When we think about communicating the truths of scripture to one another, and especially to the outside world, we often focus on only one of the three modes below, and probably the easiest and least effective – that of Orthodoxy. 1. Orthodoxy Teaching orthodoxy means...
All good visionary organizations have not only a vision statement, mission statement, and value statement, they also have a motto that encapsulates them all in a memorable, pithy statement. This past weekend at the Exponential West conference at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church in Irvine, CA,...
In church growth circles, there’s always some new trend that promises to revitalize and grow our churches in size, and sometimes in maturity. Conferences are held, books are sold, and participants come home from the mountaintop with grand hopes that are often smashed, or wane...
So, I went on my lunchtime walk today and had a ‘conversation with God.’ Do you ever wonder if such conversations are possible, or even if they are, how you can tell them from just conversations you are having with your self, perhaps your higher...
The New York Times has an interesting article on churches that use violent video games to draw and engage teenage boys as part of their outreach and service to youth. Of course, the use of such games has those on both the far right and...
My brother’s old church actually preached harshly against gays, and the pastor used some unkind epithets. He asked me about it, and this is my response. And even though I have never disobeyed any of these principles in the pulpit, I have here on this...
Yesterday I had lunch with NeoFundamentalist, who is actually a pastor here in my area. We talked about the history of fundamentalism and evangelicalism, modernism, and the mistakes made in each camp. Discussion also turned to how to fix these doctrinal and practical mistakes, and...
Purpose can be defined as “the application of one’s self, with its talents, to a noble task.” This begs the question, what are the available noble tasks here on earth? And what makes a task noble? I submit that we must pursue an ethic that...
