The FUTURE of Global Christianity is Arriving – Do YOU Take the SPIRIT Seriously?
Scot McKnight made the following comment on Harvey Cox’s new book The Future of Faith: Cox notes – as have many others – that the future of the church is moving out of the western world, into Latin America, Africa, and the East. While churches stand empty in Europe, the faith is flourishing and growing elsewhere. Notably charismatic forms of the faith are growing fastest. The bottom line seems to be that faith is relevant for life in many parts of the world and that the Christian faith in particular meets a very real need. Faith simply is not relevant in much of the secular west. But in the global South … liberation theology and the power of people in small house church groups play an enormous role. Faith flourishes when it is not micromanaged from the top, but grows from the bottom through the power of the Spirit.
Let’s look at a bit of what Cox has to say:
First, for centuries Christians have claimed that the Holy Spirit is just as divine as the other members of the Trinity. But in reality, the Spirit has most often been ignored or else feared as too unpredictable. It “blows where it will,” as the Gospel of John (3:8) says, and is therefore too mercurial to contain. But some of the liveliest Christian movements in the world today are precisely the ones that celebrate this volatile expression of the divine. … By far the fastest growth in Christianity, especially among the deprived and destitute, is occurring among people like the Pentecostals, who stress a direct experience of the Spirit. It is almost as though the Spirit, muted and muffled for centuries, is breaking its silence and staging a delayed “return of the repressed.” (p. 9-10)
Fundamentalists are text-oriented literalists who insist that the inerrant Bible is the sole authority. Pentecostals, on the other hand, although they accept biblical authority, rely more on a direct experience of the Holy Spirit. Fundamentalists consider themselves sober and rational. Pentecostals welcome demonstrative worship and ecstatic praise, which they call “speaking in tongues” and which they regard as the Spirit praying within them. … Fundamentalists insist on a hard core of nonnegotiable doctrines one must hold to unquestioningly. Pentecostals generally dislike doctrinal tests and reject what they call “man-made creeds and lifeless rituals.” (p. 200-201)
Are Pentecostals contributing to the shift from belief to faith, or are they among those holding out for a belief-defined Christianity? Are they
heralds of the Age of the Spirit? The answer is that there are, after all, 500 million of them, and they vary widely in their theologies and practices. Some Pentecostals, especially white North Americans, have been heavily influenced by fundamentalism. But in the global South, they are more informed by an ethic of following Jesus, and a vision of the Kingdom of God. They have recently become increasingly active in social ministries, but the hostility they sometimes show toward other faiths limits their ability to cooperate. (p. 202)
The explosive growth of Spirit led Christianity in Latin America and in Africa has tilted the scales to dominate the landscape of global Christianity. From its origins in a previously abandoned African Methodist Episcopal Church on Azusa Street in Los Angeles, Calif., pentecostalism has emerged as the fastest-growing Christian movement in the world. The movement emphasizes the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including speaking in tongues, miraculous healing and spiritual renewal. According to the World Christian Encyclopedia, adherents to pentecostalism and its related “spirit-filled” or renewalist faiths now number more than 500 million, comprising about a quarter of world Christianity, an exponential increase from 30 years ago when only 6 percent of the world’s Christians fit these classifications.
So…A question (borrowed from McKnight) – do we take the Spirit seriously? The Spirit spoke to Peter and Paul – and guided their mission. Does the Spirit provide guidance today? If so, how?
A final note, to summarize Cox’s new book – he advises that we keep an eye on two trends in the future: the changing nature of evangelicalism with the decreasing influence of fundamentalism in the U.S. and the growth of Christianity in China. He also notes the tension between how religion is approached by theologians and bishops, who tend to view faith as an aggregation of beliefs, and the way religion is viewed by laypeople who tend to view Christianity as experience. He connects this to the spectacular growth of Pentecostalism over the past century, which, he says, embraces the experiential. Whether you agree or disagree with Cox’s conclusions regarding the pre-mortem demise of fundamentalism, his views are certainly worth considering as we experience continuing change in the global Christain landscape.
The Clearly Stated Difference Between Christian and Muslim Understandings of Love, Compassion, and Mercy.
Christianity Today magazine’s chief editor, David Neff, attended the “Loving God and Neighbor Together” dialogue between Muslims and Christians held at Yale University. While there, he noticed a critical difference between the Christian and Muslim understandings of love, compassion, and mercy:
The Christian participants had been taught by Jesus that love should be indiscriminate—just as the mercy shown by the Good Samaritan was conditioned on nothing other than the wounded man’s need. That may not be the way we generally behave, but it is the way we have learned to think of ourselves. It is the standard against which we measure ourselves.
The Muslim participants startled us Christians by talking about the limits their religion brought to their compassion. Orphans, widows, and others in need through no fault of their own deserve compassion, they said. But in Islamic ethics, there was no obligation to help the person whose drunkenness or gambling or otherwise unwise behavior put them in difficulty.
Reflecting on what I heard those Muslim leaders say, the tension was not between a generous God and a stingy God, as [Japanese theologian] Kosuke Koyama puts it, but between mercy that was defined and conditioned by justice (the Muslim view) and justice that was conditioned and defined by mercy (the Christian view).
As C.S. Lewis once said, “grace separates Christianity from all the world’s religions.” The notion of God’s love coming to us free of charge, no
strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. The Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of Karma, the Jewish covenant, and Muslim code of law—each of these offers a way to earn approval. Only Christianity dares to make God’s love unconditional.
Romans 3:22-24 – This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Matthew 10:42 – And if anyone gives a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly notloose his reward.
I had an interesting discussion about TBN of my Facebook page during the last 24 hours. It quickly shot up to 354 posts. For my many friends who are not Christian and were following along, I hope you found something entertaining in it. It certainly proved that theology can be a full contact sport. It was also a good reminder that many have been hurt by excesses of many popular TV preachers.
For those wondering if TBN is worth discussing – it is (if for no other reason) because it is the largest religious broadcasting medium in the world. When I was growing up, Billy Graham Crusades appeared on television a couple of times a year. TBN reaches as many people as those Graham Crusades every minute. To be on TBN is to be guaranteed millions (maybe billions) of viewers and potential supporters.
I have seen some TV specials over the years documenting the outright dishonesty of Robert Tilton. He is the only TBN person for whom I can personally document major character issues. The other teachers/preachers on TBN are a mixed bag. Some are good with some faults some are at fault for not being open to dialogue with other believers about their bad theology.
Please do not cringe at my use of the word “theology.” Theology is a fancy word for the beliefs we hold concerning God and how God relates to us. When it comes to the beliefs we hold in what is (for me) the most important relationship in a person’s life (our relationship with God), feelings run deep. They should. The beliefs we hold about our dearest relationships deeply impact our quality of life.
In the same way that a bad therapist should be spoken to if they hurt a parent’s relationship with their child, or a marriage relationship, a
theologian (or preacher) should be spoken too regarding what they preach.
The right response when our beliefs about God may be hurting ourselves or others was modeled by the Jews listening to the Apostle Paul in Berea [Read Acts 17:1-15]. The Apostle Paul spoke to earnest Jews who were sincere in understanding the things of God. These were not Christians, they were Jews. They were God-fearing-seeking people with a less mature understanding of God, who were doing the best with what they had. They were open and searched the scriptures. Some became Christians.
This “Berean” attitude is that attitude we should all have regarding our beliefs. My chief complaint with many on TBN, is that they do not have this attitude. They are not open to theological dialogue with the rest of the Christian community. The beliefs many are documenting, as being taught by some of these TBN preachers, are hurting people. I can understand the deep and sometimes hostile feelings that I hear. When people we love get hurt, we get upset. I am not saying that good does not take place. I am saying that hurt is occurring.
Bad theology hurts people. Fortunately, there are people out there who make it their business to listen and read and look into TBN broadcasts. That there is nothing at all unloving about asking: what has Joyce Meyer written in all her books; what does Jesse really believe; what is Paul’s attitude towards the Bible; what does T.D. really say? Yes, some of these observers are hostile. Because they are biased, you may wonder if they can be trusted. When Bill Clinton was having sex with an intern, it didn’t matter whether a Republican pundit or a Democrat partisan gave us the news. Facts are stubborn things. If Parsley says he is dispensing an end-time financial blessing, if Jesse says he has been given personal visits to heaven, if Joyce says Jesus was reborn in hell, if Benny says Jesus will appear on his stage (all actual claims btw), then it’s either in the record or its not. I’ll admit that some of the critics of TBN won’t win any merit badges for being nice; but in all honesty, if we are talking about important matters of Christian belief, it may not matter. I am glad that people listen to my sermons too.
In some of my past churches, we recited the Apostles Creed after the sermon. It was a standard to hold everyone accountable. If the sermon I preach does not match the beliefs summarized from Scripture and reflected in the Apostles Creed, some “Berean” conversation needs to take place. The same is true for the TV preachers on TBN. MY CHIEF CONCERN is that they do not seem willing to be “Berean” in these matters.
So what do we do with TBN for now? Three suggestions:
First, let’s all acknowledge that we are foolish when we are dogmatic in saying that that a person can’t sort through the bad and find some good
with TBN. We (Protestants) can say the same about EWTN, the Roman Catholic Channel. Are there good programs on TBN? Absolutely, and I hope they take over the network. But they won’t. With a buffet that includes good and bad, what should we do? Obviously, TBN shouldn’t be our whole spiritual meal. In fact, it shouldn’t be the main course.
Second, as a general rule, if they don’t hold to the teaching of the Bible on the essentials- and some don’t – don’t watch them. Compare them to the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. We should not overlook major errors. I know that may be hard for us to face, but it’s the truth. A seriously false teacher who is right about some things and tells great stories and really preaches practical principles is still a seriously false teacher. We all are wrong on some stuff. But, way off is bad and hurts people. Read Jude and 2 Peter on false teachers.
Third, if you don’t know what they believe, find out. If they said or wrote something seriously unacceptable, and some have, then do the right thing. Get “Berean” for your own sake and for the sake of those that you love. I have a library full of people who believe different things, so I think diversity is great, but not all of the health/wealth gospel stuff, not spiritual warfare fanaticism, no denying the Trinity and the incarnation, no replacing the Bible with prophetic words, no, no, no.
Well friends, I hope we are still friends. It is my hope that we all become so grounded in the Word that listening to bad theology makes our hair stand on end. I hope we are huge supporters of our LOCAL church.
A final note – I do know that some are homebound, etc.. There is a practical reality for Christian TV for those who cannot go to church buildings. The internet, radio, social media, and good books play a role too. I do see the importance of this. I also wish the church would visit those homebound more often.
Praying for HAITI – Prayers to Lead and Inspire You and to Post on TWITTER and FACEBOOK
Psalm 61:1-2 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
A Facebook size prayer to post:
Dear LORD…150,000 announced dead so far..it is with a heavy heart that we come to you, not necessarily knowing what we should ask for because many of us are wondering, “Why did this happen?” “Why has tragedy struck Haiti again?” We humble ourselves before you to ask for your mercy to be upon Haiti and its people. Give us hearts of compassion so that we can give in Jesus’ name, Amen (By Roy Shaff)
A Twitter size prayer to post: 
God of compassion please watch over the people of Haiti, and weave out of these terrible happenings wonders of goodness and grace.
Two Prayers to lead you in praying for HAITI
First Prayer:
Gracious God we pray for the people of Haiti, for this country that has been devastated beyond words. We join our prayers and our sorrow and our care and our love with the prayers of all people in Haiti and for Haiti. We pray first, O Lord, for those who have lost loved ones and family members, some who have lost their whole families. We pray for your steadying and comforting hand to hold them up in the face of such grief and pain. We pray for those who are trying to find loved ones. We pray for families that are awaiting word or trying to get word out that they are okay. We
pray for your guidance upon them. We pray for people awaiting assistance, awaiting medical care, awaiting food and water. We pray for those in pain, in fear. We pray for those sleeping in the streets, sleeping under a sheet for a tent, we pray for those whose homes are gone. We pray for each person in Haiti who is doing what they can to help another, to share a bit of food, to dig with their hands through rubble, to carry a stranger to find medical care. Lord we pray for the government of Haiti, and for governments and relief organizations around the world as they seek to respond as rapidly as possible. We give you thanks that so many are doing everything they can to try and help Haiti at this time. We pray for each country responding, each community, each organization, and each individual that you have moved to help or give or pray or respond in some way. Lord we pray for all these people, for all of these needs, we pray that your steadfast love is a tower of strength and courage to all those in need, and that your presence is a refuge and comfort to all those who suffer and grieve right now. And finally, O Lord, we pray to you the prayer you gave us to pray . . .Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen
Second Prayer:
We pray for Haiti. Our hearts are breaking, God. The human mind cannot grasp the enormity of the loss. The cries echo through the universe. Innocent blood is calling us to rise up from our heartbreak and act. We pray for Haiti. Help us, God, to understand that destruction can come in a moment but healing may take a lifetime. Teach us perseverance, teach us dedication. We pray for Haiti. God of the weak, God of the broken-hearted, God of the living, God of the dead, Send healing to Haiti. Send hope to the children who are lost and alone, Send strength and resilience to the wounded, and comfort to the grieving. Fill the leaders of Haiti with the wisdom to raise their country up. Fill relief workers with resolve. Bless the doctors and nurses with the power and the skill to save as many lives as possible. Open their eyes, steady their hands. We pray
for Haiti. Bless us, God, Work through us. Remind us that every one of us is filled with the power to heal. Do not let the passage of time lead us to indifference. Open our hearts open our hands. We pray for Haiti. Let all nations unite as one in a time of reconstruction and repair. Raise up the people of Haiti, God, out of helplessness and despair. Teach them to believe that cities shall be rebuilt on their ruins that the cries of the children will soon return to laughter. Be with them, God, watch over them. And gather the souls of the dead whose homes and schools became their graves Into Your eternal shelter, Let them find peace in your presence, God. We pray for Haiti. Amen. (By Naomi Levy)
Here is the deal. Please share these ideas. I am looking for work and enjoy writing. I have degrees from Fuller and Princeton Seminaries and have a very broad background of ministry experience (see my bio). As I said earlier, I am looking for work. Do you need help with research or sermon ideas? Can you pass these on to anyone who hires research writers? I can provide good sermon ideas and content. I appreciate any help. God bless. Rev. Roy Shaff
Sermon Title(s) – Green Guilt
Potential Lectionary Year C Texts: Proper 11, July 18, Colossians 1:15-28; Proper 12, July 25, Luke 11:1-13; Proper 14, Aug 8, Isaiah 1:1, 10-20; Proper 16, Aug 22, Luke 13:10-17
Themes: creation care, guilt, knowledge of God, vocation, post-Christian, planet, ecology, values, environment, worry
From The Chronicle of Highed Education, “Green Guilt,” Adam Niklewicz for, By Stephen T. Asma, January 13, 2010, http://chronicle.com/article/Green-Guilt/63447/
From the article: Many people who feel passionate about saving the planet justify their intense feelings by pointing to the seriousness of the problem and the high stakes involved. No doubt they are right about the seriousness. There are indeed environmental challenges, and steps must be taken to ameliorate them. But there is another way to understand the unique passion surrounding our need to go green.
Friedrich Nietzsche comments that religious emotions, like guilt and indignation, are still with us…. He claimed that we were living in a post-Christian world—but we, as a culture, are still dominated by Judeo-Christian values.
Possible Sermon Title(s) – Destroying our Good, “Lose your Shirt,” or Torn for the Right Reason (use 2 Ki 5:1-14)
Potential Lectionary Year C Texts: Proper 9, July 4, 2 Kings 5:1-14, Gal. 6:1-6, 7-16; Lk. 10:1-11, 16-20; Proper 10, July 11, Luke 10:25-37; Proper 11, July 18, Amos 8:1-12, Psalm 52; Proper 13, Aug 1, Lk 12:13-21; Proper 15, Aug 15, Isaiah 5:1-7; Proper 17, Aug 29, Hebrews 13:1-8,15-16, Luke 14:1,7-14
Themes: justice, wealth, poverty, social responsibility, goods, business ethics, and retail
From Shine-Yahoo, “H&M and Wal-Mart destroy and trash unsold goods,” by Joanna Douglas, Shine Staff, January 7, 2010, http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/h-m-and-wal-mart-destroy-and-trash-unsold-goods-562909/
From the article: This week the New York Times reported a disheartening story about two of the largest retail chains. You see, instead of taking unsold items to sample sales or donating them to people in need, H&M and Wal-Mart have been throwing them out in giant trash bags. And in the case that someone may stumble on these bags and try to keep or re-sell the items, these companies have gone ahead and slashed up garments, cut off the sleeves of coats, and sliced holes in shoes so they are unwearable. The New York Times points out that one-third of the city’s population is poor, which makes this behavior not only wasteful and sad, but downright irresponsible.
Wal-Mart spokeswoman, Melissa Hill, acted surprised that these items were found, claiming they typically donate all unworn merchandise to charity. When reporters went around the corner from H&M to a collections drop-off for charity organization New York Cares, spokesperson Colleen Farrell said, “We’d be glad to take unworn coats, and companies often send them to us.”
H&M made a statement, promising to stop destroying the garments at the midtown Manhattan location. They said they will donate the items to charity. spokeswoman Nicole Christie said, “It will not happen again.”
Possible Sermon Titles(s) – It’s Raining Lizards or Resurrection of the Iguanas
Potential Lectionary Year C Texts: Proper 11, July 18, Amos 8:1-12, Luke 10:38-42; Proper 12, July 25, Colossians 2:6-15, 16-19; Proper 13, Aug 1, Lk 12:13-21, Col 3:1-11; Proper 15, Aug 15, Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Proper 16, Aug 22, Psalm 71:1-6, Hebrews 12:18-29; Proper 17, Aug 29, Psalm 81:1,10-16
Themes: life, near death, resurrection, sleep, syncretism, good intentions gone bad, surprise outcomes, reptiles, plague(s), hibernation, wake up call
From Just News.com, Iguanas Go Into Hibernation State In Cold Weather, Wednesday, January 6, 2010, http://www.justnews.com/health/22166107/detail.html
From the article: Kamikaze iguanas, plummeting from their treetop perches, have long been a Floridian urban legend, but Miami television station WPLG was able to capture footage of the reptiles. Scientists said these seemingly suicidal lizards are a result of South Florida’s record cold weather. Iguanas prefer temperatures in the 80s and 90s. With Wednesday morning’s temperatures at around 35 degrees, a handful of lifeless lizards hung from branches and fell to the ground. While these iguanas appeared dead, experts said they are not. When temperatures drop below 40 degrees, iguanas go into a type of hibernation in which their bodies essentially turn off, only allowing the heart to pump blood. When the temperature rises above 40 degrees again, the iguanas are revived.
Ron Magill of Miami Metrozoo had a warning. “I knew of a gentleman who was collecting them off the street and throwing them in the back of his station wagon, and all of a sudden these things are coming alive, crawling on his back and almost caused a wreck.”
Possible Sermon Title(s) – The “Avatar” Blues or “Na’Vi Blue”
Potential Lectionary Year C Texts: Proper 12, July 25, Ps 85, Hos 1:2-10, Lk 11:1-13, Col 2:6-15, 16-19 (a reach); Proper 13, Aug 1, Ps 107:1-9, 43, Lk 12:13-21; Proper 14, Aug 8, Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Proper 15, Aug 15, Psalm 80:1-2,8-19;
From CNN.com, Audiences experience ‘Avatar’ blues, By Jo Piazza, January 11, 2010, http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/avatar.movie.blues/index.html
Themes: depression, knowledge of God, hope, eternity, sadness, media, reminders of eternity, imagination, dissatisfaction, hopelessness, now and not yet, communication, another world
Note from Roy – “People are becoming depressed that ‘Avatar’ isn’t real.” This reminds me of a quote by C.S. Lewis: “If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
From the article: James Cameron’s completely immersive spectacle “Avatar” may have been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora.
A post by a user called Elequin expresses an almost obsessive relationship with the film: “That’s all I have been doing as of late, searching the Internet for more info about ‘Avatar.’ I guess that helps. It’s so hard I can’t force myself to think that it’s just a movie, and to get over it, that living like the Na’vi will never happen. I think I need a rebound movie,” Elequin posted.
A user named Mike wrote on the fan Web site “Naviblue” that he contemplated suicide after seeing the movie: “Ever since I went to see ‘Avatar’ I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na’vi made me want to be one of them. I can’t stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and all of the tears and shivers I got from it,” Mike posted. “I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and where everything is the same as in ‘Avatar.’ “
Michael Hyatt sent this out earler today. I have enjoyed it:
Usually, writers will do anything to avoid writing. For instance, the previous sentence was written at one o’clock this afternoon. It is now a quarter to four. I have spent the past two hours and forty-five minutes sorting my neckties by width, looking up the word “paisly” in three dictionaries, attempting to find the town of that name on The New York Times Atlas of the World map of Scotland, sorting my reference books by width, trying to get the bookcase to stop wobbling by stuffing a matchbook cover under its corner, dialing the telephone number on the matchbook cover to see if I should take computer courses at night, looking at the computer ads in the newspaper and deciding to buy a computer because writing seems to be so difficult on my old Remington, reading an interesting article on sorghum farming in Uruguay that was in the newspaper next to the computer ads, cutting that and other interesting articles out of the newspaper, sorting—by width—all the interesting articles I’ve cut out of newspapers recently, fastening them neatly together with paper clips and making a very attractive paper clip necklace and bracelet set, which I will present to my girlfriend as soon as she comes home from the three-hour low-impact aerobic workout that I made her go to so I could have some time alone to write.” — P. J. O’Rourke The Wit and Wisdom of P. J. O’Rourke
How is your writing coming?
The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium. ~Norbet Platt
It’s easy to agree that the Bible is a special book. It is the most published book in human history. It easily outsells and out prints the New York Times Bestseller List (although, it will never be listed there). Yet, how the Bible is special and how makes a difference in our lives are difficult topics to discuss. The Bible has been used and misused in so many ways that its purpose has become muddled in public perception. Christianity Today reported (Dec ’09) that between the ages of 18-25 only 30 percent of Americans believe that the Bible is totally accurate in all it teaches. Our belief in Scripture’s authority may increase with age. Between the ages of 26-44 the percentage rises to 39%, between the ages of 45-63 the percentage is 46%, and among those 64 and over the percentage is 58%.
If you or I were sitting at Starbucks with a non-Christian friend and sharing the Gospel, we would quote or reference the Bible at some point in our conversation. The reality of how most non-Christians experience Scripture would be an issue to discuss. The book we use to help us explain the life-changing Good News of Jesus Christ has also been used to teach the Pre-Copernican view of the universe, justify the Crusades, human slavery, racism, the suppression of woman’s rights, and promote countless silly ideas. Christians need to be able to talk about how God has intended Scripture to be used, and how God does not want us to use Scripture, so that we can “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have” (1 Peter 3:15).
Darryl Heart has a great post at Old Life with a quote from Ken Myers. This was originally taken from “Christianity, Culture, and Common Grace” and is available (in pdf). Ken uses the phrase “insufficiency of Scripture” to address the misuse of the Bible. Don’t let this academic phrase throw you.
We don’t hear much about the “insufficiency of Scripture.” But it is an important point to keep in mind when thinking about Christianity and culture. Scripture does not present itself as the only source of truth about all matters. It does not even present itself as a source of some truth about everything. It presents itself as the only authoritative source of truth about some things, and they are the most important things. But the Bible does not claim to teach us the fundamentals of arithmetic, of biology, of engineering, or of music. About most of the matters of culture, the Bible has little explicit to say. Many people insist on taking implicit statements from Scripture (or allegedly implicit statements) and deducing from them an entire theory. This is often done in the name of a high view of Scripture, but it is rather to treat Scripture as a magic book. It is a superstitious view of Scripture, not the view God has himself presented. The belief that all the blueprints for all of life are in Scripture is in part derived from the notion that reason and general revelation are not to be trusted.
Are we insecure about “proving” the veracity of the Bible itself? Spurgeon used to say that he would as soon “defend Scripture as defend a lion.” We can describe the reasons we find Scripture credible. The burden to “prove” is not ours to carry.
The functional-point of Scripture is God-speaking. God speaks more in the Scripture-experience than every person could ever hear in an eternity of lifetimes. It is disrespectful to approach the Bible with an interrogation. We misread and misuse Scripture when we merely seek to answer our unanswered questions or search to find an excuse for our wants ahead of God’s timing. Christians regularly find proof-texts
against uncomfortable ideas.
The Gospel has priority in this primary function of Scripture. God has something to say to us and through us. Jesus’ Great Commission (Mt. 28:16-20) sends believers into the world to share and to be Good News. We will find our heart’s desire IN the pursuit of this task. Merely pursuing what our heart desires will sour our heart. God’s Spirit is working to equip us to share and helping us to be Good News (experiencing our own relationship with God for others). Scripture is our inspired text – the foundational words and ideas through which believers share inspired life-changing Good News. Ken reminds us that the Bible is the foundation for this task; however, the Bible does not function in isolation. A Bible sitting in a box on your shelf will not do anything for anyone, neither will a message that is out of conversation with culture. The primary purpose for Scripture’s existence is to promote the Good News of Jesus Christ in our life, to those in our culture, today. It must be shared, in-fleshed in life and words. This is the act of “preaching”:
Romans 10:14-17 (The Message) – But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? That’s why Scripture exclaims,
A sight to take your breath away!
Grand processions of people
telling all the good things of God!
But not everybody is ready for this, ready to see and hear and act. Isaiah asked what we all ask at one time or another: “Does anyone care, God? Is anyone listening and believing a word of it?” The point is: Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.
I like the way Karl Barth tells us to incarnate the Gospel, in-culture it, “preach” with the “Bible in one hand and the newspaper” (TV, our education, the internet) “in the other.”
Is anyone thinking about the Spirituality the movie Avatar? James Cameron’s blockbuster has grossed over $800 million worldwide. I thought it was an amazing movie. It has become a cultural phenomenon in America that can’t be avoided. “Avatar” tells the tale of a disabled Marine, Jake Sully, who occupies the body of a 10-foot-tall alien so he can live among the mystical forest denizens of the moon world Pandora. Sully is sent in mufti to further the schemes of the evil corporate nature-rapists desperate to obtain the precious mineral “unobtainium.” Jake inevitably goes native, embraces the eco-faith of Pandora’s Na’Vi inhabitants and their tree goddess, the “all mother,” and rallies the Pandoran aborigines against the evil forces of a thinly veiled 22nd-century combine of Blackwater and Halliburton.
The film has remarkable symbols and symbolism. While “American” culture’s first recognition of the word Avatar will come from using
computers, as a symbol that represents the user, the longest standing use of the word Avatar comes from Hinduism. An Avatar is a manifest deity in human form. In the Bhagavad Gita, a key Hindu text, Krishna is the Avatar of Vishnu (a god). In human form, Krishna has the consciousness of a god. Krishna is depicted as blue as Cameron’s Na’Vi. Hmmm, so…why blue? Why are the Na’Vi, the good guys in the film, blue? What does it mean for the Earthling, the film’s hero, to become a blue Na’Vi or a blue man?
I did a quick internet search, and I found this on a website entitled Indian Divinity. I thought this explanation was helpful:
In Hinduism, persons with a depth a character and the capacity to defeat evil are blue-skinned. The creator has given the maximum of blue to nature (ie. the sky, oceans, rivers, and lakes) the deity who has the qualities of bravery and determination the ability to deal with difficult situations of stable mind and depth of character is represented as blue colored. Lord Krishna spent his life protecting humanity and destroying evil, hence he is colored blue.
The film is packed with spiritual ideas that are worth exploring. Cameron paints a world where: everything is alive; love is the most powerful purifier of all; everything is born twice; balance is the key to all life; and, Pandora itself is a collaboration of energies where every individual has something to contribute. While New York Times columnist Ross Douthat says the film is a commercial for pantheism (everything is god), I think it is obvious that Cameron did not write “Avatar,” to be controversial or promote a religious view. James Cameron was making a movie to appeal to the greatest number of people. It is very telling that what is appealing to so many is so unapologetically religious.
Five preaching or discussion ideas come to mind quickly. I am sure there are many to be found. This may be a leap in communication for some:
- First, In the Gospel of John, Jesus is the Logos, the “Avatar” of divine wisdom. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us. I do not want to go nuts; but, there is a good discussion here. Note: I think Jake merely demonstrates the idea of the incarnation. The comparison and contrast to Jesus can make for a good discussion. If you point out the contradiction, it fits nicely with our own inability to live a sinless life.
- A second discussion starter can come from the mother of Neytiri, Mo’at, is the Tsahik (Righteous One, shaman or spiritual teacher) of the Omaticaya clan (the Na’Vi). When she first meets Jake in Avatar form, she notes as others in the clan do, Jake’s overweening arrogant pride. This is fundamental. Human pride of conquest and Na’Vi humility are divergently central to the plot of Avatar. This is a key tenet to healthy spiritually life—that ability to learn. Jake’s interest to the Na’Vi was his heart. He has unprecedented heart. It is enough to ensure his ‘insanity [of spiritual pride] could be cured.’
- Third is the universiality of our search for God. Creation is designed to remind us of our need for a relationship with something or someone extraordinary (like God). This is a good discussion starter on general revelation (see Romans 1). Christians also believe that God is (personally) self-evident (though deniable) and rewards of those who pursue the Spiritual journey with all their heart (Jeremiah 29:13). Nicholas Wade’s new book, “The Faith Instinct,” lucidly lays out the scientific evidence that humans are hard-wired to believe in the transcendent. As philosopher Will Herberg says, “Man is homo religiosus, by ‘nature’ religious: as much as he needs food to eat or air to breathe, he needs a faith for living.”
- Fourth, USA Today, January 19 2010, man dies of stroke after he watched ‘Avatar’ in 3-D – http://bit.ly/7RKAJH. Sermon idea: Entertaining Ourselves to Death, possible text Ephesians 4:17-18.
From the article: “It’s likely that the over-excitement from watching the movie triggered his symptoms,” the doctor told AFP.
- Fifth, people are becoming depressed that ‘Avatar’ isn’t real. This reminds me of a quote by C.S. Lewis: “If I discover within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” Possible Sermon Title(s) – The “Avatar” Blues or “Na’Vi Blue” Potential Lectionary Year C Texts: Proper 12, July 25, Ps 85, Hos 1:2-10, Lk 11:1-13, Col 2:6-15, 16-19 (a reach) Proper 13, Aug 1, Ps 107:1-9, 43, Lk 12:13-21, Proper 14, Aug 8, Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16, Proper 15, Aug 15, Psalm 80:1-2,8-19. I am building this idea on an article from CNN.com, Audiences experience ‘Avatar’ blues, By Jo Piazza, written January 11, 2010, http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/avatar.movie.blues/index.html
From the article: James Cameron’s completely immersive spectacle “Avatar” may have been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora.
A post by a user called Elequin expresses an almost obsessive relationship with the film: “That’s all I have been doing as of late, searching the Internet for more info about ‘Avatar.’ I guess that helps. It’s so hard I can’t force myself to think that it’s just a movie, and to get over it, that living like the Na’vi will never happen. I think I need a rebound movie,” Elequin posted.
A user named Mike wrote on the fan Web site “Naviblue” that he contemplated suicide after seeing the movie: “Ever since I went to see ‘Avatar’ I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na’vi made me want to be one of them. I can’t stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and all of the tears and shivers I got from it,” Mike posted. “I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and where everything is the same as in ‘Avatar.’ “
Please share these ideas. I am looking for work and enjoy writing. I have degrees from Fuller and Princeton Seminaries and have a very broad background of ministry experience (see my bio). As I said earlier, I am looking for work. Do you need help with research or sermon ideas? Can you pass these on to anyone who hires research writers? I can provide good sermon ideas and content. I appreciate any help. God bless. Rev. Roy Shaff
The New Year for most people is a fun time filled with parties, celebrations, and social gatherings with family and friends. But for many, it is a time of with sadness, self-reflection, loneliness, and depression. The demands of parties and house guests can seem overwhelming. Responses to depression can include headaches, excessive drinking, over-eating and difficulty sleeping.
I do not think the Church culture remembers that life has seasons. And, that the happy season many of us celebrate is also the saddest season of depression for others.
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 reminds us of these coinciding seasons.
A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
With depression so rampant this time of year. It is worth asking – “is there an upside to holiday depression?” Somewhere, somehow, we adopted
and perfected a model of happiness spirituality: the happier you are, the holier you are. Once in a while we see the bankruptcy of this idea. Happy people can be vacuous and irrelevant, even callous.
Happiness can be worshipped in our culture. This year there is a seemingly endless stream of books about the subject (Amazon returned 426,789 titles when I used that search term, including one that calls happiness “life’s most important skill”) had already set in last year. Many psychologists, philosophers, and sociologists say that modest levels of well-being aren’t enough, and that we all practically have a duty to be really, really happy.
The great God-followers in scripture and history found value in depression. I think they were on to something.
Consider:
- The lamentations of Jeremiah, filling a whole book in the Bible;
- The melancholy of Saul, soothed only by the music of David;
- The memoir of the great mystic John of the Cross, called Dark Night of the Soul;
- The depressions of the reformer Martin Luther, which led him to discover justification through faith;
- The melancholia that pops up in the writings of Wesley and Calvin, and in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, where the pilgrim must traverse a very melancholic sort of swamp before he can find salvation.
Sharon Begley, NEWSWEEK’s science editor, has made the following observations of depression’s helpfulness:
- People in the grip of depression tend to ruminate, to turn an issue over and over in the mind. If they’re ruminating on why they can’t get a date, that might seem bad—since it keeps the person depressed. But this way of thinking, note the scientists, is “often highly analytical.” That can be useful, producing solutions to what tipped the person into depression in the first place, not to mention “Eureka!” moments such as discovering fire. Evidence: people who felt depressed before tackling challenging math problems tend to score higher than happier test-takers, Andrews and Thomson reported in a 2007 study.
- Depression tends to focus thinking. Biologically speaking – it supplies neurons with fuel, allowing them to fire without flagging. That includes neurons in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, which have to fire continuously to keep the mind from wandering. (It’s an attention circuit.) Focused thinking, like analytical thinking, might help someone overcome depression.
- Depression tends to make sufferers seek isolation, and keeps them from deriving pleasure from sex, food, or life itself. Obviously this can be crippling (and even fatal) to the sufferer. But it may also be adaptive: these behaviors foster the kind of focused and deliberative thinking that might solve the problem that triggered the depression in the first place. Evidence: a 2006 study found that when people suffering from depression engage in expressive writing, which forces them to focus on their troubles, their depression tends to lift sooner than otherwise. A 2008 study reached the same conclusion.
As I read this I also remember that many people with depression report that while they do ruminate on their problems, their thinking is far from clear, focused, and analytical, and thus provides little insight into—let alone a remedy for—their illness.
There is certainly a debilitative depression that is clearly not helpful. When depression leads to self-harming behavior intervention is best.
Yet, while painful, there seems to be a real value in healthy (non-debilitative) depression that should be embraced. Isaiah tells us, “Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength.”Jesus walked willingly into the wilderness. Perhaps there is some upside to non-dibilitative depression during the holidays….
What do you think?
A few Bible verses for the journey:
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. –Psalm 34:18
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. –Psalm 23: 4
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. –Psalm 32:7
And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in His grace until His task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns. Philippians 1: 6
It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago He planned that we should spend these lives in helping others. Ephesians 2: 10
I am expecting the Lord to rescue me again, so that once again I will see His goodness to me here in the land of the living. Don’t be impatient. Wait for the Lord, and He will come and save you! Be brave, softhearted, and courageous. Yes, wait and He will help you. Psalms 27: 13-14
We depend upon the Lord alone to save us. Only He can help us; He protects us like a shield. No wonder we are happy in the Lord! For we are trusting him. We trust His holy name. Yes, Lord, let your constant love surround us, for our hopes are in you alone. Psalm 33: 20-22
But now the Lord who created you, O Israel, says, “Don’t be afraid, for I have ransomed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up — the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, your Savior, the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 43: 1-3a
Come to me and I will give you rest — all of you who work so hard beneath a heavy yoke. Wear my yoke — for it fits perfectly — and let me teach you; for I am gentle and humble, and you shall find rest for your souls; Matthew 11: 28-29
For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away. Our fears for today, or worries about tomorrow, or where we are — high above he sky, or in the deepest ocean — nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us. Romans 8: 38-39
What a wonderful God we have — He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does He do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us. 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank Him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4: 6-7
“Let not your heart be troubled. You are trusting God, now trust in me. There are many homes up there where my Father lives, and I am going to prepare them for your coming. When everything is ready, then I will come and get you, so that you can always be with me where I am. If this weren’t’ so, I would tell you plainly.” John 14: 1-3
For His Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we really are God’s children. And sine we are His children, we will share His treasures — for all God gives to His Son Jesus is now ours too. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will give us later. Romans 8: 16-18
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
We are saved by trusting. And trusting means looking forward to getting something we don’t yet have — for a man who already has something doesn’t need to hope and trust that he will get it. But if we must keep trusting God for something that hasn’t happened yet, it teaches us to wait patiently and confidently. Romans 8: 24-25
These things that were written in the Scriptures so long ago are to teach us patience and to encourage us so that we will look forward expectantly to the time when God will conquer sin and death. Romans 15:4
I pray that your hearts will be flooded with lights so that you can see something of the future He has called you to share. I want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given Him! Ephesians 1: 18
And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in His grace until His task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns. Philippians 1: 6
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting comfort and hope, which we don’t deserve comfort your hearts with all comfort, and help you in every good thing you say and do. 2 Thessalonians 2: 16-17
It might make more sense to say, “Be mindful” of this and “Be mindful” of that. Yet, sometimes, being MINDful is precisely the problem. We lose sleep because our minds our full. We’ve already got too much stuff in our heads.
What we need is some stuff in our souls! Here are some attitudes we can all embrace as are “soulful,” not “mindful,” of that which we may have forgotten.
The beSOULFULattitudes: Ten Things to Tell Your Congregation about the Present Financial Crisis
1. BE SOULFUL … of the Reality: it IS tough out there, and there’s no point in denying this. People are suffering, people are losing chunks of the retirement packages, they’re losing their homes.
2. BE SOULFUL … of Others: Most of the world’s population lives at a lower level of economic prosperity-which is the wrong word to chose. They live in poverty, on dollars a day. That won’t help you pay the mortgage next month, but it does suggest that none of us are alone in this crisis-and that before we were affected by it, millions of human beings were experiencing poverty and crisis on a daily basis. It would be a huge benefit to you, to find someone in crisis and do something for them, even though you yourself are in pain. Sometimes when we focus on the pain of others, our own pain lessens.
3. BE SOULFUL … of your Joy: How does adversity affect our joy and peace? If the deep, unfathomable pools of peace are rendered shallow,
if the wide ocean of joy is dried up because of adversity, there’s something essentially amiss in our spiritual lives. Are you capable of having peace and joy while in the center of the storm?
4. BE SOULFUL … of other Crises: Think of friends and neighbors who may be experiencing a different kind of crises, or going through something similar to your own, but even more intense. My wife and I have a friend whose dearly loved husband is dying of cancer-at far too young an age.
5. BE SOULFUL … of your Blessings: Are you basic needs being met? Food, shelter, love, friendship. If you have those things, and have nothing else, can you not be at peace and experience happiness?
6. BE SOULFUL … of the Kingdom: How might this crisis help push your vision of what God’s will is for you? Think of examples of people who, when they had reached rock bottom, saw and found a way out-a different way, one that they would have never otherwise imagined.
7. BE SOULFUL … of Opportunities: Adversity has a way of revealing other paths, other doors, other possibilities to the person who has the vision to see them. They’re Phoenix Opportunities-like the flower that springs to life when the forest fire bursts the husk of the seed. What shells is this fire about to crack open? What might be the result?
8. BE SOULFUL … of the Benefits: Adversity, as distasteful as it is, has distinct benefits. See James 1 and other texts. Fire purifies and strengthens. Relationships can grow stronger when crises are fought together.
9. BE SOULFUL … of Community: In times of crisis, community, friendships and relationships are huge. Nurture these.
10. BE SOULFUL … of what Jesus said: See Matthew 6. Our Lord and Savior said, “Lay not up for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust.” and so on. He talked about God the Father knowing when a sparrow drops (see link below for a YouTube clip of Ethel Waters singing “His Eye is On the Sparrow?”). Jesus advised us to seek first the kingdom, and not to spend to much time fussing about tomorrow. Leave your congregation with the words of Jesus filling their souls.
The above was taken from Homiletics Magazine – October 2009
