As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
Taken from our article, JD Hall’s Deliberate Lies and Pious Hypocrisy
I don’t know how one can manage to be piously hypocritical, but JD Hall gives credibility to the term in his recent radio broadcasts and articles regarding his treatment of Baptist pastor Timothy Rogers. A January 4, 2014 article posted on his site, continues that tradition (We will refer to this article as the “Article”.)
From Voice, Nov/Dec 2013. Used by permission.
One of the most insightful of recent books concerning the church is actually written by an unbeliever. Alan Wolfe, a social scientist, has been observing the changing American religious scene for years. A few years ago he shared his research in The Transformation of American Religion (New York: Free Press, 2003). The message of his book is that “religion in the United States is being transformed in radically new directions” (3). Wolfe claims,
Talk of Hell, damnation, and even sin has been replaced by a nonjudgmental language of understanding and empathy. Gone are the arguments over doctrine and theology… More Americans than ever proclaim themselves born again in Christ, but the Lord to whom they turn rarely gets angry and frequently strengthens self-esteem. [As a result] the faithful in the United States are remarkably like everyone else. (3)
If Wolfe’s assessments are on target, what would be the catalyst for this transformation (or better, degeneration)? Wolfe’s thesis is that in an effort to win over American culture, Evangelicalism has stooped so low that it can no longer be distinguished from that culture. Take doctrine for example. Small-group Bible studies avoid theology like the plague, lest it prove divisive. Sermons are no better.
Crossway and NavPress begin reviews of the megachurch pastor’s books amid concerns of plagiarism. WORLD
Growing up I was part of several youth group activities that just made no sense. This blogger opened up her twitter feed to peoples memories of yout group games and got some interesting responses. A friend shared this link on FB and I recalled several wierd games that made the rounds. Stop and think how foolish many, if not most of these “games” are. What are these kids actually learning?
Republished, with permission, from Voice magazine, Nov/Dec 2013.
Two men sat in a cafe and shared ministry concerns over a cup of coffee. Young, energetic, and visionary, they dreamed of the things they could accomplish for God. They were already busily involved in ministry, but they saw so many other needed things they would like to do. There just did not seem to be time to do it all. “There is so much we could do,” one of the men commented, “If we could just get organized and make better use of our time.”
Energy, vision, and time management are essential for effective ministry. These two men might have become moderately more effective by better time management. Sharing their vision and zeal with ministry partners could, however, have made them markedly more effective. Ministry partnerships are an exceptionally effective way of increasing both the effectiveness and scope of one’s ministry. Partnerships not only afford faithful prayer partners and encouragers, but also enable pursuit of vision that is beyond one’s personal gifting and abilities. Additionally, partnerships help one maintain ministry focus through difficult circumstances that might otherwise result in overt ministry failure or even abandonment one’s God given calling.
Discussion