Month: January 2010

A tough subject

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When is it okay to leave a Church?

Leaving a Church is not a simple decision.  Scripture is clear about the importance of unity, and the need to bear with one another.  That said, there are times when we are wise to leave.

Most obviously, one might leave a congregation that ceases teaching Scripture.  Once a church or denomination decides Scripture is not the primary foundation for life and doctrine, they are not following Christ.  At that point the membership should try to correct the situation.  If that fails, they should move to a Biblically sound church.

Less obvious are issues of style and method.  As communities change there is a need for adapting forms while maintaining truth.  No one argues church today is a bit different than it was 100 years ago.  Continued effectiveness in a changing culture requires adaptation.

When this happens, not everyone can or needs to adapt.  One’s gifts and skills may not mesh well with the changing community.  In such cases those feeling left behind should forthrightly discuss the situation with their Pastor and leaders.  Together they should examine the motivations for leaving.  Leaving over simple style differences seems petty, to me.  Certainly the unity of the Spirit demands we put others needs ahead of our own, including areas of style.  But when leaving is strategic–an opportunity to better use gifts and abilities, for example–I think moving on may be good.

In any case, leaving a church should never be done in haste or anger.  All such decisions should be bathed in prayer, filtered through Scripture and accompanied by open, honest discussion with the leadership of the congregation.  Having done so, we can rejoice as God arranges and rearranges His Church to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Story of Channel Locks

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I’m a big fan of nicknames.  All three of my kids and my wife have them and, thanks to classmates at Officer Training School and the Chaplain Service Institute, I’ve even got a couple myself.  Each of these nicknames has a story behind it.  From odd behavior to embarrassing moments, each nickname conjures smiles upon the faces of those who know and curiosity in the minds of those who don’t.  So, it shouldn’t surprise you that I occasionally bestow nicknames on friends and coworkers. Continue reading →

All are one in Christ Jesus

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So, I had to take the family to the doctor yesterday.  Being as I am the only healthy adult, I bundled three sick kids and one sick wife into the family car and headed off into the frozen morning.  When we arrived at the doctor’s office, my wife signed the kids in while I ushered them to the waiting room.  Sitting down, I said, ‘Hello,’ to a gentleman sitting next to me, and began the wait for to see the doc. Continue reading →

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind

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Intellectuals generate ideas and ideas matter, whether those ideas are right or wrong, and they matter far beyond the small segment of society who are intellectuals. Ideas affect the fate of whole nations and civilizations.

via Thomas Sowell : Intellectuals and Society – Townhall.com.

Dr. Sowell makes a good point, albeit politically.  This kind of thinking is why I believe teaching and preaching right doctrine is so important.  Ideas matter, and for the Christian right knowing precedes right living.  In order to us to live as Christ intends, we must see the world, sin, mankind and everything as He sees it.  That only happens through teaching the rights ideas.

I see this as one of the great deficiencies of the Evangelical church.  In my limited experience doctrine is briefly taught in a membership class, occasionally referenced from the pulpit and sometimes covered in a small group.  We need Christians who are steeped in Scripture, know what it is they believe, why they believe it and are contemplating how those beliefs change the way we live.

Tax Dollars at Work

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“Our goal is to promote health and save lives with this information,” said Daliah Heller, assistant commissioner for the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Care and Treatment.Asked why the handout tells people how to shoot up, Heller said, “From a health perspective, there is a less harmful way to inject yourself.”

via Heroin for dummies – NYPOST.com.

Drug addicts need help.  I’m not convinced teaching them how to shoot up is the help they need.  I mean, do we produce brochures on safer bank robbing, car jacking or kidnapping?  Of course not.  Yet, for some reason we’ve convinced ourselves that handing out needles and teaching folks how to shoot up is helping them.

Maybe we should be finding better methods of getting folks off of drugs, and perhaps instilling Judeo-Christian values in children from cradle on might help prevent some from even getting started.

Coming Soon to a Terror Cell near you

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Air Force Completes Killer Micro-Drone Project | Danger Room | Wired.com.

So my favorite branch of service seems to have developed a Micro UAV for engaging moving targets.  The main challenge in using UAVs to target bad guys is intelligence.  As the article states, we might mistake an innocent for a Terrorist.

It seems this little killer might help.  Instead of trying to ID a target from 20K feet, a Special Ops team will be able to have eyes on the target while employing this UAV.  Hopefully this results in significant drops in hitting the wrong targets.

Spare the rod and spoil the child?

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From FoxNews:

According to the research, children spanked up to the age of 6 were likely as teenagers to perform better at school and were more likely to carry out volunteer work and to want to go to college than their peers who had never been physically disciplined.

Read the whole thing.  It sounds very Proverbs 13:24ish.  While it’s only one study, what I found most intriguing is the cut-off of spanking’s benefit.  Apparently after six, spanking does more harm then good.

So, when children are unable to reason and discuss their wrongdoing, swatting them seems to reinforce important life lessons.  But as they grow in their ability to understand, parents need to move away from corporal punishment.  In other words, discipline must be adapted to the maturity of the child.  I’d add it needs to be adapted to the child.  Not all children are identical, what works for one bears no fruit in another.

Study: Spanked Children May Grow Up to Be Happier, More Successful – Childrens Health – FOXNews.com.

Love and Confrontation

~ brandon ~ 1 Comment

You see two sides of Jesus in the gospels.  You see the side of compassion and mercy.  He heals the sick, gives sight to the blind and so forth.  This is the side of Jesus we see preached and taught most often.  Church outreach focuses on this Jesus and meeting our neighbors needs.  We train people to become involved in other’s lives so that you can see their needs and meet them–thus winning the opportunity to share Christ.  Now, that seems like a winning strategy.  But what of the other side of Jesus?

When a rich man came looking for salvation, Jesus told him to sell everything, give it to the poor and then come follow.  Or, as Jesus puts it elsewhere, “whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me,” (Matthew 10:38, ESV).  So, Christ recognized a time to confront.

America is overflowing with abundance.  Even our poorest are wealthier than much of the world.  Especially in suburban America, the lifestyle among an average American could easily be described as ‘rich.’  Cable?  Check.  Internet?  Check.  House?  Check.  Cars?  Check.  Multiple TVs?  Check.  Air Conditioning?  Check.  On and on it goes, even in the midst of financial need most around here have enough stuff to liquidate they could survive for sometime.

So, where is the line of transition?  At what point is ‘loving’ people to Christ simply enabling a love for material possessions?  At what point odes love become confrontation?  When is it more Christlike to say, “Knock it off and follow Christ,” instead of, “How can we help you?