The Archaic Thinking of an AP Christian

I saw this article on how the Associated Press is trying to sue All Headline News for stealing "hot news".  The opinion of the article is that the AP is operating on an archaic worldview, but times have changed, and they need to change their thinking about what is "hot news" and their property.

As I finished the short article, I couldn't help but wonder what old paradigms the Church (or maybe my church or - even more importantly - me) still thinks within while the world around has changed.  Clearly the Church MUST be doing this based on the number of books, articles, and conferences out there that address this issue.  But I am part of the Church as a follower of Jesus.  So in what areas am I still thinking with a 1989 mindset when the world around me is in 2009?

I don't really know.  I have always been fascinated with culture ever since serving in Venezuela for 2 years, and so I consider myself somewhat of a student of culture.  I may not necessarily see all the films shaping culture, or know all the latest music releases, or join every social network out there, or where the latest fashions, but I watch it enough to know what's going on for the most part.  But I still can't help but wonder if my "Christian" upbringing has me thinking in a way that is not necessarily biblical and keeps me from fully understanding and engaging the culture with the important "hot news" (that is definitely cross-cultural) that Jesus died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins.

Since I rarely get comments on my posts, I'm not expecting a lot of input, but I'm just wondering if anyone has been able to see an area they were thinking with an archaic paradigm and were able to change it.  To hear the stories of others might help me figure out if I'm unknowingly doing this.  Because I don't want to be an AP Christian.

The greatest challenge for Christians...

Today, the greatest challenge facing American evangelicals is not persecution from the world, but seduction by the world.

(quote by C.J. Mahaney in a Neue Ministry article entitled "Distinctiveness Lost" published in the Sept. 26, 2008 weekly email, which was an excerpt from his book entitled Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World)

Election boycott?

NOTE:  IF YOU ALREADY PLAN TO VOTE FOR MCCAIN OR OBAMA, THIS POST MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.  BUT IF YOU AREN'T SURE WHO YOU'LL VOTE FOR, YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN THESE THOUGHTS...

For a few month now, I've been hearing rumblings that some Christians may boycott this November's presidential elections. I first heard from various sources that this idea was expressed by James Dobson of Focus on the Family fame. Then I heard the idea again from others on the Catalyst podcast.

The reason some are thinking of skipping the elections entirely is because they don't like Obama or McCain. They hate Obama's pro-choice stance, and McCain isn't conservative enough for them. (On the Catalyst podcast, frustration has been expressed that the Republican Party is taking evangelicals for granted.) Christians think neither candidate represents them or their values, and so they are deciding that skipping the presidential election is the best way of communicating their disdain for the candidates served up by the two big parties.

Before I proceed with my thoughts on this, let me share somethings. I am not a very politically-active person. I didn't caucus in January. I haven't given any money to any candidate. In fact, I am registered as an independent and have no plans to change that. (However, I watch the political realm casually, and have a vague idea of what is going on, especially in the presidential race.) My primary reason for not being uber-active is because politics seem to divide people more than unite them, and (to paraphrase Bill Hybels in "Courageous Leadership"), politics can only move the yard markers in the game of life - they can't truly bring change (I believe only Christ can bring the change people truly need - the changes needed are personal and cultural, not governmental). And so I don't get caught up in certain candidates because they can't be the savior so many people want. I already have a Savior, and I'll keep following him.

But while I am not very active on the political scene, I still believe it is my duty as an American citizen AND as a follower of Christ to vote. There are people who died in order for me to have this freedom and right, so I will not waste their death by boycotting an election simply because I don't like the presented candidates.

I think a better option is to research the other candidates from other parties. Sure, their chances are beyond slim to none that they'll actually win, but you still cast your vote as a citizen and let your voice be heard. If you don't like any of the other candidates presented by the smaller parties, then find one you do like and write them in.

So if you can't find a way to vote for one of the two primary candidates, then find someone you can vote for. Hopefully this option will allow you to exercise your right to vote, but to do it with a clean conscience and not feel like you are either picking the lesser of two evils, or worse yet, boycotting the election entirely.

The "Goodness" of Man

I rarely ever see Nightline, but a few months ago I happened upon an interview anchor Cynthia McFadden had with Kay Warren, wife of author and pastor Rick Warren. During the course of the conversation, Kay was explaining how every person born is depraved and in need of a Savior. Cynthia interrupts her and says "really? I would take the opposite approach. I think mankind is basically good."

This is a popular notion in our culture - men and women are born basically good. "Sure, they mess up every once in a while, but overall their good outweighs their bad," is the general thought. But if this were actually true, then how do things like this actually happen?

I'd seen a couple of headlines this past week about this hit and run, but when I finally read the short article I linked to above, I couldn't help but think about the "goodness" of man that our culture talks about. If mankind was generally good, then someone would have walked over and helped this elderly gentleman in less than a minute. In fact, if people are inherently good, then the driver would have immediately stopped to help the 78-year-old he leveled.

So in the lens of the world, this incident is shocking. But from a biblical lens, it isn't shocking a bit. Scripture clearly teaches that "All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one." (Psalm 14:3) and "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23). This is why Kay Warren is right and Cynthia McFadden has bought the lie - mankind is depraved and desperately needs help to overcome it. Thank God for Jesus! :o)

Co-ed Dorm Rooms?

I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this article on co-ed dorm rooms now available on many college campuses. I've seen signs of this in our culture for sometime now, so this just seems to be the natural progression. Eventually we'll probably end up with co-ed locker rooms as well.

While the article has only positive to say about the experiences of those who have already experienced a co-ed living situation, I can't help but wonder what the long-term ramifications of this might be. To me, it just seems like practice for a future divorce (even though these couples living together aren't married). Here's what I mean:

You learn how to live with a member of the opposite sex, but not be "one flesh" with them, living as a united team. So when your marriage hits some tough times, or you just go through a bit of apathy in your marriage, you revert back to what you learned in your college days, shift into a "roommate" mentality, and stop working on the relationship. Eventually, you want to feel "in love" again, and so you look for it elsewhere since your relationship with your spouse is now merely platonic. For most people, when they reach this stage, divorce just seems like the natural thing to do since "we've grown apart."

Additionally, co-ed dorm rooms seem to devalue the "specialness" of a guy and girl getting to know and explore each other intimately (physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, etc.) in the confines of a new marriage. It seems like we are content with our mud pies in the slums when God offers us a holiday at the ocean (to recall the C.S. Lewis quote).

But I'm probably "too old-fashioned" and "Christian" to see that this is just fine for some people. Looks like I'll need to ask for forgiveness from the popular culture for connecting the dots and seeing where this "innocent" situation could lead us.

Praying for Kenya and Chad

I am not a news junkie, but I dip into the news enough to know what is sort of going on in the world. Every so often I'll hear of wars and conflicts around the globe, and it stops at that - information I have gained. But when you have a personal connection to the fighting, your interest changes.

My friend Adele is a missionary in Kenya, working with ELI. Kenya has been in turmoil ever since the December elections. Before, I would have never given much thought to what was happening in Kenya. Now I pray with my kids for Adele almost every night and almost every time I read her blog.

Then on Sunday, a friend of mine here at New Covenant shared a prayer request for his home country of Chad, Africa. Rebels had charged into the city and were trying to overthrow the president. My accountability partner, Nate, is also from Chad, and I've been following the situation via his wife's blog. Now the families of my friends, the country, and the Church in Chad have appeared in my prayers as well.

You may not have the connections I do into these countries, but would you still pray? Pray for peace. Pray for the churches in these areas to stand up for righteousness, for God's creation of people, and for the truth of Christ, and that they will be able to help their neighbors in this time of need.

AP Photo taken from Yahoo! slideshow on Chadian Unrest

The Value of a Human

I'm sitting here at the Starbucks on 1st Ave. across from Best Buy working on my third Baggage message for tonight's Watershed Worship Gathering. The very cool Austin Oates is here doing homework (I had the privilege of officiating Austin's wedding a month ago to the beautiful Cailey Oates). The awesome Jason Pagel is working behind the counter. Two pastors are to my left having an accountability group. Two elderly women are preparing to leave after spending a wonderful hour in conversation with each other. But the person who really sticks out at this moment is the man on the cell phone directly in front of me.

He is obviously a recruiter of some type. He is talking quite proficiently about several high school boys and their athletic progress. Most of the mention is about baseball, so perhaps he is an evaluator for Perfect Game, or a college program, or perhaps even a major league scout.

I'm not trying to listen in (I've been working pretty intently on my message up to this point), but I can't help but over hear portions of what he is saying. He is expertly talking about these young men and their skills on the ball field. But much of what he is saying is about their abilities, their commitment to the game, their results on different tests, and more.

But nothing is being said about WHO these young men are. What kind of character qualities do they have? What do they like and dislike? Who are they as humans?

I'm not saying the gentleman (or even the unseen person on the other side of the phone) doesn't value these boys as people, but much of what is being said doesn't give that impression. They are only worth their talents and work ethic to these two (based on what I'm hearing). These boys are merely commodities to be traded, bought, or ignored to achieve the goals of others.

While the boys involved have a choice about whether they pursue more baseball or move into something else, there are people in this world who are treated as commodities that are traded, bought, or ignored in order to achieve the selfish, sinful goals of others. Whether you realize it or not, there is an entire underground industry of human trafficking currently operating all around the globe. Hundreds of thousands of people, mostly women and children, are exchanged for money to fulfill the sick wishes of some "owner".

If this makes you even half as sick as it makes me (and I'm not nearly as outraged about the issue as I probably should be), you'll be interested to know that in May there is a conference right here in Cedar Rapids on the issue of human trafficking. I don't know exact dates, location, times, or speakers, but after hearing a couple of interviews with Gary Haugen of International Justice Mission during the past year, I am interested in learning more and knowing how I, as part of Christ's Church, can help protect the true value of a human life. Once I know more, I'll post it here. But 'til then, ask yourself, "what is the value of a human?"

Misperceptions of Father

This afternoon while getting my kids a snack, my 3 and a half year old, S (pictured) said "Daddy, you are really big! You must be a hundred!" Now, you have to keep in mind that S's favorite number right now is the century mark. To him it represents a lot - the most he can possibly conceive. He often will say "Daddy, I love you 100!" So he was actually trying to complement me, not insult me. But my 5' 8" frame couldn't help but gently shake as I laughed at the misperceptions of my son.

As I laughed at S's misunderstanding of age and size, the thought hit me that I probably do the same thing to God. I underestimate His size. I miscalculate his wisdom. I misinterpret His ways.

I just hope that God can still smile and laugh at me because He can even see in my childishness that I still hope to grow up to be like Him. Even if S thinks I have to be 100 before that happens!

Visual Consumption

What looks like pretty desktop patterns/pictures but is actually a visual representation of the amount of material consumption in America? Chris Jordan's latest series of art work.

(This one depicts 11,000 jet trails, equal to the number of commercial flights in the US every eight hours. Go to the website to see the close-up view, along with many others).

No News is Good News

I have been wanting to post my thoughts about the tragic events that occurred at Virginia Tech ever since I heard about them (which was actually Tuesday morning - I've been a bit disconnected from the news recently). But what is there to post? I've been praying for the students and families affected by this awful tragedy, read the blogs of many who were in the building when the shots went off, caught some of the news programs about the event... but in the midst of this tragedy, does anyone really care what I think? Hopefully our thoughts are with those who have been devastated by these events, not with what general bloggers think about them.

But today I did have a thought I felt worth sharing. I saw online today that the gunman sent a package with video and photos to NBC after killing the first two people, before he headed over to the other building where he brutally ended the lives of 30 more. NBC did the right thing by allowing authorities to view the items for the investigation, but did the wrong thing by showing parts of it and distributing it to other news outlets.

This is exactly what the gunman wanted. He wanted to be famous. He had been starved for attention before his decision to take out so many, he hoped to at least get the attention after his suicide. He wanted to inflict all the pain he felt inside onto others, even beyond those who murdered and wounded with bullets. And NBC was his weapon of choice.

Rather than focusing on the gunman, which gives him the fame and might likely encourage future killers just as lonely, just as attention-starved, just as mentally messed-up, the attention should be solely on those whose life ended that day, or are in hospitals from Monday's events, or are related to those shot. Let's focus on the victims - make them the human interest story in all of this. Don't let someone with such deep depression receive the attention - he was starved for attention before the incident, it's too late to change that, so let's not try.

And yes, there is a reason I have not used the gunman's name in this post. Hopefully after reading you know why.

Generation Me, Generation Next

After downloading and printing a copy several days ago, I finally had a chance to read yesterday the Pew Research Center's report on "Generation Next". What I saw discouraged me, yet motivated me, all at the same time. My summation of the report: The current 18-25 year old generation is the most selfish, media savvy, lifestyle permissive, irreligious generation ever seen in America.

This seems to fly in the face of reports I saw just a couple of years ago saying that this next generation of young adults (Gen Y or Millennials as referred to by some) was going to turn out a lot like the current Seniors generation (those over 60) because of events like 9-11 & the Afghanistan and Iraqi wars, and as a reaction to their predecessors - Gen X. They would be the most patriotic generation in decades and lead a new wave of volunteerism. They would be the most conservative group politically and socially in years, and they would be driven by their faith.

But this report says the opposite.

And the Pew group isn't the only ones finding these things out. My friend Kim Pagel posted about the book "Generation Me" and the author's similar findings concerning this new generation of young adults. I encourage you to read Kim's excellent post on the subject.

So in regards to the Pew survey, it discourages me because Generation Next contains our future leaders and cultural shapers. And yet this report motivates me because the need for Christ is so readily apparent. I know that some of these attitudes revealed in the survey will shift as this generation begins to marry, have kids, and settle into careers, but the worldview you have in your college years guides much of the thinking in your adult life - and it appears that there is a widen open opportunity to share Christ and a biblical worldview with the new generation of young adults.

2007 Prognostications

Each year at the turn of the calendar (which, by the way, is man made, and their are lots of different calendars, but I digress...), various people feel the need to prognosticate about the future ("prognosticate" is my Big-Word-for-the-week (Thank you, Tye). Feel free to randomly drop it into sentences during casual conversation... I'm digressing again...). Fortune tellers, tabloids, gas station clerks, and even everyday average survey takers (who, if correct, will be paying out the nose for gas for their SUVs while waiting for Jesus to come back to save them from the next terroist attack which will come after extraterrestial life is discovered... stop the digression, Erin...) are making predictions about what the next 365 days hold.

One of the annual participants in this new year sport is Pat Robertson. This time around, Pat has made headlines saying that God told him that by the end of the year, a terrorist attack will occur in the U.S. which will result in mass killings. (Pat's clearly an optimist by nature... okay, I'm done with these parentethical digressions...)

While I'm sure Pat will be raked over the coals in the blogosphere by Christian and non-Christian alike for these comments, I want to focus on something different. The thing that stuck out to me in the ABC News article was this quote by Pat about his previous prophecies:

"I have a relatively good track record," he said. "Sometimes I miss."

But God says that his true prophets never miss. If Pat was really speaking for God, then he would never be wrong about these predictions. A good track record isn't good enough. Only 100% accuracy is the proof that someone's prognostications are truly from the Most High God.

I've sensed things about the future before that I thought were from God. Sometimes they were right. Sometimes they were wrong. Which is why I didn't share them publicly or claim to be speaking on God's behalf. I'm not a prophet. I'm a child of God who yearns to listen to his Daddy's voice. But sometime's in my childishness, I misinterpret what He is saying to me. And with Pat this time around, I'm hoping that's the case.

My prognostications for 2007:
#1. Billions of people will ignore Pat Robertson's prognostications.
#2. Erin Bird will not resolve his parenthetical digression problem (because it's not a problem... really... it's not... I can quit at any time... see...).

I Hate Church Lists

Why is it that some Christians and organizations feel the need to rate churches and pastors on various lists. There's the 50 Most Influential Churches list, the 100 Fastest Growing Churches list, and now we get the 25 Most Innovative Churches.

Lists like these only serve to draw comparisons, to raise pastors to Christian-Culture icon status (even if they don't want it), and to create copycat churches. I'm all for learning from other churches, founding out how different local churches are affecting their communities, how various church bodies are reaching people with the good news about Christ, and being inspired by other church families that are doing great things for the Kingdom. But I don't need the comparing, the rating, the worldly approach to gathering this helpful information.

I just struggle so much to imagine Jesus putting together a list like this. Even in the Book of Revelation when Christ talks directly to 7 different churches, he doesn't compare them to one another, he addresses them individually on their own merits and confronts them straight up.

I encourage you as a young adult to not engage in church comparisons (or pastor comparisons for that matter). It's hard, but it's not fair. Each local church (and pastor) is accountable to God, and each is reaching different people in different ways and expressing worship of God differently. Let the world have their lists to argue about, and let's live differently as Christ-followers.

History of World Religions in 90 seconds

I'm not exactly sure how accurate this is, but the little bit I know of the spread of world religions corresponds with this 90 second Flash movie from Maps of War. I found it a bit fascinating and thought a few of you might also.

Thanks to Church Relevance for the link.

I guess everybody really is doing it...

I saw this news article from ABC News saying that 9 out of 10 people have sex before marriage. The thinktank that conducted the surveys concluded that abstinence education is a waste of money since everyone seems to be giving their bodies before giving a ring, even those from more "chaste" generations.

First, I think it should be openly noted that the group that conducted the research went into the survey with a bias. While they would not say this, they pretty much view people as animals who can't help themselves in the sexual arena, and so we must educate these animals in how to have "safe sex" that won't spread AIDS and other STDs since they have such high sexual appetites (er, excuse me... "needs"...). They would identify me as a "religious moralizer" who they perceive as making matters worse by telling people to wait until marriage for sexual activity and then to remain faithful to your spouse.

In their defense, they do seem to have the statistics to back up their claims. On one page on their site, they refer to other studies showing that 80% of HIV-infected women in south India were monogamous and 25% of HIV-infected women in Rwanda have only had one sex partner their whole life - their husband.

But their conclusion is that "Promoting abstinence or faithfulness as the only ways to prevent HIV transmission will leave millions of people without the ability to protect themselves from infection."

How can someone get HIV if they are abstaining from sex? How can a married couple get AIDS if both stay faithful? But it is assumed that everyone is going to have sex anyway (such we are just animals), so we need condoms in and out of marriage and medicine for those infected who will keep being sexually active.

This makes me so sad. This is living life at the minimum. We are missing out by taking these short cuts to intimacy. God has a MUCH better plan for our lives.

Sex is beautiful. It was created by God, not only for reproduction, but for enjoyment, bonding, emotional health, and so much more. The Scriptures are FULL of this message. But when we give our bodies to someone that we haven't committed to by exchanging vows before God and witnesses, we aren't able to FULLY enjoy, to FULLY bond, to FULLY be healthy. Which leaves us below the maximum and truly missing out on God's blessing.

I have seen this play out over and over and over with countless numbers of young adults. And not just with young adults who grew up in church hearing this message. I've seen the pain that premarital sex has had on the hearts of even non-Christians who have bought into the cultural mantra of "sex is okay between consenting adults". They engaged in premarital sex because the temptation was so strong, they longed to feel loved, and hey - everybody's doing it anyway...

As seen in the article, some may discount the 95% statistic in the survey referenced above because of the bias of the survey's conductors, but I'll give Guttmacher their statistic because it is irrelevant to me. Even if 100% of all teens and adults had sex before marriage doesn't mean that 100% are enjoying the best for their lives. It could be possible that those people are living at the minimum and not enjoying the maximum that God calls them to and wants to give them.

Yes, the draw to sex is extremely powerful for most people. But I WANT to want sex with my wife. I want to want her and I want her to want me. So thank God for the sexual desire in mankind! It is a beautiful thing. It's just too beautiful to give to someone who isn't your spouse. As someone who belongs in the 5% who never engaged in sex before marriage, I don't regret one minute of my decision to wait. It was hard - but it was worth it.

P.S. If you have already engaged in premarital sex and realize that you aren't living life at God's wonderful maximum, take heart. The cross of Christ can renew you and let you enjoy the blessing of His maximum!

Merry Riskmas

Here's a great (and humorous) short article from Phil Callaway about his risk-taking son.

I wonder what risks God will ask us to take in 2007...

Worldview Lessons

I got the following article in my weekly Relevant Leader email. I thought it had good lessons that we as young adults could learn, so I'm posting it here.

(By the way, not only did I learn some of these same principles during my time in Venezuela, but I also learned them elsewhere in life as well. So you don't have to go overseas in order to learn the three lessons below!)

Many Christians in America tend to trip up on the issue of worldview. Many have little awareness of what worldview is, how it works, what the major worldviews are or how the biblical worldview differs from other alternatives. In most cases this is true whether the Christians in question consider themselves to be radical, liberal, revisionist, moderate, conservative or fundamentalist! It seems that the only people who do have a good grasp of worldview issues are missionaries or others involved in cross-cultural business or church planting. Which brings me to my passage to India. I've been in India twice, each time for about three months. While there I learned some important worldview lessons. Worldview Lesson #1 I had just landed in Bombay (now Mumbai) and was out and about seeing the sights. On my second day I went to a mosque on a tiny island that sits in the middle of the bay. While I was on the island, a fellow there befriended me and offered to show me around. I took him up on his offer. He showed me around all right, and when I was distracted, he stole my camera and case. Obviously, this really bummed me out. How could I have been so stupid? Then I started talking to some people and discovered I wasn't the first one. Others' stories of how they had been conned or had stuff stolen became a fascinating window into a whole new way of thinking. Having grown up in suburbia, I was not streetwise, especially to foreign big cities. It was my time to get educated. Lesson learned: The Indian Christians comforted me through this and taught me that you can be both guarded and open at the same time. This real-world, school-of-hard-knocks experience taught me something about discernment into human nature, about the difference between perception and reality and about learning from others' experiences. Worldview Lesson #2 The Christians I met in India showed me how Christians can relate to a vastly complex and pluralistic culture. In India, underneath the "formal" non-biblical religions lurks animism—the belief in many gods and spirits who must be appeased or pleased to make life livable. On top of that you've got Hinduism (actually a complex of religions), Islam (which itself has radically different expressions), Buddhism, Jainism and Sikkhism, Zoroastrianism (the Parsees) and Maoist secularism. My Indian Christian friends taught me that no matter what denomination or branch of Christian faith a person might come from—they are "Christians," period. They aren't to be thought of as pagans, unbelievers, infidels, aliens, enemies or traitors. Lesson learned: In India, Christians of whatever stripe have more in common with each other than with the other religions being practiced all around them. Indian Christians see things this way partly as a result of being a small and persecuted religious minority in a nation that is dominated by a not-always-tolerant majority religion. But their unique setting and experience enables Indian Christians to understand an essential New Testament principle that is harder for Christians in the West to grasp: spiritual unity in Christ (see John 17:20-21). Worldview Lesson #3 My Indian Christian friends taught me that theologies need to be corrected by cross-cultural insights, otherwise they become culturally blinded and insulated. God intended Christian faith, to the ends of the earth, to be incredibly diverse, reaching into every culture, transforming it to the glory of God and preserving the best of each culture. Christians have much to learn from other cultures. God is the creator of the vast diversity—and wants the best for all cultures. Christian theology in the West needs to be corrected by Eastern Christian theology, and vice versa. Christian theology dominated by countries in the Northern Hemisphere need to hear from Christians in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa. No Christian group has the absolute final word about what Christian faith is—only God does. But we can rejoice in the white-hot core of Christian faith that all Christians have affirmed through the ages.

Bayard Taylor is the author of Blah, Blah, Blah: Making Sense of the World's Spiritual Chatter (Bethany House).