Qualifying for Heaven

According to the Bible, qualifying for heaven is like taking an exam where we need to score a perfect 10 out of 10 (Matt. 5:48). The problem is we missed our first question (James 2:10). That’s the Bad News. Until reality sets in and we truly understand that, we can’t see how the Good News can be such good news.

This video should shame some Christians

Even atheists see something sadly far too many Christians choose not to see. In this five minute video, famous atheist Penn (from Penn and Teller) expresses his recognition to the fact that one of the greatest acts of love a Christian can do is try and help someone understand what the Bible says about sin, judgment, and hell. My prayer is that Christians will submit to the Holy Spirit, stop listening to the world, and care enough about those around them by taking up the imperative to do real evangelism!

I wasn't Hired to Preach the Gospel?

I was talking with a friend today about being a Christian in the work world. He said something that really teed me off:

“I didn’t get hired to preach the gospel.”

That was his way of saying that he really didn’t talk about his faith, Jesus, or religious matters at work.

I recognize that some jobs lend themselves better than others to sharing one’s faith. I also recognize that sometimes you need to be careful. But I really can’t agree with my friend in the end.

Wherever you are, God did hire you, and He hired you to preach the gospel. The Great Commission was not just given for “professional” missionaries and ministers. It was a command given for every believer no matter who they are and where they work. You are a missionary, and wherever you find yourself daily, that is your mission field.

Again, you have to be careful in some jobs. I’m a teacher in a public school, so I know that all too well. Especially if you have a family, you wouldn’t want to rashly say something that could have consequences for your whole family. However, there are tactful ways to bring up spirituality, and you’d be surprised by what you can get away with. Most of the things we tend to think will happen to us if we speak up are basically mythical.

Last year I did a 4 week lunch discussion on a few spiritual questions. It was geared towards non-Christians, and I invited the whole faculty. This was done in a very secular public school. When I would tell people about the event (teachers, non-teachers, Christians and non-Christians), most would respond with something like, “doesn’t that violate the Separation of Church and State?” or “are you sure you can do that?”

Answers, respectively: no, and yes.

There is profound misunderstanding on that point, and it keeps us cowering in fear.

There is a common perception out there that spirituality and religion are irrelevant and talk about them should be relegated to the closet and the Sunday school house. Most of the time that is not explicitly spoken, but it is felt. That is felt very accutely by most Christians I know. We feel that cultural more impinging on our hearts with increased intensity.

This is not good. We need to combat this perception. If we don’t talk of Christ and the gospel in our jobs, this perception will only continue to spread. Our irrelevance will continue to rise.

Also, if you don’t actually, you know, share your faith, how will people hear the gospel? Some like to quote St. Francis: “preach the gospel at all times. Use words when necessary.”

Most don’t realize that St. Francis was an itinerant preacher, and he could get away with saying something like that. Not so for most of us. We live in a very, very, very biblically ignorant culture. If you never bring it up, most will assume you are just a nice religious guy. They’ll get that you have integrity, and that you probably go to church on Sunday, and that you are a very moral person. But that’s about where it will end. They won’t “get the gospel” just by looking at your actions.

This doesn’t mean that actions aren’t important. Quite the contrary. This does mean that we can’t expect our actions alone to do the sharing our mouths should be doing. There is a content to the gospel that can’t be gleaned from a good work ethic and a friendly demeanor. Both actions and words are necessary in this radically secularized culture.

And you know what? If something bad does happen, oh well. Count it blessing. God is writing it all down, and He’s your real boss.

Apologists are fond of quoting 1 Peter 3:15. We should also be fond of quoting 4:12-16:

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

This was given in the context of severe suffering. The overwhelming majority of people who are sanctioned for speaking of Christ in the workplace will not experience this type of severe suffering. However, I think the verses still can apply.

So, step out today. You were hired to preach the gospel.

A Man Who Changed the World

Albert McMakin, a 24 year old farmer, had just given his life to Christ the year before. He heard Dr. Mordecai Ham was coming to speak at a tent meeting. He was so exited that he invited countless friends and family members. Many of them agreed to come…except Billy.

Billy was the handsome, big-man-on-campus at the local high school. He didn’t have much interest or time for Jesus. Albert, though, was smarter than your average bear. He borrowed a truck from a friend and asked Billy to drive it. “You don’t even need to stay for the meeting,” said Albert, “just drive me to and from.” Since Billy didn’t have a vehicle of his own and desperately wanted to drive, he agreed to Albert’s proposition.

Billy stayed outside in the truck during the whole time, but he listened to Ham’s words. By the end of the tent meeting, though, Jesus had his hooks in him; young Billy Graham walked forward during the alter call and gave his life to Jesus Christ.

Yes, Billy Graham is a man who has changed the world; but that’s not who I’m referring to in the title of this post.

You’ve probably heard of Billy Graham, but have any of you heard of Albert McMakin? Chances are, the answer is no. However, his is no obscure name in the ledgers of heaven, for his enthusiasm and willingness to share the Good News of Christ to anyone willing to listen (and some, like Billy, who weren’t willing to listen) has rippled through eternity in a grandiose way.

How different would the world be had McMakin kept the Good News to himself?

Do you have an Albert McMakin in your life? I do. I actually have several, and if you take even one of them out of my life, the trajectory of my steps goes in a very different direction. I am eternally grateful for each one of them: Mr. Wenger, Travis, Steve, Matt, Yohan, and Darwin (Isn’t that ironic that one of the men who helped lead me to Christ is named “Darwin”! Ha! Take that, Richard Dawkins.).

Though sometimes fear and apathy get the best of me, It is men like these and stories like McMakin’s that keep me intent on speaking of Jesus whenever I can. May you be encouraged by his story in the same direction.

Introducing…STTIL Outreaches!

Here’s a video showing what some of us in our church are doing related to evangelism. The key to our success and the centerpiece of this initiative in biblical evangelism is built around a mutual encouraging community. We also designed it so it can be easily duplicated in other churches. So if you feel so inclined, go for it!

Hamas Leader's Son Converts to Christianity

This is an incredible story--Masab-Joseph (or Mosab Hassan Yousef) the son of a Hamas founder converted to Christianity. It's really interesting to read about how he converted; basically he is making the point that when he investigated the claims of Islam and the claims of the Bible, it was obvious to him that the Bible is true and Islam is not. He also has some interesting things to say about Hamas and Islam, and Israel. Here he explains how he learned about Christianity and converted:

"It began about eight years ago. I was in Jerusalem and I received an invitation to come and hear about Christianity. Out of curiosity I went. I was very enthusiastic about what I heard. I began to read the Bible every day and I continued with religion lessons. I did it in secret, of course. I used to travel to the Ramallah hills, to places like the Al Tira neighborhood, and to sit there quietly with the amazing landscape and read the Bible. A verse like "Love thine enemy" had a great influence on me. At this stage I was still a Muslim and I thought that I would remain one. But every day I saw the terrible things done in the name of religion by those who considered themselves 'great believers.' I studied Islam more thoroughly and found no answers there. I reexamined the Koran and the principals of the faith and found how it is mistaken and misleading. The Muslims borrowed rituals and traditions from all the surrounding religions."

"...I now see God through Jesus and can tell about him for days on end, whereas the Muslims won't be able to say anything about God. I consider Islam a big lie. The people who supposedly represent the religion admired Mohammed more than God, killed innocent people in the name of Islam, beat their wives and don't have any idea what God is. I have no doubt that they'll go to Hell. I have a message for them: There is only one way to Paradise - the way of Jesus who sacrificed himself on the cross for all of us."

He has this to say about Hamas, Israel, and the Mideast peace process:

"You Jews should be aware: You will never, but never have peace with Hamas. Islam, as the ideology that guides them, will not allow them to achieve a peace agreement with the Jews. They believe that tradition says that the Prophet Mohammed fought against the Jews and that therefore they must continue to fight them to the death. They have to take revenge against anyone who did not agree to accept the Prophet Mohammed, like the Jews who are seen in the Koran as monkeys and the sons of pigs. They speak in terms of historical rights that were taken from them. In the view of Hamas, peace with Israel contradicts sharia and the Koran, and the Jews have no right to remain in Palestine."

If you're interested in more, here's a second interview, with Jonathan Hunt of Fox News:

JONATHAN HUNT: You talk about the good Muslims, like your father, yet you still now renounce the faith of your father. Could you have not been a good Muslim? (note: by "good Muslims" he is referring to the fact that his father was kind and loving to his family)

MOSAB HASSAN YOUSEF: Now, here's the reality: after I studied Christianity — which I had a big misunderstanding about, because I studied about Christianity from Islam, which is, there is nothing true about Christianity when you study it from Islam, and that was the only source.

When I studied the Bible carefully verse by verse, I made sure that that was the book of God, the word of God for sure, so I started to see things in a different way, which was difficult for me, to say Islam is wrong.

...So I had to study Islam again from a different point of view to figure out all the mistakes, the huge mistakes and its effects, not only on Muslims — (of) which I hated the values ... I didn't like all those traditions that make people's lives more difficult — but its effects also on humanity. On humanity! People killing each other (in) the name of God.

So definitely I started to figure out the problem is Islam, not the Muslims and those people — I can't hate them because God loved them from the beginning. And God doesn't create junk. God created good people that he loved, but they're sick, they have the wrong idea. I don't hate those people anymore but I feel very sorry for them and the only way for them to be changed (is) by knowing the word of God and the real way to him.

MacArthur on Larry King Live

Here's a clip of John MacArthur accurately representing what the Bible says about the ways things are spiritually. Even Larry King recognizes the non-sense the other so-called "Christian" is saying is the way we need to look at it. FYI: This other man is coming from the perspective of what is referred to as religious pluralism and neo-tolerance.

Soul Searching part 6: (Somewhat) tentative conclusions

By Rich Bordner

(continued from here)

"Rich, bug off. These are teenagers, after all. We can't expect them to care. We can't expect them to be able to articulate their beliefs. The teen years are just something to survive. Have fun. Be young."

Well, I agree in part, but not like you want me to. Those who have impacted teens the most will tell you quickly that they will rise to the level of their expectations. If you expect them to act like that and not care, they will.

And really, we adults hold that low-level of expectation to their detriment, and to the detriment of society as a whole.

The encouraging part of this study is that teens typically aren't engaged in wholesale rebellion from their religious upbringing (with a few exceptions). Most are friendly to religion, and most are happy to go along with what they were taught to believe by their parents. The scary part of this study is that teens typically aren't engaged in wholesale rebellion from their religious upbringing. Most are friendly to religion, and most are happy to go along with what they were taught to believe by their parents.

No, that last paragraph wasn't a typo...teens will and are picking up exactly the values the adult world holds. Their "whatevah-ness" about spirituality is not an accident.

Certainly we should not expect teens to articulate their beliefs like graduate school philosophers, but its not too much to expect them to rise well above where they are now. My experience, as well as the experience of those who are involved in youths' lives, says that they are capable.

What is needed are an army of hard-nosed, wise, loving, and intentional adults that will stop merely exposing teens to spirituality and start teaching them.

Here's one way to put it: if you never talk about Jesus to someone, why are you surprised when they conclude that He's not very important to you? You can do all the service projects you want; if He's never or rarely a topic of conversation, you are telling those around you that He's not important...not something worth talking about.

When the adults in a teen's life don't talk about religion/spirituality, s/he will conclude, given the cultural cacophony of voices that bombard him/her every day, that Jesus just doesn't matter. The adults can be going to church every week, praying at dinner time, reading their Bibles faithfully, tithing, serving consistently, and "loving on" others (never mind that intentionally not talking to others about Christ is not loving), the non-action of being silent about Christianity will drown out almost everything else.

Christ-followers, throughout the last 8-9 posts I have used the word "gauntlet." God is throwing down quite a few gauntlets to us today. He calls us to pick up those gauntlets and faithfully serve Him, even when (especially when) it will draw the ire of the world.

Art Monk's testimony at the Hall of Fame

Saturday night I happened to catch a few minutes of the Hall of Fame induction ceremony (broadcast on ESPN). The last NFL player, and probably the "class of the class" to be inducted was Art Monk, a wide receiver who spent most of his career with the Washington Redskins.


What I didn't know about Art Monk is that he is apparently a strong Christian who strives to use his position as a witness for Christ. His testimony was awesome, and he gave it at the ceremony in front of thousands of football fans, broadcast live on ESPN. If you want to watch the whole thing (18 minutes), you can find it here on the NFL site (sorry, I couldn't find a shorter clip with just the good stuff). There's also a transcript of the whole thing here; I'll just give a couple of highlights.


First, Art was introduced by his son, James:

Dad's greatness never came from his ability to play football, but it came because he wanted to be used by God for his glory, above all.

He realized and held onto the gifts and talents that God blessed him with. And the Bible says to build your foundation on a rock. Solid rock. For when the storm comes, you will not shake or you will not be moved for your foundation is well built.

Dad built his foundation on the strongest rock of all and that was Jesus Christ.

And because of this he was able to weather many storms and stay consistently strong on the football field, at home, at church, and at work. And from his actions I have learned the following: I've learned that less is more. I've learned not only to become a man of success, but be a man of value; that my decisions should be guided by Christian principles.

It is not hard to make the right decision when you know your value and where you stand. Through the outcomes of hard work and dedication is success. That there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ.

That the reward for hard work is the opportunity to do more. Nobody gets anywhere in this world by just being content with where you are. And that my identity does not come from this world or what people say or write or think about you, but it comes from the one and only Jesus Christ.

After a 4-minute standing ovation, Art Monk finally managed to say a few words:

And even now as a Hall of Famer, the one thing I want to make very clear is that my identity and my security is found in the Lord. And what defines me and my validation comes in having accepted his son Jesus Christ as my personal savior. And what defines me is the word of God and it's the word of God that will continue to shape and mold me into the person that I know he's called me to be.

So I've learned a long time ago never to put my faith or trust in man, for man will always fail you. Man will always disappoint you. But the word of God says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. And he will never fail you.

And that is what I live by and what I stand on...

But I understand and I know that I'm here not by in and of my own strength but it's by the grace and the power of God upon my life who I know gave me favor along the way and who provided opportunity and room for me to use my gifts.

So I am very grateful to receive this honor, and I can stand here before you and say, hey, look at me, look what I did. But if I'm going to boast, I'm going to boast today in the Lord, for it's because of him that I'm here and I give him thanks and glory and honor for all that he has done for me.

He goes on to talk about his teammates who shared the gospel with him and led him to Christ, and his family as a blessing from the Lord. I just have to say, how awesome to hear him stand up and speak so strongly for Jesus Christ, and how amazing that it was broadcast coast-to-coast!

Book Review: The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

It has been over ten years now since I first heard about an orthodox Christian pastor who has found growing success reaching young people in arguably the most liberal city in America, New York City. What was so amazing was that congregation was growing mainly as a result of new converts! You ask, “Who is this man?! And how did he do it?!”

Well, this man is Tim Keller, pastor of Manhattan’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church. And he gives details on how he did it in his new book, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. In it, he not only evaluates the reliability of Christianity, but he offers what he considers to be the solution to the growing polarization that has been occurring in the Culture Wars in America where “denunciation has replaced disagreement” in public discourse on topics related to religion.

His thesis is this: The right question isn’t whether one has faith but whether the object of one’s faith is trustworthy; in light of this reality, it can be further demonstrated that sufficient reasons exist that should dissuade one from trusting in anything other than the Person and work of Jesus of Nazareth.

Keller has two main reasons for writing the book. The first, which I guess is the most important, is because his wife told him to. He considers her one of the three greatest influences in his life – along with Christian giants C.S. Lewis and Jonathan Edwards.

The second reason he wrote his book is to try and allay the bitter, vitriolic, nasty atmosphere that exists between the left and the right in America, by imploring both sides – the conservatives and liberals; the religious and secularists – to act more civil towards each other. These two groups are his book’s intended audience. He refers to them as the skeptic and the believer. He hopes his book will help bridge the divide between these opposing sides: one that wants to write off liberals as “God-haters” and one that considers less progressive Christians close-minded to either the Truth, or the truths of others. He expresses a hopefulness as he writes in his introduction (xix) that his book will encourage collegial, yet respectful, dialogue between those he calls “entrenched traditional conservatives” and those he refers to as “secular liberal people” urging both sides towards increased communication and understanding despite the fact that each holds diametrically-opposed worldviews: that is, philosophical materialism and/or epistemological relativism, on the one hand; and theism and epistemological absolutism, on the other.

Despite his optimism, Keller remains realistic, understanding that simply calling people to civility will not reduce the polarization. Someone has got to show them how to get along better. Keller’s anecdote to this cancer of discord in our country he refers to as a “Spiritual Third Way”. His solution requires both sides to be willing to being honest – first with each other and them with themselves. All parties must understand and fairly represent the other side. I think of 1 Peter 3:15 where it exhorts us to give respect to the other side. I often am reminded when I am evangelizing that I have no right to choose what they do with their own soul. Moreover, while I am confident my faith is indeed well-placed, if I’m going to be intellectually honest, I must admit to skeptics that there is a possibility that I could be mistaken about how I see the world.

Honesty must furthermore extend to oneself. This is where he invites readers to reconsider the meaning of doubt. He urges both skeptics as well as believers to examine the reasons for their doubts. He points out that a skeptic’s doubt in something is actually rooted in his or her faith in an alternative belief. He emphasizes how everyone believes in something. The question they should be asking is whether there is good enough reason for them to be trusting in the things they are trusting in. Skeptics should hold the same high level of scrutiny to one’s own faith as they do with the faith of believers. Proper level of scrutiny of one’s own faith insures that the object of their personal faith is worthy of their trust.

Keller writes in the introduction (xix), that the majority of his book, “is a distillation of the many conversations [he has] had with doubters over the years.” They comprise objections which Keller takes on with a great amount of cultural-sensitivity and philosophical competence. In essence, what he does, as a good evangelist, apologist, and pastor, is metaphorically “come alongside” both the skeptic and the believer and practically guide them through that process of exploring their doubts chapter by chapter, page by page.

Similar in content to other popular apologetics books like Lewis’ Mere Christianity, or the more recent The Case for… series of books by Lee Strobel, Keller’s book is organized topically according to the reason for one’s doubt or belief. Keller devotes the first half of his book (chapters 1 – 7) addressing the major objections skeptics have for why they do not follow Christ. Keller pursues here the unfolding of what is commonly referred to as defensive apologetics. Keller calls it, “tackl[ing] intellectual barriers of theology” (xx). The second half of the book covers the top reasons why believers believe in God and trust in Christ – otherwise known as offensive apologetics. Here he focuses on allaying the doubts of believers by offering reasons why their trust in God is properly placed. Keller describes this section as “a more positive exposition of the faith they are living out in the world.” The methods he employs for developing each chapter are quite diverse. He integrates occasional narration and description, as well as a proportionally greater amount to exposition and argumentation. He provides not only personal stories of those in his church who have been transformed by God, but also carefully-thought-out analogies he has collected over the years, all in an effort to help doubters better understand what Christianity actually says regarding the issues of life.

Argumentation is the main method by which Keller develops his thesis. You may not recognize it though, namely because the way in which he craftily builds rapport with his reader. One way he disarms the unbeliever is by getting on their side of a debate when he can. He argues in Chapter Four, for instance, that injustice like the racism experienced in America often blamed on Christianity was not due to the influences of Christianity per se, but by the lack of application of the faith by those who claimed to be Christians. History demonstrates this, he notes. As Keller points out, “The greatest champion of justice in our era [Martin Luther King, Jr.] knew the antidote to racism was not less Christianity, but a deeper and truer Christianity.”

Along the lines of his argumentation in the book, I largely agree – particularly on a number of points. His overall critique of what is wrong is spot on. Civil discourse is rare and the sources for this contention, I believe, are as he indicates. After reading his book, I have particularly been hard hit by how much of this is true when a very well known conservative political pundit who I – to some degree – admire and respect, went ballistic one day on an animal rights activist over the radio. This conservative was constantly interrupting him and was never affirming what he said that was correct. It caused a very heated conversation. I think this pundit needs to read Keller’s book. Who is our real enemy? The Bible is clear: our enemy is the devil (who is full of pride), the world’s system’s (which are broken), and our own broken natures (which is antagonistic toward God). Keller reminds us that whether we are talking to a radical liberal, or staring at ourselves in the mirror, those three things remain the same!

Having looked at points of agreement with his arguments, I will now share three areas I recognized in his writing for which I may have disagreement: his apparent affirmation regarding pacifism (74-75); his possible perspectives on restoration theology as it relates to social justice and eschatology (224), and what seems to be a rather too optimistic a view regarding man’s ability to reason correctly (7). I am not entirely certain what his views here are exactly; he only quickly touches on these subjects. This makes sense though, considering these topics are not the main focus of his book; they are merely secondary, if not tertiary, points of doctrine. Similarly, these points of potential contention are rather minuscule when compared to the weight of importance given to those areas which Keller does focus largely on, and for which the Christian faith rests. For these reasons, I will leave my conjecture and criticism to only a passing mention.

With few exceptions, the clarity, simplicity and thoroughness by which he writes, is also worth mentioning. He unpacks deep theological concepts so that the lay person can understand them while avoiding being reductionistic. Moreover, he provides additionally helpful information in the end notes, where he often cites leading proponents or opponents of views expressed or events detailed in the book – along with corresponding published works.

I mentioned there are exceptions; here are two: The first weakness involves his occasional cursory analysis. For example, Keller says (18) he argues against the main efforts to address the current divide on religion in our world. While describing many of the causes for religious division (e.g. not acknowledging both sides are growing, both sides not looking at their own doubts honestly, denouncing rather than reasoning with), he does not move much beyond there. He does indeed support a call for more civil dialogue, as I discussed earlier. However, this is the only time when I found him describing any other efforts at bridging the religious divide (other than his own), let alone arguing against them.

Another instance of weakness involves his lack of clarity and thoroughness when warning people not to seek God as a means to an end. He cautions readers to explore their motives in their quest towards God. Keller asks: “Are you getting into Christianity to serve God, or to get God to serve you?” (228) He states that the correct answer is the former and not the later, yet provides no clear explanation as to why that is or why it can be nothing else. He simply states that if one’s motive is for God to serve them, then it would be illicit for they would be loving the creation rather than the Creator (1 John 2:15). If one’s desire is for God to serve them for the purposes of acquiring the things of this world, then that would indeed be an illicit motivation. Yet, the phrase “get God to serve you” is an equivocal phrase. It could also mean that God serves them by giving salvation to them. Hello? Should they not want God to do that? He is the only One who can serve us in this way. Matthew 20:28 states, “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (ESV; cf Mark 10:45) Again, Keller provides no sufficient distinction. Consequently, the gospel in this case is misconstrued. On one hand, I want to give him the benefit of the doubt regarding this ambiguous section. After all, none of us are perfect. (I certainly am not.) I am convinced that he fully understands the gospel, and communicates it clearly every other time I noticed. I would conclude that he simply falters here expositionally – not theologically (Gal. 3:1; 5:12). Moreover, I would assume he would be in whole-hearty agreement with my assessment above. In fact, it seems as though he attempts in the paragraph that follows on page 228 to make this point clear. Sadly, despite the attempt, in my view, the clarity never comes. My personal conviction is the gospel is just too important to get wrong at all – even if ambiguity occurs just on very rare occasions. In respect to those like him who are elder-teachers in the church, in some way I feel this is the one area for which no tolerance or grace of any kind should be extended.

In my final review, I think the book will do quite well among all of us doubters – both skeptics and believers. From my own personal experience in evangelism, I am confident this book will be used by the Father to draw people to Jesus (John 6:44). Particularly, this book should fare well among believers considering Keller’s growing reputation and credentials. After all, who should not be impressed with a man who has for many years, in the heart of one of the most liberal areas of our country, following each service, left time for a question-and-answer period (69)! I must say, that takes guts! Besides his reputation contributing to the sale of his book, Keller’s work itself should easily serve as a wonderful reference book on Christian apologetics. But more than that, let’s pray, for our sake, and for the sake of the lost, that we in the church become more honest as Keller hopes we will, and take the “Spiritual Third Way”.[i]

________________

[i] Speaking of which, the Holy Spirit has reminded me after reading his book of my need to lead my conversations with skeptics with an honest assessment of their criticisms. I need to be sure to give adequate time to affirming their criticisms when appropriate. Moreover, as Keller demonstrates, sufficient time needs to be devoted to reflecting back to them what they are saying so that they know I am listening to them and understand them. If they know that I know where they are coming from, rapport will be build, relationships can be manifested, which can establish the fertile grounds necessary to plant the seeds of a clear understanding of Christianity in their minds and hearts.

Soul Searching part 5: Confronting the Evangelism Boogeyman

By Rich Bordner

(continued from here)

When it comes to sharing our faith, these days it is popular for many Christians to think in terms of "lifestyle evangelism." This type of sharing one's faith forgoes an emphasis on verbal proclamation ("sharing the message of the gospel with words") in favor of certain lifestyle actions: service, working hard, listening to others' stories, etc. Many today take this so far that they rarely or never talk about Jesus to someone.

You can't underestimate the power of a "lifestyle of love," as its called, but the thing is that you also can't underestimate the power of actually sharing the gospel message by talking to someone about it. There are many reasons for this, but one reason that the posts on *Soul Searching* underscores is that given the current cultural climate of M.T.D, given that religion is just not that big a deal to most Americans (Some of which are in churches every Sunday.) and most don't think about it a whole lot, "preaching Christ by your lifestyle (to borrow an oft used phrase)" won't make people curious about Christ! They won't "get" the gospel just from your actions!

True, a few might...you can always come up with a testimony or two. But the majority won't. The cultural atmosphere of M.T.D doesn't allow for that kind of evangelism to be effective. This, of course, doesn't mean that we go to the other extreme and eschew a lifestyle of love and service. Such a "life" adds "life" and punch to your words. But neither can we go with the current trend...we must resist it.

The Erosion of Liberty in America

We can see it all the time: when evil is allowed to grow, irony abounds. Take what happened recently on the streets of Philadelphia immediately outside the Liberty Bell display. Inscribed on the bell reads these words: “PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND UNTO ALL THE INHABITANTS THEREOF.” This comes from an Old Testament verse found in Leviticus 25:10. As shown in the video below, law enforcement officers on duty outside this sacred historical site took away to jail a guy who was actually putting into practice what the inscription on the bell implored any noble American to do: proclaim liberty! (By the way, can anyone proclaim liberty any better than proclaiming the Good News of Jesus?) Apparently, these officers, whose duty it is to defend and preserve such inalienable rights as the freedom of speech, the freedom to assemble, and the freedom of religion, must have all been sick from school the day those First Amendment Rights were taught.

The officers argued that what was unacceptable was for someone to preach immediately in front of the entrance where people were waiting in line to see the bell. Again, the second part of that verse inscribed on the bell reads: “unto all the inhabitants thereof.” Someone should ask the officers if it would be reasonable for one to conclude that those waiting to see for themselves the inscription should be included as part of “all the inhabitants”.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3:17, “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Well, I don’t think there was much freedom going on around those “law enforcement officers” that day! Oh, the irony! I think the crack in the Liberty Bell, just got bigger.

U.S. Marine on trial for evangelism

OneNewsNow.com reports:

An organization is taking up a battle in favor of a U.S. Marine who was sent home from an assignment in Iraq because he handed out coins with a Christian message to Muslims in Iraq.

The organization is Christian Freedom International whose president, Jim Jacobson, says the Marine distributed coins with the words of John 3:16 on one side. The other side asked, in Arabic, the question: "Where will you spend eternity?" The soldier is now on home turf awaiting further word on possible punishment.

Read more.

You’d be surprised with what you can get away with

By Rich Bordner

Recently, I had a religious discussion in my classroom for some colleagues of mine. I put fliers in all staff mailboxes, bought food, etc. During lunch for four weeks, I played snippets of debates on topics like "Do all religions lead to God?" and then I discussed the topic with those in attendance. The discussions have led to a few more in depth conversations outside of lunch at school.

The whole experience was very enlightening for me, but not in the way you'd think.

When I tell my friends, colleagues, and students I teach about the religious lunch discussion in my room, the almost unanimous reaction has been one of surprise: "Can you do that? I mean, is it legal? Are you going to get in trouble?" I can only chuckle a bit inside. When I first told Dr. Geivett, one of my Talbot professors, of my project idea, he had a quite different reaction:

"You'd be surprised by what you can get away with."

I have taken that comment to heart. In fact, it has become a bit of a rallying cry for me. "The separation of church and state" legend has become such a pillar for American secularism that it has almost risen to "metanarrative" status. To ask "what, exactly, is that supposed to mean, and where did it come from?" is for us the same as the proverbial fish questioning what wet feels like. Even very devout Christians toe this line!

In fact, the most surprised responses came from Christians. They were just stunned I could do and DID DO something like that.

Very few pause long enough to figure out that this one's nothing but a paper tiger. Many of us are intimidated and so fearful of faux repercussions that rather than testing the waters, we opt instead to not challenge the status quo. To paraphrase the sarcastic journalist's jibe, "When the legend overtakes the facts, believe the legend."

All this reminds me of a modern-day, Dr. Phil-type parable:

A group of marine scientists once conducted a series of experiments with a tank full of barracuda. At first, they fed these fish their favorite food, live mackerel, every day for a month. Of course, the aggressive fish would devour the mackerel in an instant. Then the scientists placed a clear glass panel between the barracuda and the bait fish. As soon as the mackerel were lowered into the tank, the barracuda immediately moved toward them, smashing their noses on the clear glass.

The predators continued to attempt to get past the glass until, finally, they realized their efforts were futile. Then the scientists removed the glass and allowed the mackerel to freely swim. The mackerel, of course, stayed behind the perceived wall. And the barracuda, with nothing standing between them and their prey, contentedly stayed on their side of the tank.

The wall was gone. The barrier had been removed, but the fish still stayed in their newly created "cage". All the food the barracuda could stomach was just waiting to be eaten, but was never touched. The false barrier of past hurt kept the fish from making any move at all.

While we Christians ought not think of ourselves as "barracudas" on the lookout for "prey," the more I pay attention to the zeitgeist of the public square and Christians' moods towards it, the more I realize we are like the barracudas in a key respect; we have allowed ourselves to be put inside a "worldview ghetto."

To insist on even discussing issues of faith, morality, and religion in public will often get you weird looks. Or at least many of us think we'll get weird looks. To insist that faith, morality and religion are areas of knowledge that deserve a place in the public sphere will get you even stranger looks. But really, what's the worst that could happen? Will we bump into a glass barrier? The barrier isn't there!

Granted, a few will not like those ideas. Many will be stunned at your chutzpah. A few might even oppose you. So?

To adopt a post-modern attitude of "tolerance" would be, to paraphrase Dr. J.P. Moreland, the cure that kills the patient. Such a response is not worthy of the movement that was born of the martyr's blood (another Moreland-ism).

The phrase "You'd be surprised by what you can get away with" has become a reminder for me that in today's increasingly secular world, Christians must, in an attitude and stance of ambassadorship, boldly thrust the worldview of Jesus into the marketplace of ideas, where it belongs.

Even if such a stance ends up costing me a job, so be it; the furniture in heaven will not be suddenly thrown topsy-turvy. I'll go do something else and cause trouble in some other place.

I am not advocating foolishness. There is a difference between boldness and stupidity (just call me "Captain Obvious"). My points are simply A) that life will go on, and B) On the "You did what?" list of reasons for being fired, spitting in the face of secularism is not on that list. My attitude probably won't even come to that; after all, you'd be surprised by what you can get away with.

Together for the Gospel '08

Registration for T4G is open until March 21, 2008, or until the conference sells out (T4G sold out early in 2006!). Register today!

Tuesday April 15 - Thursday April 17, 2008

Kentucky International Convention Center, Louisville, KY

John Piper
How the Supremacy of Christ Creates Radical Christian Sacrifice

Thabiti Anyabwile

Bearing the Image: Identity, the Work of Christ and the Church

John MacArthur

The Sinner Neither Able Nor Willing: The Doctrine of Absolute Inability

Ligon Duncan
Sound Doctrine - Essential to Faithful Pastoral Ministry: A Joyful Defense and Declaration of the Necessity and Practicality of Systematic Theology for the Life of the Church

Mark Dever
Improving the Gospel: Exercises in Unbiblical Theology

RC Sproul
The Curse Motif of the Atonement

Albert Mohler
Why Do They Hate It So? The Doctrine of Substitution

CJ Mahaney
Sustaining a Pastor's Soul

View video clips of the 2006 conference here: www.t4g.org/promo

MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT: New Evangelism Ministry Launches

This week marks the start of a new Christian outreach ministry, Sharing The Truth In Love (STTIL). The founder and director of this unique nonprofit organization is none other than me, Ed Nicholson, creator of this blog ThatTheyMayB1.net. Based in Columbus, Ohio, STTIL’s mission aims at clearly and accurately communicating a Christian worldview with those who are living in the United States. To learn more about our ministry and how you can contribute, go to: www.sharingthetruthinlove.org.

Personal Invitation to “Pay It Forward” >>>

If you’ve ever felt blessed by any of my emails or posts over these past three years, I want to invite you to please consider financially supporting my new ministry. Simply click on the Donate tab at www.sharingthetruthinlove.org if you would like to “Pay It Forward.”

Here’s a really nice piece about me that appeared this week in my hometown newspaper. Click here>>

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