Join the discussion I moderated at InternetMonk.com. Check it out, there are some very interesting comments. While you are at it don’t forget to read this thoughtful different perspective by Chris Robinson entitled Culture and Christianity as a Dual Citizen.
American Patriotic Christianity: A Canadian Perspective
Jul 26, 2010
1 Comment | 
church life, Evangelical, Gospel | 
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Posted by Eclectic Christian
Book Review: Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites… and Other Lies You’ve Been Told
Jul 26, 2010
Check out my review of Sociologist Bradley Wright’s Book, “Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites… and Other Lies You’ve Been Told” at InternetMonk.com.
Comments Off | books, church growth, church life, Evangelical, Gospel | Permalink
Posted by Eclectic Christian
Culture and Christianity as a Dual Citizen – My Experience
Jul 21, 2010By Chris Robinson
“Why are American Christians so opinionated in the church and out of the church?” I asked my to-be American husband. As a mainline protestant Canadian Christian immersing myself into Midwest American Evangelical Christianity, I was struggling with the personality of the American Christian. The American Christian was far too outspoken and politically active for my Canadian sensibilities.
I came to understand and believe that my American Christian friends were simply a by-product of the larger American revolutionary personality; outspoken, confident, proud, generous, courageous, action-oriented and reflecting the entire political landscape, not just the extremes of the right OR the left. I learned that American Christians, living in a culture that values personal opinions and debate, needed to have discourse concerning any and all church matters. My experience was that the stereotypical Republican American Patriotic Christian was the exception and not the rule.
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5 Comments | church life, Gospel | Permalink
Posted by Eclectic Christian
In Support of Open Membership
May 5, 2010
This post was first published at internetmonk.com. Feel free to comment here or join the already extensive discussion at internetmonk.com.
I find it difficult to belong. You would think it wouldn’t be that hard. I am a Christian who sees many positive things in many traditions. If feel quite comfortable in many types of church settings. I am however, in my core beliefs, an Evangelical.
The problem is that where I live, Evangelicals are in the minority. In my community of 27,000 there is one Evangelical church. I helped start it. It was a Pentecostal church, and although I am not Pentecostal I figured that having one Evangelical church in town was better than having no Evangelical church, and so I offered my help.
My wife and I served under two Pastors there. We led worship, served on the leadership team, served on the pastoral search committee, taught Sunday School, and organized outreaches and banquets. All the while I was dreading the time when the church would become large enough to receive its “organized” status. For when the church received this status, membership would have to be formalized. We didn’t qualify. Membership required agreement to the statement of faith, and we didn’t believe the Pentecostal teaching on tongues.
Eventually we felt God calling us away from this church community, and we had a very amicable parting of the ways. We ended up at a church in another community, which unfortunately due to competing visions within it’s elder’s board, ending up closing its doors three years later. As we looked at other churches, most had something in their statement of faith, that excluded us. They were either too Calvinist, or too dispensational, or too anti-Charismatic for us to fit.
After a long search we found a church in a third community. We quite love it, and I have some very good things to say about it. Again, we didn’t qualify for membership, this time because my wife’s mode of baptism differed slightly from theirs. Although we do not believe in rebaptism (especially for those who have already been baptized as believers), our desire to belong eventually became stronger that our distaste for rebaptism and my wife was rebaptized. We became members shortly afterwards.
Are there others like me who have difficulty belonging? Conversations with people at places like Internetmonk.com make me think that my experience is hardly unique. So here are some questions I would like us to consider:
1. Does requiring agreement with a statement of faith lead to increased fragmentation within the body of Christ?
2. Or are there essentials that need to be agreed upon no matter what in order for someone to be accepted as a member?
3. If Christ has accepted me as a member of his body, are there ways to make it easier for me to be accepted into a local church body?
4. Could we lessen the requirement of membership in many evangelical churches, so that prospective members do not have to give complete agreement to a statement of faith, but instead will agree to uphold it and not teach contrary to it?
5. Are there similar situations in other faith traditions? If so, are there resolution that have been seen to work?
6. Finally, what could you do in your church to help people in my situation become part of your congregation and membership?
I don’t have a problem with a church having a statement of faith. I feel it is a good tool to say “this is what we are about as a church.” Is it not possible to say that “We welcome those who have slightly differing viewpoints” as long as they agree to uphold and abide by the statement of faith”?
Your thoughts and comments are welcome.
3 Comments | church life, communion, Evangelical, statement of faith, theology, unity | Permalink
Posted by Eclectic Christian
The Professor, the Wardrobe, and the Holy Spirit
Apr 19, 2010
It was the sort of house that you never seemed to come to the end of, and it was full of unexpected places.
I love the book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Honestly, there are too many things about the story that I love, to recount them all in this post. This photo made me think about the Wardrobe. In Lewis’ story, the four Pevensies are evacuated from London because of the air-raids during WWII. They are sent to the home of Professor Digory Kirke. When in the house, the children become enamored with an old Wardrobe that, as it turns out, is a portal into another world – the world of Narnia. In this, C.S. Lewis is brilliant. He has found a way, through the mechanism of a children’s story, to create an experience that gives his readers a frame of reference for understanding the Gospel: A land that has been cursed, subjects who live in fear and slavery, a Queen who rules by lying and manipulating the desires of her subjects, A Great Lion who gives his life to break that curse, the Kingdom of that Great Lion vanquishing the curse by redeeming slaves and freeing the oppressed. It’s just so great.
I also find it fascinating that the children enter into this “true vision” of the world, when they enter a Wardrobe that is found in the house of Professor Digory Kirke: that is Professor (a Teacher), Digory (the British word for a levee of water), and Kirke (the Scottish word for church). I believe that in this, before Lewis ever begins his epic tale, he establishes a subtle way of telling us how people are taught this true vision of the world. Let me explain. As a character, I believe that Professor Digory Kirke symbolizes the Holy Spirit in much the same way that Aslan, the Great Lion, symbolizes Christ. This view of Professor Kirke as the Holy Spirit is further founded in Lewis’ description of him in The Magician’s Nephew, which reveals that the Professor had been present with Aslan at the creation of Narnia. I believe that Professor Digory Kirke’s name emphasizes three works of the Holy Spirit: “Professor” – Revealing the Word of God, “Digory” – Applying the Water of Sacrament, “Kirke” – Establishing the Church of Christ. So then, Professor Kirke is the Holy Spirit who works through the Word, Sacrament, and the Church. The Pevensie children have run away from a war they don’t understand, to seek safety in a house of refuge, and to be taught by a Professor through an epic story that is discovered by entering through a Wardrobe found inside the Professor’s enormous old house. Isn’t that cool?
So let’s play Lewis’ thought out a little further… I think it is safe to say that when people come into the Church on Sunday Mornings, they are running away from a war that they do not understand. They are running away from a world that makes no sense. They run into a House of Refuge. Yet, when inside this house, they need more than safety. They need strength, they need nourishment, they need truth, and they need their vision to be adjusted. In other words, they need to see and understand. They need to peer through a “window”, move through the back of a wardrobe where they will see the world as it really is. They need to see the truth of the Gospel. They need to be baptized into the waters of the Church. They need to adore the beauty of Christ through the power of Word and Sacrament. This is Lewis’ view, and in this vision, he is so dead on correct.
Sadly, in recent times, modern Christians seemed to have lost faith in the power of the Holy Spirit. And, having done so, they have also lost touch with the power that comes through the Holy Spirit – the Spirit working through the Word, the Spirit working through Sacrament, and the Spirit working through the Church. So often, Christians abandon the Spirit of Christ and run off – chasing after the idols of the age. We abandon God’s Story – the powerful, trustworthy, unfailing narrative of the Gospel found in the Bible. We abandon God’s Sacrament – where the Gospel in Baptism and Communion are like the front of the Wardrobe of Earth intersecting with back of the Wardrobe of Heaven. And we abandon God’s People – the household of Christ, where the power of the Gospel is relationally affirmed, again and again and again.
Getting back to the photo above – nothing seems out of the ordinary. Does it? It’s just a room. A window. A desk. And a dresser. Yet, look at the mirror. Like the Wardrobe, it reveals something special. It is a portal, leading us into another world. O how Christians need to reaffirm a trust in the Holy Spirit, who reveals Himself to us and leads us through this portal. With a firm grip on the Gospel found in the Word, Sacrament, and the Church, we need to follow the Spirit as he leads us through the old coats and hats of the Wardrobe until we feel our hearts adjusting to the truth that comes from another world. For in following the Spirit in this way, Christians renew themselves in the excitement of Lewis’ description of Professor Kirke’s old house: “It was the sort of house that you never seemed to come to the end of, and it was full of unexpected places“.
4 Comments | C.S. Lewis, church life, Holy Spirit, People, theology | Tagged: C.S. Lewis, Holy Spirit, Word-Sacrament-Church | Permalink
Posted by Tim Melton
Responding to the problem of pain – A new look at Job
Feb 14, 2010
The following post is written by Michael Powell , a Pastor of Michael Bell. It was first published at InternetMonk.com
A wise person once wrote the following lyrics in a song called Suffer: “All that you suffer is all that you are.” Now, while this statement may not be entirely true – as we are also defined by experiences of happiness, joy and peace – I’m sure we can all agree that going through some kind of suffering is an inevitability for all of us as humans, and that what we suffer does in fact shape us profoundly. Physically, we feel pain, as our body is designed to protect itself and provide us with signals of potential or actual danger. Through trial and error, we become aware of the limits of our existence. We learn that touching things that are hot or sharp can hurt us, so that we’ll hopefully be less apt to make the same mistake again in the future. At other times, our bodies feel pain to let us know that we’re sick or that something within us demands our attention – like a warning system to let us know something’s wrong or that we should consider modifying our routine behaviour. We also feel emotional pain, which is often related to social interaction. At times, we hurt because we are intentionally or inadvertently excluded or insulted by someone else’s actions or words. Other times, we suffer because we are temporarily or indefinitely separated from a person or people who are important to us. Whatever the case, our experience of physical and emotional pain is universal, and has a direct impact on our personal identities, how we view and relate to others, and how we process and deal with spiritual things. Ultimately, what we suffer personally and collectively influences our understanding of God.
C. S. Lewis, in his book “The Problem of Pain”, wrote this:
If God were good, He would wish to make His creatures perfectly happy, and if God were almighty He would be able to do what He wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both. This is the problem of pain, in its simplest form.
2 Comments | acts of kindness, church life, encouragement, faith, health, Pain, sermons, theology | Permalink
Posted by Eclectic Christian
My Church Isn’t Perfect, But…
Jun 19, 2009By Michael Bell
Mission Baptist Church
A wise person once said to me: “Be vocal in your encouragement and praise, and be quiet in your criticism.” Too often the opposite is true where church members or parents are vocal in their criticisms and quiet in their praise. I have been attending my church, Mission Baptist, in Hamilton, Ontario, for a little over two years now, and so I thought it was time to list a few things that I really appreciate about the church.
In no particular order:
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17 Comments | church life | Permalink
Posted by Eclectic Christian
How do we stop the Hemorrhaging? A follow up to the Pew Forum Data
May 18, 2009By Michael Bell
I recently published this post at InternetMonk.com
In my previous post at Internet Monk, I looked at two surveys conducted by The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life: Faith in Flux: Changes in Religious Affiliation in the U.S. that was released a few weeks ago, and which was a followup to their U.S. Religious Landscape Survey that they released last year.
By working with the numbers of the surveys I was able to come up with a chart that showed how Americans have been changing from their childhood faith to their current faith. One of the key findings was that Christian denominations are losing adherents though the back door so to speak than they are gaining new believers through the front door. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, please check out the original post, as it will help you understand some of the ideas behind this post, as well us understand the magnitude of the changes.
Today I wanted to focus on the “when” and the “why” this hemorrhaging was occurring, but as I have been pondering the data, the “when” seemed to really stand out as being important. I was reminded of my preaching classes back in seminary, when our professor, Dr. Peter Ralph, would constantly remind us to find the “big idea” that needed to be communicated from the biblical text. I think the same holds true when looking at survey data. Here is the “big idea” that jumped out at me when going through the Flux survey data and reports:
Most religious life decisions, even among those who have been open to change, has been set by age 23.
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4 Comments | church growth, church life, statistics | Permalink
Posted by Eclectic Christian
Close the Church of Christian Criticism
Jan 28, 2009A guest post by Will Halloren
The Internet has been a real blessing to me. It has enabled me to continue my education, expand my Christian contacts [like you, I hope, dear reader], entertain myself with youtube and blog-reading and even help me to witness the Truth in love and minister to those in need. It also drives me right out of my mind.
In the past I could ignore those groups of people who say they are Christian, and may well be , yet practice something I find disturbing, like snake handling, or legalism. Now I am exposed to things I formerly was able to ignore. At the top of my personal Ignorance list was the existence of a cottage industry full of vehemence and bile, that group of people who say they are Christian and spend their lives criticizing everything that happens in a building with a cross on the roof. Don’t get me wrong, there are some loose wingnuts on the wheels of modern Christianity, and pointing out the insanity is healthy! I am not talking about those of us [me] who desire to point out wackos and frauds; I mean people who take on whole denominations, entire -faith-groups of mainstream believers, or really well known figureheads of the faith.
Is there any point in declaring Billy Graham to be anathema? All right he is old and says some odd things today, but have you read his stuff? Did you see his track record? If we were all anathema like Graham there would be a lot more Christians. Is it necessary for the Kingdom to declare John Macarthur a heretic? I have problems with dispensationalism, the whole Jesus just making a touch and go but not really landing is odd to me; I don’t own a Scofield, but MacArthur preaches the gospel! If you do a little googleing you can find somebody against anybody! It is not only individuals that get the indictment of heresy, the Southern Baptist Convention is working for the devil if you listen to some. Now I have been in the SBC tent for 12 years, there are issues. Are they apostasy? Are they anathema? Again, if you look you will find some group nailing away at another group as if they get paid a quarter a word.
Has the discernment of God’s people so decreased that we can not tell a Todd Bentley from a Ravi Zacharias? We can’t perceive a difference in message from Benny Hinn to Tim Keller? We can’t see a change in group dynamic from C.M.A. to the K.K.K.?
We need to read and follow Paul’s advise to the Philippians, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.” I listen to a lot of sermons. I am not seeking an error in another’s ways, I am seeking to be fed on the word of God. If there is something on the plate I do not like, I don’t throw the whole dish to the ground and condemn the cook, I take what I like and praise the meal.
Please look out of the box you live in. Look at Europe. Can you call it Christian? Have you seen England? Do you think we live in an age where we can pick each other apart without serving the Enemy? It just can’t be that hard to separate the wheat from the tares. People my age will remember the Supreme Court decision on pornography. In attempting to define it one judge said, “you know it when you see it.” That definition did not stick, but come on, you know it when you see it. I do not think you need a PhD in theology to know good doctrine from false. Good doctrine may not be perfect doctrine, but it is not purposely false. As for false doctrine, you know it when you see it, it is a lot like porn.
2 Comments | church life, criticism, Eclectic Christian, encouragement, heresy | Permalink
Posted by eclecticguest
A tale of two Churches and Pastors
Jan 4, 2009About seven years ago, two of my friends became Pastors of two different churches in our area. Both churches were struggling, having less than 100 people.
One church was made up of seniors, a group of people who some time ago had resisted change, and so had lost their subsequent generations to other churches. The other church had a cross section of families, but was struggling to make a go of it in rented facilities in a relatively small town.
In hindsight, both were uniquely and appropriately gifted, to lead their churches into significant growth.
In the case of the seniors’ church. The church had come to recognize that in order to not be closing the doors in ten years that there had to be some change. Change however would come at a snail’s pace. And the pastor had to have the patience of Job in order to keep persevering with small incremental changes that the seniors could tolerate. He had a true “Pastor’s heart” and spent much time visiting with people and caring for them. The church came to love their Pastor, and the church grew, largely from other churches whose seniors had become disenfranchised and were looking for a place to belong. The Pastor told me that his church had done a very good job of welcoming the new people, going so far as to change the language that was spoken in the seniors group, so that the newcomers would feel more welcome. The church is now twice as large as it was, still mainly seniors, but with more of a hope of a future.
In the other church, the new Pastor was quite a different sort. He was a visionary guy, with all kinds of ideas of how they could present and grow the church. His route was to go very contemporary, while not neglecting the importance of things like baptism and communion. Being contemporary, to him did not mean watering down the word, but presenting it in ways that were understandable and communicated to their target audience. They also put a strong emphasis on small groups, which they called “small church”, knowing that this was one of the best ways to see people discipled and grow. The thing that impressed me the most when visiting, was that they scheduled baptisms for every month, trusting that God would be moving in such a way, that people would want to follow Christ in Baptism. This church has now doubled three times in the seven years that he has been there. Half of the growth has been new convert growth.
What strikes me about both situations is this. Both models work. What is needed is the right Pastor for the right church. I would venture to say that if each of these Pastors had been called to the opposite church, that both of the churches would still be struggling along, if not closed.
One thing that the denomination of my previous church does, is require any church that is calling a new senior Pastor to do a extensive church and community analysis. This is done to help clarify and set their mission, vision, and values. Each potential Pastor undergoes corresponding testing. The church then is presented with a list of Pastors who are appropriate for their situation. The church can recommend that certain names be added, but these potential candidates also have to go through a vetting at the district level. The reason for this of course is to get the right Pastor for the right church, and avoid the sort of church blowups and meltdowns that we here about all too frequently.
I have received permission from the denomination to link to their free resources for those who would like to find out more about the process.
32 Comments | church growth, church life | Permalink
Posted by Eclectic Christian
Michael Bell
Joshua Hearne
Tim Melton
Joel Black
