How We See One Another

Above is a cartoon I found at Near Emmaus on how various Christian denominations and movements see each other. It's funny because there is a lot of truth in it. Perhaps we should all learn how to be more charitable to one another, and how to laugh at ourselves!

A Testimony to Racial Reconcilation and Healing

The video above from the The New York Times discusses the increase in racially mixed marriages in the southern United States. The second couple in the video attend Grace Temple in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the church my daughter and her husband also attend.  I think this is a great testimony to the Lord's work in racial reconciliation and healing.

The accompanying NY Times article can be read here. I love this quote from the article:

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called Sunday morning church service the most segregated hour in America, but one would not know that at Grace Temple Ministries, the neighborhood church where the Norwoods worship and socialize with other mixed-race families. The pastor is white and the assistant pastor is black, and the creative arts pastor is Latino. During a recent sermon, the congregation’s guiding ethos on social issues was clear: “Let us not be guilty of thinking as the culture and society decides,” said the pastor, Dwayne Higgason. 

Praise God for this testimony!  I appreciate and applaud the work of Pastor Dwayne Higgason at Grace Temple.
 

Catholic Evangelicals?

What do you'll think of this?

Dimitri Sala is a soul-winner who quotes the Bible with abandon, uses the Four Spiritual Laws as a guide in evangelistic conversations, especially wants to see young people born again, offers a convincing personal testimony about his own communion with God in Christ, reports special moments when God spoke to him (not in place of Scripture but driving home scriptural realities), has a special burden for evangelizing Roman Catholics, and recommends Martin Luther as an inspiring guide to a deeper walk with Christ.

Did I mention that Sala is himself a Catholic priest, and that the initials after his name stand for Orders of Friars Minor (aka, Franciscan)?

Father Sala is the author of The Stained Glass Curtain

From Mark Noll at Book Notes | Books and Culture. More at the link.

Ancient Confession, Young Vocies

Here's the Apostles Creed, done by a lot of young voices and faces. I love it!



Hat Tip:  Theological Scribbles: I love the creeds:

Praying for the Persecuted

Today is International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church - see Persecution.com

Churches across the United States and around the world are preparing to “remember those in bonds” (Hebrews 13:3) on Nov. 8, the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP).

Begun in 1996, IDOP is a day for intercessory prayer and citizen action on behalf of persecuted Christian communities worldwide.

May the Lord succor, protect and deliver our persecuted brothers and sisters.

Long Time No Confess

In light of the big announcement this week by Pope Benedict regarding a new way for Anglicans to be received into the Roman Catholic communion, I though the cartoon above as both humorous and apropos.

For news stories and commentary see here, here and here.

Cartoon from Disenchanted Anglican Congregations Invited to Adopt Catholic Brand « Thinking Out Loud

A Tri-Perspectivalism Perspectrive on Church Leadership

Are you a "king," "prophet," or "priest?"

In the above question I am not using these terms in the way they have usually been used within the charismatic movement. The reference is to John Frame's concept of "tri-perspectivalism," further developed by Drew Goodmason and David Fairchild. Mark Driscoll and the Act 29 Network also use this concept in their church government principles.

The concept was recently mediated to me via Tim Keller (Tim Keller is now blogging!). Keller says:

John Frame's 'tri-perspectivalism' helps me understand Willow. The Willow Creek style churches have a 'kingly' emphasis on leadership, strategic thinking, and wise administration. The danger there is that the mechanical obscures how organic and spontaneous church life can be. The Reformed churches have a 'prophetic' emphasis on preaching, teaching, and doctrine. The danger there is that we can have a naïve and unBiblical view that, if we just expound the Word faithfully, everything else in the church -- leader development, community building, stewardship of resources, unified vision -- will just happen by themselves. The emerging churches have a 'priestly' emphasis on community, liturgy and sacraments, service and justice. The danger there is to view 'community' as the magic bullet in the same way Reformed people view preaching.

So, how does a church community become balanced between the three streams listed above? The answer surely is to be led by a group of elders with all three ministry emphasises represented among the eldership in personalities, giftings and understanding.

I do not endorse a "co-equality" attitude in church government that suppresses differences in authority within leadership. Neither do I support authoritarian leadership that suppresses unity and diversity of counsel. I support balance: balance between pastor and elders, between prophets priest and kings, and between teaching and shepherding. And I support Jesus being in ultimate charge: He is the Priest, The Prophet and the King!

What do you think?

Soul Force Conquers Temporary Divisions

I recently re-connected with an old friend from 20 years ago via Facebook who is also now a blogger. Saw this comment about last years election and praying for our new president and thought it was very well said. Thanks to Dave Grant at My Opinion on the election: Davewgrantsblog

“Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”

Soul force?

The day after Election Day I went to work disappointed and worried for my country. Watching my African American brothers and sisters clap and dance and rejoice over “their” victory just poured salt on my wounds. I went to church the following Sunday and felt an awful tension in our sanctuary and Sunday school rooms. There was a hot division between my brothers and sisters. It burdened my heart to watch one of my pale Republican brothers express despair within a few feet of one of my beautiful chocolate sisters doing her dance of joy. I wanted to dance with my sister, share her living water, but at the same time I had to console my brother, lift him up to where he belonged. What could I do?

I believe this where Soul Force defined itself in my heart and mind. I knew what my heart wanted and what my God desired, so I reached down into my soul and forced out the right response. I grabbed my brother and my sister by the arms, looked in their faces, and tried to speak to their God made hearts.

“Yes,” I said to my sister, “What a proud day for you and for us all. Our country has done something extraordinary and you should dance and sing about it.” Then, looking into the eyes of my brother, I said “And we are going to pray that Barack Obama becomes the best president we ever had, aren't we? It would be insane to pray for his failure because in this dangerous day and age we need the best president we've ever had. ”

After all we are just temporarily Democrats and Republicans, blacks and whites, and left and right. We may not look alike and our family culture may be different but for eternity we are and will be Jesus’ children, and all precious in his sight On this Earth we must be Christian people, loving our temporary American home and ministering to it, but not allowing ourselves to be defined by it.

I believe prayer is the act that releases the power to raise us up from our divisions, from our differences, from disappointment to faith and from negative expectations to positive realization. Soul Force, making a divine decision in our spirit to live by the spirit and not the flesh, empowers us to pray, and prayer changes us, and will protect our country as well.

Thanks, Dave, for reminding us all of the temporary nature of our political and racial divisions. The unity of Christ transcends all human made divisions.

Best of Both Worlds

Steve Murrell at the reluctant leader raises an interesting question: What do you do when one side (in his case, his Reformed friends) says that you are too Charismatic, and the other side (his Charismatic friends) says you are too Presbyterian? The question arose for Steve due to some comments on a post he wrote regarding the Lakeland revival.

Steve shares his testimony of being saved in a Presbyterian church and filled with the Spirit at a Charismatic meeting. How do you live with a foot in two different camps? Steve apparently made the same non-choice as I have - he choose both!

here's how i do life and ministry...

Presbyterian or Pentecostal? BOTH!
Reformation or revival? BOTH!
Strategic or spiritual? BOTH!
Plan or pray? BOTH!
Wait on the Lord or work in the harvest field? BOTH!

My own personal story is very similar, if you substitute Baptist for Presbyterian, and complicate maters with both reformed influences and some bad charismatic experiences. Both church and society seem to constantly pull us into such dichotomies -forcing choices like this. But sometimes the best thing is to not chose between, but to embrace both streams and combine the best of both worlds. It is not easy experientially, socially, or intellectually. But I am convinced it is the right thing to do.