But What Is Your Perspective?
Post-modernism has given us the blessing and the curse of considering things from a multiplicity of perspectives. It is a true blessing to be able to step out of one’s own shoes and attempt to understand things from a different position. That is something we should attempt to do and often the result is a […]
Being Direct
Every eldership I have ever worked with I have told up front that I will trust them and that I expect for them to tell me anything I would need to know including any criticism that they are directing toward me. This is a very important thing to establish in any important relationship. Often we […]
Regaining Our Certainty in Churches of Christ
We used to be a certain bunch. We were certain about pretty much everything. We were certain about our doctrine. We were certain about our identity. We had things locked down tight to a fault. Part of this had to do with a backwards hermeneutic that was self-perpetuating of our pre-determined conclusions that always guaranteed […]
Postmodernism and Historical Continuity
I saw a poll on TV the other day that asked respondents the question: “Is today the most divided period in American history?” My first thought? Ever heard of the Civil War? Postmodernism is self-absorbed. Modernism was too. No matter what your worldview is we will find a way to be self absorbed. Modernism was […]
Making the Foreign, Native: Connecting with Culture on Three Levels
Cultural awareness is very important in Christianity. We get focused on this when it comes to international missions, especially full-time, long-term, over-seas missionaries. They can spend years studying language and culture in order to be effective in a new content. It is an attempt to make the foreign native to us. It is to identify […]
Swimming Upstream: The Shift from Modernism to Postmodernism and Legalism to Grace
The culture we live in is like the old fish who asked the two younger fish “how is the water.” The two young fish looked at each other and one asked, “What is water?” Culture is inescapable and it influences the way we think, behave, etc. When the predominant culture of the Western world was […]
Openness and Honesty are Not Ends unto Themselves
There is an idea that has been floating around out there for a while that says as long as you are honest about your mistakes then everything is good. There has been a premium placed on authenticity and transparency over the last few years that is very healthy in one respect. However, it can very […]
From Thanksgiving to Black Friday…What a Difference a Day Makes
It only took a day for the Hebrews to go from being trapped by the sea to walking through it…a day for God to make all the animals and a day for people to turn from seemingly harmless, loving, thankful, and generous people to ravenous wolves roaming the aisles. What a difference a day makes. […]
Creating Real, Lasting Change Requires More Than New Practices
When I have taught on 20s & 30s ministry the main thing people want to know is what can they go home and do to fix it. The idea is, if we do the right things the right results will follow. The problem with that is, if the underlying core values, structures, leadership, worldview, or […]
Reality Television, Real vs Rigged and Implications for 21st Century Christianity
Reality television is booming business. Everything from Duck Dynasty to Pawn Stars to the Pickers…it seems there is a niche for just about everything. It begs the question, just how much of reality television is actual reality and how much of it is rigged? It is obvious that producers, writers, and actors have advanced knowledge […]