Whirled Views with Dan Burrell

I’ve been getting some emails and messages about the blog lately.  This is the longest I’ve gone without updating my blog in the since I started it quite a few years ago.  I just want to assure everyone that I’m alive and kicking.  I recently made the conscious decision not to shut down “Whirled Views” when I renewed my domain names, so the blog will be around in some form for the next couple of years, I guess.

I’m not one to “pretend” that I, nor any other Christian, lives a carefree life that’s always rainbows and buttercups.  In all honesty, 2010 has been a rough year and a series of rough years.  I had the worst employment experience in my life last year — something I’ll write about later when I have enough perspective to let me be rational and objective.  As a result, we lost our house in South Florida — thankfully, we secured a short sale right before foreclosure hit, but we lost our entire lifetime of home equity in the process.  We have relocated to what was to have been our “retirement home” in Lake Lure until we decide where the Lord would have us settle next.  I have a pretty narrow range of employment fields I am considering after my more recent experiences and let’s face it, in this economy there just isn’t a lot available of any kind of jobs.  I’m thankful for the adjunct professorship work I’ve been able to snag which has kept us afloat since January.

But I’m not losing my perspective either — I have a long-time friend who is fighting a debilitating disease at the age of 51 and he has 3 small children, our dear friend and my personal assistant for 17 years just finished chemo a few months ago after a serious cancer diagnosis, a sweet young lady and mother barely in her 30’s that used to call me Pastor is fighting off a recurrence of an aggressive form of cancer and a dozen more similar stories remind me that the consequences of man’s fall are no respecter of persons and it’s only God’s grace that can give us hope in any circumstance.

But in all honesty, I just haven’t felt like writing at length lately.  The reasons are to some extent probably personal and to another extent just a phase.  I’ve often joked that if I didn’t write, I’d simply explode — but for now, the muse seems to have taken a break and so better to be silent than write something that is nonsensical.  If the mood does hit me to write or stir something up, I often throw an impolitic bomb on my status on Facebook and enjoy the brief tempest that such an action often causes.

So, for now, that’s the latest….we’re all doing fine.  The two older kids are at Liberty University sharing an apartment and working their jobs and going to classes.  The younger two are adjusting to a life where the nearest WalMart is 45 minutes away and we haven’t been able to find a church with a youth group within driving distance.  They started homeschool today.  We love the Blue Ridge Mountains and Western North Carolina and this is a wonderful time of the year.

If you know of anyone who needs someone to do some teacher training in a school or church setting, a missions speaker, a family or marriage conference speaker, etc… — give them my name as I’m doing quite a bit of that ministry these days.  I have nearly a hundred popular workshops, speeches and sermons for those occasions and I’d love to share them with groups.

Keep checking in here and who knows….maybe inspiration will strike sooner rather than later! 

Because I’m not General McChrystal (who, in my opinion, should be fired), I have no problem criticizing the way we are executing the War in Afghanistan.  As someone who has had friends killed and injured in the “Wars on Terrorism”, I’m not simply a passive critic.  My friends tell me of the huge ordeal they must endure to do what would be (in previous wars) and should be (in these) routine exercises in killing the enemy and destroying their hiding places.  They are often told that they can’t attack a suspected terrorist/taliban hiding place because it might contain civilians.  In at least one case, the soldiers approached it, having been denied permission to destroy it, and when they did, the Taliban fighter opened fire killing one soldier and wounding others.  A simple, 60-second missile attack would have saved the life of an American soldier — but it was not politically correct to do so.

Additionally, even those we are bent on “liberating” have a hatred for our faith, our values and our culture that is every bit as extreme as those who crashed planes across our landscape on September 11th, nearly a decade ago.  Take a few moments and read THIS article from Mindy Belz at World Magazine.  It certainly makes me ask the question, “Why are we fighting to liberate people who despise us?”.  I, for one, would have no interest in sending my sons into a battle where their lives would be risked so that those we are protecting could call for the murder of our Christian family.

If we’re not going to fight this war right — then bring the boys home.  This is ludicrous!

I was saddened last week to hear that one of the young men who had been in my church in Charlotte had been killed on duty in Afghanistan last week.  Noah Pier came from a wonderful family that was just the typical, all-American, kind of people everyone would love to have as their next door neighbors.  Ten children, active in church and ministry, home-schooled, hard-working dad, loving and devoted mother, a rolling dust-storm of laughter, crises, enthusiasm, drama and excitement.  Every interaction I had with them over my years as their pastor, I watched them work to see God’s hand in their life, seek God’s direction in their situation and want God’s best for their family.

Noah was a typical teenage guy in many ways.  Tall and lanky, trying to “find himself”, struggling with the typical adolescent demons, but driven by something deep within him that wanted to make a difference.  At times he could be shy and deferential.  At other times, he’d be in your face and on a mission.  The Marine Corp was a place that could be both a destination and a necessary instructor in his life and I wasn’t surprised to hear that he had joined.

When I heard that Noah had been killed by an IED in the Marjuh offensive, I lost my breath.  Just the Saturday before, the family had called a prayer meeting at 3:00 p.m. and I had stopped to pray for him with many others.  I thought of his mother, an incredible mother with a passion for her kids to turn out right that is exemplary and just grieved for her.  His dad’s face came to my mind — a man of the kind of work ethic that made this country great.  Quiet and strong.  Then I thought of the siblings — Tara — a young mom who would deliver a premature baby just hours later as the stress of her loss hit her — she has always been one of my favorite former teens and I am so proud of the fine wife and mother she has become.  Luke — who struggles with a horrific illness with bravery and the demeanor of his dad.  Shawn — an independent and deeply sensitive sister.  Kate — the older sister with a sweet family.  Mark — the young man who is now the oldest male sibling.  Each kid’s face came to my mind.  And I know I joined a thousand others who cried out to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord — why Noah?  Why THIS family?”  No answers come now of course — we don’t have the privilege of time and perspective and knowledge of God’s master plan and schedule.  And even if we did, would anyone be less heartbroken for this dear family?

The story of Noah’s death and journey home can be found HERE.  Read it and then pray for the thousands of other grieving families who have also paid this price and pray again, for the Piers.  Then hug your sons — regardless of their age.  Thank God for the men and women who are in uniform today so that we can sit in our comfy recliners watching mindless TV while stuffing our faces with junk food and griping about Washington politicians.  When you see a soldier in uniform in the airport or on the street, thank them.  When you hear someone speak of Islam as a religion of “peace” and who think the best way to engage these animals is through sanctions and endless ‘dialogues’ and who thinks that terrorists are people on whom reason will work — think of three letters — I. E. D.

Mark, Vickie and family — you are loved and we are praying for you during these difficult times.

The man who adopted my great-great grandfather, Judge Orlando Burrell of Carmi, Illinois had a colorful life.  He was a US congressman, a colonel in the Union Army during the Civil War, he was a judge and a mayor.  He made his “fortune” during the California Gold Rush which provided him with the resources to chase other dreams that he had and gave him influence and opportunities as well.  He was an exception to those who ran West during the height of the great Gold Rush.

Thousands of people uprooted their families and moved to California in search of quick riches.  Some fully expected to find chunks of gold sitting on river bottoms ready to be loaded up and turned into an instant fortune.  Others picked up rocks flecked with gold only to discover that what they had was of no value and instead was what would be called “fool’s gold”.  Whether chasing for gold that they never quite found or picking up the illusion of gold to find it worthless, many found nothing but disappointment, emptiness and shattered dreams.

Today, in many ways, we haven’t progressed much past that kind of thinking.  Take a look at the typical advertising campaign.  How many times do we buy one brand of soda over another because of the catchy sales jingle?  Sometimes, the more fantastic the claim, the better we like the “experience”.  Seriously, does drinking your favorite fruit punch make a tropical island surrounded by swaying palms and girls in hula skirts suddenly appear?  If you purchase new glasses, will you look as cool as the guy with the spiked and highlighted hair and the chiseled body who is seen in the magazine ad?  Does any single woman on the planet really believe that the only way to get the man of her dreams is to wear “Maybelline?”  Of course not, but that really isn’t the issue.  We KNOW the commercials and actors and manufacturers are LYING to us and frankly, we don’t care!  We enjoy indulging in our little fantasy that we can buy or paint or clothe ourselves to youth, sexiness, success and ultimately, happiness.  What does it really hurt?

Glen Ward wrote a book a few years ago entitled, “Postmodernism“.  In it he wrote, “The increasing invasion of signs and images (in media, display, advertising and so on) into the fabric of everyday life has created a dream world ideal lifestyles for us to fantasize about and identify with.  For example, many commercials are more concerned with attaching a sense of lifestyle and experience to the product being sold than to giving details about the product itself.  (One only needs to look at ads for Abercrombie and Fitch to realize they are selling sex, not clothing and in doing so are one of the top retailers to the young and hip. — DB) Because of this, we get as much satisfaction from consuming the images attached to goods as we do from whatever practical function the goods might serve.”

An old friend of mine, Pastor Rick Shrader who pastored a church in Colorado for many years once wrote in a little paper he produced called “Aletheia” that we have become so used to this form of communication in our lives that we fully expect to be lied to.  He went on to warn against the movement within churches to jump on the “experience” bandwagon.  He noted that sincerity has become of greater worth than reality.  Experience and emotion are to be coveted above accuracy and fact.

In other words, people are more interested in feelings than facts.  They want to “experience” a spiritual feeling even if that feeling comes at the expense of neglecting orthodox and doctrinal instruction.  We are more desirous of affirmation and inspiration than challenging information.  We want a God that makes us feel better about us more than we want a God Who helps us to see us for who we really are and what we genuinely need.

Thus, our churches spend great energy and resources on creating an experience in “worship” rather than the presentation of the “Word.”  Doctrine is downplayed as divisive, boring and even transitional.  What matters is the pragmatic effect of shared experiences, emotional movement and a sloppy form of self-affirmation that emphasizes style and sincerity and a nebulous form of spirituality.  In this world, Oprah is as much a spiritual leader as Billy Graham; Joel Osteen and Robert Schuller outshine more studious prophets as John MacArthur or Warren Wiersbe.

There is a danger in a cold orthodoxy that never touches the heart.  We can’t be so afraid of emotion and compassion and expression that it make our faith impotent or simply a matter of intellectual assent.  The practical effect of the gospel is a changed life, rearranged priorities and a passion for the things of God demonstrated in daily living.  But one has to wonder if the typical Western church today spends as much time in exegeting the Word as it does in creating an “atmosphere”.  Does the average preacher plan the feel of the service with as great precision as he studies the content and context of the Gospel he preaches?  Have we sacrificed our sound doctrine for a social activism which leaves us with a false sense of accomplishment that lasts only as long as the adrenaline rush of self-congratulatory emotion that follows a pseudo-spiritual exercise?

I don’t believe it necessarily has to be either/or and those who argue such are guilty, in my mind, of a false dichotomy.  At the same time, much of what I disdain about the modern church movement today (which includes the CGM, Emergents, etc…) is that we get far more worked up about feeding the homeless than we do preaching the Gospel.  At the same time, I fully recognize that one of the sins of our past was our willingness to step over the bodies of those who were starving in order to preach a message on compassion.

We must pause and remember that the moral relativist and the post-modernist believes that truth is a product of experience.  Therefore they put great value on image, stories, self-interpreting histories, drama, sensory experiences, narratives and even illusion.  One write notes that, “We are in a logic of simulation which has nothing to do with a logic of facts and an order of reasons.”

I’m afraid that by now I may have lost some of you in this philosophical monologue.  But I want to you consider how our culture gets caught up in experiences and emotions -from the way we exalt athletics, to the ads we will have pummel us as Christmas approaches, to what passes as worship these days in a typical evangelical church.  Even we as believers tend to get swept up in catastrophe or tragedy and almost become paralyzed in an irrational frenzy of grief or morbid curiosity such as when a celebrity dies like Princess Diana, Michael Jackson or Anna Nicole Smith.

I personally question if our electorate would ever again choose a seasoned old statesman over a thin, vibrant, good-looking-but-untested political newcomer.  What was it that compelled so many conservatives, evangelicals and faith/values voters to vote for a President who promised to stand against the values so many of them claimed to hold dear — like smaller government, pro-life, traditional family values, etc… — simply because he was more attractive and eloquent and charismatic?  And why are they so shocked now that he is keeping those very promises as they wake up to the reality that we have a man in the White House who is committed to an extreme liberal agenda more so than any President in American history?  Why is that Kanye West and Taylor Swift are followed more enthusiastically than the nine men and women who interpret our very constitution?

It’s time we ask ourselves if we are chasing fool’s gold.  In our personal lives, our homes, our businesses and yes…. in our churches.  Today’s evangelical believer is more offended by someone who speaks with authoritative passion and a sense of absolute truth than they are about the carnal and sensual messages of today’s entertainment industry.  As a result, our churches are filled with “show”, our sermons are filled with “fluff” and our hearts are filled with “darkness.”

Believers must be careful to search for truth.  Preachers must be careful to preach the Word.  And all of us must take care to keep from chasing “fool’s gold”.

As one who has personally experienced the challenges of being called to be the pastor of a high profile church in a major metropolitan area which was founded by someone who had become an icon, I have empathized with what the new pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale (Just a few minutes from where we know live.) is experiencing.  Local residents and some nationally are aware that the family of the founding pastor has risen up against his leadership early in his ministry there.  (Let me pause here to say that was NEVER the case with the church I pastored — in fact, quite the opposite was true and I was blessed by that family.)  To address the controversy, the pastor has written an op-ed piece for the local paper and I think he has done much to rise above the testimony damaging conflict with his honesty and transparency.  If you are interested, you can find the link HERE.

I’ve been doing some reading lately on what constitutes a healthy church.  Mark Dever’s classic work, “Nine Marks of a Healthy Church” is probably the best.  I’ve read multiple other articles on the web and so on.  For the sake of discussion, I’m going to add a few more and would be interested in seeing feedback and ideas from others.

More Marks of Healthy Churches

1.  Multi-Generational Worship

Few things have divided churches more in the last generation than has the topic of worship in general and worship music specifically.   One strategy that has been utilized frequently has been to offer various worship services designed around preferred styles.  Many a pastor has died on the hill of “blended worship” which, in my experience, generally just frustrates everyone unless there is a spiritual commitment to multi-generational worship.  (Another frequently utilized strategy churches use when dealing with differences in music styles is called the “Church Split”.  I really don’t recommend that one.)   A church that doesn’t successfully transition from generation to generation in every facet (including music style) is often doomed to a dramatic drop off after the founding or dominant generation passes off the scene.

Thus, I’d like to raise the question on whether it is wise for us to put all of our children in one section of the buildings for every worship service, host another service for the teens, yet another for the seekers/emergents/relevants and a final one (which must ALWAYS be held in the auditorium) for the pillars.  We don’t let our young people hand out bulletins, sing in the choir, play in the band/orchestra, work in the nursery, be assistant teachers, etc… until they are old enough to choose to go to another church.  (Why should they stay?  They haven’t been permitted to invest, participate or serve anywhere in their home church.)  And we wonder why we lose our next generation.

2.  Outreach vs. Inreach

Every healthy church I know has a strong visitor flow, is sending out teams to do community ministry, is sending out more teams to go to the mission field, is active in evangelism.  Every unhealthy church I know is worried about nomination committees, fixating on facility improvement, worried about “closing the backdoor” (people don’t leave as much when there is a reason to stay), reticent to start new outreaches and afraid to eliminate ministries that have become “machines” rather than “missions”.

3. A Healthy Attitude toward the Past

Some people can’t seem to let go of the past.  They want to relive it constantly.  (The new people find that exercise boring, btw.)  Some people are clinging to bitterness.  (OK, the church split 20 years ago.  Get over it.  You’re going to spend heaven together.)  All or most of their former pastors aren’t welcome back.  (If the people who lead and served you in the past are always the jerks and can’t be spoken of without vitriole, then there is probably at least a problem and perhaps a pattern that might need to be discussed.)  The best years are considered to be behind us and now we’re just “holding on” because we are the “remnant” who are standing for right and not compromising.  (Trouble, Will Robinson, trouble!  The past is usually not as great as we recall it, the present is not nearly as pure as we think it is and the future not nearly so bleak as we predict it.)  Appreciate the past for what it was and then create a “present” that will someday be remembered with appreciation by YOUR generation.

4.  A Palpable Sense of Unity

Unity rarely breaks out spontaneously.  Often the cause of spontaneous unity is a great tragedy.  (Think September 12, 2001.)  Isn’t it tragic that it too often requires a catastrophe to acquire unity?  Unity must be a constant commitment of the current generation within a church.  Every relationship will eventually disintegrate if we focus on what divides rather than what unites.  It is the responsibility of each and every church member to fight for the unity of the church for the Glory of God and the good of the Body.

5. Effective Communication from the “Top” Down and the “Bottom” Up

Today’s generation - whether Christians or not - will generally reach negative or cynical conclusions in the midst of a communication vacuum.  They will assume that something is being covered, that they are intentionally be left in the dark and that “something” is going on.  Conversely, we have so many forms of communication available today, that people are overloaded with messages and venues of communication and thus, they miss a lot of what is being said.  You can communicate something orally, via email, by snail mail, on your website, from the pulpit, through the leadership, via the bulletin and no matter who much or how often, some people still won’t get it and then they’ll gripe because “no one ever tells us anything around here”.  However, there must be concentrated effort for leadership to keep the congregation informed and there must be some provision wherein folks in the pews can be heard by the leadership.  Not everyone is entitled to all information.  However, everyone needs to be able to know some things and every one needs to hear some things — regardless of their role in the ministry.

That’s all I have time for this afternoon and I know this list is not exhaustive.  So add your own and be a help to someone who will google across this article some day in the future.

I’ve been rather gratified with the response I’ve received on Part 1 of this article via blog comments, Facebook comments (my blog articles are automatically posted on Facebook) and private emails.  It has actually been linked on several blogs and discussion boards as well.  So today, I’m going to continue with my thoughts on this topic.  If you haven’t read Part 1 as of yet, you may do so by clicking HERE.

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6. Your Pastor probably views you differently than you view him.

Being someone’s pastor is actually a very intimate experience.  If your pastor is a good one — he loves you.  He’s been there during some of your most difficult moments.  He’s caught tears, perhaps had to be the one to tell you difficult news, has seen you at your best and at your worst.  You may have confided some personal things in him that are known only to you, him and God as you work through the consequences of sin, personal tragedies and other pains.  He has invested his heart and soul in you by praying for you, weeping with you, perhaps even putting your needs ahead of his or his family’s at times.

Then a church down the street calls a new pastor, builds a new building or offers a service style that you find a bit more appealing and you switch as if you were changing from Wal-Mart to Target or finding a new chiropractor.  And of course, people are going to ask “why” and often excuses like “We’re just not being fed” or “Our needs aren’t being met” or “We just need a change” are offered.  For you, it’s a new adventure.  For him, it feels painfully like rejection.

That’s not to say that there are no good reasons for changing churches.  It doesn’t justify those renegade pastors who then grow angry and defensive and say unkind things.  It doesn’t mean that you are leaving God’s will for you life necessarily and are making the first step on a trek toward leaving the faith.  But it does hurt.  Pastors are human too.  And while you may see him as a distant leader or provider of services, if he knows you personally, he probably sees you more like family or a friend.  It’s simply a difference in roles and perspective and you might never understand that.  Sometimes where you stand on things depends on where you sit.  But I think you should know — pastors usually see their church members differently than they are viewed by their church members.

7. Pastors sometimes find it difficult to have friendships.

For better or for worse, there is a celebrity element to being a pastor.  If you don’t believe that then check out the New Testament account of those who were “Paul fans” verses those who liked Apollos.  A wise pastor resists being viewed as “special”, but this tendency is why humility in leadership is so necessary.  Any celebrity, politician or person of wealth will tell you that one of the greatest frustrations is that one never knows which friendships are genuine.  There is always the difficulty in knowing who is genuinely a friend or who is simply there to exploit their position or fame or influence.  Pastors struggle with this on several levels.  Some pastors purposefully choose not to be friends with people in their congregation — it’s too risky in their opinion.  Some pastors refuse to have friendships with their staff — they are afraid it will hurt objectivity, communicate favoritism or just simply be too complicated.  Some pastors have been burned by past friendships and thus become almost reclusive and over-guarded.  Some pastors naturally migrate toward friendships exclusively with peers — fellow pastors who can relate to the unique role and scrutiny being a pastor encompasses.

Several years ago,  a pastor of a large and prestigious church in the same city where I was a pastor had a very close friend as a church member.  A local seeker-sensitive church in town “caught fire” and all of us were experiencing mass migrations out of our pews to the new “cool/hip” church.  His church was among those hardest hit.  But then his very best friend, the person who had introduced him to the church before he was pastor, his closest confident, took him to lunch and let him know that he was leaving for the new “fellowship”.  The pastor said all the perfunctory things about following the Lord, etc… and then went to his already scheduled staff meeting.  After he opened with prayer, he looked at his team of pastors — broke down in wracking sobs, explained what had just happened, apologized and excused himself.  I wish that wasn’t the only story like this that I’ve heard, but I’ve got many more — people meeting privately for the “dismissal” of their pastor, people trying to arrange financial gain/business with the church, people who expected their sins to be covered and undealt with — all while claiming “friendship”.

I don’t have any solutions to this.  I’ve experienced it personally.  I don’t know of many pastors who haven’t.  It is what it is.  But maybe it will give you some insight into your Pastor’s world.

8. Your pastor may well be different out of the pulpit than when he’s in the pulpit and that doesn’t necessarily make him a hypocrite.

I’ve laughed over the years at how people often describe me — outgoing, super confident, “people person”, extrovert.  I can understand why they would say that, but they don’t know the “real me”.  The “real me” is actually rather shy, mostly an introvert, hopes that the people in the seat next to him in the airplane go to sleep and don’t want to talk, am a veritable cauldron of insecurities and often would rather have a quiet evening at home with his family or a book than be with a large group of people.  So why do they suddenly go “electric” when they walk behind the lectern?  It’s a God thing.  It’s His gift, His calling, His annointing — whatever you want to call it.  Moses experienced it.  Coarse Peter overcame his own proclivities.  Odd John the Baptist certainly got beyond his idiosycracies enough that he was heard.  The delivery of the Gospel is never about the man, but always about the message — so don’t get too enamored or distracted by the amplification system.

Some of my most important spiritual moments have regularly been before I preached on a topic that God had led me to address, but on which I was still struggling.  Your pastor probably doesn’t sleep in a suit, sing praise choruses before every meal and memorizes Spurgeon and the Reformers in lieu of watching Reality TV.  He has morning breath, he sometimes fusses with his wife, he yells at the kids when they forget to take the dog out and he steps in a wet spot on the carpet, gets frustrated in heavy traffic and might have a secret affinity for Roller Coasters or deer hunting or restoring old cars.  In other words — he’s just a regular guy.  He certainly isn’t perfect.  But if he’s a good pastor, he’s earnest and sincere and also man enough to admit his faults and make them right when he needs to do so.

Take time to get to know your pastor as a person before you make huge assumptions about him as a “professional”.  You might be shocked at how much like you he really is even though your callings are different.

9. Your Pastor has bills too.

This area is touchy.  There’s nothing like a conversation about money to get people stirred up.  Let me just say this.  Scripture is very clear that spiritual leadership should be supported by the tithes and offerings of the people who benefit from and need their ministry.  It’s God’s plan.  Paul referenced it as the “double honor”.  Someday, your pastor will need a home to live in that isn’t owned by the church.  There will come a day when he will need, because of age or infirmity, to transition out of being a full-time pastor so he needs a retirement strategy.  (There are few things sadder than a pastor who has faithfully served a congregation for years and years who can’t “afford” to retire and thus inflicts himself on a poor church or has to beg for “meetings” because he has no income.  Many pastors foolishly opt out of Social Security and when it comes time to fund their 403b retirement plans, they get cut because of tight budgets.)  Your pastor’s kids need to go to college.  There are weddings that need to be paid for, children that need braces, cars that need repaired.

Please don’t demean him by noting every purchase he makes, vacation he takes or gift he receives with a “It must be nice to be in the ministry to be able to afford that!” or “I guess that explains that special offering last month!” or some other witty little cutting remark that puts him on the defensive.  It’s unkind and petty.  Stop it.  Instead, show some maturity and say something like, “Wow….I’m so pleased that God has blessed you and provided that for you.  If anyone deserves it — you do!” and then notice how you are blessed for rejoicing with those who are rejoicing and how he is blessed in receiving your kind words.

If you think your pastor is a crook, given to filthy lucre, too wealthy — then confront him Biblically or shut up.  If you are a church leader and wonder what is appropriate compensation, may I recommend a study that is produced each year called the “Church Compensation Report” and HERE’s the link to it.

Finally, I want to state for the record that all three of the churches where I have ministered have been a genuine blessing to me and my family in this regard.  They very generously honored us with a living wage, they gave me freedom to write, teach and speak which allowed me to squirrel away money for life’s unexpected or bigger expenses as they came and provided me with the necessary tools for ministry.  I wish every pastor was treated as I have been treated in the matter of financial support.

10.  Your pastor loves the work of the ministry.

You might say, “duh” — but I would ask, how many people do you know who really, deep down inside, would like to be doing something else as a vocation?  If you are like me — a ton.  Preaching the Gospel, seeing people accept Christ, watching lives transformed by Truth, seeing healing and reconciliation occur in families — wow….that’s just the best.

Over the years, I have wearied over the administrative load of ministry.  I do not get excited about trying to get budgets to balance, dealing with maintenance issues, making sure that risk-management is taken into consideration every time we start a new initiative and dealing with governmental and even church bureaucracy and politics.  But that’s simply the price a pastor pays for being able to stand up, open the Word of God and share what the Holy Spirit has laid on his heart for that day.  I can be absolutely exhausted, frustrated, depressed or overwhelmed, but the moment I crack open my Bible before a group of people ready to hear — I realize once again that I’m doing what I was created to do.  Whether you pastor a mega-church, lead a Sunday School class, host a home Bible study or simply leading your family in devotions — when you are called to the ministry of the Word, everything is as it should be every time you get the chance.  It simply doesn’t get much better than that!

I’m going to stop here.  I know I have not exhausted the list, but I’ve probably exhausted you.  I would invite pastors to add additional points if you’d like to do so.  You may forward, link, print, copy or otherwise use these articles as they would bless you or others.  The purpose in writing this has not been to complain, but to explain.  Pray for your pastor today — or even right now.  I’m guessing he’s already been praying for you.

Expecting HIS Best……Dan

On Mondays, I often write a thought for the week for our teachers, administrators, pastors and support staff regarding worldview matters.  Today, I shared with them my thoughts on why absolutes and using your authority to transfer them are important.

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When was the last time you heard someone say something like this?

Well, who am I to say?
Who are THEY to say?
I’m not trying to be “preachy”
As long as no one gets hurt, who cares?
If it feels right, go for it!
Follow your heart!
Trust your inner voice.

These are just a tiny fraction of the phrases that are rooted in a philosophy called Postmodernism.  Postmodernism is a system of “thinking” that denies the existence of Absolute Truth.  Interestingly, often postmodernists will exuberantly declare, “There is no such thing as Absolute Truth!”

At which point, it is perfectly appropriate for one to respond with the question, “Is THAT an Absolute Truth?”

Sadly, in many Christian homes, schools and churches, we have bought into the postmodern political correctness which is anti-authoritative and anti-absolutist.  We are too often either silent or even apologetic about being dogmatic about the things about which God is very clear in Scripture.  We, by neglect or intention, misrepresent God as Someone who “goes with the flow” when it comes to truth and allows each of us to arrive at our own conclusions.  However, that is not the God of Scripture who spoke in absolute, dogmatic, declarations.

I am God and there is NONE else!
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, NO MAN comes to the Father but by me!
Unless a man is born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven!
There is a way which seems right to men, but the end is death!
There is NO OTHER NAME given whereby you can be saved.
Thou shall have NO OTHER Gods before me.

As pastors, parents and educators, it is important that we do not present truth as Wishy-Washy and optional.  All Truth leads to God.  That’s why things like order, decorum, authority, obedience, self-restraint, submission, civilization, respect and other traits, behaviors and habits are important.  It helps us to see His order in His Universe and our role in it.

Our children (and we ourselves) need to hear Truth.  Those of us responsible for communicating Truth need to do so with overtness.  We use our leadership and positions of authority, not for personal gain, but for philosophical clarity.  In our hearts, we need order, boundaries and absolutes on which to build our decisions and to determine our direction.

When we teach absolutes, we equip others to gain the confidence to pursue God without reservation and to know Him more intimately and completely.

Several years ago, a study was conducted at an inner-city elementary school.  It was visited by a group of progressive educational psychologists who noted that the children were confined in the play area by a large hurricane-wire fence.  The children could be seen running against the fence, sometimes climbing on it, leaning against it and peering through the loops of galvanized metal.  This was not good, the psychologists quickly ascertained.  The students weren’t allowed to roam and explore and felt caged even.  This reduced them to “animal-like” status and more than likely conditioned them to think of their life in terms of “boundaries” rather than freedoms.  So they ordered the fence removed to ensure a message of “openness” was achieved.

An interesting thing occurred immediately.  The children no longer ran to the very edges of the play area, but instead they clustered near the center.  They spent more time next to the teachers.  They rarely went to the previous locations of the fence and when they did, they often would hurriedly run back toward the center of the play area where the other kids were located.

Finally, the administration directed the fence be replaced.  The first day, the kids went back to the edges.  They climbed on the fences, used all of the play area and spread out across the entire playground.

The fences had not been about confinement to the children.  They had provided boundaries, order and safety.  The absolute parameters of what was acceptable gave them security.  The absence of those absolute values created confusion and fear.

As teachers, parents and pastors, we need to remember that part of our responsibility is to speak and lead with authority.  Speak clearly.  Direct without apology.  Stand for what is right.  Correct wrong actions.  Do not tolerate disorder.  Train behavior.  Explain consequences.  Respond to disrespect.  Reward genuine achievement.  Celebrate character.  Develop talents.  Don’t feel bad about using your influence and authority.

Absolutes.

Understanding them, respecting them and communicating them is part of our mission in developing a Christian worldview in ourselves and others.

I just addressed an issue with the faculty and staff at our church and  school.  It was the result of hearing God’s name used with increasing casualness as a matter of routine.  Let me give you an example.  I just returned to my office after walking to the cafeteria for a cup of ice.  During that short trip, I heard the phrase, “Oh, my God!” three times and “God!” twice, by students ranging from elementary, to middle school, to high school.

Lest someone jump to an accusation about large Christian schools, South Florida “issues”, neo-evangelicalism, or some other rationalization…, I will state for the record that I can’t think of a pastor’s conference I’ve attended in recent years where I did not hear at least one example of God’s name being used disrespectfully in ways ranging from “Oh my God” to “My God” and more.  I went to one of the most conservative “fundamentalist” schools in the world for my undergraduate work and routinely heard the expression “Bless God” as a curse or at least a colloquialism during sermons my entire time there by the highest levels of leadership from the Senior Pastor on down.

Devout Jews refuse to even write the word, “God” thinking it too casual for Someone so sacred and significant.  Instead, they will cite him as “G-d”.  In Biblical days, Scribes, who made copies of scriptures prior to the printing press, were required to use a fresh quill each time that they began writing the name of God.  They also took a ceremonial bath prior to the first stroke.  At the conclusion of each stroke of the quill that was required to write the name of God, they would repeat the bathing and take a new quill.  It served as a constant reminder of the majesty and authority of the One Whose words they were copying.

Of course, we know that one of the Ten Commandments was a directive that we should not use the name of God “in vain” – meaning without thought, casually, commonly.  In the New Testament, when Peter was denying Christ and actively trying to identify with those who were murdering Jesus, he did so by cursing and using God’s name in vain.

Using God’s name disrespectfully is not limited to the “mother of all curses” – G**D***.  It is any use of his name (or in my opinion, a close derivative of it) without reverence, thought, respect or care.

You might ask why I would even raise such an issue when there are many other “problems” in our culture, schools, churches and communities.  The presence of other sins does not negate any sin.   To do so is a tired and cliche’ tactic that any high school debate student can identify in a nanosecond.

I would also suggest that when one gains an awareness of and respect for the Holiness and Place of God in our lives, other matters of questionable practice and conduct will more readily fall into place.  Will a person who loves and honors and respects God enough to treat His name carefully be more or less inclined to acknowledge His authority in matters of ethics, morality and integrity?  Indeed, acknowledging God’s Sovereign Authority in our lives will lead to a better life of straighter direction. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Can a man have a polluted heart even if he doesn’t use God’s name carelessly?  Absolutely.  Now let me ask the opposite.  Can a man have a pure heart if he uses God’s name carelessly?  In fact the Scripture tells us that out of the mouth flows the content of the heart.  (Matthew 12:33-37)

So in closing, may I ask that each of us who have influence over the training of our young people, speak before audiences privately and publicly, lead our families and converse one-on-one take some time and examine the importance of keeping the names of God and Jesus Christ sacred, carefully used and thoughtfully assigned?  It’s part of the development of a worldview that is first and foremost about loving God first, best and most.

If you haven’t read the Newsweek article by Jon Meacham that I cited in my previous post, much of what I’m about to write will not make sense.  You may read “The End of Christian America” by clicking HERE.

Jon Meacham asks outloud in last week’s issue of Newsweek, “Have we reached the end of Christian America?”  To some extent, he may be asking a question that has largely already been answered.  One only has to spend time among the population today or view the religious melting pot that has become our cities to realize that Christianity — as “the” monolithic faith system in America that it once was — is rapidly become one among many.  Without a doubt, it is still the dominant one, but even among those who would lay claim to the identifier “Christian” it means less and less.  I was told recently of a community interfaith service held in small town Binghamton, NY designed to remember 14 people killed by a madman during which the name of Jesus was not invoked even a single time.  In today’s pluralistic hyper-sensitivity to tolerance, the distinctive of Jesus as “THE (only) Way/Truth/Life” is simply too narrow and dogmatic to be acceptable by most, it would seem.

So without debating the thesis of Meacham’s article, what does the evangelical church do in response to the reality that is “religiousity” in American today.  Indeed, there is as much hostility against evangelical Christianity as there is fervency for it in many quarters.  What follows is a mix of ideas, observations and thoughts….

1. We need to look within our borders for missionary activity.

Simply put, we have a new mission field to consider and it is us.  And in particular, it is the part of “us” that lives in the Northeast — the land of the Pilgrims, Puritans, Moody, Wesley and Whitefield.  I was told recently that there are 60 Southern Baptist churches in New York alone looking for pastors.  Few young people “dream” of moving to Massachussetts to start a church.  Could there be many places harder to start an evangelical church with a Biblical worldview that leans toward a conservative philosophy than say, Vermont?  New York City?  Boston?  Connecticut?  Maine?

There are a handful of small Bible colleges in the Northeast dedicated to equipping church planters, pastors and missionaries — Davis College in Binghamton.  Boston Baptist in Boston.  Word of Life Bible Institute in Upstate New York.  But they struggle in recruiting young people from the hotbeds of evangelicalism in the South, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest who are willing to go to the cold (in every sense of that word) Northeast for a life of ministry.  But indeed, it is a mission field worthy of investment and attention and individuals and churches should consider a place to send money, prospective students and other support.

Like it or not, the Northeast may be the most influential area of our country in terms of education, politics, economics and literature.  It’s closest rival would be Southern California and its music and movie industries.  We need to recapture this area with the Gospel.

2. We must re-emphasize the Supremacy of the Word of God

Someone once asked me what I believed was the most important theological issue in the Universe.  In a phrase — it is the Word of God and in that I have a dicotomous emphasis -  The Infallability of Scripture and the Sufficiency of Christ.  Both the Written Word and the Living Word must be pre-eminent in our faith or we have nothing.

Al Mohler, one of my favorite authors and thinkers, said this in the Meacham article: “The post-Chrisitan narrative is radically different; it offers spirituality, however defined, without binding authority.”  The fundamental question for every Worldview comes down to this:  “Who’s the Boss?”  All of theology and philosophy are built on that question.  Not “Who am I?” or “Why am I here” — but “Who is in Charge”.  Whom or what we accept as Truth is that on which our entire nature of being is hinged.

Philosophy and Theology are not nearly as complicated as we make them.  It is fairly simply and the crux of Worldviews is found in the “Book of Beginnings” — Genesis.  The questions with which Adam and Eve grappled in the Garden of Eden are still the questions of today.  “Is there really a God and does He really matter?”  “Can we trust God to tell us the Truth or is there something that He is holding back from us that we really need to know Truth?”

Bottom line — Either God matters and is telling us the Truth or God is irrelevant and can’t be trusted.  You must decide.  AND you must give it more than lip-service.  Many people claim to believe in God and His Word, but in the end, their actions indicate something entirely different with every choice that they make.  Wiersbe said, “Our behavior is a reflection of our beliefs.”  Don’t tell me what you believe….show me.

Today’s evangelical — let alone the man who makes no pretense of being a “believer” — generally chooses a lifestyle, a values system, a course of direction that indicates that God isn’t really to be trusted and we are the ultimate authority for what is right or wrong.  The implications of that are huge.

3. Genuine Christians will have to decide Who or What will define their values.

American Christians are flabby and undisciplined.  For too long, we have enjoyed a government that largely reflected many — if not most — of our values.  Since Darwinism and the Public Education System emerged in the late 1800’s however, we have seen a steady and progressive movement away from the core Biblical worldview that was held and taught by the Puritans who founded this nation.  Even non-Christians like Jefferson and Franklin at least held an appreciation for the Absolutist Worldview of those who held Scripture as the Standard for Truth.

Not so today.  Christians are often difficult to differentiate from non-Christians in how we think, how we spend our money, what we find entertaining, how we amuse ourselves, our sexual values, our integrity and business ethics, the sanctity of our marriage vows and how we identify with the world around us.  In some cases, people who make no pretense of being an orthodox believer in the values of Scripture conduct themselves with more consistency and integrity than those who plaster their faith statements on their T-shirts and car bumpers.

Thus the church must adjust its mission to teach things like Biblical literacy, theological discipleship, a Biblical worldview (philosophy), practical Christian living and Biblical discernment as it is now a counter-culture mission — often even within our own churches.

4. Evangelical Christianity must resist theological Heglianism.

In brief, Georg Wilhelm Freidrich Hegel was a theological philosopher who postulated (among other things) that Truth could be found by the impact of two opposing ideas.  The “Thesis” would collide with the “Anti-Thesis” to produce a “Synthesis” which, having survived the violent clash of ideas would be embraced as “Truth”.

Today’s virtue of “Tolerance” utilizes that premise in many ways by asking us to “put aside” or compromise our distinctives for the sake of unity or harmony.  We are challenged to discard the inconvenient truths of our faith for the sake of unity, harmony and tolerance.  The Ecumenical result of this is a faith that is born of a sense of “spirituality” and not from a foundation of doctrine.  This transient form of faith takes the pleasant and leaves behind the difficult.  It “cherry-picks” values held in common among various faiths, but neglects the roots that produced the fruit.  It is Oprah’s spirituality and Madonna’s Kaballah and the Dali Lama’s Noble Path and the earthy karma of Hinduism all rolled up into one.  Dogmatism is not a virtue, but a vice.  Absolutes do not provide a foundation, but are an example of intolerance.  Not believing is as valued as believing.

Jesus did not come to bring peace to man.  He came to bring peace with God.  His way is narrow (narrow is the gate), His claim was exclusive (no man comes to the Father but by ME) and His authority was Supreme (I and My Father are One.)  No room for compromise in His message.  Indeed, while compromise is the lifeblood of politics; it is the deathknell of theology.

5. American’s Hope is NOT Political

I am a political junkie.  I enjoy the drama of politics the way some people follow sports.  Every other November is my “Olympics”.  However, we have to get away from the idea that there is a political solution to the moral crisis in this nation.  Our national values are generally reflected in Washington — not dependent upon Washington.  As our country moves deeper into the era of “post-Christianity” we have to come to grips with the idea that Washington has moved from being a shelter for us to possibly becoming an adversy against us.  But this does not negate the soul autonomy which is assigned to each believer and what he or she does with truth whether or not a government declares it legal.

No one can make my daughter get an abortion in this country — yet, I wonder how many Christian parents have looked the other way as their daughter (or wife) went to take an innocent life because to have allowed it to continue would have been embarrassing or inconvenient.  I don’t need the Supreme Court to tell me that abortion is murder.  No one needs to keep drugs illegal in order for me to avoid them any more than the legal sale and consumption of alcohol has compelled me to take even one single drink in my entire life.  I don’t HAVE to watch smutty TV shows, I am not required to visit pornographic websites, I am not compelled to use vile language in order to appreciate “free speech” and I don’t need to buy a gun if that would be dangerous for me to do so.  My values are linked to Scripture, not legislation.  But when the choice is left to me, it does require me to THINK and DISCERN and to exercise SELF CONTROL.

Will I continue to vote for people who reflect my values?  You betchya.  But you know, elected office has a way of changing people, so I’d better not depend on them to keep me free, safe or holy.  In Meacham’s article he quoted journalist and commentator, Cal Thomas, who said, “No country can be truly ‘Christian’.  Only people can.”  We elect what we value, what we deserve, what we trust.  Look at whom we have put in power and that will tell you much about how we think.

That’s enough of my rambling for today.  Feel free to disagree or extend your own thoughts.  I’m not discouraged about Christianity in America.  Where there is much darkness, the smallest light makes a bigger difference.