Healthy Churches

Our local Christian newspaper has kindly agreed to publish this:

Contemporary churches often specialize in either expository preaching, heartfelt worship or community service.  This tends to attract specific people to churches that pique their interests. Churches are treated much like college universities where people can select their major field of study to the neglect of other fields. The results are stark. The churches operate under an imbalanced ministry. Only the mind, heart or hand is developed. Hence an emphasis is placed on knowledge, experience or morality. Polarization ensues toward intellectualism, emotionalism or moralism. 

The potential bitter fruits of such imbalances are rationalism, irrationalism or legalism. The beauty of the gospel is overlooked. Imbalances diminish the gospel but with God's sovereign grace in the gospel, stability can be attained. Jesus came to rescues us from our sins of pride, fear, and insecurity. He died on the cross, resurrected on third day, to pay the penalty for sins. So in him is our knowledge, motivation and efforts. In him we find all that we need to balance our affections, goals and works. The priority to love God first reverses the adverse effects of such imbalances. Exegetical preaching, worship and service are understood as interdependent. Each reinforces the other. The proper order should be biblical theology births doxology and evidences good works. 

Please take the time to pray for the local pastors and churches in our area to thrive with balanced ministries to reach the world with the gospel. 

Church Members Leaving?

I already posted on what may stunt the growth of any given church but I want to now recast it in terms of church members leaving their churches. 

There are obvious practical reasons why any given church member may leave his/her church. Job relocation, unbiblical doctrine, or doctrinal disunity, comes to mind. But what are some reasons that may not be as obvious, or at least, spoken less of?  Any thoughts? Here's mine. 

1. Ridged Ritualism that leads to an improper balance between external vs internal acts (e.g. Church leadership regulates all attendees to perform duties/rituals instead of simply trusting that God will motivate them to meditate, pray, and study). 

2. No checks and balances of leadership that can result in a pastoral dictatorship.
3. Pastoral opinion's and convictions are emphasized against clear biblical teaching.
4. Doctrinal teaching without carefully considering opposing doctrinal views to better learn, understand, and relate.
5. Church expectations for non-members that gives rise to sectarianism and pharisaical  doctrinal supremacy.
6. Church members hide their struggles and brokenness from others. Church members act morally superior that breeds depression, insecurity and alienation. 

7. Burdens are put on the backs of non-believers that even Christians daily fail to lift (e.g. Brokenness over sin, daily scripture reading, praying, etc.).

8. Preaching is narrow to only those that are in doctrinal agreement. It is one-sided preaching that lacks/suppresses empathy, understanding, or dialogue.  

9. Preaching that does not address the whole person but only the intellect.

How to possibly counter members leaving:

1. A proper balance is kept between external vs internal acts (e.g. Church leadership does not regulate all attendees to perform duties/rituals instead simply trusts that God will motivate them to meditate, pray, and study).
2. There are checks and balances of leadership between pastor(s), deacon(s), and members.
3. Pastoral opinion's and convictions are transparent against clear biblical teaching. 

4. Doctrinal teaching is preached carefully considering opposing doctrinal views to better learn, understand, and relate.
5. There are no church expectations for non-members to prevent sectarianism and pharisaical  doctrinal supremacy.
6. Church members are transparent about their struggles and brokenness. Church members are humble in Christ that breeds joy, security and unity.
7. Burdens are not put on the backs of non-believers that even Christians daily fail to lift (e.g. Brokenness over sin, daily scripture reading, praying, etc.).
8. Preaching is broad to those that are in doctrinal agreement or disagreement. Saints and skeptics are welcome! It is preaching that exemplifies/promotes empathy, understanding, and dialogue. 

9. Preaching that engages holistically the person: intellect, will and emotions. The spiritual health of the mind and heart is cared for by the preaching ministry. 

The Christian Worldview

Christian Worldview

We testify that there is only one God who is the greatest conceivable being, the most perfect being. God is one essence that is three distinct persons, coequal and coeternal, neither divided nor separated, namely, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

The Bible alone is the God breathed, inerrant, infallible, Word of God. It is sufficient, necessary, authoritative, and clear as our ultimate standard for all thought and human experience. It alone provides us with a worldview that is: the ultimate coherent explanation of everything, livable, hope and fulfillment. 

God created man in his image (i.e. with an intellect, will and emotions, ruling over creation).  But man sinned against God the results were man became sinners by inheritance, imputation and imitation. 

The Son became incarnate to rescue man from sin. Christ suffered and died upon the cross, and was resurrected three days later, to pay the penalty for our sins and purchase a place in heaven for us. Christ offers this as a free gift to all by faith. It is not earned nor deserved. Saving faith is trusting in Jesus alone for salvation. 

Christ alone is our living prophet, priest and king, never ceasing to teach, intercede and rule. 

Christ established one never ceasing, universal, united, church which is comprised of all believers; yet it is exemplified in a diversity of local churches. 

We know all these things to be true since this is God's testimony in the Bible. The Holy Spirit's inter-witness testifies this to us.  If it's rejected the alternative is utter irrationality. 

Christian Philosophy 

Christian Epistemology: All knowledge finds its source from God's revelation.

Metaphysics: All things finds their source, support and end from God. 

Ethics: All objective moral values/duties find their source, support and end from God's commands (that express God's essential goodness). 

A Denied Christian Newspaper Article

I submitted an article for the local Christian Newspaper Ministry with the hopes that it would be a featured article. Surprisingly, the editor rejected my submission on the basis that it didn't reach the targeted audience and was too overly academic; the editor said something to the extent that "the article would make a great theology paper." You be the judge if I am too overly academic or simply biblical.    

Biblical Apologetics

           As the advocates of the New Atheism rant in books that sweep the American popular culture, what are Christians doing to counter act this movement? In the first epistle of Peter, the Apostle Peter encourages Christians scattered in Asia Minor to endure suffering and persecution.  In chapter three, he, then instructs Christians to “ sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always [being] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame (1 Peter 3:15-16, NASB). Christians are commanded here, by God, to set Christ apart as Lord over their hearts, and to be prepared always to rationally defend the Christian faith in gentleness, humility and respect. Our defense, behavior, and lifestyle should consistently honor Christ as Lord to put the nonbelievers’ false accusations to shame.

These verses tell us our starting point in defending the faith must honor Christ as Lord. We cannot talk with nonbelievers in a way that dishonors Jesus. So our approach must transparently honor Christ as Lord and Savior. We cannot be closet Christians in our arguments and lifestyles. We either defend the Christian faith or betray it. We either defend the Triune God of the Bible or we defend idols of the heart. As our Lord Jesus plainly said, “He who is not with Me is against Me…”(Matthew 12:30). Many Christians today are attempting to be faithful to Jesus by defending the Christian faith. But the problem is they are defending the faith at the cost of denying Christ as Lord. They are telling nonbelievers to judge God and the Bible by limited human reason. They have implicitly consented in arguments, God is on trial and, the nonbelievers are the judges and jury. Christians argue as though nonbelievers have the right to count up the evidences in favor of Christianity and then judge if it’s true. However the biblical teaching contradicts this. God alone intrinsically is the judge and jury, while the nonbelievers are on trial, regardless of their desperate attempts to hijack God’s judgment seat. The Bible tells us God is not to be tested (Luke 4:12). God is the source and standard of truth (John 17:17, Det 32:4, John 16:13). Yet such passages are read with no affect. Christians continue to argue for a generic theism or a probable God; but they do not argue for the certain Christian God.

With the above criticisms made, we must move to construct then, a biblical approach to defend the Christian faith against the New Atheism. There are at least two fundamental principles that should set boundaries to the arguments we give to nonbelievers. The first is the no-neutrality principle that states Christians should not be neutral in word, thought, and deed, (including any argument) in commitment to the truthfulness of Christianity. Implicitly, this means Christians will not pretend Christianity is false with nonbelievers and then seek to prove Christianity from pretended disbelief to belief. The second principle, the no-autonomy principle, flows from the commitment to the truth of Christianity. It articulates, and reserves, the right to judge truth claims solely to God. Only God and His Word are our ultimate authority and standard for every facet of life. This runs counter to the idea man is autonomous, and, in turn, is the standard of all things. We are to transparently presuppose, proclaim, and argue from the necessity and authority of God’s revelation in Scripture and nature. 

Ideally, then, every argument we make to defend the Christian faith in some way should conform to these principles. If we stick to these biblical principles then we will effectively practice apologetics to the glory of God. 

Tips for Apologetics

1.     Study: Study and memorize the Bible, Systematic Theology, Evangelism and Apologetics to know what you believe, so you can Biblically preach and defend it. Apologetics presupposes Theology, and Evangelism. One cannot properly engage in Biblical Apologetics without engaging in Biblical Theology with the goal of Evangelism.

2.     Prayer: In apologetics one’s defense is only as good as one’s offense. So both study and prayer must be properly indulged in first before engaging in apologetics with the unregenerate. Remember all men have a sufficient knowledge of God but suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). Only God can open the nonbeliever’s eyes so we ought to pray God would do so in our apologetic encounters. Apologetics can only show the foolishness of rejecting the gospel. But God can make the gospel and our defense effective.

3.     Respect: Respect the unregenerate as made in the image of God. Don’t assume you know what the nonbeliever believes even if he associates himself with a particular religion. Let the unbeliever articulate his views and arguments. When refuting the unbeliever always refute and articulate the nonbeliever’s position accurately. Further, always refute the strongest argument the unbeliever can make in favor of his position.

4.     Wisdom: When dealing with the unbeliever’s arguments against or from the Bible always read the scriptures in context and look up the original Hebrew or Greek meaning. Since often times the unbeliever takes scriptures out of context or twists the original meaning of any given passage.  Moreover, we should anticipate the unbeliever’s objections and arguments.

5.     Fellowship: Talk among believers about theology, evangelism, and apologetics. Fellow Christians can learn and encourage one another. Christians possess resources, skills, and experiences that can be shared to proclaim and defend the faith.     

Apologetics Multimedia Recommendations

Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron, Way of the Master.

Sye Ten Bruggencate, How to Answer the Fool.

Jason Lisle, Nuclear Strength Apologetics.

Apologetics Book Recommendations

Jason Lisle, The Ultimate Proof of Creation: resolving the origins debate (Master, 2009)

John M. Frame, Apologetics to the Glory of God (P&R, 1994).

Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (Dutton,

2008).

Greg L. Bahnsen, Always Ready (Covenant Media Foundation, 1996)

Kenneth D. Boa and Robert M. Bowman, Jr., Faith Has Its Reasons: An Integrative

Approach to Defending Christianity (Paternoster, 2nd edition, 2006).