Missional

Monergism: Tim Keller Resources

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Justin Taylor has just informed me that Monergism has built a Tim Keller resource page.  It looks like they haven't located any articles other than the ones I've listed in my Tim Keller Articles post (maybe they used my links to build their page?), but they have added some audio resources which is helpful.  Always glad to see Keller's ideas getting out there. 

So I've added a link on my Keller post to Monergism, which is a tremendous resource for all thing reformed.  Oh, and I've finally added D.J. Chuang's Keller resource page, which I keep forgetting to add.  Chuang's site was one of the first places I learned about Keller.

Hershael York is My Homey

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With all apologies to all my SBTS professors that are dear to my heart, I may have decided on a favorite.  Hershael York has, in great detail, just posted on his experience at the Blackalicious and G Love and Special Sauce concert he and his wife attended with their son in Nashville. 

Hershael is fun and insightful in the classroom, and this post is right in that vein.  He leaves some reflections on the evening as well, and I'm thankful for them.

Memorable quotes...

I think it is safe to say that I am probably the only professor at Southern Seminary who has ever been to a G Love and Blackalicious concert.

I am not a hip hop fan, though I confess that I have a certain admiration when they 'freestyle.'

"She's got sauce--your baby's not sweet like mine" was a crowd favorite, as was "Booty Call," which was about precisely what you think it was about. "Two Birds" flew through the set and "Don't Drop It" didn't get dropped, but I kept hoping for him to do "Cold Beverages," a favorite of mine, though he never did.

Tanya and I...inadvertently found ourselves standing in the middle of the drinkers, smokers, and tokers. We could hear dying brain cells gasping their last shallow breaths.

I felt neither uncomfortable nor offended. I had seen all this before. I used to have my own band years ago, after all, and things haven't changed that much.

You want to know something strange? Do you know what I did during the concert? I prayed. My heart was breaking for many of the kids around me. In the middle of the music and surrounded by the revelry, mostly I felt sad. I knew that most of these kids did not understand that they are playing with fire. They didn't seem to consider the consequences that their actions lead to. But I did. I have counseled husbands whose wives were sexually promiscuous and it haunted them. I have had to sit with patients dying of aids that they contracted sexually. I have listened to men who have no attention span and cannot hold a job lament that they burned out their brains with drugs. I've counseled girls who had abortions, girls who had babies out of wedlock, young adults who have become addicted to alcohol and drugs. I am the guy who helps people put the shattered pieces of their lives back together after they realize that much of their fun is really bondage.

I was...reflecting on Richard Blackaby's poignant message on grace and entering the world of those who need it rather than just scolding them You can hear it here). Still, I thought, I just don't know what to do now that I am in their world.

Contextualization

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While at university, I was required to read Reaching a New Generation by Alan Roxburgh.  I've been skimming it again this week, especially where I have highlighted the book, and there's some good stuff in there. 

The contextualizing congregation must learn to "listen" and "see" where God is at work in the midst of secularism, pluralism and technological transformation.  This requires the evangelist, pastor or missionary to participate in the culture at an interactive level.  But it is not a relationship in which the Christian has something to give but nothing to receive--leaving the context changed but the Christian unchanged.  Contextualization requires a dynamic interaction in which both sides are changed through dialogue. (p 69)

Apologetics

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In my mind, apologetics is a crucial issue for postmodern times.  We have so much literature on the topic that provides all the "answers" to all the hard questions, but is that our best apologetic?  I have seen some buzz about the need for a new apologetic around the blogosphere.  Joe Thorn and I have discussed it more than once.  And I just noticed that Bob Robinson has started a short series of posts on the matter.  He writes...

But look again at the context of 1 Peter 3:15. The "answer" or "defense" that one is told to be prepared to give is to those who askus Christians why we live in such hope. What this presupposes is that the Christian community is living in such a radical and conspicuous way in the midst of those who do not yet know Christ that these people are either genuinely wondering why we have such a hopeful lifestyle or they are suspicious that we are just play-acting it. Most often it will be the latter. Many will mock a Christian community of do-gooders (they will "speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ" v. 16), but we must follow Christ as our Lord (v. 15a), and willingly suffer for the good done for people as Christ did (3:18, 4:1).

So the "defense" is not so much a "reasoned argument" but an "account" (not a "reason" as in the NIV—but a logos, as it is in the Greek: a "word") of why we have hope. We are told here to tell our story. We're not told to provide a list of reasoned propositions, but to give an account. We are to tell our story of encounter with Christ, transformation in our faith, and why we are so radically living in such a different manner—spreading hope to those around us. While I believe that some people, if they have cognitive roadblocks to faith, may still need to have things explained to them in rational ways, the main biblical apologetic has always been an Emmanuel Apologetic—an apologetic that displays God to people by living among people as a community of hope.

This is the kind of biblical direction in apologetics that reinvigorates me.

David Gray: Ain't No Love

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David_grayI've barely even heard of David Gray before a couple of weeks ago, but I'm glad that I found him through his newest CD, Life in Slow Motion.  I'm impressed.  Several good songs, but one of my favorites is Ain't No Love, which is basically an atheistic ballad. 

I was playing it in the car on Monday for my wife to hear, and she asked why I would like and want to listen to a song that is atheistic.  My response was that it is a beautiful song with powerful and thoughtful lyrics.  As art, it's good.  But I also consider it essential to ministry to understand the worldview of those who don't know Christ.  And guys like Gray are writing and singing songs that express something deeper than the glazed over reality most of us admit to.  Though honest struggling, this song is a great place to discuss essential and eternal things.  Notice below especially the last verse, the hopelessness found there.

Here's a very good article on Gray that includes some thoughts on this song.  Colorful language in this excerpt...

Gray has crafted a song called Ain't No Love that really soars, where the denial of God implicit in the chorus line - "ain't no love that's guiding me" - becomes paradoxically uplifting. This is the essential tension at the heart of Gray's work, which has never been as simplistic as some critics imply. Gray deals with dark material, but his singalong melodicism and Celtic spirit imbue it with a rich and ultimately uplifting sense of humanity.

"This sort of mess of illusions that people are clinging to and all the bullshit that it spawns which we're supposed to imbibe without complaint, I find depressing," he says. "I think we'd have a far more constructive society if people were more honest about things. But that's my point of view and music is really an escape from that. You're creating a sort of refuge for yourself first and then for others second, so it's a place to celebrate."

"We've got our lives to live, so nothing's changed there. We've still got to get on with it. But hopefully you can take all the stuff that's whirling around your particular universe and turn it into something that is uplifting."

"I think there's a sense of relief when someone writes a song that you can really connect with."

"That someone else has said something you felt or you've tried to say - that is uplifting in itself, it doesn't matter how sad or bitter it is."

Ain't No Love
by David Gray

Maybe that it would do me good

If I believed there were a God
Out in the starry firmament
But as it is that’s just a lie
And I'm here eating up the boredom
On an island of cement
Give me your ecstasy I'll feel it
Open window and I'll steal it
Baby like it’s heaven sent

This ain’t no love that’s guiding me

Some days I'm bursting at the seams
With all my half remembered dreams
And then it shoots me down again
I feel the dampness as it creeps
I hear you coughing in your sleep
Beneath a broken window pane
Tomorrow girl I'll buy you chips
A lollipop to stain your lips
And it’ll all be right as rain

This ain’t no love that’s guiding me
This ain’t no love that’s guiding me

No it ain’t no love guiding me
No it ain’t no love guiding me
No it ain’t no love guiding me

This ain’t no love that’s guiding me
This ain’t no love that’s guiding me

On winter trees the fruit of rain
Is hanging trembling in the branches
Like a thousand diamond buds
And waiting there in every pause
That old familiar fear that claws you
Tells you nothing ain’t no good
Then pulling back you see it all
Down here so laughable and small
Hardly a quiver in the dirt

This ain’t no love that’s guiding me

From Deconstruction to Kingdom Building

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Drew Goodmanson has an interesting post that should give some perspective to emerging-type churches.

To make a Kingdom-impact on your local community and the world-at-large, you must move from Deconstruction to Kingdom Building.

[...]

If you are an emerging church, what is your identity? As I attend ‘postmodern’ or churches that would say they are ‘emerging’ they usually can tell me what they are not. We don’t have central leadership, we don’t sing old-school hymns, we don’t have traditional worship, we don’t…[fill in the blank]. In the long run, I don’t think you can rally too many people to this cause and anti-identity.

Acts29: My Take

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Sorry for the delay on getting up a recap of the week in Dallas.  Man, I'm tired.

Img_1509_300First of all, this conference/boot camp was (to me) not primarily about church planting or church renewal.  It was about the gospel.  It was the most Christocentric event I've ever attended.  Hard to describe unless you go and experience it yourself.

The guys and wives we met were all great.  We are so pumped to gain some good relationships with young pastors who more concerned for the fame of Christ than methods and personal ambition.  We alsoImg_1521_300 met some other bloggers and blog readers, like Michael Foster and Scott Michael Ringo and their wives. 

We heard from Ed Stetzer, Matt Chandler, Mark Moore, Darrin Patrick, and Mark Driscoll.  All sessions were great, but the final one on perseverance was Driscoll1life-changing.

Overall, we feel a bit overwhelmed with the boot camp and what we learned.  But we are very thankful for the opportunity to learn it and be challenged, not just in ministryImg_1523_300 but in our hearts as followers of Jesus.

The kids did great at the grandparents for three days.  No major problems or broken bones.  They loved it, and it makes it so much easier to leave when we know they won't freak out.

Acts29 Boot Camp: Day 1

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Made it to Texas without incident.  Our flights arrived early, room and rental car are great, and the heat is Texas sized (96ish today).  The first evening of the boot camp included two good talks by Ed Stetzer and Mark Driscoll is up to bat the first two talks tomorrow.  All is well and I'm very tired.  I'll try to post some tomorrow.

Great Movements

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Smoking guns, I love this post by John Armstrong "Great Movements: Control or Co-op?".   Here's a blurb, but go and read the whole thing.

You can have a strong leader, who is a hugely successful visionary, without buying the old top-down model. I saw it at work this week. Mark [Driscoll] is developing an amazing vision by which he plans to build one of America's largest churches. By this means he also envisions planting 1,000 new churches in the coming years. He is doing all of this without one iota of desire to control anything or to be the president, CEO, or top dog. I know what I have seen for thirty-five years of ministry among great evangelicals. And I know what I saw this week. It was entirely different and frankly it was very fresh. I pray other strong leaders with huge vision will take the same approach and thus by this means the the old way will be dead in twenty years. I doubt that it will be, however, since so many leaders I know are terribly insecure and need to control and dominate others through a kind of piety that often covers deep insecurity and fear.

John's other posts on his exprience with Driscoll and Mars Hill: Church Planting, Strength of a Team

Thorn: Reforming Evangelism

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Joe_buddha2Great series of posts on "Reforming Evangelism" from Joe Thorn (The Puritan Buddha).

1. Reforming Evangelism

It is unfortunate that we have divorced the evangelist from the theologian in the Southern Baptist context. It is curious that our seminaries divide the Schools of Evangelism from the Schools of Theology. It is disturbing to see that we train our lay people to evangelize without training them in doctrine. It has not always been this way. As recently as 1943 The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (now Lifeway Christian Resources) published a book titled, Soul-Winning Doctrines. In this little book J. Clyde Turner lays out doctrines like the atonement, regeneration, repentance, faith, justification, sanctification, and assurance as essential to winning the lost for Christ. Though this was written after the Convention had moved away from its reformed heritage, it’s clear that theology was still valued and seen as a necessary part of proper evangelism. The stock of theology has dropped considerably since. If we are to begin rebuilding our churches through authentic conversions we have to return to a theologically driven methodology.

2. Preparation

Some (us Reformed folk) might wonder how a person can seek God, or be actively involved in spiritual things when God is sovereign in salvation, man is passive in his regeneration, and that the power of God is needed for success - not the work of man. Puritan, and of course biblical, thought is, "Man is passive in regeneration, but before and after regeneration man is active. The convert is passive in regeneration, but not about it." In fact, such "seeking" is not the result of man’s natural interest in spiritual things, but is the result of God’s activity in the individual’s life.

3. Is It Biblical?

While some have wrongly turned the idea of being prepared for the Kingdom into a system that oppresses people, and forces them into long periods of introspection, most of the puritans rejected the idea that a uniform experience should be promoted. While some must go through a more drawn-out process under the law before they are broken, others are prepared, seek and find the kingdom more easily, or more quickly. The point is, no one enters the kingdom apart from being prepared, and this generally is a longer process than most modern evangelism tends to allow for.

4. Practice

If our evangelism needs reform, if the “seeking evangelism” I’ve attempted to explain is valid, then we should consider some practical, concrete responses....The easiest way to say it is: expresses urgency, but be willing to take your time; preach the law and gospel; know what parts of the law, or what blessing of the gospel they most need to hear; share your life with the person you are trying to reach.

5. Diagram

I then ask them to show me where they think they are on the diagram. "Put a mark where you think you are." I am sure it will happen some day, but so far no one has placed himself or herself in the "alive" section when not a Christian. No one has presumed to say/believe he is a Christian after getting the big picture. Some say they are not interested, but in my experience most say they are starting to seek God. I ask them to explain this to me. Talk about it. I always want them to use their own words. So far, I have not told anyone they are going to hell. They have all told me. Each person has shown me where they believe they are, and conclude they are separated from God. We talk about the consequences of this reality.

Starbucks: The Way I See It

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Starbucks_cup_1It looks like some conservative groups are getting all itchy now that Starbucks has started their "The Way I See It" cup quotes.  Baptist Press has run a story today on it. 

What's the issue?  Well, it seems that Starbucks is pushing the homosexual agenda because cup #43 gives a racy quote on homosexuality.  As I read this BP article, I noticed my grande skim 3 pump mocha was being carefully and providentially cradled in cup #43 which reads...

My only regret about being gay is that I repressed it for so long.  I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone.  Don't make that mistake yourself.  Life's too damn short.

- Armistead Maupin, author

Of course BP inserts the word [expletive] for "damn" and blacks it out on their pic of the cup, but their larger concern is what the cup teaches.  But, is the cup and quote meant to teach?  Or simply open doors of conversation?  From the Starbucks website on this campaign...

Starbucks has long been dedicated to creating a unique "third place" between home and work. We also draw on the centuries-old tradition of the coffeehouse as a place to gather, share ideas, and enjoy delicious beverages. We see this program as an extension of the coffeehouse culture – a way to promote open, respectful conversation among a wide variety of individuals.

And they mean wide variety.  Sure this quote is racy from one perspective, but they also entertain quotes from staunch conservatives like Michael Medved and Jonah Goldberg.  So if Starbucks "blatantly pushes the homosexual agenda" on cup #43, what are they pushing on the cups with flame-throwing right wingers?  A conservative agenda?

Given: We will all read from cups that we disagree with.  That's a sure thing.  That's the point, really, to start conversations not push agendas.  And conversations are best started by racy ideas, not bland ones.  By the way, on the cups and on the Starbucks website it even says the quotes don't necessarily reflect the view of Starbucks.

Christians are too good at missing the point, and I'm afraid that's what's happening here.

Don't we look fearful?  We look like we are afraid of the open discussion of ideas.  These quotes are meant to be conversational, and coffee shops are perfect places to list racy quotes worthy of discussion.  We believe that in the world of ideas the redemption Story stands supreme as the best and most beautiful explanation of reality and truth.  We shouldn't fear other ideas out there.

One person quoted in the BP article says,

It's not enough not to go to Starbucks anymore.  You really need to visit your neighborhood Starbucks and ask to see the manager and just say, 'You know, I've gone here a lot and I would love to go here but I have to tell you your company's promotion of something that is against my values prevents me from having coffee here anymore, and I've found alternatives ... You make a great product, but you deserve to know why people aren't buying your product anymore.'

How about instead we enter the conversations of our culture knowing that our Story makes sense of the world like no one else's story or quote.  I think Starbucks has a great idea, and Christians should be thankful for the opportunity to join more discussions on huge and even ultimate issues.