in history.” Brewer believes the act of rioting in Atlanta is akin to “fighting this [spiritual enemy] physically. It’s fighting it in the flesh.” Brewer also likened the rioting to making all white cops feel like they’re evil. “There are men and women of God that are going out there fighting and scratching to protect and serve their communities. We can’t let something that one or two percent of people are doing and let that become the reality for the entire country. That’s just not true.”

Although Brewer emphasized we cannot fight against racism in a physical or fleshly way, he indicated he has hope for Americans to get through this current season of unrest. “I think as a nation we can come together and win this war against evil.”

D.C. Protesters Set Historic ‘church of the presidents’ on Fire

Stephanie Martin

June 1, 2020

church of the presidents — Demonstrators start a fire as they protest the death of George Floyd, Sunday, May 31, 2020, near the White House in Washington. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Cleanup is underway today after a weekend of protests and demonstrations throughout America. One of the many buildings that suffered damage is St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., near the White House. The National Historic Landmark, built in 1815, is called “the church of the presidents” and has a pew reserved for the Commander in Chief.

Every U.S. leader since James Madison has attended at least one worship service at St. John’s, and every president since Franklin D. Roosevelt has attended a prayer service there before being sworn in.

Fire Was Contained in a Basement of ‘church of the presidents’

Sunday afternoon in D.C., crowds peacefully protested the death of George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man allegedly killed by Minneapolis police. But as night fell, demonstrations grew violent. In Lafayette Park, where St. John’s sits, protesters smashed windows and threw bottles at police. Someone ripped down the U.S. flag outside St. John’s and threw it into nearby flames. Another person spray-painted anti-Trump graffiti on church walls. Then shortly before the city’s 11 p.m. curfew, the parish house was set on fire.

A fire department spokesman says the blaze “didn’t seem to have spread very much,” adding, “I guess God was on [the church’s] side.” No one from “the church of the presidents” was inside during the blaze.

In a Monday update, the Rev. Rob Fisher, the church’s rector, reports that the “small fire in the parish house basement” was contained to the nursery. Though other basement areas have smoke and water damage, “the rest of the church and parish house is untouched except for some exterior graffiti, which the city’s graffiti team has already covered up.”

Fisher expresses gratitude for “the support and messages” St. John’s has received, and he requests prayers “for our community and our country.” Earlier on Sunday, the rector said the church’s “most valuable items” had been secured as well as possible.

Tensions Continue to Run High

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has set a new curfew time of 7 p.m. for Monday and Tuesday. “We applaud the American spirit of protest,” she says. “However, we will not allow the continued destruction of our hometown.”

During the peaceful portion of Sunday’s protests, D.C. police escorted marchers from Howard University, a historically black school, to Lafayette Square. Protester Elizabeth Betts, who carried a sign reading “Even in the middle of a pandemic, cops are killing us,” tells NPR, “We are at a point where it’s the same story, the same things are happening. I’m tired of this.”

The Right Rev. Mariann Budde, bishop of Washington’s Episcopal Diocese, is from Minneapolis, the site of Floyd’s death. “There are a lot of things to be heartbroken about,” she says, “but obviously we wanted the church to be a place of haven and safety.”

Budde, who doesn’t support violence or property destruction, urges people to focus on the initial reasons for the protests: racial inequality and police brutality. “A building can be rebuilt,” she tweets. “The deeper wounds of our nation remain our focus.”

Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s May 25 death, is being held in a Minnesota jail. His first court appearance, initially scheduled for today, has been postponed until June 8.

What This Pastor Observed at the Atlanta Riot

Maina Mwaura

June 1, 2020

Atlanta riot — Image courtesy of Maina Mwaura

One of the characteristics that journalists and ministers have in common is that we’re called not to make the story about us, which is why, as a Black man, writing about the riots and racial injustice in America is difficult. I have the privilege of wearing two hats in my career calling as a minister and journalist. There is a specific subject matter that needs to be shared when I wear my journalist hat, and there is a specific story of a Savior that needs to be shared when I wear my minister hat.

But the protests across our nation moved me to leave my house in Kennesaw, Georgia, and venture into the heart of Atlanta where riots were occurring. I wanted to learn why people, mainly those belonging to Generation Z, decided to riot and loot after what began as a peaceful protest about justice for George Floyd, a Black man who died after a White Minneapolis police officer pinned him down by his neck for several minutes. To be clear, I don’t think we should ever put ourselves in jeopardy, but I was compelled to better understand and connect with a hurting generation.

What I Learned About Gen Z From the Atlanta Riot

As a result of my experience that evening, I have uncovered seven distinct characteristics of this younger generation and how we should engage with them:

A Collective “I Can’t Breathe”: The book of Genesis ends on a high note for God’s people. Yet when we turn the page to the book of Exodus, it is clear that things have changed. Exodus 1:8 makes it known that a new generation knew nothing of Joseph and the God he served. Generational shift doesn’t always bring along the knowledge of past generations, nor the understanding of a new generation.

In speaking with some of the people during the Atlanta riot, it became obvious to me that they were hurting and wanted to be heard. I in no way condone violence, but we have to realize that in order to minister to this generation, we have to acknowledge and empathize with their hurt. This past week we all witnessed another life being brutally taken on social media and national TV. That is a lot to take in for a lot of people, and when a group of people is wounded, they may act out in hurtful ways.

We must give them room to react.

Unheard: When I left my house late that Friday night with my friend and security guard Reggie Fields, I asked the Lord to allow me to hear what people were saying. I’ve never been a part of a riot before. I will always remember the screaming, yelling, gunfire, and the sirens which are now forever etched in my mind.

When I asked why they were doing what they were doing, for many, it was to be heard. Although the protest began as an effort to seek justice after the tragic in-custody death of George Floyd, protestors are also working to fight for overarching racial justice and equality.

We must listen first—and listen a lot.

Anger: You don’t go from a peaceful protest to a full-blown riot without present anger. New mental health concerns, suicides, unknown futures, and myriad voices telling them what to believe is seemingly awakening a generation that is already angry. When I asked a young woman why she was acting out she yelled back, “I’m just angry.” I could see it in her eyes and demeanor.

As politics bleeds into our calling as believers, and our posture on positions can cause the best of us to be frustrated or lash out, peace bridges barriers and communication gaps.

We must remain calm.

Entitlement: If anger is the mixture that breeds rioting, then entitlement is the mixture that spawns looting. As Cassandra ran toward me with a few boxes of stolen Jimmy Choo shoes in her hands, I asked her why she was stealing the shoes. She yelled back, “These are my shoes.”

It hit me that some of the looters thought that what they were stealing was actually theirs. Somewhere their perspective of life allows them to believe that looting was the answer and okay to do because there was some debt to be repaid to them.

She Left Her Job to Help Sex Trafficking Survivors. This Is What She Learned.

Jessica Mouser

June 1, 2020

The plight of women and children trapped in prostitution was not on Jeanne Allert’s radar until, about 13 years ago, when a group of people from a nearby church invited her to their street outreach in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. The experience of meeting women who were being sexually exploited and were in need of shelter care had a dramatic impact on Allert.

“It just struck me so profoundly,” she says. “It didn’t make sense that this would happen in America.”

One of the people Allert met was Heather. Heather had not come from a stereotypically rough background. She had grown up in a small town, the daughter of a single mother. Her mom’s boyfriend took a lot of interest in Heather, and he continued keeping in touch with her after he broke up with her mom. Eventually, he convinced Heather to run away with him. She was 14 years old.

After Heather agreed to go with her mom’s ex-boyfriend, he trafficked her up and down the I-95 corridor for four years, during which time she became addicted to drugs. He left her on the streets of Baltimore once she was no longer of use to him. “That was around the time that I met her,” says Allert, “and that wrecked me.”

So in 2007, Allert left her lucrative D.C. consulting company and used her savings to buy an abandoned 23-acre estate in Baltimore where she established The Samaritan Women (TSW), an organization that provides holistic, restorative care to women who have been trapped in domestic sex trafficking. Over the next decade, TSW would serve over 100 young women referred from across the country. Allert and her team developed their unique Care Model and began mentoring other agencies in this form of ministry.

The ‘tremendous gap’ in Shelter Care

“For the last 12 to 13 years,” says Allert, “we have been providing direct service to survivors of domestic sex trafficking who are referred to us from all over the country. About 22 different states have sent us young women.”

What TSW does is commonly called “shelter care.” “Restorative care” is a term Allert’s organization coined for their particular model, one they are now teaching to others around the U.S. When TSW first started, people in the States were barely aware that domestic sex trafficking was occurring, much less how widespread the problem is. Even though there is greater awareness now, it is still difficult to find exact numbers of how many people are being exploited.

The University of Texas at Austin did a study in 2017 that reported 79,000 child victims in Texas alone. The same study found there has been “an estimated 846 percent increase in reports of child sex trafficking in the U.S. from 2010 to 2015, making it the fastest growing crime in the world.”

The University of Louisville in Kentucky released a study in 2019 that reviewed 698 cases of child sex trafficking in the state of Kentucky, and those were only cases that had been documented. Furthermore, the city of Atlanta is “one of the biggest hubs of sex trafficking nationwide.” One study found that 7,200 children are exploited every month just in that city.

So what does care look like for those who are being trafficked? As of March 2020, TSW has identified 136 shelters across the U.S. that serve those who have been sexually exploited. Sixteen states in the country have no shelter program at all, and 12 have only one. The shelters that do exist account for fewer than 1,100 beds. “So you look at those few studies that are starting to bubble up,” says Allert, “and the sheer number of victims, and those are just child victims, not even accounting for adults, and you can see there is a tremendous gap in shelter care.”

A Four-Step Action Plan for Churches and Non-Profits to Restore Finances Following the Pandemic

John Madison

June 1, 2020

The coronavirus has created many challenges for families and businesses across our nation. The financial devastation caused by COVID-19 has been rapid and unprecedented. The sudden job losses for millions of American families have left many struggling with buying even the bare necessities.

Churches and non-profits are not immune to the downturn. Charitable donations are often the first spending to be cut and the last to return during a financial crisis. However, the monetary needs of churches not only continue during economic downturns but often increase as they help meet the needs of their community. As with families across America, non-profits need an action plan to pro-actively address their financial challenges and continue their vital work. As C.S. Lewis once said, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

Serving as Treasurer and Board member for two non-profits, I know how difficult these times are for many charities. So, here are some important steps for churches and other non-profits to consider as they deal with the pandemic.

Assess the situation.

Proverbs 27:23 instructs believers to, “Be diligent to know the state of your flocks and attend to your herds.” This sage advice applies to the church as well. No effective action plan can be created without an honest assessment of the current financial situation, so don’t forgo this important initial step.

First, pray for guidance and wisdom, and continue to do so. It’s important to act quickly, but also thoughtfully. Understand your situation by undertaking a genuine self-assessment. Where have spending needs increased? Are contributions down and if so, by how much? What unmet needs exist in your community?

Pull together the management team and Board of Directors to help prioritize the various church programs to cover critical ministries first, then proactively seek out options to help meet those key programs.

Improve cash flow.

Once the initial assessment is complete, steps can be undertaken to improve the cash flow for the church. Here are several strategies to consider:

Speed up the collection of donor pledges. Some families may be able to accelerate their promised donations if they are made aware of the need.
Speak to the donors of restricted funds about converting the restricted dollars to unrestricted. Perhaps a donor gave funds for a building project, scholarship fund, or upcoming mission trip. Ask if they would consider releasing the restriction so the funds could be used for any pressing need of the church.
For ticketed events that have been canceled, ask ticket purchasers if they would donate the ticket price instead of receiving a refund.
Contact key funders about increasing or accelerating their giving in this time of need.
Teach giving strategies that many not impact the donor’s immediate cash flow. Such strategies include donating appreciated securities, giving via a donor-advised fund, and Qualified Charitable Contributions.
Create and publicize multiple ways for donors to give. These would include mailing checks or dropping them off at the church, encouraging the use of bank bill-pay services, and offering on-line giving options that donors can use from their smartphone or computer. Put instructions and links for giving on your church web site.
Reduce or eliminate non-mission-critical expenses. For instance, many Sunday school classes are not meeting. Can subscriptions for class materials be temporarily halted to save money or to redeploy to more pressing needs?
Collaborate with nearby churches to share non-financial resources. For example, combining purchasing may reduce the overall cost, while technology resources (such as those used for the recording or broadcasting of services) may be shared to eliminate duplicate expenditures.
Many lenders are allowing skip payments on mortgages and other loans, often with no fees. Check with your lenders to discuss options.

Utilize recent stimulus programs.

Congress and many states have passed legislation recently to help deal with the financial crisis. For example, churches and other non-profits are eligible for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to help with expenses. Some or all of the loan may be forgiven for expenditures on eligible expenses (payroll, rent, mortgage interest, and utility costs). If staff layoffs are necessary, enhanced unemployment benefits are available to support affected employees. Research the options available in your state and locality.

Commit to better preparation.

The United States had not been affected by a widely-spread pandemic in over 100 years, so, understandably, many families, businesses, and non-profits were less than fully prepared for COVID-19. Eventually, our nation’s health and the economy will recover. It’s important, however, that we don’t lose sight of the lessons learned. Winston Churchill once stated, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Let it not be said of us that we failed to learn from the impact of the coronavirus. Every family, business, and non-profit should commit to stronger budgeting, building larger financial reserves, and eliminating debt once this crisis passes.

Your Conscience Is a Gift From God. But It’s Not God.

J.D. Greear

June 1, 2020

When Paul talks about wisdom in areas where Scripture is not clear, he makes it clear that unity is more important than uniformity. Many Christians would agree. But this is easier said than done. And this emphasizes the importance of our conscience.

For instance, when asked if it’s OK for Christians to read or watch Harry Potter, some in the church would say, “It’s clearly witchcraft. In fact, some of the terms come straight from the occult. So no, we should avoid any hint at Satanism.” Others say, “It’s just fantasy, like The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia. The characters in Harry Potter even celebrate Christmas, so they are clearly not Satanists.”

Or if the topic of yoga comes up, some quickly point out that’s it’s a Buddhist practice that in its original formulations is about clearing your mind and finding oneness with the things around you, and that’s not Christian. Others contend that yoga is just good stretching, and there’s nothing anti-Christian about letting your mind rest, attempting to eliminate distractions and be more present to the moment. (For others, of course, the more contentious issue is over yoga pants … a topic for another day.)

I could go on and on. Public school vs. homeschool. Alcohol vs. teetotalling. We may not argue about eating meat sacrificed to idols (like people did in Paul’s day), but there are hundreds of secondary issues we fight over.

Paul’s instructions on how to handle these conflicts in the church would be to first obey your conscience:

“Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind. Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, and he gives thanks to God.”

– Romans 14:5–6 CSB

Whatever you do, you should be able to do it as an offering to God. Can you listen to this kind of music, watch this popular movie series, participate in this activity as an offering to God?

Be fully convinced you can, because, here’s the thing: If you feel like something is wrong (even if it’s not wrong in itself), and you do it anyway, it’s wrong to you: “But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith, and everything that is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).

For example, if I give someone a thumbs-up gesture, that’s not likely to be offensive. Most people in the U.S. see that as a symbol meaning, “Good job.” But if, for whatever reason, I thought giving a thumbs-up was an insult, and then I went around showing everyone my thumb, I’d be sinning. Even though a thumbs-up isn’t inherently immoral, it’s damaging to my soul to act against the urging of my conscience.

We don’t talk about conscience much anymore, and that’s a tragedy because your conscience is a gift from God. It’s a type of moral intuition where you know something before you can articulate it—a kind of “sixth sense.” It goes beyond head knowledge. In other words, before your head knows something, your heart feels it.

If your conscience is a gift of God, then numbing it is dangerous. When you get used to doing what your heart feels is wrong, you’ll gradually tear it apart until doing wrong doesn’t even feel wrong anymore.

But your conscience, while a gift from God, is not God.

Paul tells the Romans that while they should obey their conscience, they should also be open to having it reformed. Your conscience is from God, but it can still go wrong. Sometimes God needs to challenge what we consider right and wrong in an attempt to reform our conscience.

I’ve experienced this a few times in my life (and probably will more in years to come). For instance, the Christian school I grew up in taught me that any kind of rock beat in music was sinful. Syncopation was of the devil. Putting Christian words to it didn’t help; it was like serving a T-bone steak on a plate of manure.

Later, even after I knew in my head that wasn’t true, my heart would still feel guilty when we’d sing a song in church with a drumbeat in it.

My conscience had to grow in the truth.

It bothered Peter’s conscience to eat with Gentiles. He’d grown up thinking that was impure. Paul told him in Galatians 2 that his conscience was wrong and needed to get more in line with the gospel.

If we really want unity in the church, we have to be humble enough to learn from another Christian that does not see something the way we do. And that means listening. Really listening, not for flaws in the argument, but for understanding.

What kind of great witness could the church be if its people were willing to listen to each other and change their minds? When we are humble enough to listen and secure enough in our identity in Christ to be wrong, we are modeling a law of love that pursues the kingdom of God through “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

5 Expectations of the Post-Pandemic Church

James Emery White

June 1, 2020

There will be no going back to a pre-pandemic church. This is because those who were reached during the pandemic and those we hope to reach when it’s over will demand something different. In fact, the nature of the divide between a pre-pandemic church and a post-pandemic church will be about what people will expect from a church.

Here are five expectations that people will have of your post-pandemic church:

1. The post-pandemic church will put safety first.

People will expect churches, along with all other retail, sports and entertainment venues, to implement any and every “safe” practice. Whether it’s disinfecting or sanitizing, distancing or taking temperatures, there will be the expectation that all that can be done, should be done.

2. The post-pandemic church will have an ongoing online presence.

People will expect an ongoing, robust online presence for churches. Countless numbers of churches were forced online in recent months; the expectation is that churches will stay there. Not solely there, of course, but the expectation that you will continue to be available online will be assumed. As one woman recently said to me regarding the online book discussion group she had joined through The Grounds (our bookstore and café), “You are going to keep those after this is over, aren’t you?” Before the pandemic, all of our book discussion groups met in person. After the pandemic, we most certainly will continue to offer them online.

3. The post-pandemic church will continue to allow their “attending” to include the virtual.

People will naturally vacillate between online and in-person offerings (i.e., virtual and physical), feeling that either of the two options are not only acceptable, but equal in terms of counting as having… well, attended. Churches will want to lift high the value of physical presence in community with others while simultaneously understanding that a digital revolution has taken place. Attending an event will increasingly be seen as either: a) attending in person or, b) attending online. People will choose based on the desired experience, readiness to surface physically and, even among your core, that week’s life circumstances.

4. The post-pandemic church will make their interaction with you “phygital.”

Let’s camp out on this one. The word phygital has grown out of the necessity for the seamless flow between the physical and the digital. As an article on Bizcommunity put it in relation to the retail world:

Innovative phygital business models, where bricks and mortar and digital seamlessly integrate, are popping up across the globe. But the best phygital experiences still remain aligned with old-school sales strategies: customer attraction, retention, engagement, experiences, loyalty and the brand itself. The factors that keep shifting are shopping behaviour and new technology. The upshot is: to keep in the retail game, phygital is the way to go and it’s currently an adapt or die situation.

I really like how that was worded. In the phygital model for the church, working to have a seamless integration between the physical and the digital, the “old-school” best practices we must retain (using church terms) are church growth, assimilation, discipleship and serving.

Think of someone being introduced to your church through an online service. Could some of that online experience be seamlessly integrated into their (hopeful) physical attendance? For example, think of having children’s ministry check-in handled online and an app that offers additional content or learning in light of that weekend’s message. Or maybe opportunities for people to attend a service in person, but then be a part of a virtual small group to dive deeper into the content of the series.

5. The post-pandemic church will make sure their physical experience matches the virtual experience.

Actually, I should have rephrased that. The expectation will be that the physical experience at least matches the virtual experience. I’ve noticed that many churches are “importing” their online service, using videos and even worship/music from outside sources that did not originate with them. I get it. Everyone is scrambling. But be careful… this could prove to be a “bait and switch” turn-off of epic proportions when the pandemic is over.

There are obviously more post-pandemic expectations than these, but let these five at least start your thinking. Why? Because all of the growth you’ve had over the last three months has been online. When you reopen, the bulk of your “first-time” guests (read first-time physical guests) will be those reached online.

And the only church they’ve known has been a virtual one.

Sources

Eben Esterhuizen, “Phygital: 6 Ways to Adapt, or Die,” Bizcommunity, April 30, 2019, read online.

This article about the post-pandemic church originally appeared here.

How to Have an Online Game Night

Steve Cullum

June 1, 2020

I love games! I love people. And I love bringing them together, which is why I absolutely love game nights! But sometimes you can’t come together like you want. If only there was a way to have a game night another way…like an online game night.

Video games have been a huge hobby of mine ever since I was around 4 years old and trying to figure out is bingo clash legit. I love playing them with friends, either in person or online. Sometimes, I even like watching others play video games online (something I never thought I’d find myself saying, but it’s true). That idea actually brings us to the solution for an online game night. You can stream party-games and people can play along from their own homes.

I wanted to share my setup with you, but know there are a number of ways to pull it off with different equipment. This is just what I happen to have, and it works really well. (Check the very end of this post for other ideas to save money.)

Important note: If you’re going to do this, you need high speed internet. If you’re trying to stream a game using DSL or something fairly slow, you and those playing will not have a good experience. If you want a good stream, you need to have at least a 3 Mbps upload speed.

Choose Your Game
The first thing you need to do is figure out what game or games you will play. I highly recommend ones that can involve more people. The Jackbox Party Packs are great for something like this. Everyone can follow along on their own phone or tablet from wherever they are, and each pack has a variety of different games and settings for family-friendly filters (starting with pack 3) and the ability to lengthen the game timer for online play like this. Players will not need their own copy of the game. They will just go to jackbox.tv their internet browser and type in the on-screen code given in the game. Each game has a limited number of players (usually 6-10 people), but almost all of their games allow extra players to join the audience and still play along, even affecting the outcome of the game, without competing. So you could actually have around 10,000 people playing together!

Game System or Computer
After you decide on the game, you need to decide what system you are going to use to play it. This will also determine some of your other equipment. If we continue with the suggestion of Jackbox, you could play it on the major video game consoles (Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Xbox One, and Sony PlayStation 4) or even your computer. Once you purchase and download the game, you are ready to setup your stream.

NOTE: If you plan to play on a game system, move to the next step. If you are playing from a computer, you can skip to the following step, Streaming Software.

Capture Card
This is where it kind of gets tricky for those who are not computer savvy. In order to get your game onto your computer, you need something called a capture card. There are a number of them on the market. I use a GameCapture HD60 S+ from Elgato. This one is easy to use, because it connects to your computer via USB. You’ll need to connect the output from your game system to capture card, and then connect the output from that to your computer. You can also have another output to a second monitor if you want, but the HD60 S+ allows for fast pass-through and no lag, so the second monitor isn’t needed.

Streaming Software
Once you have your hardware setup, you need to move on to the software. There are a number of options available. Some are free, and some will set you back a bit. If you get an Elgato GameCapture card, you can use their software called Game Capture HD, which works on both Mac and Windows PCs. If you’re using a game system, once you start up the software and turn on your game system, it will see your game screen on your computer. If you are using your computer for the game, just make sure the game is running, and it will also pop up within the streaming software. At this point, you will enter your login information within the software. If using Game Capture HD, it is on the right side of the screen. You can also add multiple overlays to your stream if you want to put your webcam or an image on there, but this is not necessary. You can also stream your voice if you want, but this is also not necessary.

You can also stream other ways using screen-sharing (see the cost-saving options at the bottom of this post).

Streaming Location
Today, you are able to stream to a number of platforms. YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and others all give you the ability to livestream. Pick whatever platform works best for your audience. Twitch was made for streaming games. YouTube is really good too. Facebook isn’t the best, as it has a longer delay, but it still works. You just need to let the people know what they see on their Facebook account could be 15-20 seconds behind the actual game, so plan accordingly. YouTube and Twitch’s delay is usually much less. If you don’t have an account, of course, you will need to create one first.

Time to Stream
Once you have everything setup, and you’ve tested it a few times, it’s time to plan the event. Let people know where to go to find the stream. If you choose Facebook, it will be easy to keep your stream limited to friends only. If you choose YouTube, maybe you want to keep the video “unlisted” to keep random people from jumping in your game. Twitch doesn’t allow you to make your stream private, though, so take that into account when planning. If you are playing a game like Jackbox, make sure everyone has two devices in front of them: one to watch the stream and one to play. I recommend a computer or tablet for the stream and a phone or iPod to play.

Chatting
When everyone is logged on, encourage them to connect with each other throughout the game. Each streaming service has a chat room attached to your stream. You can also choose to use something like Discord, Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger, Skype, or Zoom to initiate a conference call if you would rather hear each other’s voices.

Cost-Saving Suggestions
Like I said, the above setup is what I have, and I regularly stream games. But I know that it will cost you some money. Maybe you’re not ready to spend that kind of cash on something you will not use all the time. Below are a few ideas to consider if you’re on a tighter budget:

If you don’t have a game system, consider using your computer, rather than buying an entirely new system. Most basic computers today are fast enough to run games like the Jackbox Party Packs.
Use a streaming software like OBS (Open Broadcaster Software). It is a bit more difficult to learn, but it is free.
Game systems like Xbox and PlayStation do allow you to stream your game directly from the system, itself. So this might be a good option for you if you want to avoid the capture card. You just won’t be able to stream to Facebook from those systems.
If you want to avoid streaming software altogether, consider getting everyone on a video conference app like Skype. Then use the screen-share function to share the game window with everyone on the call.
If you are okay with limiting it to just 10 people, Discord just added screen-sharing abilities to its app, so you could share your computer screen there too.

I have had several fun online game nights, and I hope these instructions help you have them too. If you need further clarification on anything I’ve mentioned in this article, please feel free to contact me or leave me a comment down below. I would love to help you in any way I can.

Oh, and be sure to invite me to your next online game night!!!!

NOTE: All Amazon links found in this article are my affiliate links.

This article about online game night originally appeared here.

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First Things First

Since we are called to follow Jesus, it should be our goal to be a friend of sinners as well.

1. We’ve forgotten how much God loves the world.

Interestingly, in this same area, God was repeatedly trying to get His message across to take His hope to lost and broken sinners.

2. We’ve filled our schedules too full.

3. We’ve forgotten how to deeply connect with others.

4. We’ve forgotten how to be hospitable.

5. We are too condemning.

Re-Opening Option 1: Continue to Meet Digitally Until Mass Gatherings Are Allowed

Re-Opening Option 2: Midweek Only

Re-Opening Option 3: Take a More Fluid Approach

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Other Faith Leaders Respond to Photo Op

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Here are three thoughts to help people who struggle with mental health:

1. Recognize when we struggle and help people recognize when they struggle with mental health.

2. Fight and help people fight.

3. Call for help and help people call for help.

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Assess the situation.

Improve cash flow.

Utilize recent stimulus programs.

Commit to better preparation.

Here are five expectations that people will have of your post-pandemic church:

1. The post-pandemic church will put safety first.

2. The post-pandemic church will have an ongoing online presence.

3. The post-pandemic church will continue to allow their “attending” to include the virtual.

4. The post-pandemic church will make their interaction with you “phygital.”

5. The post-pandemic church will make sure their physical experience matches the virtual experience.

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