Daniel Darling's Blog, page 44

Everyone Is a Culture Warrior. Some Admit it.

My friend and colleague, Samuel James, has a brilliant piece (you should read the whole thing) on why the culture wars are inescapable:

The idea that conservative Americans can escape the “wrong side of history” if only they will shut up and be kind is an idea based on a myth: The myth that progressivism has a fixed destination and, once arrived, will seek to go no further. Was it for bombastic rhetoric or theocratic zealotry that the Little Sisters of the Poor now await for the Supreme Court to decide whether they can be consistently Catholic? Was it for political activism that people like Barronnelle Stuzman faced crippling fines and public scorn? Of course not. These Americans were prosecuted for their beliefs, not their bullying.

Rather than thinking of culture war as a Byzantine byword, we should consider the realities behind it. As Richard Weaver wrote many years ago, ideas have consequences. There is an undeniable conflict in American culture between the doctrines of self-authentication and autonomy and those of transcendence and obligation. “Culture war” may be too small or too cute a phrase for this conflict, but it nevertheless gets to the heart of something very important. Conservatives who think they can opt out of the culture war may think they are skipping schism en route to charity, but they are really skipping charity as well.

To what James is saying, I would add this idea: if we are gospel people, we are always, at some level, at war with the culture, at least the part of the culture that is under the rule of the “prince and power of the air.” In some ways, our definition of culture is deficient, because, as Andy Crouch will point out in his must-read, Culture-Making, culture is more than just the “out there” people and ideas of the world. We are part of culture. We create culture. We live in culture(s) (church, family, home, neighborhoods, etc).

Still, Jesus preached a gospel of the kingdom that he promised would, at some points, offend the larger, fallen, unredeemed world. He also promised this gospel would cause his disciples to be disliked and often hated (John 15:18). This is part of what I was getting at in my piece, a while back, for The Gospel Coalition:

Even if we committed to, as some ministry practitioners suggest, “only preach the gospel,” we still could not avoid areas of conflict with the larger culture. That is, if we preach the whole gospel and not a kind of easy-believism, cost-free message.

Consider why the early church was persecuted by Rome. They weren’t subjected to persecution because they were intolerant or because the Romans were especially mean. The first Christians were persecuted because of the message they proclaimed: there is another King and another kingdom. Caesar may be in power, but he’s not worthy of worship or adoration or sacrifice. Christ triumphs over Caesar and every other worldly ruler. This view offended the citizens who participated in emperor cult worship. What’s more, the early Christians refused to make sacrifices to gods they didn’t believe in. This resistance led to marginalization, separation, and eventually martyrdom for many.

The gospel message itself—this message of love, redemption, grace, and mercy—was the main reason the church was disliked. Christians did find favor in some parts of the empire and modeled both courage and civility. But even Christianity at its best could not escape the scorn and punishment of the larger world. Then, as now, genuine faith in Christ was seen as strange and dangerous.

Christians today shouldn’t seek martyrdom, nor should we go out of our way to offend. There is much we can learn from Jesus about living in the tension of grace and truth. But let’s not fool ourselves into thinking we can avoid the cost of discipleship. The gospel itself is, at many points, at war with a fallen humanity.

What’s more, we tend to pick and choose which parts of “culture-warring” we like and dislike. Another quote from my piece:

Often when I hear people say we should take a break from the culture wars, I want to ask, “Which ones?” Every time Christians apply the gospel to their communities, they are, at some level, enaged in “culture warring.” They are bringing the kingdom of Christ to bear on the fallen world, corrupted by the enemy. It’s a battle of light against darkness.

The term “culture wars” typically evokes hotly contested issues like abortion, gay marriage, and religious liberty. But to engage less controversial issues like human poverty, animal cruelty, and immigration reform does not make one less of a culture warrior.

Imagine if every Christian took a year off from fighting human trafficking or racial injustice. Imagine if every Christian stopped advocating for urban renewal and prison reform. Imagine if Christians silenced their voices against persecution of religious minorities or the economic injustice of payday lending.

This is what a real culture war timeout looks like. But what kind of gospel would this be? That gospel stays within the four walls of the church, doesn’t motivate God’s people to love their neighbors, to care about human flourishing, to embody the ethics of the kingdom. That half-gospel is not the triumphant, world-altering good news Jesus delivered.

The result of such a timeout would be catastrophic. How many lives, created in the image of God, would suffer? What’s more, we’ve seen that no amount of good works guarantees peace with the “prince and power of the air.”

Of course, 1 Peter 3 helps us discern between opposition due to our own sinful engagement and opposition due to faithfulness to Scripture. We should constantly evaluate the way we speak, interact with arguments, and do activism. We should be known for our compassion and our love. But let’s not fall prey to the fiction that we can make the gospel palatable enough so as to be inoffensive. The gospel is always a stumbling block to those who don’t believe. It’s always strange to the ears of those who hear it the first time. It is this very distinctiveness that makes it compelling.

The Way Home: Episode 70 featuring Zack Eswine

What unique temptations do pastors face? Zack Eswine, author of The Imperfect Pastor joins me to discuss celebrity evangelicals, fallen pastors, and faithful ministry.

Show Notes

Websites: zackeswine.com and riversidestl.org
Twitter: @ZackEswine
Books:  The Imperfect Pastor , Sensing Jesus , Spurgeon’s Sorrows: Realistic Hope for those who Suffer from Depression

Learn more about the 2016 ERLC National Conference here.

Pentecost, Pastoring and Intentional Friendships

Here are three of my latest articles:

“So You Want to Make Disciples?” for In Touch

Conversions usually result from deliberate, genuine friendship building. This involves intentionally inserting ourselves in environments where unbelievers are present. It includes leveraging our natural human talents to find common ground and build friendships. It requires patience, not trying to “close the deal” but coming alongside, seeking a person’s good, and learning to grow in relationship.

“6 Ways to Pastors Can Equip Churches To Engage Cultural Issues” for ERLC

When pastors fail to equip their people to think biblically about issues, they cede authority to the high priests of culture: the talk show hosts, cable news hosts and online opinion-makers. People will go somewhere to have their consciences formed. Why isn’t the church their first choice?

“From Every Nation Under Heaven” – for In Touch

The promise of Pentecost is that the gospel reverses this curse, undoing the confusion of the Tower of Babel and drawing people into the body of Christ from every race, tribe, and tongue. If you listen closely to Jesus’ words in the Great Commission, you’ll see that the gospel is not simply restricted to the people of Israel, but would go out to all nations (Matt. 28:16). This was always God’s intention, but it would be the church through which this worldwide, race-transcending gospel would be broadcast (Acts 2, Romans 4, Galatians 3 and 4, Ephesians 2 and 4). In Revelation, we see the final consummation of God’s gathering of all peoples. It’s not that Christians shouldn’t acknowledge ethnicity; rather, we can recognize it as a gift from God and catalyst for worship.

The Way Home: Episode 69 featuring Jeff Medders and Brandon Smith

Why should every Christian know theology? Jeff Medders and Brandon Smith, authors of Rooted: Theology for Growing Christians , join the podcast to tell me why. Jeff is the lead pastor of Redeemer Church near Houston, Texas, and Brandon works with the Holman Christian Standard Bible for B&H Publishers. We’ll discuss Christian education in the church, pastoring, and why theology is vital for living on mission in the world.

Show Notes

Website: jamedders.com and patheos.com/blogs/brandondsmith
Twitter: @mrmedders and @brandonsmith85
Book: Rooted: Theology for Growing Christians

Learn more about the 2016 ERLC National Conference here.

The Simple, but Powerful Lesson I Learned from My Mom

I remember the moment as if it was yesterday. I was six years old and it was Christmas with our extended family. We were in the basement living room in our first house on Marberry Lane in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Like most adults, my memories of my childhood are scattered and rosy, probably more hazy recollections than concrete facts. But this memory is as vivid and detailed as any.

We sat there on the floor, Christmas presents scattered around the room. I was, at the time, the only child (my brother and sister came along later) and the only grandchild on my mother’s side of the family. In other words, I was the golden child, the object of endless affection and too many gifts.

It came time for me to tear through the wrapping paper and see what goodness came this Christmas. I remember this moment, over every Christmas, because of my reaction, and my mom’s reaction, to one particular gift I didn’t like. A family member bought me a board game that disappointed me.

Now, to be sure, disappointment at Christmas is expected. Six-year old kids are prone to expect one kind of gift and get another. We want a lego set and we get socks. But I expressed my disappointment by saying, out loud, “I don’t like this.”

I’ll never forget my mother’s reaction. Let’s just say she wasn’t trying to be my buddy in that moment. She was doing her job as a parent, as a mother. And she said to me, in words I will never forget, “You will never do that again. You will always be grateful and show your gratitude any time someone gives you something.” Mom also backed this principle up with action, enforcing this rule in our home.

Being thankful, for mom, was important. She made us say “thank you” to everyone, for even the smallest gifts. She didn’t tolerate entitlement.

Most of the time growing up I thought perhaps Mom was a bit too extreme on this. Do we really have to express gratitude, even for the little things? But as an adult I now consider this one of the most important gifts my mother gave to me. What Mom was teaching me, in those moments, was not to simply mouth words to get her off my back, but that a discipline of thankfulness not only acts as a courtesy to the giver, but as a guardrail on the heart of the receiver. It works its way into the heart and becomes, if we allow the Spirit to do His work, a way of life.

I’m finding that as an adult with four children I’m becoming as militant about making my kids say “Thank you” as my mother. It’s funny how these things always seem to come full circle. I do this not simply because its kind, but because gratitude is a first-order spiritual discipline. We’re told by Paul, in Romans, that rebellion and sin begin first, in the heart, with ingratitude. We sin because we think the Father is not a good enough Father, that our own vision for our lives is better than his. We think we’re a better Creator, Sustainer and Provider for ourselves than the God who made us. Ingratitude isn’t just incivility, it’s arrogance and a reflection of the corruption of sin in our hearts. But genuine gratitude is a subtle push against the darkness, a witness to the goodness of God the Father, whose gift of Christ has saved us from death. Christians, of all people, should be the most grateful people because we have the most to be grateful for. Gratitude is a reflection of the gospel work within us, a signpost of a renewed world to come.

So, of all the gifts my mother gave me, her gift of gratitude is at the top of the list. And this weekend it makes me reflect with deep joy for her faithfulness to teach this virtue to me.

image credit: l.i.l.i.a.n

The Way Home: Episode 68 featuring Lauren McAfee

Lauren McAfee grew up in the Green family of Hobby Lobby. What was it like to grew up this way and what was it about her parents’ faith that was compelling for her own walk with Christ? Lauren and her husband Michael join me to talk about the Green family heritage, life in the spotlight, and their new project: Museum of the Bible.

Show Notes

Website: laurenamcafee.com
Twitter: @laurenamcafee and @museumofBible

Learn more about the 2016 ERLC National Conference here.

The Way Home: Episode 67 featuring Keith Getty

Keith and his wife Kristyn Getty have sparked a hymn-writing and hymn-singing revolution in the evangelical church. Today, songs like “In Christ Alone”, “The Power of the Cross,” “Oh, Church Arise” and others are a regular part of worship at churches and Christian conferences across the world. Keith has appeared on CBS, PBS and the BBC and performed at venues ranging from Ryman Auditorium and Carnegie Hall to the Pentagon. Today Keith joins me to talk about his exciting new project, “Facing a Task Unfinished,” modern hymn writing and the state of contemporary worship music.

Show Notes

Website: gettymusic.com
Twitter: @gettymusic
New album coming in 2016: Facing a Task Unfinished

Learn more about the 2016 ERLC National Conference here.

Get Caught Up on Church History

Followers of Christ should know their church history, not so you can win trivia games at the church potluck, but to get a sense of the sweep of God’s work in building His church in the last 2,000 years. Furthermore, a sense of church history keeps us grounded in good ways, from seeing our moment in time as ultimate. Lastly, church history helps keep us anchored to the “old paths” of truth, the orthodoxy that has been passed and preserved from generation to generation. Dr. Matt Hall, vice-president at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has a good short video here explaining why church history is relevant to our present-day Christian lives.

Thankfully, there are some great, accessible, understandable resources out there to study church history. Here are a few that I’ve benefited from:

[image error] Church History Made Easy by Timothy Paul Jones. 

This is a terrific resource. Dr. Jones, is a professor and associate vice-president at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. This book, which also is available as a video-based small group study, is one of the most easy-to understand resources on church history I’ve ever seen. The book is colorful, full of charts, timelines, and illustrations. What’s more, Jones writes in such a compelling and clear way that makes studying history not like studying history.

Church History Lectures on Itunes U

If you don’t know about iTunes U, you should. It’s a free app on your iPhone and has thousands of free lectures on a variety of subjects. Here are a few, relating to church history:

Dr. Carl Trueman is a professor of historical theology and church history at Westminster Theological Seminary. He has three series of lectures available: The History of the Reformation and Medieval Church and Church History
Covenant Theological Seminary has several courses available: Reformation and Modern Church History and Ancient and Medieval Church History
Knox Theological Seminary has an excellent series by Dr. Gerald Bray: Church History, Ancient and Medieval and Church History II: Reformation and Modern Era.

Church History Lectures on Youtube

I just stumbled on an excellent series of lectures on Youtube by Dr. Ryan Reeves, Assistant Professor of Historical Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. On his Youtube channel, Dr. Reeves has a variety of church history lectures. If you want to study a period in sequential order, I’d recommend clicking on the “Playlists.” Right now I’m listening to some of the lectures from “Reformation and the modern era.” I’m particularly interested in his extended treatment of early colonial American church history up until the present time.

The Way Home: Episode 66 featuring Mark DeMoss

Mark DeMoss is Founder and President of DeMoss, the nation’s largest public relations agency serving Christian organizations and causes. One hundred of the largest non-profit organizations in America count on DeMoss for counsel and support in the areas of communications, media relations, marketing, and crisis management. Mark is also an author whose 2007 book The Little Red Book of Wisdom. Mark has been a champion for civility in the public square, even engaging in a much-publicized bit to get public officials to commit to disagreeing agreeably. Mark was recently in Nashville for the National Religious Broadcasters Convention and took some time to sit down and discuss the shape of the evangelical engagement, civility and the lessons he learned from his late father, Arthur DeMoss.

Show Notes

Website: demoss.com
Twitter: @markdemoss
Book: The Little Red Book of Wisdom

Learn more about the 2016 ERLC National Conference here.

The Church of the Future

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?

Read the rest here at Christianity Today’s Local Church