Thursday 9 December 2010

All Talk, No Action

I must admit, i'm a bit of a fan of the Barna Group. They do a bunch of research that helps us know what's actually going on. And of course, i loved their book unChristian. Most recently, they did a study on change.


The summarisation of the research was that despite:
lots of time discussing and debating religious beliefs and spiritual practices, ... all of that interaction has translated into very little change in people’s faith life.

What little change there was (only 7% could think of any change in the past five years) most of it related to what people did within the confines of church, and not so much with the integration of faith into everyday life.

Also, as i've kind of talked about before, the study suggests that much of the time spent in reflection and conversation is about "deriving a greater sense of comfort and support from their religious beliefs" rather than being challenged by them.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds
-Hebrews 10:24

Saturday 4 December 2010

Free Christmas Advertising

At Christmas and Easter churches advertise their events. The traditional way has been to pay the local rag to bury a 2-inch ad at the bottom of page 67 (if we're lucky). If we're unlucky, it doesn't even get published.


It's perplexed me for some time why this seems to be the preferred method of advertising. Especially now that facebook ads are so usable. Some advantages include:

Cost per click
This is exactly what it sounds like. If people aren't interested in your ad, you don't pay for it. You pay only for the number of times your ad is clicked on.

Knowing people see it
Do we even know if anyone reads page 67 of the local paper? Online, you know whether people are seeing it.

More information can be communicated
The ad can link to a page of your church's website, where you can place as much info as you like. (Not limited to the little space in the paper ad).

Reaching more people
Facebook makes up 21% of all page views on the whole internet. Daily users average 56 minutes per day on facebook. Defintely beats the local paper!

Reach your target audience
Ad can be specified to show to people in your local area, to save your budget for local people, who can actually attend your church.

Surely the only thing stopping us is a lack of experience and know-how. But even this is taken care of.

The good people at CMS have done a simple tutorial on this, which includes a coupon code for $50 of free advertising on facebook. The coupon expires Dec 31, 2010. Just in time for Christmas ;)
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ps. also see CJ's FB ad experiments ... Part 1 + Part 2

Friday 3 December 2010

Pledging Allegiance When Kingdoms Collide


"No wonder it's getting hard for seekers to find God nowadays. It's difficult to know where Christianity ends and America begins." writes Shane Claiborne in Chapter 7 of Irresistible Revolution. "God's name is on America's money, and America's flag is on God's altars."

This chapter is very much about pledging "allegiance" and where that allegiance lies. Is it to our God, as demonstrated in Jesus, or to our borders and our patriotism?
There is no doubt that we must mourn those lives lost on September 11th. We must mourn the lives of the soldiers. But with the same passion and outrage we must mourn the lives of every Iraqi who is lost. They are just as precious , no more, no less. In our rebirth, every life lost in Iraq is just as tragic as a life lost in New York or DC. And the lives of the thirty thousand children who die of starvation each day is like six September 11ths every single day, a silent tsunami that happens every week.

Living out his beliefs, Shane spent time with Iraqi families in Baghdad at the time it was being bombed. He played balloon volleyball with kids. Bombs started exploding. The kids kept playing. "These children were raised hearing bombs - in 1998, in 1991 - and yet they will still play in the park with people whose country is destroying theirs."

When told of US christians who support the war, the Iraqi bishop said to Shane (about Iraqi Christians) "We believe 'blessed are the peacemakers.' We believe if you pick up the sword you die by the sword. We believe in the cross."

I guess the main point is that if we are truly reborn, and if God is our king, then perhaps we could learn from those kids - playing games with Americans even while being bombed by Americans. After all, "it is more courageous to love our enemies that to kill them".

Sunday 28 November 2010

A Fishy Tale

The good folks at IE Day put together this little video parable.



Just like a Jesus parable, there is so much truth in it; and is very well told.

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Making God Sound Stupid

Saw this bit on the Colbert Report recently. He takes a satirical look at the two of the candidates for Chair of the Energy and Resources Committee in the US Congress.


If I wasn't laughing (because of Stephen Colbert's comedic talent) I'd possibly be crying (over the way some politicians paint God).

I think this blog best described the effect, describing Mr Shimkus's use of scripture as "foolish, ignorant, selfish, and unreasonable", and that it "illustrates how people use religion to impose their own biased and uninformed beliefs onto the rest of society."

But apart from using religion to impact politics, he is (possibly unwittingly) using politics to impact religion (negatively). When the words of God are portrayed in such a painfully ridiculous manner, it makes both Christians and God sound stupid - neither of which is helpful for anyone considering following Jesus.

Wednesday 17 November 2010

Fear Of The Word

One of Dave Murrow's main disappointments with the church is that we don't strive to be Christlike as much as we strive to be ladylike. Expecting people to behave like princesses is a sure-fire way to fail with men.

Local mischief-makers

I was reminded of this recently when my local church's noticeboard was "creatively rearranged" overnight. This is what it originally said:


The sign is one of those double-sided ones, so the prankster had a bunch of letters from the other side to choose from to alter the message. Here's the other side and the letters they could have used (despite an E going missing).


What to choose?

If their intent was to annoy, ridicule or embarrass the church, they could have easily spelt out S-A-T-A-N or D-E-V-I-L (using the D from the dog). But instead, they substituted the word "dog" in the original message with another word. The letters they used were P,E,I,N and S .... though not in that order. ;)

It seems that in the minds of the impromptu sign-changers (and perhaps the general public) none of the words describing Jesus's arch enemy would startle or alarm church-people as much as the sight of a 'rude' word. (Sad thing is they're probably right.)

When our sense of morality seems to be sourced more from Jane Austen than Jesus Christ, is it that surprising that we struggle to be relevant to the policemen, footy players, mechanics and truck drivers in our world?

Monday 15 November 2010

Who Are You?

Bloom is a community of people being part of each others lives; helping, encouraging and learning from one another. They're a little bit different from an average church, and were named as one of the 2010 Firestarter churches. But they warn against the "copy the great stuff we're doing" philosophy.


Instead of trying to be like "every other church that's out there", Luke suggests that churches find their own identity, reflect who they actually are (instead of trying to be someone else).

It strikes me that if this happened, then maybe there'd be a whole bunch of different types of churches - and a greater range of people would be able to discover Jesus.

that doesn’t mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift.
Ephesians 4:7 (Message)

Sunday 14 November 2010

Blessings of Anger and Tears

The other day i wrote about how church can tend towards bench-sitting rather than action. Then a friend showed me this old benediction (seen on Mark Hyatt's blog). What if we had the courage to pray this kind of thing today?
May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them
And turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Amen

Tuesday 9 November 2010

Bench Believers

CMS has a great article on Bench Believers. The term is a reference to the Soccer World Cup, and Nike's Write the Future campaign.


By contrast the church's message seems to be less about passionate pursuit of ambitious actions to create a glorious future (which you might expect it to be) and more about seeking refuge in the safety of a holy huddle.

The vibe of church is "Come, sit and stay", as opposed to Jesus's "Go, tell and do".

On a side note, it also makes me wonder if this is another reason that the church's message struggles to inspire men, while the message of Jesus excelled at it.

Thursday 4 November 2010

"God Hates Figs" :)

Something that depresses me is when anti-homosexuality masquerades as Christianity (for why, see here). But something that pleases me is intelligent good-humoured people with a heart full of fun and love (rather than animosity). So I quite enjoyed finding out about the "God Hates Figs" parody campaign - satirising the similar-sounding (but more aggressive) campaign that actually exists in America.


Also, there is a God Hates Shrimp parody campaign - which humorously demonstrates the absurdity of picking obscure verses out of Leviticus.

Hehe - comedy gold!

Sunday 31 October 2010

Permission To Speak Freely

You may have heard of Anne Jackson, the writer of Mad Church Disease, and now Permission To Speak Freely. On her website she asks "What is one thing you feel you can't say in church" and this is one of the responses.


This and the other confessions provided an interesting reality-check. You can read more on Anne's website or see a couple of slideshows on her facebook page.

ps. if you're interested in her book, she has 7 excerpts online - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.

Thursday 14 October 2010

Atheists Know More Than Christians

Perhaps you heard about this survey in America. A phonepoll group did a survey asking questions about religion. From 32 questions, Atheists averaged 20.9, Protestants 16 and Catholics 14.7.

It's tempting (if you consider your self a protestant) to wipe your brow in relief and say "Whew! Just passed! At least we beat the Catholics." But that's not the comparison i'm looking at.

The survey is about religion - and Christians know the least!

OK, so the questions were on all religions, but why are Christians the most ignorant when it comes to understanding our neighbours of different beliefs. These are the same neighbours we are called to love. Have we become so insular that we understand only those in the same little niche as ours. (See Black Box Theory). Remember, this was a test about religion - Christians should be way up the top of the class. Or at least as high as atheists. That would be less embarrassing ;)

Anyway, you can do a sample from the test yourself. I got 14/15 and my friend 13/15. You'll probably do quite well. Maybe the selected 15 are the easiest from the original poll, or it maybe it's just that we're not American ;)

More about the poll here and here. In the second of these articles it says that only 57% of Protestants could name the 4 Gospels. That's probably a whole separate blog post just there!

[Full report on the survey here]

Friday 1 October 2010

How To Speak Christianese

The other day i wrote about talking in code, and then today i found this great spoof infomercial for learning 'Christianese'.

Thursday 30 September 2010

Church V Strippers (Everyone Loses)


I don't know if you've read about the whole 'Church v Strippers' saga in the US, but i liked how the people at CMS summed up the lesson in two phrases
Antagonizing people is never a good way to communicate the gospel.

Your strategy should be consistent with your message. (If you believe in love, you should communicate with love - not judgement).

Two lessons that you think would be obvious, but apparently not - otherwise this would never have happened.

Instead it's yet another time where Christians have got in the way of someone knowing Jesus. Or as Todd Rhoades puts it "The one thing this church has done with their actions is pretty much guarantee that none of them will have anything to do with any of these people coming to Christ".

Monday 27 September 2010

Talking In Code

I heard the following in a worship service (after a bunch of text had been read from the projection screen)
It's from Galatians - our lectionary epistle for this evening

and i wondered how that sentence might sound to someone not thoroughly trained in the church system. I reckon something like
It's from Blah - our blah blah for this evening

and we wonder why we have trouble communicating with others!

Friday 17 September 2010

Gruen Part 2

Yesterday, i looked at the Gruen Transfer's analysis of religious advertising. Ironically, one of the most pertinent comments came in the (unrelated) next segment of the show. This segment focussed on a new online provider of electronic goods - who is taking market share away from the traditional stores like Harvey Norman.



The pertinent comment was this one from Russel Howcroft:
It's the clicks-versus-bricks thing. His entire empire is based on its real estate, its property, its warehouses. Then someone comes along who actually doesn't have any of the burden of all that cost. It's a young man with a 21st century business model - so he's like "Ooh, hang on a sec - what's going on here".

Sound familiar? An old-style empire based on owning lots of land and buildings, laden with a cumbersome cost-burden.

OK, in the church's case there may not be a major new competitor, but the lesson is still there to be learnt. Instead of waiting (like Harvey did) for someone else to outdo us in a manner that is more engaging, relevant and effective - why don't we do it first?

Thursday 16 September 2010

How Do You Sell ... Religion?

Each week, the ABC's Gruen Transfer program takes a look at advertising - what works, what doesn't, and why. Recently, they discussed the 'product category' of religion.



My highlights came from Todd Sampson (on the Jesus ad):
They had done a lot of research and basically the finding was "Church is bad, Jesus is cool". So they focussed on their strength, which is Jesus. But the advertising certainly won't solve the problem that brand Christianity has ... You can paint the advertising and make that look really good. If the experience is not very good, it's not going to work ... The advertising goes part of the way but it certainly doesn't go all the way.

and from Jeremy Nicholas:
Why it doesn't work is 'cause the whole thing is completely and utterly plastic ... the whole thing just eeks of out-of-touchness and then it has no relevance ... and so it does more damage than good

I do sometimes wonder what it says about how well we are following Jesus, when research says that "Jesus is cool - Church is bad". And why does faith-related broadcasting come across as fake, plastic and irrelevant? Is it that faith is something best shared person-to-person, rather than via mass delivery?

Saturday 28 August 2010

Good Old Christian Love

If you were reading when i reviewed the book unChristian, you might have read the chapter on Politics, and thought "oh, it's only in America that people get crazy about politics". I thought so too - until i saw this response to a facebook comment

"Very scary that these gits might be holding the balance of power"

Ok, it might not be the most in-depth political analysis of the year, but my issue is more with the language. Given that the group she describes contains at least two Christian women, such a description of one's Christian sisters is hardly a positive reflection of Jesus in the eyes of non-Christians (see John 13:34-35)

"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."

I'm starting to think that perhaps the most "scary" thing about elections might just be the way some Christians portray their God.
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[related item: What if God read your posts?]

Saturday 31 July 2010

Economics Of Rebirth


Chapter 6 of Irresistible Revolution starts with Shane's story about a wealthy business man he met. The man had been "thinking about following Christ and what that means" - the result was a custom-made What-Would-Jesus-Do engraved bracelet of 24-karat gold. It's kinda funny, but also sad. It's the materialistic culture that engulfs us, even as we try to follow Jesus.

The chapter challenges us to be more generous with the excess we have (as Jesus suggested). After all, we pray for our daily bread - not for a lifetime supply. One example of generosity came (ironically enough) from someone with very little.
One of the beggars in Calcutta approached me one day, and I had no money on me, but i felt a piece of gum in my pocket, so I handed it too her. I have no idea how long it had been since she had chewed gum, or if she had ever even had the chance. She looked at it and smiled with delight. Then she tore it into three pieces and handed one to me and one to a friend so we could share the excitement.

Groups of families are discovering the blessings that come with sharing possessions. The funt that comes with doing things together and spending time with each other. Of course, poor people have known this for some time. Shane suggests this is why Jesus states the difficulty for rich people to enter God's kingdom. Personal wealth acts as a blindfold, blocking the vision of an "interdependent community, dependent on God, and on each other".
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"There is enough for everyone's need, but there is never enough for everyone's greed" - Ghandi

Proving It

One of the stock-standard mission statements (or slogans) for a church is "Loving God, Loving [X]", where X can be "others", "the community" or the geographical area of the church in question.


But this one from Courageous Church goes a bit further, and (i think) a bit more biblical. It starts out like all the others, but the difference here is the last line - "Prove It".

While the activity of many churches seems limited to sitting, listening or singing; Courageous Church challenges itself to put love into action by doing things that actually help people, and make God's love visible.

Thursday 22 July 2010

Room Cleaning Christianity

OK, this is my latest fave phrase from Jon Acuff, as he uses it to explain why Christians are jerks.

Just like a student decides to clean up their room rather than work on the big assignment that is due soon, so we can sometimes focus on things make us feel better, but really aren't that important.

Whether it's finding faults in celebrities who are Christians, branding large segments of the community as 'sinners' (as if we're not), or lamenting the low number of people who attend church - all of them make us feel a bit more self-righteous, but don't actually involve loving our neighbour ... the assignment Jesus gave us.

Thursday 15 July 2010

Another Way Of Doing Life

ask people what Christians believe, they can tell you ... ask the average person how Christians live, they are struck silent.
Shane Claiborne reckons this is because we haven't shown anything different, that "Christians live pretty much like everyone else; they just sprinkle a little Jesus in along the way". As a result he reckons "spiritual seekers have not been able to hear the words of Christians because the lives of Christians have been making so much horrible noise.
Sometimes people call those of us in our community radical. Most of the time though, I think that if what we are doing seems radical, then that says more about the apathy of Western Christianity that about the true nature of our discipleship.

I experienced this kind of thing recently when i did something mildly generous and a friend complimented me for "radical discipleship". He meant it well, and i took it that way - but part of me shed a tear that my actions were considered the exception rather than the norm.

Shane quotes Dorothy Day as saying "Don't call us saints; we don't want to be dismissed that easily" and implores us to allow Jesus to change our actions as well as our beliefs. Just as he did for Zaccheus, and for Levi, and for countless others. Such discipleship is not only more rewarding, but is also a greater help to those around us.
We can believe in CPR, but people will remain dead until someone breathes life into them. And we can tell the world that there is life after death, but the world really seems to be wondering if there is life before death.

Wednesday 14 July 2010

Lying To God

I'm not a huge fan of lying. Same goes for lying to God (which i figure is extra dumb because God would know a lie when hears one ;) Anyway, i think this makes me struggle with 'worship' music. Singing a lie doesn't make it true. And they can put a whole bunch of E-minor chords around a lie - it's still a lie. One of my 'faves' is from I Want To Know You More...
pushing every hindrance aside (out of my way) 'cause I want to know you more

because i think most of us could name at least 5 things we've done today that we could have ditched in order to "know God more" (but we didn't). Meanwhile my list of things that i actually have pushed aside is looking quite short.

I don't know why we do this. Is it just to make the words fit the melody? ("Occasionally pushing selected hindrances aside" would be a real mouthful.) Or is it to give ourselves a chance to brag about our (inflated) holiness in front of other churchgoers? Or is it to make newcomers feel insecure and inferior as they compare themselves to our over-exaggerated claims about ourselves?

Whatever the reason, i can't really stomach it. So i was comforted (and amused) when Jon Acuff did his piece on Overcommitting to God. He even includes a template for making your own dodgy lyrics ... and the comments are full of hilarious creations :)

Sunday 11 July 2010

When Comfort Becomes Uncomfortable


The title of this chapter of Irresistible Revolution comes from the saying "God comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable."

Shane talks about feeling increasing disturbed by God - while living in the comfortable suburbs. And the more he read the bible the less comfortable he felt - especially with the fake Jesus that he feels American Christianity produces.

He tells the story of being on a short-term mission trip, and a group of children (preparing a skit from a gospel story) came up to him and said "Shane we need you to play Jesus, because you are white and from America."

Or as George Bernard Shaw puts it..
God created us in his image, and we decided to return the favour.

Friday 9 July 2010

Outsider Interviews

You may have read my thoughts on unChristian - the book that analyses what 'outsiders' think of christians. Well now Jim Henderson (author of "Jim and Casper go to Church") presents the Outsider Interviews. It's a DVD and book of face-to-face discussions with 'outsiders' and 'insiders' - and sometimes it's hard to tell which is which :)



One young woman says that now she even hesitates to call herself 'Christian' (because of what that has become associated with). Scarier still was that the question these people were asked...
If you thought Christians would listen, what would you say to them?

Doesn't it say something that we even have to preface questions that way?

Thursday 8 July 2010

In Search Of A Christian

"I am not a Christian anymore"
Shane Claiborne was shocked to hear those words, until his friend continued...
I gave up Christianity to follow Jesus
It sounds like a contradiction but Shane explains using the words of Danish philospher Soren Kierkegaard
The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly.
Shane tells the story of when he embarked on a journey to find someone actually following Jesus. It's an amazing story, and along the way he meets someone who literally sold all he had to help the poor (Luke 12:33) and wonders what it might be like if we truly believed that we no longer live, but only Jesus lives in us (Gal 2:20).

Tuesday 6 July 2010

2 Billion Minutes On YouVersion

Ok, so there's a few online bibles around. My favourite one to read is YouVersion. It's available in many translations, and in many languages (the latest - Norwegian). It has community features so that people can communicate online and share their thoughts on bible passages. It also has reading plans that provide you with a regular dose of bible goodness - right there on your computer.

But today i'm talking mobiles. The people at YouVersion have recently calculated that their users have racked up 2 billion minutes of bible reading using the mobile devices.


That calculates out to 33 million hours, or 38 centuries - which is a fair amount of bibley goodness made available to people on trains, in cafes, in church - or practically anywhere. In fact in June alone, over 650,000 people installed the Bible app on their mobile device - that's one every 4 seconds.

So good on you, YouVersion - truly an achievement of Biblical proportions! ;)

Monday 5 July 2010

Resurrecting Church

How can we worship a homeless man on Sunday and ignore one on Monday?
That was the banner outside the disused cathedral where some homeless people had taken refuge. Shane Claiborne remarks, "the media jumped on the story and made it look like the church was kicking homeless people out (which wasn't a stretch, since the church was kicking homeless people out).

Meanwhile, in an eye-opening adventure, Shane, his college buddies, some local firemen, and the mafia(!) were out-doing the "church" at following the teaching of Jesus.

As Shane was losing hope in 'the church', a friend reminded him that church is a group of people following God.
You haven't lost hope in the church. You may have lost hope in Christianity, or Christendom or all the institutions, but you have not lost hope in the church. This is the church.

What summed it up best for me was Shane's description of his own state of mind at the time:
I felt so thirsty for God, so embarrassed by Christianity, and so ready for something more.

Friday 2 July 2010

Jesus Walks

How does one answer the question "Hey David, what's your favourite worship song?". I didn't know to break my friend's illusion that to be a Christian means joyously frolicking around the house listening to hours of church music. Or was i meant to be quietly keeping my own scorebook during church? Who knows?

Anyway, i don't remember how i got out of that one, but what i wish i'd said was "Jesus Walks by Kanye West". I probably would have got a blank look, because it's not something that fits the pink box version of church. The film clip has a shot of a man holding a bottle of alcohol - there's a swear word - and "hell" is said twice in one line. (Gasp!)


But if we can be less superficial, there's a tonne of heart in this song that can put a lot of worship music to shame.

For what it says about Jesus
My moma used to say only Jesus could save us

To the hustlers, killers, murderers, drug dealers, even the strippers - Jesus walks with them.

about the human condition
We are at war with terrorism, racism, but most of all we are at war with ourselves.

I don't think there's nothing i can do now to right my wrongs. I wanna talk to God but i'm afraid because we ain't spoke in so long.

searching for God
Now hear ye, hear ye, wanna see thee more clearly
I know he hears me when my feet get weary

God show me the way 'cause the devil's trying to break me down

It's kind of a shame that such rich lyrics and authentic expression are kept away from our delicate church ears.

Thursday 1 July 2010

When Christianity Was Still Safe

Turns out that there's way too much goodness in The Irresistible Revolution to do full-on summaries of each chapter. So what i'll probably do is take a few quotes that really resonate with me.

In this chapter, Shane talk about growing up (physically and spiritually) through high school and into college.
I wasn't sure the church had much to offer. Of course, I didn't dare stop going to church, convinced that "going to church" is what good people do, and I didn't want to become like "those people" who don't "go to church." Heathens. Ha. So I sucked it up and went every week, often cynical, usually bored, but always smiling.

Pretty sad, huh? And i'm not immune from the thoughts of the first and last sentences. But what about the middle? Is that what church has reduced to? Something people do to pretend they're better than someone else? A perfunctory activity we endure in order to grant ourselves some kudos? As i examined my motivations for 'going to church' i continued reading...
I saw the messiness of church politics and egotism. I was driven mostly by ideology and theology, which isn't very sustainable even if they're true.

I was a bit thrown by this statement. Why would being driven by theology bad? I mean, it's about God isn't it? But i think i found my answer right at the end of the chapter...
I found that I was just as likely to meet God in the sewers of the ghetto as in the halls of academia. I learned more about God from the tears of homeless mothers than any systematic theology ever taught me.

Wednesday 30 June 2010

Good God Updates

I figure that it's a good thing for Christians to reflect some of God as we go about our daily lives. I also reckon that this goes for online stuff as well.

Anyhoo, today i read two great examples of faith-related status updates. First one was a CS Lewis quote. Not too bible-bashy, not too controversial, just gives God a shout-out in a positive way.


Second one was a great reality check. There's a certain self-deprecating humility in confessing our mistakes. And the shortcomings of Christians is something we can all agree upon ;)


And who wouldn't want earth to be a more heavenly place?

Friday 25 June 2010

Shane Outside The Box

An awesome person has lent me a great book, Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. In the intro he describes how doesn't fit into a box.
My activist friends call me conservative. My religious friends call me liberal. What i often get branded is 'radical'

The boxes that exist (not just in America) were well articulated in a letter Shane received from a young man:
I am alone, surrounded by unbelieving activists and inactive believers. Where are the true Christians?

Fortunately, according to Shane there is a movement of ordinary radicals - ordinary people choosing to live in radical new ways.
There is a movement bubbling up that goes beyond cynicism and celebrates a new way of living, a generation that stops complaining about the church it sees and becomes the church it dreams of. And this little revolution is irresistible. It is a contagious revolution that dances, laughs and loves.

Thursday 24 June 2010

Mums and Dads

Sure there are so many ways that the church repels men from the gospel. But one of the more obvious symptoms is the comparison of mother's day and father's day sermons.

David Murrow describes it as "Mum's, you're great. Dad's, you better shape up." but finds it unscriptural to suggest that women have less need of God's redemption.

Anyway, i bring it up because (as father's day has just passed in the usa) Jon Acuff has done a hilarious example of the kind of things that are said on these two days. Sad thing is that even though it is meant as satire, it's only a slight exaggeration on the truth.
Moms are amazing. They are like human unicorns, special, beautiful, smelling of lavender and night jasmine, deserving of our gratitude and our complete affection and pedicures....
Dads, what are you doing? Seriously, get your act together!....

Tuesday 22 June 2010

It's A Team Game

"It's not enough to be committed to God - you have to be committed specifically to your church." ... That's what the speaker said when addressing a gathering interested in church growth.

He used the comparison of a sporting coach - who has to be committed to their particular club, not just to the game. It rankled me at the time, and it still does now when i remember it.

Part of this is because I'm a sports fan and this year saw one of the most dramatic events in rugby league for many a year. The Melbourne Storm, in an effort to build a superior team, deliberately broke the player salary cap.


The result was the stripping of the team's 2007 and 2009 championships, the returning of the prizemoney from those years, and disqualification from this year's finals. Because of the incident, sponsors including the club's major sponsor have cut off their association with the club.

The annoying thing is that it happened because at the point where the good of the game and the good of the club came into conflict, people were too focussed on the club - and put it ahead of the game. The result was a great loss - for both.

So that's kinda why i get disheartened when churches battle against each other rather than co-operate for the greater good; or when churches pump up their ego and their attendance by sucking people away from other churches instead of by spreading the gospel.

Sure, it may mean hard work to co-operate, and to follow Jesus' command to actually spread the gospel. It also takes hard work to win a rugby league competition, but it's better than the Melbourne Storm approach. Or to put it in the words of St Paul:
I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

And St Paul didn't even know about the Melbourne Storm :)

Tuesday 15 June 2010

Pub Church

Over Easter, Toowoomba's St James anglican church held a church service in a pub. I think this is a great idea - the only sadness being that it is so rare that it rates a mention in the news.


After 25 years in the ministry (and presumably about 1200 'inside-church' sermons) Gary Harch has seen the light, and is leading this venture into the pub. Realising that attending a physical church is a barrier for people, "we will come to you" he says. "This is a way for people to participate if mainstream church is not their thing."

I personally hope this sort of thing becomes much more regular - to the point where it is no longer considered a novelty item for the news. I look forward to a time when this kind of thing is not done as a one-off publicity exercise for an upcoming event, but when christians have broken down some narrow mindsets of what it means to follow Jesus, and are out-and-about engaging people with the good news of the gospel.

Thursday 10 June 2010

Why Men Hate Going To Church

When it comes to the issue of the church's tendency to repel men (both from itself and from Jesus) it seems there are three stages of response.

1. "I refuse to believe it. It's just not true. There's absolutely nothing wrong with church."

2. "Men have the issue. So they need to change. There's absolutely nothing wrong with church."

3. "Hmmm.... we do seem to struggle to reach men with the message of Jesus. And Jesus did command us to take the gospel to all people. Perhaps we could show some humility, accept that we are not perfect, and be open to learning how we might better represent Jesus to the male population."

Whatever stage you're at, David Murrow's book Why Men Hate Going To Church is an informative read. Though you'll get most out of it if you're at stage 3.


He explores the reasons why Christ's body (the church) is so out-of-balance, and what can be done to remedy the problem.

From time to time on this blog, i'll give some of my examples, but David Murrow is all over this issue. Coming from a background in the media, he has a unique insight as to how church presents itself almost exclusively to a female demographic. Often i think it's a tribute to the awesome power of the Holy Spirit that any men attend church at all.
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ps. His site Church for Men is not to be taken as the opposite to a church for women. It is meant to be the opposite of what we have now - a church against men.

Wednesday 9 June 2010

Only On Our Terms

A little while back, i was reviewing the book unChristian. One of the great quotes from it that i didn't get to use in the reviews was
part of the reason Christians are known as unChristian is because the church has lost the ability and willingness to love and accept people who are not part of the insider club.... We say we love outsiders, but in many case we show love only if it is on our terms, if they are interested in coming to our church ... We expect them to play by the rules, look the part, embrace the music, and use the right language.

Does it remind you of black box theory?
The author went on to describe the effect of this...
Not only is Jesus becoming harder for them to see in the efforts and language of Christians, but they are learning to despise or disregard Christians - largely because the Christians they have known either criticise or ignore them.

Tuesday 8 June 2010

God Be With You

When the church makes an effort to interact with people of the 21st century, it's good to acknowledge and celebrate the occassion.

Recently, Britain's Methodist Church launched an app for iPhones and iPods, which can be used to view bible studies and prayers.


It's something that can be used by "those who might be more cautious about attending church" and also makes religious content available anywhere and anytime (just like God is) rather than one hour per week at one location.

So good on you methodist church for thinking slightly outside your box. :)

Monday 7 June 2010

Happy Feet

I caught part of Happy Feet on tv on the weekend (mainly because it started as i was making dinner).


It was quite sad at the beginning, as each of the penguins discovered their 'heartsong' - except for young Mumble. Through no fault of his own, Mumble is different to your standard penguin. He looks different, he acts different, he thinks different.


Even though he ends up being the star of the movie - being more amazing and courageous than any of his fellow ice-dwellers - he is constantly derided by the colony and the penguin "elders" for being different. Or as his own father puts it, he "just ain't penguin".

Couldn't help but think of black box theory.

Sunday 6 June 2010

The Church 100m Sprint

If ever the Olympics people are looking for a new event, perhaps they could consider some version of the after-church dash. It's a tremendous display of athletic prowess, which is so far untapped. I'm sure you've seen it, but let me fill you in on what i'm talking about.

A person arrives significantly late for church, sits in the very back row, and avoids interaction as much as humanly possible. Then as soon as the magic 'show's-over' words are spoken, the person begins to leave. Fair enough ... but not if the church sprinter has their way.

Despite the automatic headstart gained by sitting in the very back row, the person's subtle exit will be no match for the lightning speed of the sprinter. Faster than a cheetah shot out of a cannon, from the back seat of a Ferarri, the sprinter engulfs their victim before he/she crosses the foyer/outdoor boundary (which will be the official finish line when this goes Olympic).

Asking the church sprinter why they do this will often result in an answer like 'i want to show them i care' or 'it's part of loving one's neighbour'. It's an interesting view of loving someone ... doing the exact opposite of what they want.

You see, most sprinters are extroverts and simply don't get the concept that someone might want to be left alone. But even the most shy people, if they want to have a conversation, have subtle ways of showing they are open to someone approaching them.
1-Mobile phones. Turning on, checking texts, sending texts (or pretending to).
2-Reading the pew bulletin (again).
3-Reading the notice board.
4-Retying a shoelace (if all other methods are exhausted).

So, if someone arrives late, leaves ASAP, and gives none of the "please-talk-to-me" clues, then please do them a favour. Forget the ambush and capture. If you really love them, set them free.

(Or maybe start training for those 2016 Olympics :)

Wednesday 2 June 2010

Sustainability

If something is not sustainable, its end comes about by one of two ways - either by calmly moving to a more sustainable behaviour (having responded early) - or erratically panicking as the system comes crashing down.

I wrote about that in an environmental context, but it seems it also applies to church behaviour (link again provided by a friend).

The writer seems to be almost suggesting that it may even be too late for the first of these options.
As a whole, the mainline churches are now making the transition from slow decline to progressive collapse.

He suggests one big thing that makes the challenges all the more difficult is that churches have ignored sustainability - "at the deepest level, this involves the sustainability of the church itself."
Religion will not long prosper as a luxury good; it is not primarily a way that comfortable people who are basically happy with their lives can make their lives even richer and more rewarding. A sustainable religion must convince people that it is necessary to life, health and spiritual coherence.

Other areas of this sustainability problem included the 'business model' of the church:
[a model of] a professional, full time leader in local congregations that own and operate purpose-built buildings has been clearly falling into crisis for a generation [with] large and growing numbers of local congregations who simply cannot operate this way. They defer maintenance, cut programs to the bone and find that more and more of their energy is required to maintain an existence which is less and less creative and rewarding. This is clearly and blatantly an unsustainable situation, yet most denominations and judicatories have chosen to think about it as little as possible. ...even today more mainline energy is expended on denial than on reform.

Tuesday 1 June 2010

Truth Stranger Than Fiction

When i hear a phrase like 'maybe mainstream church is right on track', i can't help but at least giggle.

Moreso, when a friend showed me this article about the Swedish church. In the past ten years 11.6% of the nation's people (that's about one in 9 Swedes) have left the church. 73,400 of those left in 2009 alone. When interviewed, the spokesman for the Church of Sweden expects a similar reduction over the next ten years.

It reminds me of a satirical article on LarkNews, about a denomination launching an "ambitious plan to lose only 5% of members". Other than a slight percentage discrepancy, it seems the only difference is that the Swedish one isn't meant as a joke!

Monday 31 May 2010

Family Sunday - Every Sunday

I'm on a few christian-based email lists. Along with some useful stuff, you get a few ads. This one's for a particular bible "curriculum" (could we make it sound any more like school?)


Isn't it a cracker? Who wouldn't want to buy a copy? Kids abandoning their ipods and x-boxes, to be absorbed by every word dad says about 2nd Thessalonians. So realistic and so completely believable. ;)

But enough about advertising. If you've read my thoughts on mother's day, or black box theory, then you might see where i'm headed here....

The thing is the slogan - and that churches do just that. Which is great if you're a family - and you're all Christians. But what if you're not?

What if you're the only Christian in your family? What if you're situation is not a stereotypical family one - you're separated or divorced, your spouse has passed away, you're a couple without children, you're a single person living with flatmates or by yourself, or your children have grown up and left home?

For the statistically-inclined, in my local area 54% of people over 19 are single. If you add in people who are divorced, separated or widowed, that number increases to 67%. And that doesn't even count childless couples, 'empty nesters', or people whose faith isn't shared by their family!

While sickly sweet photostock might tempt us into making "every sunday family sunday", I reckon we'd do better to reflect Jesus by bringing the gospel message to all people, regardless of whether they match the black box.

Sunday 23 May 2010

The End of UnChristian?

Having covered 6 negative perceptions of Christianity, the last section of unChristian essentially pointed out that perception is reality. That it's not an image problem, its a subtance problem.

To shift our reputation from unChristian to Christian, it is suggested that "Christ followers must learn to respond to people in the way Jesus did". It sounds obvious, but if people can't see Jesus in our lives, we have a "hidden Jesus" problem.

When Jesus was on earth, people were changed by his example. Today it's our interactions with people that create people's image of Jesus. People "need to see Christianity rejecting self-preservation and insularity, and embracing true concern and compassion for others".

The chapter ends by noting:
the barriers to seeing Jesus are getting wider and higher. What image of Jesus do people get from your life? The unChristian faith is here in force. We have a choice of whether it is here to stay.

And the 'afterword' was interesting. The author, after being initially shocked and overwhelmed by the negative impression of Christians, was filled with hope for the future. What? Yes, he feels that it's a nothing-to-lose situation. That the only way to go from here is up. That the current generation has an opportunity to live lives that redefine 'Christian' as being someone that bears some resemblance to Christ.

Saturday 22 May 2010

Messages From Mars

Ordinarily, a church updating it's website wouldn't be major news. But when Mars Hill does it - it's not to look cool, or get more clicks.
While a few thousand people walk through the doors of Mars Hill ... over 50,000 arrive at our homepage every week ... online ministry is a huge part of what we do.

As explained on their blog post, only 8% of website visitors are from the church's home town of Seattle, and only a quarter from the USA.

Their motivation is to help more people hear about Jesus - and they've been creative in "finding new ways to get the Gospel to you through the internet". It's encouraging to see a church that is fully embracing the 21st century - but also going to great lengths to share the gospel (sermon transcripts are even translated into Spanish).

It kind of shows up the churches who treat the gospel like a ransom hostage - that can only be obtained at the time and place specified by the kidnapper. Instead, Mars Hill wants us to obtain "content about Jesus as quickly and easily as possible". Which approach sounds more biblical?

Here's some help - Jesus's words about hiding a light, and the parable of the talents.

Tuesday 18 May 2010

unChristian - Judgemental

Chapter 8 of unChristian is about being judgemental.
Respondents to our surveys believe Christians are trying, consciously or not, to justify feelings of moral and spiritual superiority.
Our motives can be brought into question when we are more interested in condemning people, than in helping people become more like Jesus. As much as we talk about love, often we could show a bit more of it.

The author raises the question of whether we are "trying to please God, or polishing our holy credentials in front of fellow insiders?", whether "the reason Christians have lost their appeal to outsiders is they have lost passion for people outside the church?". With some shocking examples, he suggests that instead of seeing people's potential to follow Christ, we act as their spiritual judge and jury.

Tips for moving from rejection to respect included
- talk less, listen better
- don't label people
- don't pretend to be smart
- put yourself in the other person's place
- be genuine
- be a friend with no other motives

Another interesting quote came from Philip Yancey - "the opposite of sin is not virtue; it is grace".

So what's the opposite to Christians are prideful and quick to find faults in others. How about Christians show grace by finding the good in others and seeing their potential to be Christ followers.

Monday 17 May 2010

Need To Know That God Is Real

Duncan at Postkiwi describes "I need to know that God is real" as a 'protest song' against bogus religion. I'm not concerned about genre, but i know i like it. Here are some of the lyrics.

Don’t sate my soul with common sense
Distilled from ages past
Inept for those who fear the world’s
about to breathe its last.

Don’t set the cross before my eyes
unless you tell the truth
of how the Lord, who finds the lost,
was often found uncouth.

So let the Gospel come alive
in actions plain to see
in imitation of the one
whose love extends to me.

Sunday 16 May 2010

unChristian - Too Political

Chapter 7 of unChristian (remember this book comes from America) is about being too political.

First up, the author makes it clear from the start that he is definitely not suggesting that Christians should withdraw from politics. It is an important arena to express a Christian worldview. It's more about being representatives of Jesus - reflecting him in our views, our conversations, our actions and our attitudes - otherwise we prevent people from seeing Christ.

..this message (the gospel) seems to have been lost in exchange for an aggressive political strategy that demonises segments of society.
..anyone who did not fit the (political) mould was judged not a good a Christian as everyone else.
I had been carefully nurturing a relationship of trust with my neighbour, and much of it was undone because of careless and offensive words (by other Christians) to his young daughter about an election
Christians don't even follow what the Bible says; why do they try to tell everyone else how to live morally?
They do not seem to prioritise the poor and needy in their political agenda, as Jesus commands

Some comments may be right, perhaps some not. But it's the author's opinion that if they are incorrect, it is because we don't provide sufficient evidence to the contrary.

Advice includes respecting our 'enemies', praying for our leaders, being vigilant against our own capacity for hypocrisy, and not placing too much emphasis on politics. After all, nothing is gained by winning an election but forfeiting our soul.

So what's the alternative to "Christians are primarily motivated by a political agenda and promote right-wing politics". The author suggests a better world would be where Christians are characterised by respecting people, thinking biblically, and finding solutions to complex issues.

Friday 14 May 2010

Coming Soon...

Enjoyed this hilarious movie-style trailer about sundays:

Thursday 13 May 2010

unChristian - Sheltered

As i mentioned before, i'm currently reading unChristian. Chapter 6 is about being sheltered.

Christians enjoy being in their own community. The more they seclude themselves, the less they can function in the real world. So many Christians are caught in the Christian bubble.

It's a common perception, that Christians are out of touch, lacking spiritual vitality, insulated from thinking, and living in another world. But scarier still is that it's not just a perception. This from a 28 year old Christian...

So many Christians are caught up in the Christian sub-culture and are completely closed off from the world. We go to church on Wednesdays, Sundays and sometimes on Saturdays. We attend small group on Tuesday night and serve on the Sunday school advisory board, the financial committee, and the welcoming committee. We go to barbeques with our Christian friends and plan group outings. We are closed off from the world. Even if we wanted to reach out to nonChristians, we don't have the time and we don't know how. The only way we know to reach out is to invite people to join our Christian social circle

The bulk of the chapter is not about the why people are turned off a faith that seems sheltered. It's about why a faith that shelters itself falls so much short of what it is called to be. Why hiding out in a Christian bubble is the exact opposite of being the salt and light of the world.

By contrast, the author also gives some examples of some young Christians who are actively engaged outside the Christian sub-culture. "The motivation of these young leaders is to redeem rather than condemn" - is just one of many pieces of helpful guidance offered for those who wish to break the stereotype and fulfil our calling.

So what's the positive alternative to being sheltered? How about Christians are engaged, informed and offer sophisticated responses to the issues people face.

Wednesday 12 May 2010

Mothers' Day

You know what's great about mothers' day? Avoiding church.

It's a double blessing. Apart from the enjoyable time spent with my mum, there's the added joy of not sitting through another hallmark-flavoured excuse for a church service. The one where the bible is replaced with a greeting card.

Essentially there's two parts to this:

Firsty, it's another example of black box theory. Here in church-land, everyone belongs to a standard 2-parent family with 2-3 kids. So that's who church is designed for. We've heard about this place called "real world" and its growing number of marriage breakups and estranged families, but we ignore it.

Sure there's real-world people - made to feel isolated, inadequate and annoyed by the manufactured hype of the day. And we could inspire these people with the hope of Jesus, but instead we rub salt in the wounds. We even have special prayer - thanking God for blessing us with our wonderful mothers. It's our way of saying "If you don't fit the mould - get out!"

The second part is the banality of it all. No need to speculate what piece of godly wisdom the preacher has in store for us today. No need to wonder what the Holy Spirit has prompted this weekend. Surprise, surprise - it's about mothers. The greeting card people and the Holy Spirit are so on the same page. ;)

Is the bible so thin on material that we have to scrape around for stuff to fill our worship services? Or did we just ditch the God-focussed worship service in favour of dancing to the tune played by the retail sector?

Tuesday 11 May 2010

unChristian - Antihomosexual

As i mentioned before, i'm currently reading unChristian. Chapter 5 is about the tendency to be antihomosexual:

Even though the author is of the view that homosexuality is a sin, he finds the hostility to be very unChristian.

1. It's out of step with Jesus
Christians are statistically more likely to disapprove of homosexuality than of divorce (for example) despite the latter being specifically condemned by Jesus in Matthew 5:32

2. It belittles the effect of Jesus
No one goes to hell for what they do or don't do. Every human sins, but Jesus freely offers everyone his grace.

3. It prevents Jesus' greatest commandment
Of 600 people who said the homosexual lifestyle is a problem, only 1 offered "love" as a potential solution. Whatever happened to "love you neighbour"?

Probably the best summary comes in this quote from the book. Speaking about young adults:
..they are very attuned to people's hearts and motivations. If they sense that Christians are being inconsistent, unwilling to learn, or uncaring, they are quick to conclude that Christians are just plain wrong. Christians who show no compassion, kindness or grace make them feel at odds with who they want to be as people. Because it feels so condemning of gays, the unChristian faith does not offer significance and relevance to them. If Christianity is not the mixture of grace and truth that Jesus represents, they find it hard to reconcile

So how about replacing condemnation with a new paradigm - Christians show compassion and love to all people, regardless of their lifestyle.

Wednesday 5 May 2010

Texas Give-away

If you think giving chocolate eggs confuses the message of Easter, how about this:

Bay Area Fellowship is giving away flat-screen televisions, skateboards, Fender guitars, furniture and 15 cars — yes, cars — at its Easter services. As consolation prizes, 15,000 giftbags each contain $300 of free goods and services. (Note: 300 x 15,000 = 4.5 million)

In this interview pastor Bil Cornelius said
We’re going to give some stuff away and say, ‘Imagine how great heaven is going to be if you feel that excited about a car, ... It’s completely free — all you have to do is receive him.

He hopes the prizes will help Bay Area lure some people who don’t normally go to church or those who have lapsed in their faith. “We know it’s unconventional,” he said. “We know some people of faith aren’t going to agree with it.”

Among the 15 cars — all used but with low mileage — are an Audi A4, Jeep, Chevy Aveo, Mazda RX8, Volkswagen Jetta, two BMWs, Chevy Avalanche, Jaguar and two Mitsubishi Eclipses. The A4 is an ’04. It’s turbocharged.

So what do you think?
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ps. the people at CMS have taken their own poll on this idea

Monday 3 May 2010

Pulpit Clangers - 1

In front of a group of predominantly single people, reference was made to a series of christian camps that have been held over a number of years...
...where lots of young people have found Jesus, found a marriage partner and really got established in life.

Classic black box theory. In this case the black box is married couples, who are portrayed as fine upstanding christians, while single adults are painted as the immature god-less heathens. Presenting marriage as almost a pre-requisite to a meaningful life .... i really shouldn't need to point out how non-biblical this is.

It most likely wasn't intended to be offensive (and perhaps this is why some preachers never ad-lib in the pulpit). But to put marriage on par with encountering Jesus in just plain unscriptural, and to do so to a group of single adults ..... well, i think the phrase is "temporary insanity".

Wednesday 28 April 2010

unChristian - Get Saved!

As i mentioned before, i'm currently reading unChristian. Chapter 4 is about the perception of Christians just being out to get converts:

There's nothing wrong with wanting people to find Jesus. But as one interviewee put it "somehow I don't think Jesus would be happy about being turned into a gimmick." It turns out people are wary of Christians' motives in much the same way we as one might be sceptical of Mormons knocking at the front door.

People see Christians as being purely out to score conversions - with no interest in actual people. Scarily, Christians are often blissfully unaware of this. 64% of Christians believe they come across as sincere - but only 34% of people think that Christians genuinely care about them. So by my maths, at least 30% of Christians are really bad at communicating their interest - or are just really bad fakers.

The chapter also exposed some of the myths that lead well-meaning Christians to add to these unhelpful perceptions of Christians. Also, it points out that "most young people come to Christ because of people they know very well, usually in the context of "everyday" interaction."

This is not new news. In Galatians (6:15) Paul writes "What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation." The chapter suggests three areas of transformation for our own lives - Thinking, Loving and Listening. By this we can influence those around us, being salt and light (Matt 5:13-16).

So to replace insincere 'get saved' attempts, how about this for an alternative? Christians cultivate relationships and environments where others can be deeply transformed by God.

Monday 19 April 2010

Gifts Not Boxes

Read this interesting article about responding to the passions and gifts God has given us - rather than trying to squeeze into contrived formatted boxes.

It hit home for me because just the previous night i'd chatted with a woman who had a great idea - but was reluctant to say anything about it at church for fear it wouldn't be seen as church-appropriate.

The final sentence of the article was great:
It’s refreshing to know that people are there, not because of a catchy slogan or clever marketing campaign, but because they caught something in their spirits while visiting a small group.

Saturday 17 April 2010

unChristian - Hypocritical

As i mentioned before, i'm currently reading unChristian. Chapter 3 is about being seen as hypocritical - and 4 problems with that:

1. Plastering over our own faults and flaws reinforces the 'image-is-everything' view of the world.

2. For all the trumpetting of a moral lifestyle, as a group we don't measure up. Gambling, porn, stealing, fighting, drunkeness, drugs and lying were about the same in christians and not christians. Christians were slightly less likely to swear in public or to buy a lottery ticket - but also less likely to recycle. Overall, we're in no position to point the finger.

3. Telling others what they should and shouldn't do serves to perpetuate the 'rules and regulations' view of religion. This endless striving to measure up to God's standards is exactly what Jesus releases us from.

4. A comdemning attitude prevents us from actually being of help. Probably best summed up in Matthew 23:4 (talking about pharisees) "They crush people with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden"

So what is the alternative? Christians are transparent about their flaws and act first, talk second.

Friday 16 April 2010

UnChristian (The Book)

I'm currently reading the unChristian, by David Kinnaman. After the two introductory chapters, there is a chapter on each of 6 negative perceptions of Christians / Christianity - along with more desirable (and biblical) alternative to each.

The introductory chapters are confronting enough on their own. In the surveys that form the basis for the book, people described Christianity as judgemental (87%), hypocritical (85%) and insensitive to others (70%). Meanwhile, just 30% ticked 'relevant to your life'.

Surely this is a sign we're doing something (or at least 6 things) wrong.

Monday 12 April 2010

Measure Of The Heart

This one comes courtesy of Brad's post at Church Marketing Sucks.


I tend to agree with the sentiments expressed by his wife - whom Brad reports as saying she "was embarrased to even read the numbers".

Sunday 21 March 2010

Hayley's Challenge

It's no surprise that church people spend a lot of time doing church stuff. Some of it is to keep the church machine ticking over, some of it is called 'mission'. Sadly though, often a whole church of Christians can go a whole year without helping another adult become a follower of Jesus.

So i was quite interested by Hayley's Challenge, which is essentially to ask a non-Christian "have you read the bible for yourself as an adult?" and offer an invite to read it with them. Hayley intends to complete the challenge 6 times by year's end (she seems to be a naturally ambitious person). I reckon once would be enough of a challenge for most of us.

Update 1: The people at Communicate Jesus designed a poster to advertise the giveaway of Luke's gospel.

Update 2: I've been thinking about this some more, and raised it with a couple of people. One person responded "i don't think there's anyone i could do that with". Fair enough, that might be the situation right now. But at some point it might be appropriate with someone you know now (or are yet to meet this year).

And i guess this is the challenge within the challenge. If you reckon it would never ever happen - why not? Don't we interact with people outside our faith-circle? Aren't we approachable people? Don't we live a life that (to some extent) reflects Jesus?

So the year might end before you find a reading buddy. No worries - that happens. But i reckon the point is to take a look at ourselves and discern whether we even allow the possibility to take place.