Zondervan Blog

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- They're spiritual misfits. Rabble-rousers. They packed the shell of the old Baptist church on Negley Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to hear author, Christian activist and fellow misfit Shane Claiborne stump on the campaign for a third party candidate, Jesus.

People pack churches to hear Shane Claiborne talk about "Jesus for President," the book he co-authored.

The dreadlocked Christian activist from Philadelphia and his team parked a black school bus around the back. The hand-painted gold letters on the side read "Jesus for President."

Read all of this CNN article and view a 2 minute video interview with Shane Claiborne at this link: www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/

The Jesus for President tour will run through July 26 - click here to see if the tour is coming to a city near you.

It's no secret that Pastor Appreciation Month is in October. That's the month when churches show appreciation for their leaders through cards, gift certificates, words of encouragement, gifts, and other kindnesses. But over the last few weeks my heart has been weighed down by some of the struggles friends in ministry are facing:

• One leader who was riding her bike was randomly hit by a car. She's currently in a coma and in critical condition.

• Another leader's wife tried to commit suicide. She will be discharged soon, but the road to healing will be a long one.

• Some friends in ministry were robbed—twice in two weeks—and had tens of thousands of dollars of equipment stolen.

• Another leader is just stepping into leadership—making decisions, raising up other leaders, and learning to handle his role in ministry. He's facing all the insecurities and fears that naturally arise when you try something new.

• Another leader is waiting on God for a miracle—needing to raise $300,000 in less than 10 days for a building this struggling church that serves the homeless and poor has been praying for … for years. He's put himself out there, but will God come through?

So please don't wait until October to say thank you. Odds are your pastors—and their wives—are living on call 24/7 whether you realize it or not. When something terrible happens in the night, they're there. When someone is in the hospital, they're there. When someone is in crisis, they're there. But it doesn't come without a cost. Yes, they're called. Yes, they've chosen this way of service as a lifestyle. But that doesn't mean they don't need your kindness, encouragement, love, support, and a night out without the kids throughout the year.

Margaret Feinberg is a speaker, journalist, and the author of more than a dozen books, including The Sacred Echo. Named one of the "Thirty Emerging Voices" of Christian leaders under age forty by Charisma magazine, she has written more than 700 articles for such magazines as Christianity Today, Relevant, and HomeLife. She lives in Colorado, with her husband, Leif, and their dog, Hershey.

Shane Claiborne, Chris Haw, and the Psalters kicked off the Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals tour this past Monday night in Grand Rapids!  The tour will run through July 26 - click here to see if the tour is coming to a city near you.

Grand Rapids Press ran an article about the tour kick-off at this link.  A live blog posting about this tour stop is at this link.

James Spiegel, author of Gum, Geckos, and God, is going on a book blog tour this summer!  The blog tour features 13 blogs and 15 bloggers on 12 posting dates.

Below is the schedule for this blog tour:

July 21 - Spunky Homeschool
July 22  - Beauty from the Heart
July 23 - At a Hen’s Pace
July 24 - A Holy Experience
July 25 - Family Voice
July 28 - Ted Wins
July 29 - In a Mirror Dimly
July 30 - Oversight of Souls
July 31 - Christians in Context
August 1 - The A-Team Blog
August 4 - Embarking
August 5 - Challies.com

Come back to this Zondervan Blog or visit www.gumgeckosandgod.com for more details on the Gum, Geckos, and God when it kicks off on July 21st!

Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. And grace is getting what you absolutely don't deserve.

Award-winning author and columnist Cathleen Falsani says, “People regularly ask me why I believe in God. The simple answer … is grace.†In Sin Boldly: A Field Guide to Grace, Falsani explores the meaning and experience of grace through story and song, quotes and photos.

Falsani says, “Grace makes no sense to our human minds. We're hardwired to seek justice, or our limited idea of what that means, and occasionally dole out mercy. Grace is another story

Below is a video clip of Cathleen speaking about Sin Boldly:

“Don’t Listen For the Voice of God. Listen for His Echo.â€

When God really wants to get your attention, he doesn’t just say something once.

He echoes.

He speaks through a Sunday sermon, a chance conversation with a friend the next day, even a random email. The same theme, idea, impression, or lesson will repeat itself in surprising and unexpected ways until you realize that maybe, just maybe, God is at work.

According to author Margaret Feinberg, the repetitive nature of a sacred echo gives us confidence that God really is prompting, guiding, or leading. The Sacred Echo reminds us to pay close attention – something important may be going on here. The sacred echo challenges us to prayerfully consider how God is at work in our life as well as in the lives of those around us. The sacred echo is an invitation to spiritual awakening.

Margaret writes, “I want a relationship with God where prayer is as natural as breathing. If God is the one in whom we are to live and move and have our being, then I want my every inhale infused with his presence, my every exhale an extension of his love.â€

If that’s your desire too, let The Sacred Echo be your guide to a deeper, more rewarding relationship with the God of the universe.

Below is a video clip of Margaret speaking about The Sacred Echo:

Some very disturbing statistics show that well over 70% of children raised in the church leave the church after graduation.

When addressing this problem many experts focus on our children’s teen years. However I believe strongly that the door leading out of the church (for most kids) started opening years before that.

Once we are Christians, one of the key foundations for building our relationship with God is regular personal time in the Bible and in prayer. Most pastors will tell you that the Christians who spend regular time with God are the ones that are growing and going in the right direction.

If our children are guided through the process of developing a relationship with God progressively, from sitting on our knee right up to doing it on their own, they establish a habit and a relationship with God that is easy to maintain and difficult to walk away from.

Many Christian parents do a great job of this in the early years by reading Bible Stories and saying bedtime prayers. Where the process usually falls apart (and here’s one of the places where the churches exit door starts to open) is when our children become too old for Bible Stories.

When are children are approaching and in their tween years (ages 8 – 12) the whole Bible story time and bedtime prayer routine gets rightfully awkward. At this point many of us flounder because we just don’t know how to make the transition.

So in absence of good information we struggle to find a whole text Bible for our children and once we’ve found it we hand it over with the hope that they will read it and pray on their own.

Unfortunately we find out really quickly that this approach more often than not, does not work. It is kind of like saying to your tween, “Well you’ve had a few years at school now. You know how to learn, so just get on the Internet and work your way through to graduation on your own.â€

Our children must be taught and encouraged to crawl, then walk and then run in every area of learning.

So getting down to it, here are some practical tips on how to help move your child from Bible Stories to reading a whole text Bible on their own that will help to keep the ‘No Exit’ sign affixed to the churches back door.

• Include your child in on the transition process. When my children were quite young, I started to tell them regularly that our bedtime devotions together were their time with God. They understood that the activity was about them learning and that eventually they would be responsible for this discipline on their own. It is much easier to teach when the student understands the goal and the process.

• Make the transition gradually. As with any transition in life, the more gradual it is the more comfortable and successful it will be. You and your child may decide to continue reading and praying together for a while but with a full text Bible instead of a Bible storybook. You could choose to read together and have them say their prayers on their own or vice versa. When they are ready to do it all on their own, help them be consistent and follow up with them to make sure they have done it. Kind of like you do to make sure they are brushing their teeth. Be aware that if you have had quality time together at night for a while, some kids may be sensitive to losing that. Continue to put some time aside to talk with them and spend a little time together before sending them off to have their time with God.

• Provide a Bible and materials that will help them be successful. First and foremost choose a modern translation that your child will understand. Next, choose a companion book or devotional guide that will help your child understand, get into and go through their Bible. Be careful to choose a book that directs them to their Bibles or the book is the only thing that will get read. When you first get the materials look through them together with your child.

Click through to my Christian Parenting website (and scroll down) for some Bibles and companion books that I recommend, that will help you make the transfer successfully. They are all best selling Christian resources that work well together and are designed for this age group.

Growing up, Rick Osborne really liked Superman. Superman did what was right, he did cool things that other people couldn’t do, and he never quit. The Bible is full of great Superman-type stories where God helps good guys battle evil guys with his awesome supernatural help. By telling these stories, Rick loves to help boys see the real-life superhero that God wants each of them to be. Rick lives with his family up north in Canada, closer to where Superman built his fortress. See Rick's full bio and visit his Christian Parenting Blog at www.rick-osborne.com.

Zondervan's blog occasionally features essays from our authors. Today's essay is by John Koessler, author of A Stranger in the House of God.

Pomp and Circumstance

My youngest son reached a milestone when he graduated from high school. And though my wife Jane and I looked forward to this day since his first day of Kindergarten, we did not cheer or applaud. Instead, we sat in silence as he walked across the stage and took his diploma. We would have cheered, but the principal told us not to. Everybody, we were told, would have a chance to applaud at then end. I don’t think the other parents believed him, because they ignored his plea for silence. They clapped and whistled, hooted and howled. Some even brought air horns and gave a blast as their son or daughter’s name was called.

I wasn’t surprised. The same thing happened when my oldest son graduated two years earlier. The same sort of thing happens here at the Moody Bible Institute every year. Even though the Provost begins the by reminding us of the dignity of the ceremony and asks us to respect it. Come to think of it, it happened when I graduated from High School 36 years ago. I thought it was rude then and I still do today.

I know what that makes me sound like. Grumpy and prudish. Like the kind of person who always stands behind the felt rope and never takes cuts when standing in line. It makes me sound like the sort of person who always goes the exact speed limit and sneaks his own candy into the theater. And I guess that’s the kind of person I am. Well, all except for the part about the speed limit. I do have to drive into the city of Chicago every day.

“You’re not exactly grumpy†my oldest son said to me as we drove home after celebrating his brother’s graduation. “It’s just that you look….†He paused for a minute searching for just the right word. “It’s that you always look like you just stepped on some kind of loathsome bug.â€

I suppose he’s right. I blame it on my eyesight. I am nearsighted and squint a lot. My furrowed brow makes me look mean. At least that’s what my students tell me. And my boss says that sometimes I can be prickly.

But whatever my personality flaws may be, I still think the principal and the provost are right. There are some events in life that are best celebrated in silence. I believe that there ought to be a place in this life where a person’s great achievements and major passages are celebrated with an air of dignity. There ought to be a place where men instinctively remove their hats when they cross the threshold and where children cannot help but whisper.

They used to call that place church. But no more. These days the church service is more like a pep rally than a sacred event. The music has all the gravity of a commercial jingle and the tone of the sermon has more of the feel of the talk show host’s monologue than the prophet’s message to it.

I know. I know. I sound like curmudgeon. And maybe I am. But at this point in my life I find myself longing for hush of the cathedral and the cool shadow of tinted glass. I want to go to church and feel like I’ve been in church. I want to sing a hymn that catches in my throat because I am moved by the depth of its language. I want to sit in silence as the Scriptures are read out loud with the kind of solemn gravity that befits words that were breathed out by the mouth of God.

I don’t want to sway or raise the roof or hug my neighbor. I don’t want to hear about the pastor’s favorite baseball team, football team or golf swing. I don’t want to sing that little chorus one more time. I just want to see Jesus. I want to get a sense of God. I want to feel as if I am in the presence of a God who is bigger than me and that I have been with people who, when they meet together, are transformed into something holier than me. I want my prayer to rise into the heavens like smoke and my songs like fire. I want, for once, to worship.

Z

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Enjoy two stories on one DVD for sixty minutes of action-packed Storykeepers adventures!

The year is A.D. 64… and in Rome, the church faces fierce persecution. Driven into hiding, Christians gather wherever it’s safe. At secret meetings, they learn about Jesus of Nazareth—thanks to courageous leaders known as the Storykeepers.

Catacomb Rescue - In Catacomb Rescue, Ben, Helena, and the kids help their friend Ephraim escape the evil wrath of Nero through the catacombs. But their escape route is discovered and capture seems certain. When there’s a cave-in in the catacombs, a Roman centurion is trapped and he’s at the mercy of Justin and Anna. Will they help him?

Ready, Aim, Fire! It’s excitement, laughter, and white-hot action when Ben and his family find themselves the object of Nero’s latest neighborhood renovation … firebombing by catapult! This harrowing adventure is punctuated by three stories of Jesus told only as The Storykeepers can tell them.

My daughter Trevi will grow up to be the first female Billy Graham or a dictator of a small country. I’m convinced of this. She’s such a passionate and strong little person. When she was two years old she demanded the opportunity to choose her own clothes by pointing and screaming. She couldn’t talk, but she could accessorize.

When she was 4 years old, I asked her if she wanted to grow up to be the President of the United States. She responded: “Yes, I want to be on the dollar.†She’s ambitious and vain - perhaps she will grow up to be a politician.

When my son Caleb was baptized after deciding to follow Jesus, I asked Trevi if she too would like to follow Him. She was still 4 years old at the time. With obvious annoyance at my question, she responded: “I already told Jesus I would be His leader.â€

Uh oh. That’s not what I was really going for.

Perhaps she confused her words as little kids often do or perhaps she was more honest than the rest of us. Too often, we want Jesus in our life but not actually guiding us. We want Him with us wherever we go, but not as our leader….

Jesus does not invite us to follow Him for what we can get, but He invites us to follow Him for what we can give!

Eric Michael Bryant serves as an elder, speaker, and navigator overseeing the leadership team at Mosaic in Los Angeles. His book, Peppermint-Filled Piñatas: Breaking Through Tolerance and Embracing Love, published with Zondervan in June 2007, seeks to move people to serve, love, and reach those who are too often overlooked because they might believe, act, or even look differently.  Eric lives with his wife, Debbie, and two children, Caleb and Trevi in the middle of Los Angeles County.

It’s a warm, bright morning, and I’m on a daddy-date with my three-year-old son Nicholas. Since we live with my parents, time for just the two of us can be a rare commodity. We head for the donut shop, but since I’m a responsible dad, we split a glazed ring and a large bottle of strawberry milk. I put my feet up on the patio railing and we watch the traffic hum past.

After spending several minutes discussing which birds like to eat our scattered donut crumbs—“Daddy, that bird does, and it’s a really medium size bird!â€â€”I decide to steer the conversation to an important topic: our looming move to Bend, Oregon.

“Nicholas, do you remember that we’re moving?â€

“On June 28th!†he replies.

“And where are we going to live?â€

“In a new house with Mommy and Daddy and Sam and Nicholas!†he chirps.

I look over at him—skinny, scabby legs swinging beneath his chair, blond hair sticking up, a pink mustache painted across his upper lip—and I feel an ache inside me at what we’re asking him to do. Moving is hard. Nicholas will miss his Santa Barbara routine, and he’ll have a Grandparent-shaped hole in his heart that visits won’t entirely fill. He doesn’t know what it’s like to be uprooted, and to struggle to replant.

As Nicholas gets older, I feel like there’s more and more to protect him from, yet I seem less and less able to. Taking care of his infant brother Sam involves nothing more complicated than feeding, burping, smiling, and preventing gross bodily harm.

But Nicholas, at age three, is already complicated. He has real emotions and deals with genuinely traumatic events. His feelings are hurt when kids at the playground take his toy, or won’t let him take theirs. He gets angry with us sometimes; he experiences moments of sadness that, no matter how silly they seem to us, are real to him.

None of these, I’m learning, are things I can protect him from. Even if I could, I know I shouldn’t, not if he is going to develop into a healthy young man. And so it occurred to me that maybe ‘protection’ is the wrong ‘P’ word. Maybe the right one is ‘preparation’.

This reminds me of the way Jesus treated his friends—Peter and Martha and John and all the rest. He could have snapped his fingers and given each of them an honor-guard of angels to protect them until death. He could have whisked his followers off to heaven in a fiery, super-size chariot, sparing them painful lives and violent deaths.

But his usual method seems to have been to tell them what to expect, and then help them as it happened. Look, you’re going to have trouble—that’s life. But take heart—there are still reasons for us to hope!

Outside the donut shop, I smile at my boy. He looks at me, which I interpret as permission to continue. “There’ll be some hard parts of moving, buddy, and some things that are different about living in Oregon. Nana and Papa won’t live with us anymore, and you’ll have a new preschool and a new church. But Mommy and I love you so much and we’ll always be there for you.â€

With all my heart I will him to feel some of my confidence, some of my love. He smiles back at me, and I relax, grateful that we’ve had a meaningful heart-to-heart, at least until I hear his next words.

“But Daddy?†Nicholas looks intense. “I think that tiny little bird eating our crumbs is a hawk.â€

I guess the future comes to everyone at different speeds. Each of us needs the time—the hours, days, or sometimes years—to make our own particular peace with it. And maybe one of the best gifts that fathers can give is the gift of preparation. They can look ahead and tell us what’s coming—and promise that they’ll walk beside us for as long as it takes to get there.

David Jacobsen is the author of Rookie Dad: Thoughts on First-Time Fatherhood..  He and his wife, Christine, are currently trying to fit their belongings into a seventeen-foot moving truck while keeping Sam, age 2 months, and Nicholas, age 3 years, content. If you know any good pre-schools or Mexican restaurants in Bend, Oregon, be sure to let them know at www.davidjacobsen.net.

(USA TODAY) Dr. Benjamin S. Carson Sr., a groundbreaking pediatric neurosurgeon, is among this year's recipients of America's highest civilian award. President Bush on Wednesday announced the recipients of the 2008 Presidential Medal of Freedom; they'll be honored at a White House ceremony June 19. Dr. Carson, author of Take the Risk, performed in 1987 the world's first successful operation separating twins joined at the back of the head. He is director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore. According to the White House, Dr. Carson "has worked throughout his career to improve the lives of those suffering from neurological disorders. His groundbreaking contributions to medicine and his inspiring efforts to help America's youth fulfill their potential have strengthened our Nation."

The Medal of Freedom was established by President Truman in 1945 to recognize civilians for their efforts during World War II. The award was reinstated by President Kennedy in 1963 to honor distinguished service. It's given to those deemed to have made remarkable contributions to the security or national interests of the USA, world peace, culture, or other private or public endeavors. Dr. Carson holds over 40 honorary degrees and the Library of Congress has declared him one of its "Living Legends." He sits on the boards of numerous corporations, including Yale. In 2001, TIME magazine and CNN named him among the nation's foremost physicians and scientists.... [Read the article]

Jon and Kate Gosselin, authors of Multiple Blessings and stars of TLC’s reality TV series Jon & Kate Plus 8 were on the TODAY Show this morning with their 8 children.  They discussed their show on TLC as well as their upcoming book.  An article about today's appearance on the TODAY Show is at this link.  A video clip from today's show is below:

Dr. Kwame Bediako passed away this week. Kwame was one of the most remarkable senior African leaders I have ever met. He had a surpassing level of scholarship (two doctorates - one in English and one in French). He had a range of knowledge of the history of the church in Africa (and Europe) that could keep us spell-bound for hours just listening to his stories. And he had a most profound understanding of the relationship between the gospel and African culture. He also had a huge passion to bring African Christians together to affirm their Christian identity in authentic ways that would overcome some of the worst legacies of the colonial era. And yet he wore all this learning with such a light touch. His twinkling eyes and sparkling humour and laughter were a constant tonic. It has been such a joy and privilege to know him for many years.

The Akrofi Christaller Memorial Centre for Mission Studies, that he established at Akropong, Ghana, has a fine record of research and publication in African Christianity and contextual theology, and just recently got its charter from the government of Ghana for the awarding of degrees including doctorates.

So we shall miss him greatly. He is a sad loss to Ghana, to Africa, and indeed to the world church.

Please pray for his wife (known to some as Gillian and to others as Mary), who has been totally involved in all the work that Kwame did, and is herself a writer and editor of immense experience.

It is hard at a time like this to understand the ways of the Lord. But the legacy that Kwame Bediako leaves is simply enormous, and we pray that his ministry and contribution will now be multiplied even further through those whom he has mentored and inspired over the years.

Rev Dr CHRIS Christopher J H Wright
International Director
Langham Partnership International

Dr. Kwame Bediako graciously spoke at Zondervan on May 7, 2008.  Below is a video of Dr. Bediako speaking on the topic of "Understanding the Unity of the Church."

Dr. Kwame Bediako, a historian and theologian from Ghana, was one of three theological advisors for the Africa Bible Commentary. Dr. Kwame Bediako held doctorates from the Universities of Bordeaux (French Literature) and Aberdeen. He was an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Founder/Director of the Akrofi-Christaller Memorial Centre for Mission Research and Applied Theology, Akropong-Akuapem, Ghana, and Founder Secretary of the Africa Theological Fraternity. He was a Director of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies and Honorary fellow of the Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World, New College, Edinburgh. He was also Honorary Professor in the School of Theology, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Dr. Bediako was author of Christianity in Africa: The Renewal of a Non-Western Religion; Jesus in Africa: The Christian Gospel in African History and Experience; and Theology and Identity: The Impact of Culture upon Christian Thought in the Second Century and Modern Africa.

Zondervan is pleased to present the following exclusive 7-minute video interview with Kevin Harney, author of Leadership from the Inside Out: Examining the Inner Life of a Healthy Church Leader:

Zondervan's blog occasionally features essays from our authors. Today's essay is by Tommy Kyllonen , author of Un.orthodox: church. hip-hop. culture.

Inviting Outsiders

When we become Christ-followers, a huge part of our “following†deals with inviting others to join us on the journey. But over time, most of us begin to forget this important point as eventually all of our friends are also Christians. Soon we’re not really inviting anyone else at all. Our faith communities can quickly become places that are just for “us.†What would an unchurched person from your job think of your church if they visited? Really? Try to put yourself in their shoes. How would they be greeted? Would they relate to the music and understand the words of the songs? What about the language in the prayers and the topic and application of the message? Would they be able to connect?

We all say we want to be more like Christ. That’s who we’re following, right? When we look at Jesus’ teaching, he was always connected with the unchurched. He was an incredible teacher who knew what illustrations and what language to use to connect with people in his culture. They gathered in thousands to hear him as they hung on every word. In his day, there were two main languages spoken. One was Classical Greek, which was used by the intellectuals, as it was the preferred language for reading and writing. The other was Aramaic, which was the common street language of the day. Which one did the Son of God use? Jesus spoke Aramaic as he knew how to connect with the average person in the marketplace.

In Matthew chapter 9, Jesus invited a tax collector to join his team. Tax collecting was a pretty shady business back then as there was a lot of corruption. This invited tax collector named Matthew was so excited that he went and invited all his tax-collecting buddies to come hear the wisdom of this guy Jesus. Matthew threw a big house party, and Jesus and his disciples showed up to mix it up with this crew of characters. I’m sure their language and mannerisms were quite colorful. It didn’t faze Jesus. After all, that’s what he was about. He was unorthodox. The religious leaders of his day got all uptight and challenged him for hanging out with these types of people. Jesus quickly shot back that he wasn’t there for the healthy, but for the sick. He was there to invite the outsiders, not hold hands and sing kum-ba-ya with the insiders. As Christ-followers, we say we want to be more like Christ, but that can be uncomfortable at times. It can cramp our style. It can be inconvenient. But who are we really following? Who are we inviting to join us?

Zondervan's blog occasionally features essays from our authors. Today's essay is by John Koessler, author of A Stranger in the House of God.

Re-Marketing the Church

USA TODAY recently published the results of a survey by LifeWay research which indicates that a majority of Americans who do not attend church believe in God. According to the article by Cathy Lynn Grossman, 72% of adults who never attend church, believe that God exists. The same percent feels that the church is full of hypocrites.

This is not exactly a news flash to anyone who has actually attended a church. It is a criticism as old as the church itself. If I were defensive, I might wonder how the unchurched can be so sure about the moral character of those who are in the pews since by their own admission, these respondents never attend.

However, there is ample evidence from those who attend church that there is a problem. Last month the Christian Post published research by Rainer Research which said that only 39 percent of those who dropped out of the church perceived their church as being “caring.†Approximately half said their church was “judgmental.â€

I don’t think this is especially surprising. Why should we be shocked to find that a majority of those who left the church are unhappy with the church? It would be a surprise to learn that those who left the church loved their experience there. I would be interested in hearing the assessment of those who remain. Do they share the assessment of their departed brethren?

I suspect they might. And they would probably point out that the church is made up of those who are being perfected not those who are perfect. The expectations of the unchurched are too high. But some church leaders argue that the problem is the opposite. They would say that church’s expectation of itself are too low.

Erwin McManus, lead pastor at Mosaic Church in Los Angeles recently told the Christian Post that the church’s primary problem is its narcissism. According to McManus “…American Christians tend to be incredibly self-indulgent so they see the church as a place there for them to meet their needs and to express faith in a way that is meaningful for them. There is almost no genuine compassion or urgency about serving and reaching people who don’t know Christ.â€

This is McManus’s own view and not a scientific assessment based on data. But if he is right, McManus’s assessment offers a sobering reality check for a church whose outreach strategy has been shaped by a marketing model. For decades now we have been telling churches to think about the customer and to shape their services with the unchurched in view. As a result, countless congregations have struggled to rethink the way they do church. They have changed day and time when they meet, the content of the sermon has been popularized, and the style of music has been altered. All of this has been done in an effort to make unchurched Harry and unchurched Mary feel at home. Church members who feel uncomfortable with these changes have been told that they need to sacrifice their own tastes for the sake of the church’s mission.

So how is it possible that, after decades of marketing ourselves to outsiders, attenders see the church as a place whose primary function is to meet their own needs? My answer is that this is the inevitable outcome of marketing the church. Our efforts have worked but not in the way we had hoped. The marketer’s strategy is to find out what the customer wants and give it to them. We want people to be comfortable in the church. We want them to feel welcome. We want them to hear the music they like and to enjoy the sermon. Is it any wonder that after decades of shaping the church’s ministries around the worshipper, those worshippers believe the church exists primarily for their own benefit? How could they think otherwise? But what if we were to change our view of the church’s constituency? What would happen to our thinking and our experience if we were to place God at the center? Instead of human centered ecclesiology, what would the church look like with a Christ centered ecclesiology? We would surely be changed. And in the process, we might find the very church we had always longed for.

Z

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Kay Warren, author of Dangerous Surrender: What Happens When You Say Yes to God, will be leading a free live Internet chat tomorrow, Friday, June 6th, from 1:00-2:00pm EST.  Visit Kay's website for more details on how to participate at:  www.kaywarren.com

Hello, I’m a Philosophy professor. Wait, wait, don’t go away! There’s something I want to tell you, and I promise you won’t be bored or intimidated. You see, although I have spent years with my face buried in books and discussing “deep things†with students and other chalk-heads like me, lately I’ve been brought down to earth by an exciting realization. Here it is: Some of the biggest ideas come from the littlest people.

You’ve probably heard of that old TV show called Kids Say the Darndest Things. Bill Cosby would chat with kids about all sorts of topics, and they would come out with hysterical and mind-blowing comments. Very entertaining and sometimes profound stuff. Well, what I didn’t realize was just how profound (and entertaining) kids can be when it comes to theology. Yes, you read that right—theology.

My wife, Amy, and I have four children—Bailey (8), Sam (5), Maggie (4) and Andrew (2)—and they are fairly ordinary kids. They like to climb trees, catch bugs, and build Lego fortresses. And they also like to pick their noses and make jokes about flatulence. You know, the usual childhood fare. Okay, so daughter Maggie isn’t so into the latter activities, but she does like trees, bugs, and Legos. Anyway, like all kids, our crew is endlessly curious. So as soon as they are old enough to talk about God and learn the basics of the Gospel, they begin to pummel me with questions. Well, I’m a college professor, who teaches philosophy and theology, so that’s no problem, right? Wrong. Explaining the Christian worldview in terms that a child can grasp is really hard. But the more I’ve worked at it, the easier it has become. And, best of all, I’ve found that my kids are able to teach me how to do it.   

My kids have given me insights about God, Jesus, and the Christian life that I never would have had without them. They’ve shown me how our lives are filled with tools for better understanding the Christian worldview—from chewing gum and bicycles to trees and animals like our pet lizard. And I’ve found that it is possible for a five-year-old to declare about biblical truths what I thought he would only say about dinosaurs or Star Wars: “Dude, that is so cool!â€

Have you ever struggled to comprehend how Jesus could be both man and God? Or how God could be everywhere at the same time? Or why some people don’t believe in God? Or have you ever wondered what heaven will be like? Or why the Christian life is such a struggle? Or why God continues to love us when we fail the way we do? These are hard questions. But, as it turns out, they are questions that can be answered in simple terms—yes, even terms that a child can grasp.

This was the inspiration of my new book, Gum, Geckos, and God, which chronicles our family’s journey through the big ideas about God. I wrote it for any Christian who wants to better understand what they believe and why they believe it. Naturally, parents will be doubly interested because of the insights the book provides—thanks to my kids—about how everything in life teaches us about our faith.

Big ideas from little people (with a little help from Professor Dad). Dude, that is cool.

James Spiegel is author of Gum, Geckos, and God: A Family’s Adventure in Space, Time, and Faith.  James holds a PhD from Michigan State University and currently teaches philosophy at Taylor University. He is the author of several books, including the award-winning How to Be Good in a World Gone Bad. Spiegel is a frequent speaker at Christian colleges, conferences, churches, and on radio programs.

My brother-in-law Mark lost his job last week. Like any other weekday, he arrived at his office at 8:25am, likely scanning his Blackberry on his walk across the parking lot to see what his busy schedule held for him. But instead of a day filled with meetings and customer calls, he was promptly ushered into a conference room, sat down by an HR rep, and summarily laid off. Thanks much, but we just don’t need you anymore. To Mark, the sudden loss was devastating—and not just for economic reasons. He loved that job. His view of who he is as a man was largely defined by that role—a vision scratched out forever by an accountant’s pen.

Mark is certainly not unique in his outlook. It’s common for a man to define himself in terms of what he does in his profession. I think of times when I introduce myself to a man at church or a social event. We will say our names to each other, and then the conversation inevitably turns to a mutual exchange of And what do you do?

Not all men are as career focused as Mark is, but their view of themselves usually remains tied to something else they do—maybe a hobby, sport, or ministry at church. After all, these are just the sort of tasks in which we see ourselves “making our mark†or “making a difference†in the world.

Mark’s experience from last week, however, reminds me just how replaceable a man is in any of these roles. When I resigned from a company several years ago, I remember secretly hoping that I would get an email from a coworker a month or two later that said something like Boy, we need you back … You were so much better than the new guy … It’s just not the same anymore. But I never got that email. I too was far more replaceable than I imagined.

This idea of being an interchangeable part is not limited to careers. Surprisingly, this truth also holds for a man in Christian service. God may use me as an author to reach thousands of people through my books, as a Bible study leader at my church to disciple dozens of others, and perhaps someday even as a missionary to minister to many people in Haiti. But God has plenty of other authors, church leaders, and missionaries at his disposal. If he does not use me, he can certainly use someone else to get the job done.

However, as I talk about in my new book The Expeditionary Man, a man has one role in which he is considered irreplaceable in the eyes of the Lord—as a fathe