Trade

Here is a trailer for a new movie coming out call "Trade". It deals with the dark subject matter of human trafficking.

Porn will not help your sex life

This is one of the most "biblical" essays I have ever read by a non-Christian. It is very powerful to read the truth of God from the pen of one who doesn't even believe in him. This a profound evidence of common grace. All Truth is God's truth and I rejoice when a well respected secular feminist articulates a view of sex that in many ways is consistent with the Christian worldview.

Here is part of what Naomi Wolf writes about porn:

After all, pornography works in the most basic of ways on the brain: It is Pavlovian. An orgasm is one of the biggest reinforcers imaginable. If you associate orgasm with your wife, a kiss, a scent, a body, that is what, over time, will turn you on; if you open your focus to an endless stream of ever-more-transgressive images of cybersex slaves, that is what it will take to turn you on. The ubiquity of sexual images does not free eros but dilutes it.

Other cultures know this. I am not advocating a return to the days of hiding female sexuality, but I am noting that the power and charge of sex are maintained when there is some sacredness to it, when it is not on tap all the time. In many more traditional cultures, it is not prudery that leads them to discourage men from looking at pornography. It is, rather, because these cultures understand male sexuality and what it takes to keep men and women turned on to one another over time—to help men, in particular, to, as the Old Testament puts it, “rejoice with the wife of thy youth; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times.” These cultures urge men not to look at porn because they know that a powerful erotic bond between parents is a key element of a strong family.

And feminists have misunderstood many of these prohibitions.

I will never forget a visit I made to Ilana, an old friend who had become an Orthodox Jew in Jerusalem. When I saw her again, she had abandoned her jeans and T-shirts for long skirts and a head scarf. I could not get over it. Ilana has waist-length, wild and curly golden-blonde hair. “Can’t I even see your hair?” I asked, trying to find my old friend in there. “No,” she demurred quietly. “Only my husband,” she said with a calm sexual confidence, “ever gets to see my hair.”

When she showed me her little house in a settlement on a hill, and I saw the bedroom, draped in Middle Eastern embroideries, that she shares only with her husband—the kids are not allowed—the sexual intensity in the air was archaic, overwhelming. It was private. It was a feeling of erotic intensity deeper than any I have ever picked up between secular couples in the liberated West. And I thought: Our husbands see naked women all day—in Times Square if not on the Net. Her husband never even sees another woman’s hair.

She must feel, I thought, so hot.

Compare that steaminess with a conversation I had at Northwestern, after I had talked about the effect of porn on relationships. “Why have sex right away?” a boy with tousled hair and Bambi eyes was explaining. “Things are always a little tense and uncomfortable when you just start seeing someone,” he said. “I prefer to have sex right away just to get it over with. You know it’s going to happen anyway, and it gets rid of the tension.”

“Isn’t the tension kind of fun?” I asked. “Doesn’t that also get rid of the mystery?”

“Mystery?” He looked at me blankly. And then, without hesitating, he replied: “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Sex has no mystery.”

Read the whole thing here.

(HT: Fire and Knowledge)

Don't play the major 3rd

Shaun Groves writes an interesting post dealing with why he think most Christian worship music sounds the way it does these days. (You also get a lesson in music theory)

Amazing grace and other things

Kathleen Parker has an interesting piece on townhall.com dealing with a new movie coming out concerning William Wilberforce and the abolition of slavery in the civilized world. She says:

As Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, they might add to the list of things for which they are grateful: Christian evangelicals.

No, I'm not kidding.

It has become fashionable and amusing these days to ridicule conservative Christians who believe in the Bible, even if they fail to live by the Word every waking moment. One fallen preacher comes along and the secular world rejoices in the triumph of hypocrisy.

Yet, anyone familiar with the history of social justice knows that evangelicals, as well as others of different faiths, have led many of the causes that progressives today claim as their turf.

Read the whole thing here.

How to Succeed in Business in 2007

The Office star, Michael Scott pens this very helpful article dealing with how to succeed in business in 2007. A must read for all business professionals!

Imogen Heap in ABQ

Last night some friends and I attended the Imogen Heap show here in Albuquerque. In short, it was one of the most engaging and creative concerts I have heard seen. If you don't have her record, repent, and then go to the store today and buy it. Actually one of my favorite songs by her is not on her latest record, but found on the soundtrack to the movie,"Garden State" and is a song called "Let Go".

Here is the run down if the show...

Immi was flanked my numerous forms of sound creating machines, from keyboards, keytars, laptops, samplers, etc. Her bass player played upright bass and actually played French Horn on a few songs (when was the last time you saw a French Horn at a rock show?). The percussionist played drum kit on a few songs, but mainly played the Marimba and other assorted percussion treats. Her guitar player did other random creative things with two different guitars. Her "drummer" (who was also one of the opening acts/one man beat box looping madness) actually made all the sounds of the drums with his mouth. Yeah, that's right. Sounds crazy, but was one of the coolest things I have ever seen in terms of live music and it really sounded very true to the record.

She played for about two hours and had a very pleasing and unassuming stage presence. She didn't carry herself like your typical rock star, but genuinely seemed humble and thankful that so many people would come out to hear her music. This was very refreshing.

Tons of musical technology, French Horn, Marimba, mouth percussion, amazing vocals from Immi and some really amazing songs made for one of my most memorable nights of live music ever. If she is coming through your town, be sure to check it out. It was well worth the price of admission.

Nativity Review

Dr. Al Mohler reviews "The Nativity Story".

The Narcisism of the Blogworld

(HT: Ysmarko)

A More Moderate Engagement with Islam?

Andy from ThinkChristian.net says:

There’s a challenging piece by Stratford Caldecott over at Godspy on Christian dialogue with Islam. Caldecott starts with the Pope’s recent (controversial) comments about the Christianity/Islam dialogue and tries to sound out what, exactly, Christians might have to say to a major religion that is (or should be) going through a fierce internal debate about violence, proselytism, and the relationship between faith and reason. That’s a debate that should look awfully familiar to anyone who’s studied Christian history.

The most common evangelical response to the topic of Islam seems to be to view the Islamic faith as a spiritual enemy to be confronted, a demographic in great need of evangelism, or both—and I think those can both be appropriate ways to approach Islam. But Caldecott suggests that however we respond, it’s important that Christianity and Islam be able to talk to each other. Islam sits at the edge of a precipice, at risk of collapsing into “ideology and tyranny.” Christianity itself has, by the grace of God, waded through very similar waters in its history. Might our experience be put to use in helping Islam to escape the violent and tyrannical elements within itself?

Do Christians have a responsibility or opportunity to help prevent the spread of violent, Wahhabi-style Islam? Encouraging the development of a more tolerant, reflective Islam might reduce the worldwide threat of terrorism and religious extremism, and it might establish a common vocabulary through which we might share the Gospel message with Muslims. But is it a step away from the Great Commission to “help” a non-Christian religion in this manner? Can the Christian church serve God by temporarily setting aside its evangelistic mission and focusing on the practical challenge of trying to help prevent Islam’s fall into ideological tyranny?

Something New This Christmas

Shaun Groves asks a provoking question in light of the upcoming Christmas season:

What should you get for the person who has everything? Nothing. So why don't we give them that this Christmas? Seriously. What is it that keeps us from giving nothing to people who have everything...and people who have enough?

Let me take it one step further...

Here is a crazy idea... Why not, NOT give presents to all the people in your family who already have everything, and instead find someone or some family in your community who doesn't have much and give them some gifts instead?

I know, I know, giving presents is a sign of affection, but I think there are many other creative ways to do this than giving gifts to all our "rich" family and friends. I probably won't have the guts to do it, but who knows... maybe I will. Thanks Shaun for the forsaking of tradition for maybe something better.

If you think I am straight nuts for suggesting this but don't want to overspend this Christmas, Dave Ramsey has some practical tips here for thinking through your spending during this time of year.

Responding like Jesus

Here is a powerful story of the gospel in action from a church in Montana.

(HT: Think Christian)

The New Slavery

Joe Carter pens a tragic peace on the state of human trafficking in our world today. He says:

In 2004, the U.S. Government estimated that of the 600,000 to 800,000 men, women, and children trafficked across international borders each year, approximately 80 percent are women and girls, and up to 50 percent are minors. The data also demonstrated that the majority of transnational victims were trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation. The International Labor Organization (ILO)—the United Nations (UN) agency charged with addressing labor standards, employment, and social protection issues—estimates there are 12.3 million people in forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, and sexual servitude at any given time. If the estimate is correct it means that there are more people living in slavery than there are people who live in New York City and Los Angeles combined.

Ghosts of Rwanda

I just finished watching the PBS Frontline documentary, "Ghosts of Rwanda" and words fail to describe the horror of what took place there only 12 years ago. 800,000 people butchered to death (mainly with machetes) in 100 days from April to July of 1994. That's 8,000 people a day. Men, women and children. Unfortunately, the country that most of us live in, looked on and in light of what had recently taken place in Somalia (Black Hawk Down) was unwilling to intervene or label it what it was: Genocide.

The film documents some amazing stories of heroism that took place in the midst of this horror as men and women risked their lives to save the lives of those who were targeted. These serve to inspire the need to fight for those whom God also values and shows God's grace in the midst of such profound and almost unbelievable evil.

In reflection upon this film, I am primarily reminded of the deep evil that resides in all of us and if left unchecked will prove to destroy us in this life and the next. Thank you Jesus for the gospel.

If you are a netflix user, I would strongly recommend viewing this documentary. It is not easy to watch, but if you are a Christian, I believe it is very important to watch and reflect upon the depth of our depravity and the need to fight for truth and justice in our world.

Thanksgiving Laughs

Since I lived in Tennessee for two years I thought this would be good to post on Thanksgiving...



(HT: SHLOG)

Thanksgiving Blogging Break

My Thanksgiving blogging break officially begins today. Hope you all have a great time of eating, fellowshipping, football watching, and most importantly, remembering The Giver to whom we all should give thanks.

Here is the conclusion to a sermon by John Piper that can guide your reflection on Thanksgiving:

Three Truths for the Sake of Your Thanksgiving

...But proud people don't say thanks. And so I have laid before you three very humbling truths for the sake of your thankfulness.

The first truth: nature teaches us that an infinitely marvelous, eternally powerful Being created us and all we have. Therefore we are his creatures. He owns us. Our life, our breath, and everything we have is a gift. Our duty is simply to be thankful to him from our heart and to cherish his glory.

The second humbling truth is that all of us have fallen short of this duty. We have not consistently prized the diamond of God's glory with an affection anywhere near its value but have exchanged it again and again for the cracked marbles that in our great "wisdom" we have determined are more valuable.

The third humbling truth is that God, in his great mercy, sent his Son to suffer the judgment of people who are broken and contrite in spirit and who trust in him.

Proud people don't say thanks. But people who believe these three truths do, from the bottom of their heart. The truth that we are utterly dependent creatures. The truth that we are depraved sinners. And the truth that we are redeemed and utterly forgiven through contrite faith. If these three truths penetrate to your heart this morning, they will empty your heart of pride and fill it with thankfulness to God.

The State of the Family

Foxnews.com reports some less than encouraging stats about the current state of the family in the US.

Calvin on General Revelation

"There is within the human mind, and indeed by natural instinct, an
awareness of divinity. This we take to be beyond controversy. To
prevent anyone from taking refuge in the pretense of ignorance, God
himself has implanted in all men a certain understanding of his
divine majesty. Ever renewing its memory, he repeatedly sheds
fresh drops." (Institutes 1.3.1)

"...this conviction, namely, that there is some God, is naturally inborn
in all, and is fixed deep within, as it were in the very marrow...From
this we conclude that it is not a doctrine that must be learned in school,
but one of which each of us is master from his mother's womb and
which nature itself permits no one to forget, although many strive with
every nerve to this end." (Institutes 1.3.3)

Body Piercing Saved My Life

Tim Challies has an amusing review of "Body Piercing Saved My Life".

Movie Executives Learn About Christianity

Here is an interesting article about how movie executives prepared for the making of "The Nativity". This past weekend we took the kids to see "Happy Feet" and saw the preview for "The Nativity". It looks really good. If you haven't seen it, watch it below.

Top Christian Records of 2006

In light of the closing comment on the previous post, I draw your attention to Christianity Today's list of the top "Christian" records of 2006. I am happy to report that I generally agree with most of their selections. There are some really good records represented in that list. What is unfortunate is that Christian radio is very slow to share our same sentiments.

Our God Reigns

Here is a very cool song called "Our God Reigns" from Delirious' new record called "Mission Bell". Here are the lyrics:

40 million babies lost to Gods great orphanage,
It’s a modern day genocide and a modern day disgrace
If this is a human right then why aren’t we free?
The only freedom we have is in a man nailed to a tree.

100 million faces, staring at the sky,
Wondering if this HIV will ever pass us by.
The devil stole the rain and hope trickles down the plug,
But still my Chinese take away could pay for someone’s drugs.

Our God reigns, Our God reigns,
Forever your kingdom reigns.

The west has found a gun and it’s loaded with ‘unsure’
Nip and tuck if you have the bucks in a race to find a cure.
Psalm one hundred and thirty nine is the conscience to our selfish crime,
God didn’t screw up when he made you,
He’s a father who loves to parade you.

Yes he reigns, yes you reign, yes you reign,
For there is only one true God,
But we’ve lost the reins on this world,
Forgive us all, forgive us please,
As we fight for this broken world on our knees.

Christian music used to be a lot more like this song, namely, more content and more preachy. Sadly the norm for today's Christian music is recycled "worship" music that all sounds the same (there are exceptions of course).

I'll assume you are internet savvy enough to find this song and the record. It's a good buy.

Anyabwile on TV Heresy

Thabiti Anyabwile (how the do you pronounce that?) says:

Television ministries are simply platforms—huge platforms—for false teaching without accountability. Now, of course, I don’t mean all such ministries are teaching false doctrines. But, I think it’s defensible to suggest that a good number of the biggest are and that we live in a church culture that not only disdains accountability and authority in many ways, but also has no equally-scaled apparatus for correcting these massive errors and distortions. When the TV preacher is viewed as the expert theologian, despite no training to that end, and he or she is the CEO of a wholly owned corporation independent to the local church or denomination, it’s tremendously difficult to correct, rebuke or admonish. And the longer they’re not corrected, the more confidence many people are likely to place in them.

Read the whole post here.

Help with your church website

These days the website is the front door to any organization. This is especially true of the church. Does your church website need work? A lot of them do. This link may be a good place to start for a little help.

One a similar note... Read this quote:

Just look at church websites. How many of them have this picture of a perfect family with a blue sky background. They all look so nice in their polo shirts, and the kids all have straight teeth. It’s all just so lovely.

-Ivy Beckwith, minister to children and families at the Congregational Church of New Canaan, Connecticut

Is this true of us? Do we portray an image of perfection in the way that we display ourselves to the world? Maybe, maybe not. I'm not sure that we should portray sloppiness as the norm for the sake of allowing people to "be themselves" or feel comfortable, but certainly the we don't want to publicize a picture of ourselves that everyone knows does not correspond to reality.

Though I diverge from much of the theology that Leonard Sweet purports, I find this quote very accurate:

People will assume the worst about you and your church and still value you and even join your congregation-if they don’t see you dancing in denial about what you’ve been or dancing on the hot coals of fads and fashions trying to be something you’re not.”

-Leonard Sweet, E. Stanley Jones Professor of evangelism at Drew University

Point = be real, be authentic, be honest, be yourself - all cliches, but they are so for a reason... it's because those concepts are timeless in their truth.

(HT: Relevintage, Think Christian)

More on Lions and Midgets

In light of my earlier post on the Lion and the Midgets...

It was a hoax - you can read about it here. I got sucked into the urban legend.

But... you can still get a t-shirt and coffee mug.

Click here for all you lovers of sick marketing.

Are You Tone Deaf?

Ever wonder if you are tone deaf? Hear is an interesting site where you can test your ability to hear musical pitches. They run you through 36 short exercises where they play two short musical phrases and then you have to tell them if they are the same or different. Give it a try and see how you score! I guess they made it intentionally hard so that it is rare for even accomplished musicians to score over 80%.

(HT: Scooter)

Driscoll Replies

There has been a bit of a firestorm lately surrounding some comments made by Mark Driscoll in response to the Ted Haggard confession. Today he posted a thank you to his recent critics. It's great to see evidence of grace in his life exhibited in the humility expressed in this post.

Please Tell Me The Apocolypse Is Upon Us

From the BBC:

Tickets had been sold-out three weeks before the much anticipated fight, which took place in the city of Kâmpóng Chhnãng.

The fight was slated when an angry fan contested Yang Sihamoni, President of the CMFL, claiming that one lion could defeat his entire league of 42 fighters.

Sihamoni takes great pride in the league he helped create, as was conveyed in his recent advertising campaign for the CMFL that stated his midgets will "... take on anything; man, beast, or machine."

This campaign is believed to be what sparked the undisclosed fan to challenge the entire league to fight a lion; a challenge that Sihamoni readily accepted.

An African Lion (Panthera Leo) was shipped to centrally located Kâmpóng Chhnãng especially for the event, which took place last Saturday, April 30, 2005 in the city’s coliseum.

The Cambodian Government allowed the fight to take place, under the condition that they receive a 50% commission on each ticket sold, and that no cameras would be allowed in the arena.

The fight was called in only 12 minutes, after which 28 fighters were declared dead, while the other 14 suffered severe injuries including broken bones and lost limbs, rendering them unable to fight back.

Sihamoni was quoted before the fight stating that he felt since his fighters out-numbered the lion 42 to 1, that they “… could out-wit and out-muscle [it].”

Unfortunately, he was wrong.

(HT: SHLOG)

Clips from tonight's THE OFFICE and "Lazy Sunday"

From Relevant Magazine:

Two clips from tonight's episode of The Office have landed online, and they are hilarious. The first shows Michael meeting Andy from Stanford for the first time, and the second is a homemade orientation video where Dwight and Michael perform a rap they call "Lazy Scranton." It doesn't get much better than this.

The music video they they perform in the second clip is a parody of this SNL video called "Lazy Sunday" which is basically a parody of The Beastie Boys. If you haven't seen this yet, you need to check it before you wreck it. One of the funniest ever from SNL.

SAD

From MSN.com:

"British guidelines advise against care for babies born before 22 weeks"

Switchfoot new video

Check out Switchfoot's new video here.

An Open Letter to Mark Driscoll

I'm sure most of you have seen this by now, but if you have not here it is:

Open Letter to Mark Driscoll by Rose Madrid-Swetman

As I'm sure you can imagine...she is not very happy with him.

Do You Have Friends?

Read this interesting post about the need for real relationships in the church and out of it.

Kim and I felt the challenge of this when we lived in Nashville. Big city, big church, everyone having really busy lives, and add the demands of little children and it's very difficult to establish deep relationships.

An Evangelical Identity Crisis

From MSN.com: "Sex or social justice? The war between the religious right and believers who want to go broader".

Read the article here.

Diversity in Worship Leadership

Bob Kauflin says in this post:

God has undoubtedly gifted certain people to write, sing, and play songs to edify the church. Millions of Christians have benefited from their diligence and faithfulness. We should thank God for them and pray that He continues to use them for his glory. However, most of the churches at the conference will never have a leader as gifted as Matt Redman, a band as talented as Paul Baloche’s, or songwriters as skilled as Brenton Brown. Also, contemporary music is only one piece of the music spectrum. It has strengths and weaknesses like all genres. When the only songs we sing were written or arranged in the last ten years, we have effectively cut off the voice of the church for the past three hundred years or more. We can do more to make sure that smaller churches don’t labor under a false idea of what worship music should sound like, and that larger churches model the diverse musical resources available to us for worshiping our Savior.

(HT: Scooter)

Webber's new terms

Anyone have any thoughts on this quote from Robert Webber?

"Getting Your Congregation Involved"
Robert Webber
from ancientfutureworship.com

In the current culture war, one of the battlefronts is the field of communication. How do you get your people involved in worship? This is the nagging question all worship leaders and ministers of music continually ask.

Do you remember the battle over information vs. entertainment (this word “entertainment” gets misused! The word itself means “engagement.” We want people to be engaged, but engaged by the message, not the release of balloons or some other silly gimmick).

Information fits the more 50’s crowd. Give me truth. Any old way. And its usually charts, graphs, printout, long complicated sermons.

Entertainment understood properly often means how truth is packaged. Unfortunately truth gets reduced to sayings – true as they may be – they are often glittering bytes without depth.

We need both. But I suggest first of all changing the language. A change in language often signals a change in direction.

Let’s change information to narrative. The worship of God is not based on information as in a statement of fact (God created), but on narrative (the God who created is busy re-creating His world). Note the shift to how the past speaks to the present and the future. It is dynamic, ongoing, and includes my life then and now, as well as in the future.

Let’s change entertainment to immersion. To be immersed is to be caught up in the present moment. It means more than listening and watching. It means to be moved by the content of what is being sung, said, or enacted. It means to be caught up in the truth.

I’m convinced that narrative and immersion can happen in any church.

I think it would be important to place this in the larger context of his thinking and writing, but my first impression is that God revealed himself to us and communicated himself to us in the form of human language so it seems that this should be primary in our worship of him. Does this mean "information"? I'm not sure if that is what he means or not. I'm not sure I dig what he is saying about information vs. narrative, but I think I like the change from entertainment (as he defines it, not what we usually think) to immersion.

(HT: Relevintage)

They never cease to amaze...

CNN on Sex Trafficing

CNN.com reports that sex trafficking is now much worse than African slavery ever was.

Top 100 Records

Time Magazine has released it list of the top 100 albums of all time.

My favorite records of all time would be found in the sidebar of my blog... I would add these to the list as well.

MuteMath - MuteMath
John Mayer - Continuum

What's up with Brian?

Scot McKnight pens a letter to Emma concerning Brian McClaren. Interesting stuff...

Packer on Liberal Interpretation of the Bible

When leaders of theology (liberal theologians) thus decline to treat any of the statements of our thousand-plus-page, million-and-a-half-word Bible as information from God to us and trumpet abroad that there can be no such thing as God given information and that it is an intellectual mistake to look for any, it is no wonder if folk lose faith in the capacity of biblical speech to tell us facts about our Maker. Were we all clearheadedly logical we should see ourselves as called by this situation to choose between such modern theologians as those just mentioned and such older ones as Moses and the prophets, Jesus Christ, Peter, Paul, John, and the author of Hebrews. Seeing the issue that way we might resolve that, on this point at least, we should ditch the moderns. But because many people are muddleheadedly conventional, it is not always realized that this is the choice that faces us; nor, even when it is realized, is the right decision always made.

J. I. Packer, from "Inerrancy", p. 205, ed. Geisler.

John Piper on Male Headship

But what the apostle stresses here in Ephesians 5:25-33 is that husbands should be filled with the Holy Spirit, eager to exalt Jesus Christ and therefore ready to conform their leadership to Christ's. Christ fulfilled his headship or leadership over the disciples through sacrificial service. Jesus did not cease to be the leader of the disciples when he stooped to wash their feet (John 13:13-15). And when he hung on the cross, the weakest of the weak for the sake of his bride, the church, he was no less her head. Woe to the husband who thinks that his maleness requires of him a domineering, demanding, attitude toward his wife. This is not the mark of a Christ-like head but a childish bully.

Reformed Humilty

From Glenn Lucke at Common Grounds Online:

A closing word about epistemological humility. It's painful for me to see the term disparaged by some in the broader Reformed community as a proxy for liberal views or as a proxy for relativism. Yes, I recognize that some who extol epistemological humility also embrace liberal theology and relativism. However, a proper appropriation of epistemological humility is the stance of staunch Reformed conservatives. Why? Because staunch Reformed people believe that there is a Creator-creature distinction, that all humans are limited by our finitude, and that the Fall further impaired our whole being, including our cognitive capacity. Historically the Reformed call this the noetic effects of sin, and any serious appropriation of the noetic effects of sin results in....epistemological humility.

The Reformed thinkers that embrace epistemological humility believe that God is and knows truth because He is not impaired by finitude or fallenness. He's the Creator and the Lord, we are neither. Because of His gracious revelation we can adequately apprehend truth. However, because of our finitude and fallenenss, we cannot totally comprehend God and His revelation. While we submit ourselves unreservedly to Sola Scriptura, we recognize that our theological formulations are not in themselves Sola Scriptura.

Are all things in Scripture completely understandable? Is it the case that people at the time of the composition of the original manuscripts-- not separated by time, culture, language-- perfectly understood the revelation? Probably not, because finitude and fallenness exerted their limitations on those who didn't suffer our cultural distance from the Scriptures.

Mercifully God's gracious revelation and His gift of the Holy Spirit aids us in our seeking to understand God and His Word. We can have adequate apprehension of God and His ways in order that we may glorify Him but our inability to have total comprehension leads us to...epistemological humility.

(HT: Internet Monk)

Missional Top Ten

Here is an interesting list of the top ten things you should NOT expect to find at a missional church. Most of them sound a lot like the the church where I currently work, especially the part about youth ministry. I still don't get the whole "missional" term, but what I glean is that this term points to a church that is different from your typical megachurch or seeker targeted church. It's a good list.

(HT: Scot McKnight)

Autonomous or Self-Sufficient

Mark Lauterbach asks some important questions and raises some good issues that pertain to self-governing local congregations.

I don't think that answer lies in jumping from the ship of self-governance and climbing on board with some huge denomination that governs "from the national office", but I do think church leaders do need to seek counsel from other trusted leaders outside of their local body in light of what Mark said about "corporate sin". It's an interesting point that I had not considered before.

Media and Church

Phil Cooke says:

…for the church as a whole, we need to get our act together when it comes to living and sharing our witness in a media driven culture. The way the mass media exposes, uncovers, and tells the story is vastly different from anything the church has experienced in 2,000 years of its history, and if we don’t understand how the media works, it will forever damage our witness to the world.

Read the whole post here.

(HT: Relevintage)

Partial Birth Abortion

Greg Koukl says:

I learned the term velocitized in high school driver's ed. When a driver accelerates from, say, 30 to 60 miles per hour and settles in, he gets acclimated to his new speed and loses his sense of velocity. It doesn't feel as if he's moving any faster than he was at first.

This is dangerous on the highway, but it's deadly when it happens to the moral consciousness of a culture. When a culture's decline in values begins to pick up speed, it becomes velocitized. Years ago, theologian Francis Schaeffer said that what was unthinkable yesterday is thinkable today, and ordinary and commonplace tomorrow.

Keep that in mind when the Supreme Court hears oral arguments today on a federal law banning partial-birth abortion. That the court must consider the legitimacy of a law forbidding this barbarism marks the velocity of our moral descent.

Calling a procedure an abortion doesn't make it one. Abortion happens to a child inside her mother's womb. With partial-birth abortion, most of the child is outside the mother. That makes this procedure infanticide.

Here's how it works: The baby is delivered feet first until only her head remains in the birth canal. The doctor takes a pair of curved Metzenbaum scissors and punctures the base of the child's skull. He suctions out the brain tissue with a catheter, and then delivers the baby's corpse.

To the morally sensitive, no argument is necessary beyond a clear description of this procedure. The morally velocitized, though, are content with the thinnest rationalizations to condone this brutality.

One woman told a radio interviewer she preferred partial-birth abortion because the baby was delivered whole and not chopped up into pieces. It gave her the opportunity to say goodbye. Another said it's the most "humane" way for the child itself.

Odd. We debate how best to take a child's life, not whether it's right to dispose of children.

Does it somehow strengthen a killer's legal defense because it took only one shot to the back of the head to dispatch his victim? Imagine the appeal: "Your Honor, it was the most humane way; he didn't feel a thing."

The more sophisticated defenses of partial-birth abortion generally fall into three categories. First, detractors say the legislation is unnecessary because the procedure is so rare. Second, it's a vital medical option necessary to save the life of the mother. Third, the fetus dies even before the abortion takes place, so the procedure is morally benign.

The first defense is silly. If these abortions kill innocent children, then why ignore a single, preventable death?

Second, the law in question allows partial-birth abortion when it's necessary to save the mother, though such circumstances almost never occur.

Third, if the baby were dead before delivery - in most cases, this isn't true - then the law simply wouldn't apply.

The moral depravity of partial-birth abortion is self-evident. Either you see this or you've been velocitized, dizzied by the speed of our moral decline.

(HT: JT)

Hymns vs. Choruses

In light of my postings on "Can We Rock The Gospel?", it got my mind thinking about the relativity of music. This led me to reflecting upon the frequent divide of churches in the last 15 years between traditional hymn users and churches that use newer, simpler and more emotional songs, usually called, "choruses".

My take:

To draw sharp line in the sand saying that one musical song form is inherently better than another is completely simplistic and potentially idolatrous. Hymns have a distinguishing musical form as does choruses. These are just arrangements of notes and rhythms and lyrics. That is all. Some are good and some are bad. To say that one form of song is inherently better than another is very short-sighted.

I believe that there are reasons why we have been singing, Martin Luther's, "A Mighty Fortress is our God" for around 400 years now. It's because it is an amazing song. Time will tell which songs are worth keeping around and which ones are not. There are great hymns and literally hundreds if not thousands of them which you have never heard of because they died off over years. The cream always rises to the top. The strong will survive. Musical natural selection if you will.

The same will be true of our newer songs that have been written in the last fifteen years or so. The problem is that we don't have the luxury of time to test all these songs; the church on the whole is doing that right now. There are many songs that I used to lead 5 years ago that will never see the light of day again. This is fine and they served the purpose that they needed to for that time. Other songs like "In Christ Alone" and "Shout to the Lord" will probably be sung for years and years to come.

The question is not hymn or choruses. The question is what are the best songs? There are some from both camps and both camps need to be drawn from to honor our past and continue to "sing a new song to the Lord".

As I see it, three main questions need to be asked in reference to songs in church, hymn or chorus:

1. Who is playing the song? Can they play with relative skill? (Psalm 33:3)
2. What sort of instrumentation is used?
3. Is it a good song? (subjective I know, but leaders need to decide this together)

New Piper Books

Here are a couple new books from John Piper that are coming out in the next few months:

When the Darkness Will Not Lift: Doing What We Can While We Wait for God--and Joy

Description:

Even the most faithful, focused Christians can encounter periods of depression and spiritual darkness, when joy seems to stay just out of reach. It happens because of sin, satanic assault, distressing circumstances, hereditary, or other physical causes. In When the Darkness Will Not Lift, John Piper aims to give some comfort and guidance to those experiencing spiritual darkness.

Readers will gain insight into the physical side of depression and spiritual darkness, what it means to wait on the Lord in a time of darkness, how unconfessed sin can clog our joy, and how to minister to others who are living without light. Piper uses real-life examples and sensitive narrative to show readers that there is reason to hope that God will pull them out of the pit of despair and into the light once again.

Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce

Description:

Against great obstacles William Wilberforce, an evangelical member of Parliament, fought for the abolition of the African slave trade and against slavery itself until they were both illegal in the British Empire. Many are aware of Wilberforce’s role in bringing an end to slavery in Great Britain, but few have taken the time to examine his beliefs and motivations that spurred him on for decades. In this concise volume, John Piper tells the story of Wilberforce’s transformation from an unbelieving young politician into a radically God-centered Christian and how his deep spirituality helped to change the moral outlook of a nation.

As world leaders debate over how to deal with a host of social justice and humanitarian crises, a closer look at Wilberforce’s life and faith serves as an encouragement and an example to all believers.

Petros Roukas

From ByFaithOnline.com:

On September 22 Petros Roukas, senior pastor of Tates Creek Presbyterian Church left his home and didn’t return. A number of suicide notes were found later by his wife, Jan, addressed to his family and to his congregation. His body was discovered on Wednesday, September 29. Pastor Roukas had been under a doctor’s care for depression. Bryan Chapell, President of Covenant Theological Seminary, delivered the following message at Petros’s funeral. We offer it here in this spirit of “mourning with those who mourn.”

Click here to read the message.

Dr. Chapell says:

I know that some will fear that if I do not shut the door to heaven to Petros for this particular sin that I may open the door for some others to consider doing what he did. I know that is a great danger, but the greater danger is to portray a god who does not understand human weakness and who draws a line beyond which his love will not go. I fear more the daily and eternal despair of belief in that god. The God we need is the one Scripture promises: the One who loves you so much that he gave his Son for you so that you need not fear even your greatest failures will deny you his eternal kingdom or his heart. Love for that God of grace will do more to hold you to life than all threats of hell from a god you dread and wish to flee. The Bible says the kindness of God leads us to repentance and draws us to life with cords of divine affection that nothing can sever. In that assurance there is love that is more powerful than death.

No more tag - what is the world coming to?

I guess my 4 year old would get in big trouble if he lived in Attleboro, MA.

Administrators at Willett Elementary School in Attleboro, Massachusetts recently banned tag. That's right folks, no more of that dangerous and frightening game in which one kid runs after another. None of that in Attleboro. They have discovered trouble with a capital "T" and its name is "Tag."

Al Mohler comments on this here.

John Reuben

How does a skinny white boy from Ohio get a career doing Christian hip-hop? Lots of hard work, crappy shows, and talent as an entertainer, that's how. When I played with Matthew West I had the privilege of being on tour with this crazy cat. He is a trip. Check out this short movie. He's really not this into himself, it's all tongue in cheek. Pretty funny if you get his sense of humor.

Laguna Beach

For those of you who don't watch MTV (I assume, it's most of you. I used to watch it on the tour bus, but since we don't have cable I have not seen it in awhile), Laguna Beach is a very popular "reality show" (actually the farthest thing from "reality") on MTV that follows young, rich, and beautiful teens. Youth pastor's: It's probably good to know what your teens are watching. Anthony Bradley comments:

Here's why the show is painful: it provokes millions of teens of both genders to envy every aspects of the Laguna kid's lives: their bodies, appearance, clothes, cars, wealth, relationships, material comforts, and so on. It's an envy machine for millions. If you'd watched The Merchants of Cool you know how MTV works: they find what teens really want and then glorify it. Laguna: MTV found a lifestyle that they KNOW (from lots of research, trust me) millions of teens lust for and it's on its third season.

Babel

Christianity Today posts an interesting review of a new movie coming out staring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, entitled "Babel".

In short, Babel shows us that history has not taught us how to overcome the separation that began at that Old Testament tower. While it is easy for those of us who enjoy some measure of wealth and privilege to forget, we are united—east and west, young and old, rich and poor—in the loneliness of the fall. Iñárritu (the director) encourages us to remember that we share "the same spiritual spine."

Lost Emotions and Innocence

“We lay on the ground and kissed. Perhaps you smile. That we only lay on the ground and kissed. You young people can lend your bodies now, play with them, give them as we could not. But remember that you have paid a price: that of a world rich in mystery and delicate emotion. It is not only species of animal that die out, but whole species of feeling. And if you are wise you will never pity the past for what it did not know, but pity yourself for what it did.” (John Fowles, The Magus, p. 149).

(HT: T4G)

Biblical Eldership and Alex the Strauchstar

This past weekend at our church we had a two day seminar with Alexander Strauch dealing with the topic of Biblical eldership. When I first heard that this was the topic I thought, "Wow, this could be a snoozer". I took about 30 seconds listening to Mr. Strauch speak on this topic to know that our weekend together was going to be nothing but seriously engaging for two important reasons.

1. The leadership of the church of Jesus Christ is a very very big deal and what the Bible say about how we should govern it is a very important topic to get right.

2. Mr. Strauch is an amazing communicator who has a passion for the Church that is very unique.

I can't summarize his content here other than to point you to his #1 resource entitled, Biblical Eldership. If you haven't read this and you are leader in your church, you really need to consider acquiring it.

In the near future, this seminar will be posted to our website and I'll draw your attention to it when it become available for free MP3 download.

Can We Rock the Gospel? - Links

Here are the links to my posts on "Can We Rock the Gospel?"

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6
Chapter 7
Conclusion

Can We Rock the Gospel? - Conclusion

There are a few more chapters left of "Can We Rock the Gospel?", but I am afraid that in skimming the rest of them I have pretty much said what I need to say in response to their book. I have no intention of demonizing the author's themselves, but fear the legalistic and arbitrary burden that these men lay upon their followers is horribly destructive and needs to be addressed and refuted. I personally emailed one the authors, John Blanchard, asking him to read my comments, but have not heard from him yet.

Thus in sum, can we rock the gospel? I would say "yes, for sure".

Ted's Letter to His Church

My Dear New Life Church Family:

I am so sorry. I am sorry for the disappointment, the betrayal, and the hurt. I am sorry for the horrible example I have set for you.

I have an overwhelming, all-consuming sadness in my heart for the pain that you and I and my family have experienced over the past few days. I am so sorry for the circumstances that have caused shame and embarrassment to all of you.

I asked that this note be read to you this morning so I could clarify my heart's condition to you. The last four days have been so difficult for me, my family and all of you, and I have further confused the situation with some of the things I've said during interviews with reporters who would catch me coming or going from my home. But I alone am responsible for the confusion caused by my inconsistent statements. The fact is, I am guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire problem.

I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life. For extended periods of time, I would enjoy victory and rejoice in freedom. Then, from time to time, the dirt that I thought was gone would resurface, and I would find myself thinking thoughts and experiencing desires that were contrary to everything I believe and teach.

Through the years, I've sought assistance in a variety of ways, with none of them proving to be effective in me. Then, because of pride, I began deceiving those I love the most because I didn't want to hurt or disappoint them.

The public person I was wasn't a lie; it was just incomplete. When I stopped communicating about my problems, the darkness increased and finally dominated me. As a result, I did things that were contrary to everything I believe.

The accusations that have been leveled against me are not all true, but enough of them are true that I have been appropriately and lovingly removed from ministry. Our church's overseers have required me to submit to the oversight of Dr. James Dobson, Pastor Jack Hayford, and Pastor Tommy Barnett. Those men will perform a thorough analysis of my mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical life. They will guide me through a program with the goal of healing and restoration for my life, my marriage, and my family.

I created this entire situation. The things that I did opened the door for additional allegations. But I am responsible; I alone need to be disciplined and corrected. An example must be set.

It is important that you know how much I love and appreciate my wife, Gayle. What I did should never reflect in a negative way on her relationship with me. She has been and continues to be incredible. The problem is not with her, my children, or any of you. It was created 100% by me.

I have been permanently removed from the office of Senior Pastor of New Life Church. Until a new senior pastor is chosen, our Associate Senior Pastor, Ross Parsley, will assume all of the the responsibilities of the office. On the day he accepted this new role, he and his wife, Aimee, had a new baby boy. A new life in the midst of this circumstance - I consider that confluence of events to be prophetic. Please commit to join with Pastor Ross and the others in church leadership to make their service to you easy and without burden. They are fine leaders. You are blessed.

I appreciate your loving and forgiving nature, and I humbly ask you to do a few things:

1.) Please stay faithful to God through service and giving.

2.) Please forgive me. I am so embarrassed and ashamed. I caused this and I have no excuse. I am a sinner. I have fallen. I desperately need to be forgiven and healed.

3.) Please forgive my accuser. He is revealing the deception and sensuality that was in my life. Those sins, and others, need to be dealt with harshly. So, forgive him and, actually, thank God for him. I am trusting that his actions will make me, my wife and family, and ultimately all of you, stronger. He didn't violate you; I did.

4.) Please stay faithful to each other. Perform your functions well. Encourage each other and rejoice in God's faithfulness. Our church body is a beautiful body, and like every family, our strength is tested and proven in the midst of adversity. Because of the negative publicity I've created with my foolishness, we can now demonstrate to the world how our sick and wounded can be healed, and how even disappointed and betrayed church bodies can prosper and rejoice.

Gayle and I need to be gone for a while. We will never return to a leadership role at New Life Church. In our hearts, we will always be members of this body. We love you as our family. I know this situation will put you to the test. I'm sorry I've created the test, but please rise to this challenge and demonstrate the incredible grace that is available to all of us.

Ted Haggard

Ted Haggard reflections

Jollyblogger has some good reflections on the Ted Haggard news:

1. Does it really surprise anyone that Christians aren't able to live up to the moral standards they profess to believe. King David couldn't, the apostle Peter couldn't, the apostle Paul couldn't (Romans 7 anyone?). So why should we be surprised when someone like Ted Haggard has such a fall?

2. In light of the above, this illustrates the folly of Christians who campaign on a platform of moral authority. Morality is a very "law based" thing, and as Romans 8:3ff illustrate, law (and moral standards?) is uniquely ill-equipped to combat sin.

3. In light of both of the above the thing that distinguishes Christians from others is not our moral superiority or moral authority, it is our identity as recipients of grace.

4. Christians are never perfect, but nor are we merely "just forgiven" as the old bumper sticker says. We are forgiven, but the grace that forgives also enables us to say no to sin, and our lives, including our moral lives, are necessarily improving. Yet, we are always simul justus et peccator as the old theologians used to say, simultaneously justified and sinful. While we are always to be growing in grace, we are always to be reminded of the presence of and battle with indwelling sin.

5. In my own humble opinion, this may partially explain some of these "falls" we see. Moral crusaders tend to see sin as something external to the individual, so their lives get wrapped up in building external restraints against sin. I wonder if they lose sight of the fact that the greatest battle with sin in our day is the battle with the sin in their own hearts?

6. This does not negate civic responsibility. I am not sure, but this may be a place where I diverge a bit with Phil Johnson, but I do think there is a proper place for Christian civic responsibility and Christian involvement in politics. But such involvement is based on love of neighbor and a desire to promote the common civic good, not Christian triumphalism or any misguided notion that law, apart from grace, can really restrain sin in the larger society.

7. Back to #5 - I sometimes wonder if the moral crusaders make proper use of the means of grace. I don't want to overstate my case here because, as I mentioned before with the apostle Paul, use of the means of grace does not guarantee you will never sin. I am quite sure Paul made use of the means of grace yet he still had the Romans 7 struggle with sin. But when I think about people like Ted Haggard, and the Mike Trout's and Gil Moegerle's and John Paulk's of the world, I see people who probably spend lots of time travelling, speaking and engaging in worthwhile ministries. But I wonder how often they were away from a home church on Sundays before their falls. I wonder if they were in a small group or Sunday School class where they were fed the Word of God and could develop deep relationships with fellow believers who could love them and pray for them and hold them accountable. I wonder if, in prep for their speaking engagements and other ministry opportunities, they gave greater attention to the pressing issues of the day than to the Word of God. Maybe they did, but I do wonder.

8. And bringing this all back around, the upshot of everything I have said is simply this - Christian engagement with the world (whether political, social, evangelisitc or otherwise) is not based on a position of moral authority. It is based on grace. Our "common ground" or "bridge" to a non-Christian world is our shared humanity, our shared sin nature, not our moral excellence. Again, I hope we are growing in moral excellence, but we are just too sinful to ever make that our platform or basis for engagement.

Can We Rock the Gospel? – Chapter 7

Some blogging commenters have asked why it is that I persist in dealing with a book that some deem to be a complete waste of time. At this point I would saw that for me as a worship pastor I think it is important to think through these issues as fringe as they may be.

Chapter 7 is entitled, “Red Flags” and their first one is that rock music, “so easily encourages worldliness” (p.144). Using Romans 12:1 as a proof text, they claim that we need to not “conform to the pattern of the world”. I am no Biblical scholar but my first inclination is to that assume that Paul is talking about the content of our character being in line with the Spirit and not the world. This says nothing about preferred musical style of a person. Are not unsaved classical musicians worldly as well?

Second, they claim that rock music promotes a spirit of “exhibitionism and self-promotion” (p.150). Again, this is a danger for all performers of all styles of music. Exhibitionism and self-promotion spring from the heart where those leanings already exist, they are not created or put there by a notes, sounds, and rhythms.

Third, they are concerned that, “the rock idiom mixes worship and evangelism with a stimulating form of entertainment”. They then draw on the definition of entertainment being “to hold the attention pleasurably”. A few sentences later they say, “…worship is characterized by reverence, modesty, and humility…”. I say Amen and Amen to this, but then they say, “…and has nothing that even remotely aims at our pleasure and entertainment”. Entertainment, maybe, maybe not, that depends on what you mean by entertainment, but “pleasure”? I think Psalm 34:7 and 90:14 have something to say about this. I am convinced that God strongly wants us to pursue pleasure IN HIM (in fact it would be sin if we did not) through worship as this honors him as the true source of “living water” to give him the most glory and us the most joy.

Also, I have to strenuously ask, ENTERTAINING FOR WHO? Does rock music somehow universally entertain all people while other forms of music (the style you use at your church, I presume) do not?

Their fourth point is completely insane. They say, “rock music tends to water down the holiness of God and the cross of Christ”. (Excuse me; I have to have some sort of a release here to my growing tension) AHHHHHHHH!!!!! I can’t take it anymore!!!! PEOPLE, USING WORDS, water down the gospel and the cross!!! Musical forms don’t water down anything because drums and electric guitars can’t talk!!!! I hate to have to say this about a book written by a couple of brothers in Christ, but I am beginning to think that this book is about on the same level as a book that holds to the idea that the world is flat. Ok, I’m done now with my temper tantrum.

Their fifth and final point is that rock music “widens the generation gap and splits the church into musical camps by age groups”. I can’t believe this stuff is actually in print. Ok, so rock divides and the unnamed musical style that you use and approve of at your church does not? All the people, from the 8 month olds, to the 80 year olds are completely unified on the style of music? ALL music divides because we are people created by God with differing preferences. They say on page 165, “Rock n’ roll was the first music in the history of the world specifically aimed at the teenage market”. Which proves what? Hmm, I guess teens didn’t like music or have strong preferences before 1950.

In closing, there are many reasons that musical styles are amoral. One of the biggest ones being the fact that God’s word did not come to us in the form of music; it came to us in the form of words. Thus, God does indeed look to the heart where the “over flow of the mouth speaks”. Music is deemed moral or immoral by the content of the heart that is revealed through lyrics, not through sounds and notes in and of themselves. If God revealed himself in a preferred musical style then we could make a case for his preferences, but is it not clear biblically that God is not nearly as concerned about externals as he is the product of the heart that brings them about? I think I remember Jesus saying a few words like this in the Gospels.

I’d also like to publicly call these authors to repent. I believe that like the Pharisees, these men who are leaders in the church, are heaping up heavy legalistic, extra Biblical burdens on their people that are called to follow them. It’s extremely dangerous and it’s very sad really.

I’d like to close with an insightful comment that was left in response to an earlier post. Scott Sterner, pastor of Worship and the Arts at Parkview Evangelical Free Church in Iowa City, IA says:

At the root of these arguments is an air of ethnocentricity. In other words, there is a core assumption that ones own preference and cultural heritage (i.e. conventional western harmony) is the most evolved form of music. Seldom do the writers of these kinds of books acknowledge that the ancient music forms in the scriptures preceded conventional harmony and tuning. To do so would be to admit that they would hate the music that David danced to.

Sweep the Leg

One of the coolest and funniest short films/music videos that you have ever seen will be coming out in a few months. It features a song called "Sweep the Leg" by a new band from Astonish Records called, No More Kings and includes all the former cast of the movie the Karate Kid. You can see the trailer at www.sweeptheleg.com. Last night in Hollywood there was a showcase for all the artists on Astonish records where all five bands got to play short music sets and then the short film/music video was premiered. It is amazing. I had the privilege of playing with David Martin and got to hang a bit with the guys from Soular. Interesting side note, the front man of Soular used to be the worship leader for Desert Springs church where I am currently holding that position. Small world.

Can We Rock the Gospel? – Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 6

The authors begin chapter 3 by claiming to give a definition of rock music. I was very glad to read this as I have been longing for one since I began reading this book. They admit that it is extremely diverse and difficult to pin down but they seem to think, “there is a common musical thread” (p. 51) that we can look to to help us understand what it is. From their point of view, the common musical thread of rock music is, 1) constant repetition 2) a strong back beat (snare drum on two and four) and 3) dangerous volume.

Constant Repetition and Backbeat:
They say on page 53 that “the most we can say is that variety is one of the marks of any good music, regardless of style”. I would then like to ask, “Does the simple repeated praise chorus of an African Christian not qualify as “good”? Says who? Who made these authors the ultimate judge of musical “goodness”? Note the words, “we can say” in the first sentence of this section. If they had said “the most God can say” I would be more inclined towards their thinking that rock music is objectively bad for use in the church but they know they can’t say this, thus they prove here that they are making subjective statements showing their argument to be very weak.

The authors make the claim that constant repetition of the music proves to have a hypnotic effect on the people listening and refer to “drum circles” (typically weed smoking hippies who like the Grateful Dead and sit around in a circle playing drums) and non-Christian drummers who make statements about wanting to fall into “a trance” to point to the fact that drums played in a repeated fashion lead to dangerous hypnosis and over emotionalism opening the listener up to mindlessly accept a message a performer might deliver from the stage. They say on page 54, “This obviously has very serious implications for the use of rock music in worship and evangelism. Any medium of presentation that induces any loss of self-control or awareness and makes the listener unusually susceptible to whatever suggestions are made by the lyrics is clearly dangerous and will almost certainly encourage a response that will be largely psychological instead of that which God requires, which is that we should worship him in spirit and truth”. Later on they say, “What we are saying is that the element of relentless beat and repetition in rock music increases the danger of a shallow, emotional, unthinking response, made at the wrong level for the wrong reasons”(p.57).

In response I would say that rock music may have this effect on people who are already “shallow, emotional, and unthinking” (and even that is a long shot) but it in no way has some magical power to create these attributes in a person. Need I say more? This argument borders on the absurd.

Second, I think their argument is valid for those who go to rock concerts and are high on a truckload of weed, but usually this does not happen in the church. As a personal testimony I have been leading and participating in worship using drums using a backbeat for about 10 years now and I can say with utmost confidence that I have never been, nor seen anyone lulled into a hypnotic state by a rock style of drumming. I am aware that this does not mean it can’t happen, but I offer my experience as a differing voice.

Third, it seems that endless repetition has a valued place for God in that we see in Revelation 4:8 that, “day and night they never stop saying ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come”. One could say that these are angels and they are created for a different purpose than humans, but I would say that we at least need to admit that God does not forbid some form of endless repetition in those created beings who worship him.


Dangerous Volume:
The authors make the claim that rock music is synonymous with dangerous levels of volume. Again, using this argument borders on absurdity. Does “rock” music somehow embody the essence of loudness? What determines our perception of loudness? Usually it’s our proximity to the object that is omitting a certain sound. Rock music or any musical form for that matter may or may not be “loud”. I have been to orchestra concerts where the decibel level far exceeded the level of a “rock” service at a local church. The authors seem to think that if this music is not performed with twin Marshall Stacks (large guitar amps) turned all the way up to eleven, then the music ceases to be “rock”. I am well aware that the history of rock music testifies to high volume levels, but if we don’t like the volume level in the church one simply needs to have a discussion with the sound man or worship leader and turn the sound system down if the leadership deems this necessary or have your sound man pursue more education to be able to mix the instruments on stage in a more pleasing way.

They also quote a disgruntled former Christian rock fan that couldn’t hear any of the words during a worship service due to the loud drums and guitars. Again, this is sometimes a sound man issue and sometimes a vocalist issue. It says nothing about the value of a certain musical genre. They then proceed to equate rock music with an inability to comprehend lyrical content. This may or may not be true and to make a sweeping judgment based on a few different peoples experiences is poor reasoning. The author’s statements about volume are grossly over simplistic and in my opinion, very unhelpful.

They end the chapter with this quote: “…Christian rockers are simply copying and imitating a music style that was created and inspired by men who in their lust for freedom – free sex, freedom to get high on drugs anytime they please, freedom to seek a god of some sort through altered states of consciousness, and freedom from any kind of authority – have rejected the God of the Bible. This is an important distinction to remember in the ongoing debate” (p. 74). What they are saying is that since rock music was created by those who embraced a highly immoral and anti-Christian lifestyle, rock music is unfit for the church.

Three problems:
1. How rock music was “created” is extremely debatable and subjective
2. We still don’t know what “rock” music is. Based on their definition anything that is loud, repeated and emphasizes a strong pulse on beats 2 and 4 is “rock”.
3. I’ve said this in earlier posts, but moral lifestyle of practitioners does not make the practice immoral. Reasoning like this would go as follows: There are many lawyers who are rejectors of the Bible, cheats, frauds and justice forsaking lovers of money, thus the practice of law is immoral, thus it is unwise for Christian churches to deal with any lawyer.

In response to #3 the authors might say, “No, there is a distinction in that rock music was not just practiced by immoral men, it was CREATED by immoral men, thus making their creation immoral.”

I would respond by asking the authors what sort of musical style they use in their churches? It would be important to ask them if they know the whole moral background of the creators of the musical style they prefer to use in their church. Let’s say they choose to simply have hymns sung with a simple accompaniment of a grand piano. Have they plunged the depths of the moral history of the creators of the piano and the hymn musical form? Is it free from men and women who were non-Christians and entrenched in sin? Most definitely not. My point should be plain. No matter what musical form you choose, the history of it’s creation will be laden with sin filled people. In light of what they have written on this issue, it sorrows me to say that these authors potentially embody a high level of hypocrisy.

There is no real need to make much comment of chapters 4, 5, and 6. They simply use these chapters to build their case that many performers in rock music are satanic (chapter 4), sexually perverse (chapter 5) and high on all sorts of mind bending illegal substances (chapter six). I agree, it's true, but again, this behavior has nothing to do with a certain musical forms being essentially immoral and unfit for the church.

In sum, I’m sure these men are well intentioned, but after chapter three, four, fix and six, I am rather stunned by their faulty and simplistic reasoning.