Tolerance Redefined in Cultural Wars

It was interesting but perhaps not surprising to see Cocoa-Cola, Disney, the NFL and the NCAA quickly huddle and threaten to boycott Georgia if the Governor signed the Religious Freedom Bill.  The Governor caved to the pressure and vetoed the Bill.  

This is just the latest and certain to be not the last time that the new definitions of tolerance, fairness, equality and inclusiveness trumps what many to believe are constitutionally protected rights in our Constitution.

Cultural wars have been discussed academically and sometimes even rationally for years but the present impact of cultural change in America is profound.  Few savvy political sages and seers would have guessed as little as five years ago that the Supreme Court of the United States would rule this past June 5-4 that the Constitution requires that same-sex couples be allowed to marry. 

The question for many theologically and culturally conservative individuals and organizations is, "What's next?"

The answer is obvious: The culture is not just changing but with the change, the actual definitions of moral truth, integrity, respect and values have been redefined.   Those that embrace the LGBT agenda out of being non-discriminatory don't care if their agenda tramples over the rights of the majority of American citizens.   Political correctness now trumps not only freedom of speech but also parental rights.   Tolerance has been completely redefined as only benefiting those who feel the most offended by traditional or conservative moral values.

Like the sexual revolution of the 1960's and 1970's, some witnessed, some participated, and some even won individual battles; but it's obvious now in retrospect that we lost that war.

Rome, People of the Cross, and the Crusaders

Recently, I taught a college-level class called "The Story" that reviewed 2,000 years of church history to a very bright group of adults.  

It was the last class of nearly an 18-month journey that included classes on the Bible, leadership and ministry.  It was a favorite class of many of the students and we tried to not just inform but to challenge as well.

My co-instructor and I enjoyed teaching this Church history class, particularly with the fast pace that we had to journey through the early church, the rise of monasticism, the Middle Ages and Reformation.  In addition, each year we also spent some time on the various Crusades from the 11th to the 15th century.

The Crusades don't have the best reputation, likely deservedly.   At the same time, we tried to be faithful to tell the whole story including the rapid expansion of Islam beginning with their prophet Mohammed. Soon after the death of Muhammad in 632 AD, there were many military expeditions and a more aggressive posture interpreting the Jihad of Islam to be necessary.    Islam very quickly acquired territory militarily from Arabia into Egypt, the Middle East, all of North Africa and into the heart of Europe.

Regardless of the endless criticisms of the Crusades and/or the defense of the 'peaceful rule' of Islam the fact remains that by the time of the first Crusade in 1095 AD, Christianity had become strictly a European faith as three-quarters of what had been Christian territory in Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, North Africa and Hellenized Byzantium (Modern Turkey) had been wiped out by Islam.

Most scholars agree that other than the First Crusade, the remaining Crusades were largely unsuccessful.  Nearly all scholars forget to mention that Christianity had been fighting and losing a defensive war against Islam for more than 450 years.  Islamic Caliphates controlled more territory than Rome at its greatest expansion and the last and largest caliphate of Islam, the Ottoman Empire, wasn't dissolved until after World War I.

The most important lesson however is that this history lesson is still fresh in the minds of ISIS, the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram and others of the same mind.   Note that the propaganda announcements by these groups often refer to vengeance against "Rome", "People of the Cross", and the "Crusaders."  

When Islamic radicals use these terms they are meant to be broad.   It's meant as a reference to the entire West.  In addition, it includes People of the Cross wherever they may be found leading to the brutal persecutions of Christians in Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran and Indonesia.   Jews are not forgotten in Islamic radicals hatred and persecution and are often singled out and murdered.

While scholars and historians may argue about the means of the expansion of Islam from the 7th through the 14th centuries, we are presently seeing the cruelest resurrection of Islamic barbarism.  This is truly the "Clash of Civilizations" framed by political scientist Samuel Huntington back in 1992.   It is also the worst representation of a religion that appears to be hijacked by those committed to evil and fueled by ill-informed ancient memories of religious wars best forgotten.

Jesus: Man of Contrasts

The seven-day period from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, for centuries has been the Christian ‘Holy Week.’  While the traditions added over the centuries were full of symbolism, the allegory included in the palms, processions, prayers, pageantry and programs all point to the stark reality of the coming of Jesus.

The coming of Jesus into Jerusalem on what we now know as ‘Palm Sunday’ is one of the unique events recorded in all four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  The reason is because it is a pivotal event that clearly illustrated the Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies of the coming King and Messiah.   For three years, Jesus had been preaching, teaching and healing throughout Judea and into Samaria.  Many had come to believe that he was the Messiah however just as many had their doubts.  

The prophecies in the scriptures are much more clearly understood in hindsight.   Jesus rode into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday on a donkey.   A donkey is mentioned in Zechariah 9:9 as the means by which the coming King of Zion comes into Jerusalem.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

    Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you;

    righteous and having salvation is he,

humble and mounted on a donkey,

    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

                        (Zechariah 9:9)

It’s interesting to note that this king comes humbly and on a donkey rather than a horse, a mighty steed.  Most Bible commentators note two important reasons why Jesus rode in on a donkey.  First, a king or ruler coming in peace would often be depicted as riding a donkey.   This was a sign of humility and is used in sacred scripture not only in this passage in Zechariah but also in Genesis 49:10-11 also in reference to the coming King of Judah and in regard to Deborah in Judges 5:10 and King David in 1 Kings 1:38-40

This Jesus however was a mystery to many, a man of contrasts.   Jesus had been hailed as a miracle worker and great teacher and rabbi but now is being hailed as a king.  The streets of Jerusalem seem to be open to receiving a King.   The disciples and others that had met and knew Jesus had been told to be quiet about Him but now are almost encouraged to join in with the crowd to acknowledge Jesus as both Messiah and King.

As I mentioned however, the scriptures are much more clearly understood in hindsight.   Many of the people and undoubtedly the Pharisees and Sadducees knew the next verse in Zechariah.

I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim

    and the war horse from Jerusalem;

and the battle bow shall be cut off,

    and he shall speak peace to the nations;

his rule shall be from sea to sea,

    and from the River to the ends of the earth.

       (Zechariah 9:10)

This Jesus to the Jews would be the ruler that would break the chains of the Romans but in contrast Jesus had come to break the chains of sin.    The people of Jerusalem were looking for an earthly ruler but Jesus had come to rule in the hearts and minds of his followers.    The people flock to Jesus putting down palm branches and their cloaks to receive a King who they hope would lead a revolt against the Roman occupiers and restore the kingdom of Israel.   When Jesus was arrested later in the week, these same people would turn against him and cry out, “crucify him”

So secondly, this Jesus, this man of contrasts, will fulfill the 10th verse of Zechariah.   Jesus we now know will come again in glory. When he comes "every eye will see Him."   He will be clothed in a robe, dipped in blood and the armies of heaven will be with Him (Rev. 19:110-16) No one knew there would be this 2,000 year pause between verses nine and ten.   Daniels seventieth week is still to be fulfilled; all of the prophecies of the coming King and the Messianic rule over all of the nations will be fulfilled.

Today, we continue to wait for the coming of the Messiah.  For those of us that are waiting, it is known as the ‘blessed hope’.   Paul writes to Titus regarding this coming, while we wait for the blessed hope--the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Palm Sunday, the beginning of the triumphal reign of Jesus Christ.  Now after 2,000 years, even closer to the ultimate fulfillment of the Kingdom of God.

Church in the Shadows

One of the biggest developments in the Church world has been the redefinition of ‘biggest churches’

By now, almost everyone has heard the term, “Megachurch” (church of over 2,000 in attendance) but few have understood the actual change in the church landscape that has happened in the past 30-40 years, literally one generation.  While there are those that applaud and many that disapprove of the megachurch, their impact is profound, particularly if you are a regular attendee or pastor of a church in the shadows of one of these mega or even gigachurches.

First, let’s talk briefly about the growth of the megachurch.   In 1970, there were less than a dozen churches in the country with more than 2,000 in average weekly attendance.  By the year 2000, just 30 years later, there were approximately 1,000 of these megachurches, an annual growth rate of nearly 20%.  By 2015, there were an estimated 1,900 megachurches and not unusual to see churches in America with average weekly attendance of twenty, thirty and even forty thousand -- what many are now calling ‘gigachurches.’

We also know that these megachurches are primarily very evangelical.  They are passionate about ministering and reaching their communities, largely charismatic at least in their worship and give an appearance of being nondenominational.

Because of their size, their worship, choirs, facilities, children’s ministries, auditoriums, and even grounds are spectacular.  These churches can afford to hire the best and the average lead pastor at a megachurch is paid nearly 4 times more than the average salary of other paid pastors (and note that more than half of the churches in America are pastored by bi-vocational pastors).

So what is a ‘Church in the Shadows’ supposed to do?   Not every small church in the country is destined to become a megachurch nor should they.  Nearly 90% of all churchgoers attend much smaller churches and obviously enjoy the size, fellowship and ministry.

Here are some of the things that we can learn from the megachurches and likely will contribute to continued health and vitality, if not attendance growth.

1) Traditions Change

In “Fiddler on the Roof” Tevye the milkman tries to maintain his family's religious and cultural traditions against strong and sometimes overpowering outside influences.   Similarly, as pastors, we need to continually take a look at the traditions that are not contributing to the Biblical heritage of the church and may in fact be contrary to the very purpose of the ministry of the local church.  Traditions regarding music, dress, ritual and even preaching style change.  Pastors and churches that are resistant to these changes often will find themselves in decline.

2) Decisions determine destination

Often, we find ourselves at a particular place and wonder “how did we get here?”   While not often noticed as being consequential at the time, decisions that were made will impact our destination.   Years ago, my wife and I were involved in a growing denominational church with a thriving school and ministry.   In a period of just a few years, a number of decisions were made to reemphasize traditional worship and catechism in the Sunday services.  These decisions not only slowed the overall growth of this church but quickly aged the congregation and significantly and adversely impacted the churches outreach and ministry to the local community

3) Culture Conditions the Church

Culture is defined classically by borders, symbols, language and values.   As Christians, we can look at society and instantly see a culture that is often contrary if not hostile to the very fabric of our religious and biblical values.   At the same time, every church has a culture that is also defined by the same borders, symbols, language and values that is either attracting or repelling the local people to whom the church is supposed to be ministering.

I am one that appreciates some of the old hymns, the traditions and reverence that seemed to be so typical in our churches.  However, society has changed.   The megachurches have tapped into the changes in society to their advantage and have attracted younger families and typically reflect diverse educational and economic demographics that enable new people to feel comfortable.   People that are at ease and comfortable in church are much more likely to not only return but also learn and embrace the teachings and values that are important.

Note that I earlier mentioned not just the size of the megachurches but that they tended to be “very evangelical.  They are passionate about ministering and reaching their communities, largely charismatic at least in their worship and give an appearance of being nondenominational.”   The cultural conditions in these megachuches are the very same conditions that contributed to the growth of their ministry without diminishing their Biblical standards.

While some may disagree with the results, few can disagree with the trends.

Churches in the shadows can and should be looking at their traditions, decisions and culture to ensure they are all contributing to their advancement of the Great Commission and the general ministry of the local church.

Another Church Closes

Churches are closing all over the United States.   

I’m not referring to the “Big C” church, as we understand that the Church is actually the Body of Christ comprised of all believers in Jesus regardless of location, race, denomination, language or tradition.  In addition, worldwide, Christianity is not only the largest religion but also the fastest growing religion.  What we are seeing in America however is that many local church congregations, some in nice buildings, some in buildings that have seen better days, are closing their doors each year. 

According to recent reports about 4,000 church congregations close each year contrasted with about 1,500 new churches resulting in a loss of about 2,500 congregations.  Considering a growth in the population in the United States of about .7% and if 40% of Americans attend church, we need 4,200 net new churches every year.

A nation that is unchurched

It’s becoming increasingly clear that each year a greater percentage of Americans are now ‘unchurched’.   While the reasons for this are varied the undisputed fact is that as Christianity has become less relevant in the eyes of the average American.   As a result more and more local churches are faced with very difficult decisions regarding their continued operation, their ability to attract new people and their continued role in the community.

While they are still meeting and the lights are still on, these congregations have the opportunity to revitalize their ministry and to again be an important part of the fabric of their community.  The Great Commission of making disciples of Jesus Christ is not just about reaching new people groups or something that growing and sprawling mega churches do, it’s the basic and the essential mission of every local church.

There is hope!

Rather than abandoning these ministries and hoping that either the buildings can be sold, torn down or otherwise recycled, we need to remind ourselves that there is hope.  Not only is Jesus still the Lord and Head of the Church, we as the Body of Christ likewise can come alongside these churches and provide them with opportunities to rejuvenate and rebirth their congregations.

My observation is that these local congregations start spiraling down and get caught in a number of ultimately fatal traps.   Unless the leadership of the congregation recognizes the trends and understands that unless things change radically, their fate is sealed.  The congregation, the building, the legacy and the local Christian witness will vanish.

The challenge is that the change that is necessary is often very difficult to initiate.    In every generation local churches have struggled when they make even minor changes in worship, preaching style, the environment, attire or service times.    Recently many churches have stepped away from the traditional service patterns of Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Midweek as American culture has become busier and attendance has been declining.

If your local church is thriving and prefers more traditional worship and midweek services, God bless you.   Many congregations believe their culture and traditions are very closely related to their doctrinal beliefs and would rather be satisfied ministering to a declining and likely aging population.  However, they and the community they serve may be missing out on an opportunity to understand and witness first hand that the Gospel is not limited by tradition and culture.

The example of Jesus and Paul

Today more than ever we need more of our leaders to be like the Apostle Paul.  While Paul was a great church planter and was used by God to bring the Gospel to the gentiles in Asia and Europe he was also interested in strengthening and revitalizing the existing churches.  In the book of Acts we see Paul and Barnabas returning to the churches to “see how they are dong” (Acts 15:36).”   Paul was not hesitant to address moral or theological issues, heresy or problems in leadership.

Jesus as well through his angel sent messages to seven churches in the Book of Revelation.  These churches were all unique and each needed to hear a unique message regarding insights into their ministry.  Some were commended while some were severely criticized.   They all had the opportunity to be faithful to the ministry that they were given.  For most of them however that meant they had to make changes.

The bible is clear that we are the Body of Christ and that when one member suffers, we all suffer (1 Cor 12:26).  We are all too familiar with the scandals that spread when a minister falls because of moral failure.  Likewise, churches that begin to embrace the very sin that so easily entangles very quickly bring shame, dishonor and confusion within the Body of Christ.

In the same way, churches that close their doors, sell their buildings and abandon their calling indicate failure.  Their failure means that the message of the church, the life-changing opportunity to embrace Jesus as the Christ, to have sin forgiven and provide a message of hope is somehow irrelevant.

I mentioned earlier that many of our local congregations are spiraling down and get caught in a number of ultimately fatal traps. Often before a church can be revitalized, it has to be pruned and closed temporarily for some major remodeling.   Like an airplane that goes into a stall and starts spiraling down, the very deliberate but often counter intuitive maneuver of pushing the nose down is the only thing that can stop the spiral down.

Six changes to make!

Here are the major things I recommend these congregations look at to make the changes needed:

1. Sever the denominational ties! If you can’t completely depart from the denomination change the name on the building so that the message is clear that the purpose and mission of the local congregation is not about denominational differences but about the essential message of the gospel.
   
2. Focus on the local community!  Local congregations are designed to serve the local community.   People within a few miles of the church need Jesus and having a local church provides great opportunities for fellowship and true communion.
   
3. Worship!  All too often we worship our worship rather than worship the Creator.  There has been more hand wringing and arguments over the style and type of worship in a church than any other issue.  Worship preferences are rarely doctrinal issues and Christians have worshiped God in many different manners over the past 2,000 years.
    
4. Preach the gospel!  As churches become smaller the preacher assumes that since the remaining people already know the gospel, they need to be given other lessons in stewardship, parenting, ecology, history, social services or other useful but nonessential messages.   It is the gospel that brings spiritual rebirth and it is the gospel that people need to hear.
    
5. Evangelize! Evangelism is not a program nor an annual outreach, nor even an option; it is a command.  Evangelism is just another term for our part of the Great Commission, as it was Jesus that said to go and make disciples.   We go, He brings the Holy Spirit.
   
6. Pray!  It is Biblical and it has also been show historically that there are no second generation Christians.  Every believer begins his or her walk with the Lord individually.   Christianity is about prayer, self-sacrifice, humility, discipline and the development of a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  

Jesus said..

Jesus said that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church. With that we have to understand that there is a very significant spiritual component as we lead and determine the appropriate actions to take to revitalize our congregations.  We pastors also need to always remember that its not our efforts but each member that contributes to the vitality of the local church.  In Ephesians chapter 4 the Apostle Paul says, “As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing. …” (Ephesians 4:16b, NLT)

Get to the Why

Over the years, I've attended many training sessions.  I've taught more than my share of them and have found that often, it is the simple ideas that can be the most profound. 

In my ministry of equipping pastors and churches and sharing our vision of the Church, one of the lessons I've learned and teach often is the "What, How and Why."   All are important but it's the 'Why' that matters. 

1) All churches and ministries know what to do.

 Here are some of the ‘whats’:

"Churches hold services, volunteers greet visitors", "pastors preach sermons", "children’s ministry has volunteers", "offerings are taken", and "contributions are collected."

2) The better, teaching ministries and churches know ‘how’ to do it and can teach others.  

Here are some of the “hows’:

“Contemporary services are preferred by the majority of people”, “Appreciate and train your volunteers”, “Prepare sermons in a series to keep people coming back”, “Pray before the offering is taken”,

3) Remarkable churches and ministries know ‘the why’ and inspire others.

If you were expecting a list of ‘why’s’ you are likely disappointed. The why is personal and unique. It is the way that the distinct vision of the senior leader is expressed.  There are many ‘whys’ in a church or ministry.   At the top are all of the whys related to who it is that the church is trying to reach.  A suburban church likely has a different ‘why’ than an urban church.  A church reaching primarily young people has a different 'why' than most other churches. 

You likely know some of your ‘whys’ but don’t necessarily articulate them consistently or in a way that motivates staff, volunteers and members.  For example, we know that visitors that are welcomed in a friendly and casual manner are more likely to want to return.   This is why churches should train and constantly remind their volunteers that they are the critically important and function often as the visitors first impression of the Church. 

Another ‘why’ is that we know that one of the most important aspects of children’s ministry today is to assure the parents that their children are in a safe environment.  This is why churches that are aware of this use check-in systems and name tags for both the children and the parents.

Get to the why in your church and ministry.  Spend some time examining the various aspects of the ministry and identify the whys.   Then, take the time to create short, memorable and creative tag lines for the various whys of your church or ministry.    Don’t just tell people the what or train in the how but give them the why and your church or ministry will become not just better-than-average but remarkable and inspiring. 

Winning the $700 Million Powerball

While the odds may be slim, the news that the next Powerball jackpot has grown to $700 million gets a lot of people lined up at your local supermarket or convenience store.  I think all of us wonder what it would be like to all-of-a-sudden have that kind of money.   Just this morning a pastor friend and I were talking and after we both talked about what we would do with the jackpot, we had the obligatory conversation regarding whether playing the lottery was sinful or not.

While I have an advanced degree in theology and have served as a pastor for fourteen years,  I’m very shy about giving advice where something is a sin when it isn’t mentioned in the Bible.  In addition to theology, I'm business trained and educated and pretty well read but trying to determine exactly what God would consider sin is not one of my talents.

To gamble or not to gamble 

Of course there are many that oppose buying a lottery ticket as it's really the equivalent of gambling (knowing somehow that gambling must be sin). I'm not too sure if playing the lottery is gambling. The likelihood of a lottery ticket paying off is so low even the government looks at the purchase of a ticket as the equivalent as making a "voluntary contribution to our schools and senior citizens". While I'm still not willing to venture into the discussion on what makes a sin a sin, I do recall back when I was working on Wall Street that some of my Christian friends felt that even "playing" the stock market was gambling and as a result was sinful.

I assured them (and my wife!) that I was working and I wasn't "playing". My employer paid me good money to be a good steward of the funds that were entrusted to my care. I was able to define the difference (actually a chasm) between buying stocks and gambling. Stocks are purchases of small bits of equity or ownership in a company. Stocks are also purchased in the hope (not guarantee) that the shares of stocks will be worth more money in the future. There are differences between putting money on a blackjack table or in buying a lottery ticket and buying stock. Investors in the stock market buy shares in a company in order to participate in the profits of a for-profit enterprise. Gamblers are counting on luck and chance, for if it was a skill or based on knowledge it wouldn't be gambling.

What is the intent? 

The difference perhaps comes down to intent. Isn't that possibly the defining line for sin as well? Jesus said in Luke 6, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." If we have a good heart, or have good intentions, we'll be doing good things. The Bible gives us plenty of examples of good things. We don't have to worry too often about the grey areas that are not specifically mentioned in the Bible.

I think one of the reasons that some would look at the Powerball Lottery as being evil or sinful is that it does resemble a "get rich quick" attitude. That is typically not a good attitude for followers and disciples of Christ. Proverbs 28:20 says, "A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished."

Warnings against the love of money

While it's not bad being rich, much of the Bible's teaching about wealth is a warning against putting trust in wealth rather than the Lord (i.e. 1 Timothy 6:17-18) or to the detriment of those who depend on us (i.e. Ecclesiastes 5:13-14). The New Testament teaches that we are to be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to us which includes our money.  Jesus spoke often about money and riches and we should be careful to love people more than things and to hold very loosely all that God has given us. In this way, when we have opportunity to use our possessions in ways that the Lord brings to mind, we won't hesitate to instead keep our possessions to ourselves.

The next time you are inclined to play the Powerball Lottery think first about what you would do with the money if you win. If your intentions are good then I think you've passed the first test. For the second test take a look at what you do with the rest of your money when you aren't buying lottery tickets. If you honor the Lord with your possessions, if you are generous towards those that have need, and if you tend to be unselfish and even sacrificial in your pursuit of helping your local church accomplish the ministry that you've determined to be a part of, then, and only then, I say, go ahead, put a couple dollars down and have some fun.