John Piper Interviews Louie Giglio: Insights on the History and Motive Behind Passion

Is ESPN Biased?....Uh...Yes!

So far the Dallas Mavericks have won 3 out of 5 games against the Miami Heat. Miami was the team most basketball fans handed the championship to the day that Labron James joined the team. The NBA finals have been a contest against the high flying celebrities of the Miami Heat versus the blue collar work horses of the Dallas Mavericks. Apparently, the commentators at ESPN are enamored by the celeb. After every game that Dallas has won the post game analysts have talked about the Heat two to one over Dallas even though Dallas won the game. They don't talk about how Dallas has won but about how Miami lost! It's like they are stunned that Dallas is still hanging around. But they're not the only ones. ABC, who aired the game, continually showed pictures of Lebron and D. Wade hold the championship trophy over and over with only one similar shot of Jet at the end of the game. It just seems obvious to me that the media wants Miami to win because celebrities are more marketable that 7 ft. Germans.
We should expect such attraction from the world towards celebrities but the truth is, the church is not that much different. We too get excited when some sports figure gives Jesus a shout out. We are enamored by celebrity preachers whose communication skills keep us entertained. But is this not another example of a culturally captive church that is more consumer driven than Christ minded? Do we not prefer our leaders to be charismatic personalities whether or not they are solid Bible teachers? The call of Christ is to be a people of a different kind of Kingdom. It is a Kingdom where the greatest are servants and the last are the first. It is a Kingdom where the small mustard seed produces the greatest result. It is a Kingdom whose king won by dying. We may not get the accolades from the world but the world is not who we are called to be like.

The Gospel Coalition - Chicago 2011

Flying into Dallas from Chicago after a week at the Gospel Coalition conference was an adventure. Strong winds made for a roller coaster descent into Love Field only to land in a smoke screened Dallas skyline. It was back to the reality of ministry in a fallen world and a reminder that the purpose of the conference was not just an escape from that reality but a time to refuel in order to run towards the reality. This years conference theme was preaching Christ from the Old Testament. Not only did I come to understand the significance of gospel centered preaching in the Old Testament but I saw it done with great skill by some of today's best reformed thinkers. D.A. Carson and Tim Keller who organized the conference demonstrated with academic flare that the sermon is still alive and well in this postmodern maze. Other speakers included Southern Seminary president Al Mohler, Matt Chandler, Mark Driscoll, Alister Begg, James MacDonald and the "African Spurgeon", Conrad Mwebe. Combine these great speakers with a giant book store filled with great titles, free book give-a-ways, break out sessions featuring more great speakers and symposiums on current issues such as the reality of hell in light of Rob Bells, Love Wins and you have a preacher's paradise. The highlight for me was having personal discussions with John Piper (who carries on a conversation with the same intensity as he preaches!), C.J. Mahanney, D.A. Carson, Al Mohler (never ask him a question if you are not prepared to be asked one in return!) and Tim Keller. As I listened all week to these gifted men I looked for a common theme and it was not difficult to discern - every aspect of the Gospel Coalition was centered on the greatness and glory of God. I walked away renewed by a vision of God's majesty that will mark my life and ministry from here out. What R.C. Sproul said about such giants as Luther, Calvin and Edwards could be said about their contemporaries, "These men all were conquered, overwhelmed, and spiritually intoxicated by their vision of the holiness of God. Their minds and imaginations  were captured by the majesty of God the Father. Each of them possessed a profound affection for the sweetness and excellence of Christ. There was in each of them a singular and unswerving loyalty to Christ that spoke of a citizenship in heaven that was always more precious to them than the applause of men."
Now, having said all of that I am reminded of a very important truth about the Christian life. Spiritual maturity rarely comes in short mountain top spurts but is, as Eugene Peterson reminds us, a long obedience in the same direction. Conferences are great morale boosters but truly have very little long term growth associated with them. The descent into Dallas was a trip down the mountain back into the reality of life in a broken world and the faithfulness of God to redeem it all one day. Let us all be warned of a version of Christianity that jumps from mountain top to mountain top, from one event to the next. this becomes a religious addiction where the addict is always looking for the next fix. This search is nothing more than idolatry. I am thankful for events like the Gospel Coalition conference but it is simply a means to the end of discipleship and mission, the stuff that really matters and keeps us on that long path of obedience.

Passion - Ft. Worth 2011

This past week end over 10,000 college students (and a few of us old folks!) packed the Tarrant County Convention Center for a weekend of worship, Word and work. I admit that I am sometimes cynical about the future of the North American church, but this weekend set me straight - the future looks quit bright! There were so many times during the weekend where I had tears streaking down my face as I watched these college students unleash uninhabited, full on, God glorifying worship. I watched as they soaked in the deep and rich Bible teaching of Louie Giglio, Francis Chan and John "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him" Piper. But what amazed me the most is that these young people (did I mention they were poor college students?) raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to translate the Scriptures in the native language of the unreached "Koso" people in Africa, as well as gave thousands of towels and socks to the homeless. And yet the average church in America is not making budget! G.K. Chesterton once quipped, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." Well, I can tell you that this next generation of Christians is not afraid of the difficult and is willing to try anything for the glory of God! And though I was excited about the future of God's church I couldn't help but be haunted by the question, Why has the church failed to reach this generation? Is it because we find it too difficult and so we don't try, knowing what it will cost and how uncomfortable it may make us? Joel 2:28 is a prophecy about the outpouring of God's Spirit that was fulfilled at Pentecost. The passage tells us that when the Spirit is at work, old men will dream dreams and young men will see visions. Could it be that the old men are dreaming about the past while the young are envisioning the future? Perhaps. But one thing is for sure, the church needs both old and young. We need the old to dream dreams and tell the young ones about the ways of God and immerse them in deep theological truths in order that they may have a firm foundation on which to build the church of the future. And we need the young to challenge us with new and innovative ideas of what it means to be the church in a postmodern, technology driven world. We must grant them risk tolerance so that they can use their creative minds to map out a future for the church. Otherwise they will find new places and churches to let their innovative and creative minds go to work. This generation wants a more robust discipleship, they want a faith that works in the real world. Nearly every denomination in America is declining in numbers and the most significant missing group is the 20 somethings. How we respond to this new generation will in many ways determine the future of the established church. (For a SBC perspective read the article Ready or Not, A New SBC is Coming by ED Stetzer http://betweenthetimes.com/author/edstetzer/ )

Book Review - Love Wins by Rob Bell

You may or may not be aware of the blogosphere buzz surrounding Rob Bell’s new book Love Wins: A Book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who has Ever Lived. With words like heretic and Universalist being used to describe popular author and preacher Rob Bell I had to find out the truth for myself. Rob Bell is the pastor of Mars Hill in Grand Rapids Michigan (not to be confused with Mars Hill, Seattle!) and author of Velvet Elvis, Sex God and Jesus Wants to Save Christians. He has also put out a series of short films called Nooma. I have read all of Bell’s books and have heard him speak on two occasions when he was in Dallas. I would describe Bell as provocative, intelligent and culturally savvy. He epitomizes hipster Christianity and is often associated with the Emergent movement, though he would deny any labels. Though Bell has been on the evangelical edge for some time, there are many, especially in the Reformed camps, who believe that with his latest book Bell has finally gone over the edge. As one who appreciates much of Bell’s work as well as the Reformed position I want to give you both the positives and the negatives about Love Wins.

First, the positives:

1) Love Wins will challenge you to think clearly about what you believe concerning the afterlife for both yourself and everyone else who has ever lived. He quickly challenges the reader to consider outside the box thinking and uses a lot of scripture to do it.

2) Love Wins has echoes of the imaginative work of C.S. Lewis along side of the theological work of N.T. Wright. Bell sees the Bible through its cultural, historical and linguistical settings in reaching his conclusions (Though he goes way beyond Lewis and Wright!)

3) Bell will appeal to those who are outside of traditional forms of the Christian faith and see hell as inconsistent with the concept of a loving God.

4) I appreciate Bell’s views about heaven and hell as starting here and now and not just after we die. Bell’s views of heaven as the redemption of all creation is biblical and much more appealing than playing a harp on cloud for all eternity.

5) Bell loves grace and wants to make it as amazing as possible. (Though I don’t think Newton had Bell’s theology in mind when he wrote the famous hymn!)

And now, the negative:

1) When I read Love Wins and then I pick up my Bible they just don’t seem to be teaching the same things. Though Bell uses a lot of Scripture and addresses nearly every angle and objection to his views, he often takes passages out of their context or simply ignores passages that support the views of election, and the eternal nature of heaven and hell. For example Bell writes, “Of all the billions of people who have ever lived, will only a select number ‘make it to a better place’ and every single other person suffer in torment and punishment forever?...Can God do this, or even allow this, and still claim to be a loving God? Compare that to Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:13, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

2) Bell’s view of God emphasizes His attribute of love over and above other attributes such as his holiness and justice. Bell asks the question,”Does God get what God wants?” The assumption here is that God wants everyone to be saved and none to perish so if anyone perishes God is somehow lacking in power.

3) Bell believes that the opportunity to choose Christ extends after death. Because of this everyone is likely to finally choose Christ in the end at some point. Who wouldn’t choose Christ over eternally burning in hell? But doesn’t this sound like a war death camp where POW’s are tortured until they finally give in and confess their information. The gospels point to salvation as treasuring Christ not just preferring him over suffering torment.

4) Bell suggests that heaven and hell are the same place but it is heaven for those who choose to follow Christ and hell to those who refuse. He basis his argument on the parable of the Prodigal Son because he states that both the younger son and the older son are at the same party and the younger son is filled with joy but to the older son, the party is hell. First off, to build an entire theology about heaven and hell based on the details of a parable seems to be a stretch at best. Especially since the point of the parable is about the acceptance of the Gentiles (represented by the younger son) by God (represented by the father) much to the anger of the Jews (represented by the older son). Second, Bell’s use of the parable is misguided because a careful reading demonstrates that in fact the older son refused to go in to the party (Luke 15:28 "But he became angry, and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began entreating him.”).

5) Bell refers often to the fact that his views are not new but have been held by many including some of the church fathers whom he quotes (including Augustine!) but he fails to footnote his sources making it quite difficult to check the original context. Also, Bell is right in saying that his views have been shared by others in the past but that doesn’t give his select group the orthodox stamp of approval.

6) I believe that Bell has every intention of making God bigger than any theology basically saying that God can do what he pleases when he pleases and no one can know for sure what God will finally do. Problem one, couldn’t that work both ways? Couldn’t God also decide that he was going to send people to hell even after spending time in heaven? Bell would say no because “love wins” but you can’t deny it as a possibility according to his point of view anymore than you could know that people in hell will eventually receive a get out of hell free card. Problem two. It seems to me that Bell’s views actually make God smaller in that God is limited by the freedom of humanity to choose him or walk away. Bell’s view is not God centered but puts man in charge.

7) Bell’s views drain the energy out of mission work and make the whole mission focus of the New Testament a rather odd endeavor if his views are correct. This is especially true since so much of the New Testament encourages us to suffer for the cause of Christ and the expansion of His gospel.

I want to end with a few thoughts for you to consider. Is Rob Bell a Universalist? He himself would deny it as he did on Good Morning America. Bell is not a Universalist in the sense of saying all religions are valid paths of salvation. Bell maintains that Jesus is the only way to heaven. But he also maintains that every human being has the gospel inside them and the job of the enlightened is to shine light on the reality that is already innate in the human heart. Bell may not have dived deep into the Universalist’s pool but he sure seems to be sitting in the edge with his feet in the water. Second, I have read many of the blogs opposing Bells, views, some written before the book was even published! I find it much more edifying and appealing, especially to those who watch us from outside the church, to dialog about our differences without all the harsh rhetoric. I am all in for a good, well thought debate but to call someone a heretic without reading the book is not exactly a Christian thing to do. Third, for those of you who are critical thinkers and like to wrestle with theological ideas and can do so biblically, then Love Winsmay be a book you would enjoy wrestling with. I think that is Bell’s intention anyway, to make the reader think and wrestle with imaginative possibilities. In this Bell is quite successful. But after you finish the book ask yourself two questions. 1) What if Bell is right? Does it change anything for the Christian reader? If Bell is right everyone eventually gets saved in the end. 2) What if Bell is wrong? What if there are those who read this book and conclude that Jesus can wait. Why not party it up now? Let us eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die and then we can chose Christ only to find out that we were wrong and hell is eternal.

For a more detailed review from a Reformed perspective see http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/03/14/rob-bell-love-wins-review/

John Piper's Prayer for Japan

Father in heaven, you are the absolute Sovereign over the shaking of the earth, the rising of the sea, and the raging of the waves. We tremble at your power and bow before your unsearchable judgments and inscrutable ways. We cover our faces and kiss your omnipotent hand. We fall helpless to the floor in prayer and feel how fragile the very ground is beneath our knees.

O God, we humble ourselves under your holy majesty and repent. In a moment—in the twinkling of an eye—we too could be swept away. We are not more deserving of firm ground than our fellowmen in Japan. We too are flesh. We have bodies and homes and cars and family and precious places. We know that if we were treated according to our sins, who could stand? All of it would be gone in a moment. So in this dark hour we turn against our sins, not against you.

And we cry for mercy for Japan. Mercy, Father. Not for what they or we deserve. But mercy.

Have you not encouraged us in this? Have we not heard a hundred times in your Word the riches of your kindness, forbearance, and patience? Do you not a thousand times withhold your judgments, leading your rebellious world toward repentance? Yes, Lord. For your ways are not our ways, and your thoughts are not our thoughts.

Grant, O God, that the wicked will forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Grant us, your sinful creatures, to return to you, that you may have compassion. For surely you will abundantly pardon. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus, your beloved Son, will be saved.

May every heart-breaking loss—millions upon millions of losses—be healed by the wounded hands of the risen Christ. You are not unacquainted with your creatures’ pain. You did not spare your own Son, but gave him up for us all.

In Jesus you tasted loss. In Jesus you shared the overwhelming flood of our sorrows and suffering. In Jesus you are a sympathetic Priest in the midst of our pain.

Deal tenderly now, Father, with this fragile people. Woo them. Win them. Save them.

And may the floods they so much dread make blessings break upon their head.

O let them not judge you with feeble sense, but trust you for your grace. And so behind this providence, soon find a smiling face.

In Jesus’ merciful name, Amen.

Relevance or Contextualization?

When Richard Niebuhr wrote his classic book Christ and Culture, he addressed the variety of ways the church has dealt with ministering within a given culture. Since then the debate has continued (See Revisiting Christ and Culture by D.A. Carson).

As the world is rapidly changing and becoming increasingly postmodern the church must continually address this issue. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”. Some have taken this verse as a defense against change in the church. However, the verse refers to the character of Christ that is unchanging not his actions. His actions will always align with his character but he is not static. He is always surprising us with his actions and is unpredictable and unassuming; just read the disciples encounters with him for examples. He cannot be put in a box! His character and nature show us that the content of the gospel is unchanging while the methods of sharing that gospel adapt according to context. Many people have confused relevance with context. Some have assumed that we need to make the gospel relevant to a 21st Century world. I prefer the concept of contextualization over relevance. Relevance often has to do with hipster Christianity (See Hipster Christianity: When Church and Cool Collide by Brett McCraken), being cool in order to connect with the world. We do not need to make Jesus and Christianity cool! For many, the gospel is offensive and coolness seems to minimize Christ’s radical call to follow Him at any cost. Relevance was at the heart of the seeker movement which got rid of symbols such as the cross and used inoffensive music and sermons to draw the masses while in the gospels Jesus was thinning out the masses to find the truly committed.
Contextualization on the other hand is both biblical and missional. Contextualization is when you take into account the context in which you do missions and ministry. Thus, for Crestmont, our immediate context is the city of Burleson. Contextualization is how the church does mission. For example, if our context was Tanzania, Africa we would need to understand the culture, customs, language (at least have an interpreter) of the people we wanted to reach. The same goes for Burleson! When we discover that the demographic is mostly middle class families with young children we adjust our ministry to that context. That means our music and messages are methods to communicate the unchanging gospel in a way that people in Burleson can understand. Relevance leads us to dumb down the gospel to make it appealing while contextualization provides us a methodology to communicate the gospel without compromise. Relevance can lead to entertainment, consumerism and pragmatism while contextualization can make disciples. You can’t offend people with the gospel if they don’t understand what you’re saying. Have you ever wondered why there are four gospels in the New Testament telling us the story of Jesus life? It is because each gospel was written for a specific audience. The gospels themselves are an example of contextualization. Then there is Paul on Mars Hill quoting the poets of his day, the equivalent being a quote from a current pop star. Paul was not trying to show the Mars Hill hipsters how cool and relevant he was, he was using culture as a launching pad for the gospel.
That’s why change is necessary in the church. We must be willing, for the sake of the mission to change as the culture changes. Music must change (every song was new at some point!), styles must change, ministries must change, communication methods must change, but never for change sake. We must always avoid worldliness and consumer Christianity while at the same time becoming all things to all people so that by all means we might win some (1 Co. 9:22).