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TGIF

This week, in Switzerland, Usain Bolt ran 19.59 seconds for 200 meters. That is the fourth-fastest time in history. Bolt holds the current world record at 19.30 seconds. What makes this week’s time remarkable is that the race was held in a cold rain, and the runners waited 3 or 4 minutes at the start before the race started. It looked like an easy run for Bolt, who was ahead of his rivals after about 80 meters. We may see that world record go even lower later this summer. You heard it here first.

No world records here, but I do have the links of the week:

There are some interesting Christian album covers over at Jesus or Squirrel? The Church of No People also features Christian music. Do you want to be “fixed”? Molly writes about love that wins. I think Jesse Medina makes a very good point here. What are you willing to lose? Jake Belder on culture and worldview.

iMonk weighs in on Derek Webb. The comments are interesting as well. Ruling or leading? Really cool macro photography (HT: Brother Maynard). Holy is the dish and drain. The upside of inexperience (HT: Scot McKnight). John Armstrong on ideas. Good thoughts from Anthony Smith. Church in the future. Jeff McQ has a good series going. Part 3, with links to parts 1 and 2, is here.

Tomorrow, we’re going up to Grandfather Mountain for the Scottish Highland Games. Should be fun. I hope you have a good weekend.

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You Paid $11 Million for What?!

Keith Giles over at “subversive1” turned me on to this story, which unfortunately is a picture of where the church as we know it in America has been going for some time.

11 million dollars for a new building for the church to worship in. 90 thousand dollars each month from the members’ offerings goes to pay off the loan. This amount would be higher if not for the gifts of the members. One couple gave 10 thousand dollars.

The trend in American Christianity the past few years has been to build bigger, more elaborate buildings. In a desire to reach more people, churches have been erecting large, comfortable, “worship centers” where folks can go listen to a kicking worship band, maybe sing along, hear the latest news about the church’s programs, enjoy an inspiring message from a top-notch professional speaker, listen to a couple more songs, and then go home feeling good about themselves for a few days. All the while, the spiritual life of the average church spreads and becomes more shallow. Somehow, I don’t think that’s what Jesus had in mind.

I personally have nothing against using technology to advance the Kingdom. I like good “worship” music. I have been challenged by and have changed my thinking because of listening to excellent speakers. What I have a problem with is the attitude that bigger is better, with the idea that we have to put on a show to get folks in the church building, and with the idea that we have to “get people into church” in the first place. Jesus told us to make disciples, not church members. It has been shown that many of these churches do a better job of attracting members from other churches than those outside the church.

I also have a problem with an 11 million dollar edifice and a 90 thousand dollar a month mortgage. That’s almost 1.1 million a year. Even with a fifteen year loan, the church will have paid out over 16 million dollars before the building is paid for. Imagine for a moment what a million dollars a year could do for the needy in the area where the church is located. Imagine the impact 15 million could have. I have heard it said that if the Christians in America would simply give a tenth of their incomes, global poverty could be brought to an end. Whether that is true or not, it is certainly true that the church in America seems to be more concerned with making itself comfortable than in serving the least of these. There are exceptions, but they seem to prove the rule. I know churches that spend almost all of their income on building debt and maintenance, and salaries.

I am becoming more and more convinced that the simple churches, whether they meet in a house, a park, a coffee shop, or a pub are the future of the church. As these small parts of the Body of Christ minister to each other and to the community around them, disciples will be made. As those go and make disciples, the Body will grow. Look at what has happened, and is happening in China, in India, in other parts of the world where small groups of followers of Jesus are bringing hundreds of thousands into the Kingdom. Look what happened in the first two centuries of church history. They turned the world upside down.

I’ll bet they did it without building multi-million dollar buildings.

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World Vision Wednesday

As you may know, the G8 Summit is going on in Italy. At the meeting in 2005 the leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations made a commitment to fight extreme global poverty and disease. World Vision and the One campaign are asking these nations to keep the promises that were made in 2005.

You can read all about the policy positions and how you can get involved here.

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Led Zeppelin in Rock Hill!

Actually, it was a group named ZoSo. They bill themselves as “The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience.” They looked and sounded an awful lot like the original, so it was a pretty good concert in downtown Rock Hill Friday night. After the concert, Jan and I watched the annual fireworks show. On Saturday, we sat in our front yard and watched our neighborhood parade, then we went to the neighborhood picnic. After a cookout with Jan’s dad, we watched a July 4 show on TV, and some fireworks at a church across the street.

On Sunday, we went out for breakfast and then went to the Latta Plantation north of Charlotte. We learned a bit of the history of one part of the Charlotte area. Later, we went and spent the evening with the our small group/house church that we have been a part of the last few months.

All in all, a good weekend.

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29

Tomorrow Jan and I celebrate the 29th anniversary of the day we said, “I do.” It’s hard to believe it has been 29 years. It’s hard to believe Jan has put up with me this long. 🙂

There are differences of opinion on whether there is “that certain one” that God has for each person. I don’t know, but I do know that I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else, or loving anyone else as much as I love Jan. I am extremely grateful to the Father for the gift of such a wonderful wife, lover, and friend.

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TGIF

This weekend we celebrate the birth of the United States. Our neighborhood will have a parade tomorrow morning, and since the neighborhood is small the parade will pass by our house two or three times. It’s one of those slices of small town Americana. There will be fireworks, cook-outs, and other celebrations. In the midst of our patriotic fervor, however, we who follow Jesus must remember that we are really resident aliens in this country. We follow the King of Kings and we are citizens of a different Kingdom. Even though we can love the country we live in, our first allegiance is to Jesus Christ and our first priority is bringing his kingdom to bear in every part of our day-to-day lives.

Enjoy these links:

Lacey Gustavsen on tennis balls. George Elerick writes about convenient amnesia. Musings on the body of Christ. Dr. Lewis on something she never heard in fundamentalism. Alyson DaCosta on poverty. Todd Hiestand on the suburban mob. Alan Knox has a couple of good posts, here and here. Brother Maynard reveals his secret indentity. How big (or small) is your Gospel?

Words of wisdom from Jeff McQ. iMonk posts a thought on Hebrews 12:1. MercyMe covers “Thriller.” 32 reasons why Southern Baptists must change their name (HT: Scot Mcknight).

Have a good weekend. Stay safe and don’t burn yourself with fireworks.

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World Vision Wednesday

I had some problems with my computer last night, so here is Wednesday’s post on Thursday.

When most people think of World Vision, they think of children in Asia, Africa, or South America. Did you know that the organization also ministers to those in need in the United States? According to Census Bureau estimates, 10 percent of the U.S. population lives below the poverty line. World Vision works in 11 major urban and rural areas to help some of the least of these in our own country. World Vision works with local churches, businesses, and individuals to bring relief to their areas. They do this through 3 programs.

In urban areas, The Storehouse provides school supplies, clothes, toys, household goods, and even building supplies. Emergency response and disaster relief helps those affected by disasters in the U.S. The education and youth development program ministers to high-risk youth by providing mentoring, tutoring, and life skills training.

In rural areas, interested individuals can help by participating in Appalachia service trips, or mission trips to areas in Mississippi or Georgia.

To see how World Vision helps transform an urban area go here.

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What Message?

From the state that brought you the PTL network, with its excesses and failings, comes another Christian network with a leader who believes in his right to build a four million dollar house in a gated community in the mountains. Now, a multi-million dollar house in itself is not necessarily a bad thing, even though it seems to me to be a bit of overkill. The problem comes when the network which pays this man big bucks is laying off employees because their revenues are down, after taking tax incentives from the state and starting a large, expensive campus for the network and its “ministries.”

This network preaches what is popularly called the prosperity gospel. The basic message is, “Send us your money so we can build a bigger ministry, and God will give you every material thing you have ever wanted, and then some.” In the state to the north, the government operates a lottery which they call the “Education Lottery.” Their message is, “Buy lottery tickets to make our schools better, and you might strike it rich.” If you don’t win, it’s just your bad luck. The prosperity preachers’ run sort of a “Holy Ghost Lottery,” except if you don’t get what they promise, it’s due to your lack of faith.

In a way, many in both the evangelical and fundamentalist branches of the institutional church preach a similar message. One side preaches that following _____ principles can change your life and make you a better _______________. The other preaches that following the rules and regulations that they say are Biblical will keep you living right and enable you to please God and stay “right” with him.

All three groups are essentially saying that of you do X, God will do Y. It puts things in the hands of human beings, and brings pride or despair. It is the doing that brings favor, rather than the Gospel message that it is God’s favor that causes us to do good out of gratitude and love.

The church, in all its expressions, needs to stop running a game that encourages people to give more and do more to win or increase God’s blessing on them. We need to get back to the message that the world is a messed up place and the folks in it are messed up people, BUT there is One who has changed everything, who has overcome sin and death, and who is making all things new. It does not depend on our own effort, but rather on the work of Jesus Christ.

Some questions come to mind every time I hear these popular messages. What would these preachers say to the Christians in China, India, or Darfur? Would they tell them they need to have more faith? Maybe they would give them a number of principles to follow? Would they say that they need to get right with God?

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TGIF

What do y’all think of our governor down here in South Carolina. It’s a sorry spectacle. What I get from this whole thing is the thought that he that thinks he stands, let him be careful lest he fall, to paraphrase 1 Corinthians 10:12. All of us must realize that, without the grace of God, we are capable of the same, or worse. Pray that the Father brings healing to that family.

Without further ado, here is the good stuff:

Dan Edelen responds to an earlier post. John Fonville on what the Gospel is and isn’t. iMonk thinks things are changing at the Southern Baptist Convention. Are you searching for IT? What is justice? Brother Maynard weighs in on Jon and Kate. Just what are these people thinking? We’d better be careful, or this kind of thing might catch on (HT: Brother Maynard).

Alan Knox thinks we should just make disciples. Dan Kimball reminisces. He will build the church. Matt on the “good old days.” Shaun Groves thinks Adam Smith was wrong.

Have a great weekend. Stay cool.

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World Vision Wednesday

I’m going to try something a little different here. On Wednesday, I’m going to share something from or about the work of World Vision. Jan and I have been sponsoring children through World Vision for a number of years and have volunteered at concerts sponsored by the organization. We appreciate the ministry of World Vision as it helps provide for the least of these.

This week, I have an excerpt from an article titled, “Rwandan Genocide 15 Years Later: Alice Forgives:

“They were armed with guns, machetes, swords, and clubs. They saw me and approached. One of them took my baby out of my hands and [killed her],” says Alice. Then, a man named Emmanuel cut off Alice’s hand and slashed her face. “Others hit me with nail-studded clubs, and I lost consciousness.”

Fifteen years after the genocide, Alice’s memories are still fresh; she has a scar on her jaw and is missing a hand. However, there is something extraordinary about this soft-spoken woman: With the help of World Vision reconciliation workshops, she found the strength to forgive Emmanuel and the men who killed her baby. In fact, Alice lost 100 members of her extended family, and yet she forgave.

Read the whole story here.