Daniel Darling's Blog, page 54

Can You Love Jesus and Hate Jesus’ Followers?

I’m not a big bumper sticker guy, but I couldn’t help noticing the one proudly displayed on my new neighbor’s car. When I first saw it, I was excited because it said, “JESUS LOVES YOU” in large capital letters. Great! I thought. A Christian has moved in next to me. I imagined early morning Bible studies, perhaps even attending church together, exchanging prayer lists, or swapping casserole recipes for church potlucks.

But the rest of the bumper sticker gave me pause. In fine print, under the “JESUS LOVES YOU,” was a cryptic second line: “But everyone else thinks you’re a jerk.”

My neighbor is not a theologian. I’m not even sure he is a follower of Christ. But those simple lines gave me some good insight into a phenomenon that unfortunately plagues the evangelical church.

We think it’s acceptable to love Jesus and hate His followers.

The last few years have seen an explosion of books that try to separate Jesus from the church. Most of these are well-meaning efforts to distinguish genuine faith in Christ from hand-me-down, works-based religion. This is important in a culture still influenced by a nominal Christianity, where many think a ticket to heaven simply requires regular church attendance.

We pride ourselves on our independent spirit. Christianity, however, was never intended to be an individualistic faith.

But I wonder if in some ways we’ve overreached and have, in emphasizing the personal relationship with Christ, lost the holistic nature of the gospel message. America is a highly individualized nation—we pride ourselves on our independent spirit. Christianity, however, was never intended to be an individualistic faith.

Read the rest of the article here:

The Way Home – Episode 13 featuring David Platt

Today my conversation is with David Platt. David is the president of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest mission-sending agency in the world. He is also the bestselling author of several books, including his latest, Counter Culture and the host of the popular event Secret Church.

Listen to this week’s episode of The Way Home

 
Show Notes


Twitter: @plattdavid
Websites: radical.net and imb.org
Book:  Counter Culture

On the podcast, I also mentioned a few upcoming events where you can connect with ERLC. We will be at The Gospel Coalition next week. We will also have a booth and hosting an event at the Southern Baptist Convention in Columbus in June where we will also be hosting an event with 9Marks ministries.

On August 5, 2015, we will host our second annual National Conference. This will be held in Nashville, Tenn., at the Music City Center. This year’s theme will be “The Gospel and Politics.” Russell Moore and other evangelical leaders such as Samuel Rodriguez will be discussing what Christian cultural engagement should look like, especially as we head into another heated presidential election.

If you register for this conference be sure to use coupon code: WAYHOME and get a 15% discount.

Announcing My New Book: The Original Jesus

This September, Baker Books is releasing my sixth book, The Original Jesus. This book is a critique of ten different versions of Jesus floating around in the evangelical world. I was motivated to write this book by observing the flippant way we (and I mean we because, in some way, I’m tempted toward all of these false Jesus’ myself) talk about Christ. We have a tendency, in our modern age, to mold Jesus into our image rather than letting Jesus mold us into His.

Dr. Russell Moore was kind to write the foreword. I was also honored to get endorsements from Jim Daly, Danny Akin, Trevin Wax, and several others.

Here are links to where you can pre-order it: 

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Here’s a brief description and a chapter outline:

This fresh look at ten “Americanized” views of Jesus reveals him not as a deity we can conform to our own comfortable image but as the Christ who transforms us.

Introduction: Play-Dough Jesus

Chapter 1: Guru Jesus – A really wise guy, slightly less than God

Chapter 2: Red-Letter Jesus – A guy much nicer than those angry prophets

Chapter 3: Brave-Heart Jesus – A really masculine dude with a hairy chest and a bad temper

Chapter 4: American Jesus – A God for the red states

Chapter 5: Free-Range Jesus – When God drove a Prius and rocked great parties

Chapter 6: Dr. Phil Jesus – He’ll fix all your problems, y’all

Chapter 7: The Prosperity Jesus – He wants to help you win and get lots of stuff

Chapter 8: Post-Church Jesus – Don’t invite this guy to church. He’s more comfortable at Starbucks

Chapter 9: BFF Jesus – He’s available to date, after you break up with your boyfriend.

Chapter 10: The Legalistic Jesus – He’ll help you find your way to Heaven, but don’t ever cross him.

Three Questions to Ask About Your Job

“Nothing matters except what happens in here.” How often have you heard that in church from well-meaning pastors? I know the message trying to be sent: the supremacy of the gospel and the importance of evangelism. I share those desires, but this kind of reductionism is not a biblical view of culture. Which is why I’m so excited about my friend, Bruce Ashford’s new book, Every Square Inch. Bruce is brilliant thinker and teacher, the Provost and Dean of the faulty at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Bruce also is Professor of Theology and Culture at SEBTS.

I had the chance to interview him for Leadership Journal. One of the questions I asked was about how a biblical view of culture affects our Monday-thru-Friday vocation:

How should an “Every Square Inch” theology affect the way we think about our Monday-thru-Friday vocations?

I encourage people to evaluate their workplace calling by asking three questions. First, they should ask, “What is God’s creational design for this type of work, for this realm of culture?” Second, “In what ways have sin and idolatry corrupted and misdirected this realm?” Third, “How can I shape my activities in this realm in light of God’s word, thereby redirecting them toward Christ?” These questions are not easy to answer. It will take much effort to discern how deep-level biblical principles might apply toward a job in, say, cinematography, elementary math education, or investment banking. It will not be easy to know how exactly to shape one’s vocation toward Christ if one is an economist, a plumber, or a Congressman. However, out of obedience to Christ and out of a desire to bear witness we will work hard to answer those questions.

Read the rest of the interview here.

The Way Home – Episode 12 featuring Scott Sauls

How should Christians think through their political engagement? Can we be both civil and courageous? This is something I’ve been talking about for some time. Which is why I’m glad to have my friend Scott Sauls on the broadcast.

Scott is the senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville. Before coming to Nashville, Scott was a lead and preaching pastor at New York City’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church. He was also the founding pastor of churches in Kansas City and Saint Louis. Scott stopped by our Nashville studio to talk about his new book, Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides.

Listen to this week’s episode of The Way Home

 
Show Notes


Twitter: @scottsauls
Website: scottsauls.com
Book:  Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides

The Way Home – Episode 11 featuring Bob Lepine

Even though I’m a digital native and enjoy visual media, I have a deep love for audio–both radio and podcasting. It could be from my days growing up in a family without a TV. I was glued to the radio, listening to play-by-play of the Chicago Cubs, listening to Old Time Radio classics and to Christian radio. In this case it was Moody Radio Chicago.

Today, I have the wonderful opportunity to talk with a radio broadcast veteran, one of the best voices in Christian media: Bob Lepine. Bob is the Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer at FamilyLife and is the longtime host of their flagship program, FamilyLife Today. He is also the voice of many other radio broadcasts, including Truth for Life with Allistair Begg and Today in the Word on Moody Radio. Bob is also a local church pastor, Redeemer Community Church in Little Rock and an author of several books. Bob is a lively conversationalist. I sat down with him during the National Religious Broadcasters Convention, where he served as the emcee of the event.Bob is a board member of the NRB as well.

We talk in depth about the medium of radio, about his perspective of the evangelical movement today, and what its like to pastor, preach and host a syndicated broadcast. I guarantee you will love this conversation.

 

Listen to this week’s episode of The Way Home

 
Show Notes

Twitter: @fltbob
Website: FamilyLife Today

The Church As the Answer for Loneliness

We are be the most connected generation ever, with no shortage of ways to communicate with our fellow man. And yet, we may be the most isolated, individualistic generation ever. In some ways, Facebook, Twitter, IM, texting–has brought us closer together. And in other ways it’s kept us apart.

I talked about this interesting paradox with Erin Davis, author of an important new book, Connected. Here is one of the questions I asked her:

How can the Church provide answers for loneliness? Can an overemphasis on a “personal relationship with Christ” undermine our God-given need for community?

I believe the church holds the only vaccine to our lonely problem. But sometimes, our Christian communities elevate a solitary faith. God is supposed to be all we need after all, right?

I call it the Patmos Syndrome. We elevate John, isolated on the island of Patmos, as somehow more holy or more spiritual than John when he was part of a pack of disciples. We hold high those saints who go at it alone and willingly choose isolation for the sake of the kingdom.

But what if we’ve got it all wrong? What if God wanted us to be connected to others so much that he hardwired the craving to connect into our very DNA? The church needs to be teaching something that we see clearly in Scripture, mainly that we need each other. There is accountability, support, wisdom, and strength to be found in choosing to weave our lives into the lives of others.

For community to really take root, the church also must make peace with the messiness of life. If we feel we can only come to church as the best version of ourselves without sin or issues or fears, true connection will not happen. The Gospel draws people to churches, once they are there churches need to find ways to connect people with each other. This doesn’t have to be highly programmed but it can be. I think the churches that are doing it best have an overt culture of “we need each other here.”

You can read the rest of the interview here:

The Way Home – Episode 10 featuring Mollie Hemingway

My conversation today is with Mollie Hemingway, a popular and fierce journalist. Mollie is a senior editor at The Federalist where she is unafraid to challenge conventional thinking in the media and in politics. Her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, The Washington Post, CNN, National Review, GetReligion, Ricochet, Christianity Today, Federal Times, Radio & Records and many other publications. Mollie was a 2004 recipient of a Phillips Foundation Journalism Fellowship. I talk to Mollie about her pathway into a journalism career, how her Christian faith informs her work, and what advice she might have for young journalists wanting to get their start in this industry.

Listen to this week’s episode of The Way Home

Show Notes

Follow Mollie on Twitter: @mzhemingway
Check out Mollie’s work at The Federalist

Teens and Screens: Advice for Parents

As a father of four children under ten, I am constantly thinking about our kids’ interaction with technology. On the one hand, I want them to be read and equipped to leverage technology to fulfill their God-given mission in this age. On the other hand, I see technology as a kind of loaded weapon that can be used by the enemy to destroy their souls. This is why I really appreciate people like Dr. Kathy Koch, who has thought deeply about this. She’s got a new book out, Screens and Teens. I had the chance to chat with her for Leadership Journal this week. Here is one question I asked:

I think a lot of Christian parents are wrestling with the tension of using technology for good and also protecting their kids from potentially harmful content. How can they navigate this tension?

We certainly need to parent by faith and not by our ability to protect our kids. Relying on Godly wisdom, parents can begin equipping their children from the time they’re young to make wise choices, so they get to practice making good (and poor) choices while the stakes are low. Children with good decision-making skills can help protect themselves by choosing to avoid certain games, websites, movies, and the like. Being able to discern good from evil also prepares them to quickly turn away from and delete harmful content they do come across.

I want to remind parents that it’s equally important that they personally model healthy uses of technology—in terms of what devices they use, why, when, and how often. You can introduce your kids to the learning potential of specific sites and devices as well as the fun we can have individually and together. Modeling healthy technology use is one part of the equation. The other side is accessing parental control services to protect children from stumbling on to harmful material.

You can read more here:

The Way Home – Episode 9 featuring Lee Strobel

Lee Strobel is a man who needs little introduction. Once a skeptic, the award-winning legal journalist for the Chicago Tribune found Christ after weighing all the evidence. He’s spent the last several decades as an eloquent apologist for the the Christian faith, with classic books like, The Case for Christ. But recently Lee’s life took a frightening turn when he was faced with a threatening illness. It caused him to question his faith and everything he knew. What emerged was a fresh appreciation for grace.

Today I talk to Lee about this crisis of faith, about his journey to Christ, and the incident with Chicago Cubs’ rookie outfielder Ernie Banks that made him a lifelong Cubs fan.

Listen to this week’s episode of The Way Home

Show Notes

Twitter: @leestrobel
Website: www.leestrobel.com
Book:  The Case for Grace

Also: a reminder this is the last week until registration closes for the 2015 ERLC Leadership Summit on “The Gospel and Racial Reconciliation,” go to erlc.com/summit2015. When registering use coupon code: WAYHOME for a 15% discount. This event will be held in Nashville on March 26-27, 2015.