Daniel Darling's Blog, page 30

The Way Home: Jason Thacker on the gospel and technology

How should Christians think about technology? Should we be afraid of it? Should we wholeheartedly embrace it? What are the deeper questions we should ask? Today my colleague Jason Thacker joins me for a discussion on the gospel and technology. Jason is the creative director at ERLC and the author of several important articles asking questions about our life in this digital age. We also discuss the latest issue of Light Magazine.

Show Notes

Articles by Jason
Subscribe to Light Magazine and use coupon code WAYHOME for 50 percent off.

The post The Way Home: Jason Thacker on the gospel and technology appeared first on Daniel Darling, author, pastor, speaker.

The Way Home: John Stonestreet on what it means to live on mission for God

How should Christians think and live in an increasingly secularized culture? Should we be shocked by ways in which historic Christian beliefs conflict with other completing worldviews? Should we long for, with nostalgia, a time when things seemed to be different? John Stonestreet, president of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, stops by to discuss what it means to live on mission for God in this world.

Show Notes

Twitter: @JBStonestreet
Website: breakpoint.org and colsoncenter.org

The post The Way Home: John Stonestreet on what it means to live on mission for God appeared first on Daniel Darling, author, pastor, speaker.

The Dad I Want To Be

I wrote a piece on the vulnerability of fathering for In Touch:

It’s 7:30 at night, and I’m staring at my iPhone for no apparent reason. There is no crisis in the world that requires me. No organizational issue that demands a response, and no critical communication I must conduct on behalf of my family or friends.

I’m just scrolling through Twitter, aimlessly. This is probably a justifiable use of time during leisure activity or when waiting in the doctor’s office, but not at 7:30 on a weekday when the kids need my attention. And yet here I am, escaping the messy reality of being present as a parent, for the cheap comfort of the passive and useless acquisition of knowledge.

The shame hits me, not in the moment when I’m chuckling over a funny tweet, but later when I kiss my youngest daughter on the forehead before putting her to bed. Will she know me as a good and godly dad who pointed her to the heavenly Father? Or will she know me as that adult male in her home who gave only small bursts of attention while his phone was charging? I’d like to think I’m the former, but there too many nights when I’m the latter.

There is the father I should be and there is the father I really am. The gap between those two is wide. I live in that chasm every day.

Read the rest of the piece here

photo credit: Ed Yourdon

The post The Dad I Want To Be appeared first on Daniel Darling, author, pastor, speaker.

The Way Home: Sam Allberry on engaging a secular culture

A lot of Christians are asking themselves if gathering on Sundays, in church, still matters. Sam Allberry, pastor, author, and apologist says it does. Sam is the author of several books, including his latest, Why bother with church?[image error] He also reflects on what it means to engage an increasingly secular culture with the gospel and why the church needs a better theology of the body.

Show Notes

Book:  Why bother with church? [image error]
Twitter: @SamAllberry
Website: livingout.org

The post The Way Home: Sam Allberry on engaging a secular culture appeared first on Daniel Darling, author, pastor, speaker.

The Way Home: Eric Geiger on faith, failing and starting over

Nobody starts out with the intention of ruining their life. But inevitably Christian leaders see their careers and marriages shipwrecked due to moral failure or financial impropriety. What factors lead to a major fall? Eric Geiger, Vice President of Church Resources at LifeWay Christian Resources, shares insights for leaders from his new book, How to Ruin Your Life: and Starting Over When You Do. 

Show Notes

Book: How to Ruin Your Life: and Starting Over When You Do [image error]
Twitter: @EricGeiger
Website: ericgeiger.com

The post The Way Home: Eric Geiger on faith, failing and starting over appeared first on Daniel Darling, author, pastor, speaker.

The Church’s Next 10,000 Years

It was a slick PowerPoint—presented by a (self-described) cutting-edge ministry practitioner—that sent me over the edge. Carefully presenting cherry-picked research, this ministry leader offered a doomsday scenario for the American church: heresy is rising. Millennials are fleeing. Culture is changing.

Of course, this inevitable slouch toward Gomorrah could be prevented, we were told, if we purchased this organization’s brand-new curriculum.

If I sound cynical about the demise of the church, it’s because I am. I read Jesus’ words to Peter in Matthew 16:18 and I believe them: “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” I’m bullish about the future of the church because Jesus is bullish about the future of the church.

And not only “the church” as we think of the worldwide communion of saints, but your church, my church, and every local expression of Christ’s body. Healthy churches are not formed simply through handwringing, navel-gazing, or trend-setting, but through an appreciation for the past, a clear-eyed view of the present, and a fixated march toward the future—and not just any future, but the approaching kingdom of God.

Past: An Unchanging Problem

Every few years, well-meaning church practitioners urge the church to shed what is perceived to be “cultural baggage,” to let go of the past. In some ways, this is important for life-giving congregations. A crippling deadness can set upon a successful church when it continues to rest on a previous generation’s successes and cling to that generation’s methods and styles.

When churches act as if one time period in church history—the 1950s, for example—is the golden paradigm for ministry, they are effectively contextualizing their congregations for a certain demographic. In doing this, they worship a model instead of proclaiming a message. Change is good for a church.

Yet some of the most popular practitioners of change aim not at the peeling paint and the threadbare pews, but at the timeless body of truth passed down from generation to generation. Orthodoxy, they say, must change to fit a changing world.

Ironically, this is not a new argument, but an old canard, long disproven. Every generation since Pentecost has seen challenges to what we know is true. And every generation proves that it is fresh commitment to old paths that sustains God’s people.

The Christian story of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation—this story is vibrant and new for every generation. Only the gospel thread that runs through Scripture answers today’s pressing questions. Only a sinless, crucified, and risen Christ can offer hope for a world in turmoil.

Culture changes and people shift, but the problems remain the same: the curse of sin weaving its destructive path through the human heart and through the cosmos.

Present: An Answer to Injustice

Can we faithfully answer the questions of the hour—the real questions our people in our congregations are asking—with the old, old story?

It’s not enough to simply know theology and Scripture in the abstract if we are unfaithful shepherds to the people God called us to serve. Do we know their unique needs and problems? Are we listening to the soundtrack of our age: the longings, the hurts, the aspirations? And are we communicating in mediums and platforms where the questions are actually being asked?

We can, however, be so laser-focused on the culture that we hold theology too loosely. We can so identify with the people around us that we forget we are ambassadors of Christ’s kingdom. When we do this, we not only fail our mission as Christ’s followers, but we fail the people we are called to serve. Only the story of Christianity answers the deepest human longings.

Are we both “in the books” and “in the community”? Are we steeped in Christian theology and ethics and also deeply engaged with the people we serve? Are we ever-learning, winsome, teachable?

Applying trite phrases and yesterday’s talking points to new and dangerous assaults on human dignity will not equip our people for living on mission for God. In our congregations, the people who come on Sunday are facing temptations wildly different from those of our grandparents’ generation—technologies and trends that are all new and varied versions of the Fall. But amazingly, Christian theology is not surprised by today’s corruptions. It is instead able to meet them.

We must also be present—to inspire our churches to live out the gospel in fresh ways in the communities we serve. Where are the vulnerable, and how can we serve them? Where is justice being denied, and where can our influence make a difference?

People today are inundated with injustice: it’s on their social media timelines, on television, at the water cooler. But the ancient concept of the church—the gathered, Spirit-led people of God—is uniquely equipped to meet today’s challenges and offer a signpost to the kingdom of God.

Future: An Outpost for a Radical Kingdom

Most of the time, expert musings about what the worldwide church will look like involve demographic surveys, technological advancements, and philosophical reflections. Bestselling authors and popular conferences focus on future trends.

It’s important for churches to be part of this discussion so they can freshly apply the gospel to the moment and help their people think through inevitable ethical challenges.

Yet, when future-casting, leaders can often be ironically shortsighted. Our strategizing thinks in terms of 15, 20, and 30 years down the road. We worry about the church we will leave our children and grandchildren. We talk about investing in the next generation.

But is our vision sufficiently large? What if we dreamt about the next 10,000 years? What if we prepared our people for living as citizens of God’s future kingdom?

Sometimes, in our quest to create cutting-edge churches, we sacrifice our long-term futures for short-term benefits. I’ve often felt this way as I’ve walked into vibrant, well-known churches or as I attend popular evangelical conferences. It seems that we are often creating a church for the young, hip, and sexy. It’s as if we want our message to the world to be something like, “See, church is the place where the cool people gather on Sunday.”

But the kingdom of God takes the opposite approach.

Jesus said it is the poor, the downtrodden, and the marginalized who have a prominent place in the kingdom of God (Matt. 5:3, 20:16). Paul reminded his churches of the shocking ordinariness of God’s people (1 Cor. 1:26). James scolded those in the church of Jerusalem for their tendency to favor the wealthy and powerful at the expense of the poor (James 2:1-13).

Do our congregations look like outposts of this radical kingdom? Do people enter our congregations and wonder to themselves, How did these disparate people get here? What possible thread unites people so vastly separated by age, race, political affiliation, and class? Why is it that old and young, black and white, disabled and able-bodied, rich and poor, prominent and anonymous gather together every Sunday?

Imagine what the church would look like if we thought more about the future—our future as resurrected kings and queens in Christ’s new kingdom. What would it look like if we intentionally worked to image that kingdom here in the present, fallen world? What if we allowed the Spirit of God to shape us into a body that looks strange in a world of tribes, divisions, and class systems?

We might pray that God would not bring more people into our congregations who look just like us, but that God would bring people into our midst who have no business being there—people like us, who, though once far from God, are made near by the blood of Jesus’ cross.

This is the future we might hold in our sights, a future Jesus says can be experienced—in small part—right now.

This article originally appeared here.

The post The Church’s Next 10,000 Years appeared first on Daniel Darling, author, pastor, speaker.

The Way Home: Lee Strobel on sharing the gospel in an increasingly secular world

Decades after he published The Case for Christ[image error], apologist Lee Strobel reflects on his journey from atheism to Christianity and why how he shares the gospel in an increasingly secular world. Strobel rejoins the podcast to talk about his new book, The Case for Miracles, about being portrayed on the big screen, and that time he was summoned to explain Christianity to an NBA legend.

Show Notes

Book: The Case for Miracles: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Supernatural [image error]
Twitter: @LeeStrobel
Website: leestrobel.com

The Way Home: Jana Magruder on encouraging kids’ faith

What critical factors help create environments for kids’ faith to flourish? A brand-new Lifeway survey of 2,300 Christian kids and parents asks what factors encourage kids to stay in the church. Jana Magruder, LifeWay Director of Kids’ Ministry, joins me to discuss the surprising results and offers hope and encouragement for parents.

Show Notes

Book: Kids Ministry that Nourishes: Three Essential Nutrients of a Healthy Kids Ministry [image error]
Twitter: @jana_magruder
Website: lifeway.com/kidsministry

The glory we don’t see: Looking harder for glimpses of God at work around us

Every week I met with a drug dealer, a shady business-man, and a serial gambler. Only you wouldn’t know it, because sitting in the pew next to me, they looked just like church people.

Middle class. Put together. Churchy. But here they were, trophies of grace, evidence of some strange and mysterious redemption. Glimpses of some other world where sinners become saints, not at all of their own making.

Chances are, this is your reality, too, if you attend church regularly. It may seem everyone is gathering from the corners of your community on Sunday, dressed up and spiritual. But until you get to know some of these brothers and sisters and hear their stories, you will be oblivious to the sheer amount of redemption taking place around you.

Because Christ’s kingdom is present but not fully consummated, we live in the tension of victories already won and victories to come. We should expect change in this life but not expect too much. We must believe in miracles but not demand them. We yield to the patient work of the Spirit in regenerating our hearts but need to trust His unforeseeable timing.

Perhaps the apostle John knew something about this mystery. As a young disciple, he had witnessed the whipsaw ministry of Jesus: miracle after miracle followed by betrayal, death, and resurrection. He was present at the cross, at the empty tomb, and at Pentecost. He saw the church spread far and wide in his time, growing, enduring persecution, and building a massive global gospel movement.

Yet John also saw what Christianity looks like up close. The first-century church was both transformational and messy, obedient and rebellious, Philadelphian and Corinthian. This is why, in one of his final letters, the aging apostle wrote of the already-but-not-yet nature of redemption: “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2).

We are God’s children now, yet we are not what we will be. We are changing, yet we don’t have a clue as to how full our sanctification will one day be.

Longtime Christians like me often get stuck in the “not yet.” Decades of ministry can form a cynical crust around our hearts. Caught in the misery of slow growth, vexing problems, and sinful saints, we too often close our eyes to the small but miraculous change happening in the pews. Former prostitutes, embezzlers, and gossips are all around us, and we fail to see what is happening. What’s more, we miss the glimpses of heaven in our own lives. We are not who we should be, but we are also not who we once were.

Yet there’s a remedy for our blindness: entering into the stories of our brothers and sisters, asking about their journeys to faith, and offering worship to a God who still, in the 21st century, is busy calling and transforming a people for Himself.

We know by now that our churches are far from perfect. We know by now where the pockets of sin and despair still hurt gospel witness. We know the frustrations of living in community with sinners. But what we might gain afresh, by intentional effort at storytelling and listening to others, is a renewed faith in the power of God to change lives. We’ll understand better the struggle against sin that some of our Christian family members endure. We’ll have spiritual data to reinforce our faith in the transformative power of the gospel.

And the next time we are discouraged or silently wonder if this whole enterprise of church even matters—the next time we’re searching for a hint of glory in a world of corruption—we’ll be able to point to our neighbor and say: “God can do this. God is doing this. God has done this.”

And we will also be able to look in the mirror and know God will perform His acts of gradual restoration in us, in the deepest and most sinful recesses of the heart we know best—our own.

This grace won’t make the storms go away, but it will remind us of the One who leads us through them. It won’t make the struggle against death easier, but it gives a bit more light to our path. We won’t see the full flower of our own sanctification, but we might find hope in these small patches of glory.

There is redemption all around us. Take a look—can you see it?

Originally appeared in In Touch Magazine

The Way Home: Michael Kelley on demystifying discipleship

When we think of discipleship, we think of “growing up in the faith.” But what if we have to “grow down” in order to understand the way of the kingdom of God? Michael Kelley, director of discipleship at Lifeway, stops by to demystify discipleship and teach us what it looks like to “unlearn” sinful patterns in order to learn the way of Christ.

Show Notes

Book: Growing Down: Unlearning the Patterns of Adulthood that Keep Us from Jesus [image error]
Twitter: @_michaelkelley
Website: michaelkelley.co