what if we are way off?

My wife and I had one of those great conversations the other night.  We had just finished watching a documentary called 'Jesus Camp' that looks at a branch of evangelicalism that encourages prophecy, speaking in tongues, they are self-acclaimed fundamentalists, and they have a summer camp.  My guess is that many people who watched this particular documentary walked away thinking to themselves, "how could they have gotten the Christian faith so wrong?... how could they possibly be that way?"   After discussing the documentary for a bit, our conversation gradually caused us to ask some more self-reflecting questions.

I recently finished up a book by N.T. Wright who said, "My guess is that 80-85% of what i teach my students is 'true' and 'correct' and the other 15-20% is wrong... The problem is, I don't know what that 20% is."

That is how I feel sometimes.  As I grow as a believer and follower of Christ, one of my greatest hopes is that I am able to talk about and understand the God I am striving to know and serve more and more each day.  I believe it is very important to speak accurately about our faith.  However, I am sure there are places where I have simply 'got it wrong...' The problem is I am not sure what those 'places' are.  In fact, I could make a list of questions that I sometimes ask myself:

Have I become too liberal in regards too what it means to be a believer?

Should I be doing more to teach the students at my local church?

As I believer, should I take a greater concern in politics and government?

Has Protestantism strayed too far from its Roman Catholic and Orthodox history?

If Jesus were hear in the flesh, what would his words be to me?

And so on, and so on....

The obvious response is, "We need to see what scripture says and live according to God's Word."  But the problem with that response is that there will always be different interpretations and understandings of God's Word... Hence 10,000 Christian denominations (which is a pretty sad statistic, might i say) Different people who share a great love for Jesus will always walk away with different conclusions.  I guess our job is to continue to seek the Spirit's leading and guiding in our lives and resist the temptation to settle for easy answers.

One thing I do know?  We need to be ready to admit that we don't have all the answers, and we need to stand firm and be unwavering in the essentials.  What are those essentials?  Just add that question to the list above.

Book Review: Love Wins by Rob Bell

My first exposure to Bell was through his 'NOOMA' series and might i just say that I thoroughly enjoy listening and reading what he has to say. The book takes a fresh look at the traditional understanding of heaven and hell while being thoroughly faithful to the scriptures in the process. Someone once described God as being, "Greater than anything we could ever imagine." With that being said, Bell paints a picture of a God who is just that... A God who is not eager to banish unbelievers to hell the moment they die. Instead, he describes God as one who has done everything and CONTINUES to do everything to draw people unto himself, both living and deceased. We serve a God who will not be satisfied until every living creature, past and present, exclaims the worship and praise of our Lord. Bell describes God as similar to the father in the parable of the Lost Son. A God who is eager to welcome his children into his fold. Love wins isn't so much of a book as it is a beautiful mural of the heart of God.

just give me a new law

"Don't teach me about politics and government
just tell me who to vote for...
Don't teach me about truth and beauty
just label my music...
Don't teach me how to live like a free man
just give me a new law...
Don't teach me how to live like a free man
just bring it down the mountain to me...
Don't teach me about moderation and liberty
I prefer a shot of grape juice...

Don't teach me about loving my enemies...

Don't teach me about listening to the Spirit
just give me a new law...

-Derek Webb, A New Law-

"I'm proud of you..."

I would love to hear your thoughts on this one, especially to those who are parents that happen to read this (but I don't discriminate).  


While I am not a parent, nor is Rachel pregnant, I often think about what it would be like to be a father and how I would parent.

With that said,  there is a student at our church who is very talented at baseball.  He is on the varsity team as a freshman and just played his first game the other day going 2-4 with a 1b, 2b, and 2 rbi's.... Not a bad start!  Here is what I am thinking, if I am his dad, I would probably tell him at some point during the car ride (and every single day of his life) that "I am proud of you."  But what if he is my son and he went 0-4 with 4ks?  What if he committed 3 errors in the field, one of them allowing the game winning run to score for the opposing team?  What if he played horribly?  Do I withhold from telling my son that, "I am proud of you?"  Is it wrong to link 'pride' with how my child performs during a sporting event?  What does that teach him?  I believe that telling a son that you are proud of them is equivalent, if not greater than, telling him that you love him.

Obviously, if my son came home to tell me he cheated on a test and stole money from a classmate, I would not tell him how proud I was...  So when is it appropriate to say/not say such a powerful statement?

end times

A friend of mine told me the other day that he has been studying and reading about the 'end times.'  In our conversation he shared about different books, scriptures, and theories that appealed to him and how he believes that the current events in the world suggest that the "end times are upon us." 

I will be honest, I do not think, read about, or care about the topic of 'end times' much at all.  From time to time, people will ask me what my thoughts are regarding the subject.  When I respond with an, "I don't know," or, "I don't really think about it," some people are surprised.  Here is the way I see it... Christ calls us to love God and to love others today.  There is great work to be done today.  Scripture tells us that we serve one who is victorious, and therefore, we have reason to be hope-filled people.  When the 'end times' arrive, I guess I will learn about the specifics.  How unscholarly of me.  Until that time, our greatest responsibility is to be faithful now... To be about God's work and mission in the world now.

Are you someone who concerns yourself greatly with the end times?  How much is it our responsibility to be concerned with the 'end times?'

a hopeful universalist

Is there anything wrong in hoping that someday all of God's creation will experience redemption?  Would it be a bad thing if God were to demonstrate grace, mercy, and love far beyond our wildest dreams?  In other words, is there anything wrong with being a hopeful universalist...  Hoping that one day all people, living and deceased, will be able to join together and proclaim the goodness of the Lord.  For many people, the term 'universalist' or 'universalism' is often linked with a theology that views Buddha, Mohammed, Jesus, Vishnu, etc, all on equal ground.  Neither one is greater than the other.  "All paths lead to God," is not what I am stating nor is it what I believe.  Trust me when I state that I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and it is only in and through Jesus that we have any sort of hope for redemption in this life and the next... But again, what if God looks upon His creation, specifically those who never grew to profess 'Jesus Christ as Lord,' and is filled with compassion for them?

In a parable Jesus told, the people were so angry that the owner of the vineyard acted generously to those who had not worked as long as the other workers.  To the workers objection, the vineyard owner replies, "What is it to you if I decide to be overly gracious to the others?"  Would it be so bad if there is a possibility of grace and mercy beyond the grave, even to those whom we deem 'least deserving' or those we would call 'non-Christian?'

I realize I am speaking and pondering on things that are far beyond my intelligence.  I am not branding a machete as I share my thoughts and questions, just thinking 'out loud.'  However, as I think about life, we only continue to live, breath, and exist by the sustaining grace of God.  Therefore, if one is to spend an eternity in hell, does that mean that God offers the damned just enough grace so that they can continue to suffer in the 'flames that are never quenched?'  It is difficult to hold this hand and hand with the person of Jesus.    

Thoughts?  Comments?

ministry life lessons

I remember a professor at Eastern Nazarene telling the graduating 'ministry majors' that, statistically, 50% of us would no longer be serving in a pastoral ministry setting beyond five years out of school.  He believed that history had proven his statement to be a relatively safe bet.  I have heard and read other statistics that claim that the average stay of a Sr. pastor is around 3.5 years while youth pastors average closer to 2 years.  What is scary about a statistic like that is that I feel like I am just recently becoming rooted in the Fort Osage/Independence community and I have been here for 6 years.  And while I am still relatively young and growing as a minister, there are a few things that I have learned over these 6 years and I thought I would share them :-)

1. Rarely does the apple fall far from the tree.  While there are many books, studies, and people that talk about the increasing influence that friends and the media have over the shaping of student's lives, I would strongly argue that parenting still reigns (by far) as the most influential contributer in the shaping and molding of a students development and life.  And while my last name is not Dobson, unstable and inconsistent parenting produces students who develop similar traits in their own life.  It is very rare to look at a student and to be surprised who their parent(s) are.  I am a firm believer that the greatest gift a mother/father can give their child is to model an uncompromising love and commitment towards their spouse along with intentional and involved parenting.

2. Empower others to do the work of the church.  I am still learning the importance of this.  When I started at Fort, I remember I would take it personally if a student gravitated to another adult sponsor and could care less about getting to know me.  Now I celebrate it.  How silly it is of me to think that every student would connect to my personality, interests, and background.  It is essential to empower a team around us to engage in God's work.  God equips all people with unique gifts and it is the church's responsibility to encourage and empower others to utilize their gifts.

3. They won't remember much of what you said.  I am sure this last one is on one of those corny inspirational picture frames with the silhouette of the person climbing a mountain with the sun in the background... But people will only remember a handful of lessons/sermons/discussions.  Instead, they are much more likely to remember the 'heartbeat' of their teacher.  Again, not so much the individual messages, but the 'over the course of several years' heartbeat of what was taught.  There have been many times where I have thought to myself: "I wish I emphasized this more over the last several years," or, "It would be nice to start all over with what I know now."  And while it would be nice to start as a 23 or 25 year old with 50 years of wisdom and experience, it is simply not a possibility.  What I do hope is that over the course of 6 years is that the students have come to know and see my heart and the heart of the youth staff.  I hope that we have demonstrated to them what it looks like to strive to love God and love others.

This list is somewhat random and I am sure if I thought about it some more, I could add to it.  How about you?  What are some things that you have learned that you would like to share?

rob bell's new book

Rob Bell is releasing a new book at the end of March entitled, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. While I have not read the book (obviously), the promotional video suggests that he examines Christianity's traditional understanding of the doctrine of hell.  The opening lines of the video question whether we can know if Ghandi is in heaven or hell.  Bell states that many people believe in a Christian faith where Jesus is the one who saves us from God's wrath... Jesus rescues us from God?  Bell asks, "How could this God ever be considered good?  How could this God ever be trusted?" He goes on to say, "What we believe about heaven and hell ultimately reveals what we believe about the nature of God."  Bell even seems to be questioning the idea that there is anyone in hell at all.

To be quite honest, I have struggled with the traditional understanding of hell ever since I was a teenager.  I remember asking a minister, "what about a small community that lives on a remote island and has never heard the gospel before... what happens to them when they die?"  To my question, the minister promptly responded by quoting Romans 10:9 "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."  And while I don't remember if I spoke up at that moment, I wondered how God could be so unfair and unjust to those whom I felt never had a fair shot.

This past weekend, several people began blogging, tweeting, and writing articles about how Bell has finally, once and for all, broken from orthodox Christianity.  He has been called a heretic and a universalist.  And if there is one thing that I have noticed in the last several years of my life (echoing the thoughts of Jason Boyett), there are few people meaner than Christians who think you are wrong when it comes to your theology and your beliefs.  Some of the most hurtful things ever done to my family have come from the hands and mouths of believers who disagreed with an interpretation of scripture or a political stance.  Why is conversation with those who believe different from us not an option?  Is it any wonder that so many people stereotype Christians as close-minded people who have a lot to say but don't want to hear from you if you disagree with them?  Perhaps it is motivated by a strong conviction to defend what one believes as ‘truth’ in the face of what one believes to be ‘misguiding’ or ‘false.’ 

Either way, what fascinates me is not so much the content of Bell’s new book, though I am very eager to read it, but more so the hateful and condemning dialogue that has so quickly arisen from the hands, mouths, and hearts of believers.