Linkathon!
Where have all the skinny jeans pastors gone?
Christ’s tomb at risk of collapse…
How to escape America’s anger problem…
Habakkuk’s anti-fragile faith…
Gospel For Asia still a cash cow…
The absurdity of making Jesus famous…
Beauty and the Beast and boycotts…
Transgender ideology and the end of law…
Do we evangelize or proselytize?
Whatever happened to “Friendship with Jesus?”
The moral revolutionaries demand unconditional surrender…
Is the religious left emerging as a political force? No…
They will know we are Christians by our drinks…
Peter’s message to politically panicked Christians…
There’s a crack in everything…that’s how the light gets in…
Wenatchee the Hatchet keeping Driscoll records online…
Huge thanks as always to EricL…support him at top right…
I just want to comment on the ‘where have all the skinny jeans pastors’ link… I’m sorry , I haven’t read the rest, yet, and may not get to them..
I want to say that I have been seriously blessed by the fellowship of a plethora of devout and on fire young men and women ‘in ministry’ of late, in my associate with Crossroads Community Church of Vancouver, Washington. It’s been an infusion of life and joy to be around so much love and zeal…. God is moving in a massive way; a “Jesus Movement” of sorts. I also know of a number of other YOUNG, zealous and devout pastors who are carrying the Torch as older, faithful servants have retired. It’s not all bad out there.
I loved the article on Habakkuk and really related to getting from stage two to stage three. I’ve been stuck in that hole for a few years.
I also LOVED the video. It has to be the cumulative outcome of where Christianity has gone in the last 20 years. It really sums up where we have landed. I also believe that a 2:00 or 2:15 Sunday church service is a great idea (wink, wink) Why waste the morning when you could be drinking coffee, watching tv, or doing something fun?
What a strange world we live in.
Where have all the skinny jeans pastors gone?
Thankfully away.
Paige- that’s great!
My comment on skinny jeans pastors was more directed at the trendiness than the pastors themselves.
Judy, love the idea of an afternoon church meeting. It’s hard for us night owls to atruggle waking up and then be expected to remain awake while sitting in chairs for 75 minutes.
“The problem with religion…”
Another breath of fresh air from Steve Brown. Thank you.
“Is there an emerging Religious Left movement?” is a good example of living in denial.
At least the religious right is fractured and has Russel Moores and Ben Sasses to counteract the thinking of the Dobsons and Falwells. Is there an issue Schultz would disagree with the conventional wisdom of the left, where he would agree with his conservative Christian friends?
Schultz’s article hints that this is unnecessary since the religious left has already been deeply co-opted by the political left, therefore there is no need for a leftist version of Moore or Sasse calling out the establishment.
I’m feeling more and more like a curmudgeon these days because of what is passing itself off as ministry and people are eating it up. Zeal does not equal power. Activity is not ministry. Creating an atmosphere of excitement is not ministry. Being positive is not ministry and making yourself or others feel good is not ministry.
I’ve been inside the belly of one of these “churches” and the focus is on creating “experiences” (their wording). It’s about making and telling a story for people to connect with regardless of reality (there are master spin doctors leading churches but they are so nice and positive that no one thinks to consider). It’s really about making people feel something that is conjured as opposed to a genuine experience with God which feels very different.
There is little to no equipping. There is little to no challenge. There are opportunities for very few to learn or do anything resembling ministry. In fact, most of the assisting pastors at these churches are really just cruise directors on the ship. No opportunities to teach, few opportunities to mentor, and the longer this goes on it means that the next generation will think that this is what ministry is and looks like, and have no skills to help people in actual crisis, or disciple people the way that Jesus did. Be happy, not grumpy. How ignorant of the Bible.
No power, only products. No charisma, only consumers. “Tony Robins” christianity. We would do well to revisit the exhortations to the churches in Revelation 2-3. I’d better stop there. It’s so depressing because its so true, and so much of God’s resources are being wasted in the name of ministry. When you spend more on sound and lights and video than on equipping the saints for the work of ministry, something is wrong.
Curmudgeon out.
Thankful for your perspective, Corby. I’m right with ya!
Agree Corby
Where have all the skinny jeans pastors gone?
I don’t know but my jeans are getting skinnier with every double quarter pounder with cheese.
“My date with a prostitute….”
Beautiful….
Paige #1,
I am glad you found a home at Crossroads.
Ok 40 years of local church ministry and I am going to make an observation; A very very large percent of the people who cry church abuse 1) provoked the leaders until the leaders stood up to them 2) wreck other social groups they join including family 3) hurt more people than hurt them. Sorry but this is just the other side of the broken humanity story and the sin problem.
Ok that is my brief rant… but it reminds me of the person who had 6 divorces and failed to see the common denominator of each failed marriage.
Dread at 13: It has been my observation, too.
I can only think of one example of church abuse (where I believe a person was unjustly fired) and I don’t know all the facts of that case. (I don’t consider arguments and differences of opinion to be church abuse.)
What I have seen, time and time again, is a a person/ couple will bounce into a new church situation, full of enthusiasm, and immediately volunteer for everything. They try to become the pastor’s new best friend and begin giving him stuff and doing things for his family. They think the pastor now owes them because they have made themselves indispensable. They think they should be able to wheedle the pastor into doing things their way, be it doctrine or practice. The pastor, if he has any spine at all, will resist because he is the pastor of all the people, not just these glad-handers.
So the person/couple creates a Big Stink if they don’t get their way, spreading criticism and gossip. All the private info they gleaned during their glory days is blabbered to everyone who will listen. People are hurt (the *real* victims here) and finally, with a grand flourish, they flounce off to the next church with great enthusiasm and much criticism about the church they just disrupted. And it starts all over again.
I have seen this happen at least a dozen times, in all types of churches.
I do not deny that genuine church abuse exists but from what I’ve seen, it’s not the pastor who does the abusing. There are exceptions, of course.
So here’s the take-away: If a new family appears at your church, full of ideas, big talk, and makes a bee-line for the church’s inner circle, don’t believe anything they have to say about the church they just left because they probably left it in tatters.