Wednesday Connect

Mark Driscoll on the September cover of Charisma magazine? Charisma, as in Charismatic, Pentecostal, et al? Driscoll as in Acts 29 Network, Gospel Coalition, Together for the Gospel? And does he know this crowd reveres and ordains women?

♦ Asked why they don’t identify with a particular religious group, some unidentified individuals found none the six choices offered by Pew Research’s survey described their situation. Apologist J. Warner Wallace (Cold Case Christianity) believes their views are best captured in another Pew survey, two years earlier.

♦ Ravi Zacharias apologizes. Now what?

♦ Preaching to the choir: “Sadly, many of us who ‘preach’ spend little time doing anything that resembles evangelism. In a culture where it is increasingly hard to find unbelievers who will listen, it is tempting to throw up our hands and quit. What worries me, however, is that our conscience is not even bothering us much anymore. We’re comfortable being the congregation’s ‘minister.’ The gig we aspire to would be a nice mix of pulpiteer/pastor/program director.”

♦ After the spiritual gift test results are back: We loved this article so much, we’re running it this evening at Christianity 201. Check out Specific Places of Service for Every Spiritual Gift in Your Church.

♦ Mainstream Media: The New Yorker tackles the differences in the faith of Millennial Evangelicals and that of their parents; part of “a growing trend of young Christians who view themselves as theological conservatives rather than political ones. To them, this shift marks a return to a more authentic way to follow the teachings of Jesus, without the taint of the conservative politics with which older evangelicals have imbued the text. These younger believers contend they aren’t looser in any way in their approach to scripture—in fact, they say the opposite. By following the words and actions of Jesus as revealed by God in the Bible, they believe they are being more faithful believers, eschewing worldly politics altogether. They remain deeply committed to the tenet of Biblical inerrancy, and the idea that the Bible, as a whole, is divine revelation…”

♦ “‘Spiritual’ and ‘spirituality’ have indeed become buzzwords in contemporary American culture, in which their main function, as far as I can see, has been to distinguish outward religious behavior, such as belonging to a denominational body and adhering to its precepts and standards of behavior, from an inward sense of the sacred and the wish to express it in a personal way.” But there is no corresponding word in the Hebrew bible.

♦ Did they just cave? An article dissecting the decision made by the leadership of Trinity Western University after they dropped their controversial student Community Covenant following a Canadian Supreme Court decision. 

♦ Finally. A clear and calm and rational dismissal of the notion that the KJV is the most accurate translation. (14-minute video) 

Invitations for the White House dinner were sent out just six weeks before the event.

♦ The Trump “Thank You” dinner for Evangelical leaders:

♦ The basic report from Religion News Service

♦ The text of what the President said (including an interjection from Shirley Dobson)

♦ The more biting look at the meeting from John Fea, who describes the crowd as “court Evangelicals.”

♦ Erring too far on the side of Grace? An examination of Tullian Tchividjian’s newest book and the responses it is receiving.

♦ So very sad: “Members of Inland Hills Church in Chino, California, are now grappling with grief after their lead pastor, Andrew Stoecklein, succumbed to self-inflicted injuries Saturday after a battle with depression and anxiety, his church said. He was 30.” He leaves his wife and three young boys. (More on the church’s Facebook page.)

♦ Good advice: Things to consider when you encounter a friend or acquaintance who has been recently diagnosed with, or has been dealing a long time with mental illness. Sample: “When people are dealing with something we don’t understand…our natural tendency is to draw away and to put space between us and them. The same thing happens when we assume a person’s experience is too private or shameful to ask them about. Don’t make the mistake of reinforcing stigma and shame by pulling out of a friend’s life just when he or she needs you most. You aren’t the solution, but you can be a powerful vehicle for God’s healing grace.” 

♦ You can’t tell the players without a program: Your moment-by-moment guide to the Anglican (Episcopalian, if you prefer) Communion Service (Eucharist, if you prefer) for the first-time attendee.

♦ It’s been awhile since we linked to one, so here’s the most recent Young Influencer’s List from Brad Lomenick.

♦ Quotation of the Week: “Our churches are full of people on Sunday mornings who are tired from staying up late the night before. They watched the end of the game that went into overtime. They were out late with friends. They caught the end of “Saturday Night Live.” The people in attendance on Sundays have grown accustomed to 30-second videos on social media and 140 characters in tweets. They’re used to being entertained and distracted at the touch of a button, and we expect them to be enthralled as we explain Paul’s teaching about circumcision for 30 to 45 minutes.” The power of good stories in preaching.

♦ Outrageous Quotation of the Week: “In a recent issue of the classic [Batman] comic, Bruce Wayne declares he doesn’t believe in God, only Batman. But does that prove to be enough?” Issue #53 is packed with theology including a quotation from the Book of Job.

♦ Aretha Franklin’s funeral will be broadcast on various outlets and live-streamed online…

♦ …”After years of singing gospel music, she decided she wanted to cross over and sing pop and soul music. But as her father famously said and was obvious to anyone who listened to her sing, she never left the church.” More about the sacred side of Aretha’s music.

♦ When do the words of a “watchdog blogger” cross a line into hate speech? I find this one more disturbing than the person he’s writing about. Consider: “I write to the fan of Steven Furtick. Flee from him, lest your soul also be ensnared to hell. He is not a sound teacher. He is not the most obviously damning teacher, but he surely is one I’d say is the most cunning in his deception of the flock. If super soakers, Lego props, and the like were not clues enough – surely, the words of his mouth will serve as ample witness.” (Personally, I always thought super soakers were the sign of the antichrist.)

♦ New Bible for 2019: Watch for the April release of the Revised New Jerusalem Bible. (The New Testament edition may already exist, but I couldn’t confirm this on any reliable trade sites.)

♦ Dialing for Doctrine: More non-sequiturs and inconsistencies with Calvinism, along with 250 comments.

♦ Prayer request: For author and conference speaker Sarah Bessey who is battling a new health challenge.

♦ Canada Corner: A new brothel is opening up in Toronto. The cost is $80 for a half hour. But the women are artificial.

♦ Parenting Place: Keep your ears tuned for kids talking about “the Momo challenge” circulating on What’s App. It encourages kids to commit self harm.  

♫ New Music: Video for the title song of the forthcoming Casting Crowns album Only Jesus.

♦ Author and former CT Editor Katelyn Beatty has signed on to work for a division of Baker Book Group as an acquisitions editor, i.e. someone who seeks out new voices and helps them reach a wider audience. 

♦ In a $1 Billion class action law suit, Herbalife distributors claim the organization’s ‘pep rally’ events were a sham. I think it is significant that I found this story in the Twitter feed of Religion News Service. The reason? So many Christian people get caught up in these multi-level marketing schemes. 

🎥 Focus on the Family focuses (in great detail) on the hot movie of the summer, Crazy Rich Asians including spiritual content.”Early on, Eleanor leads a Bible study and reads a section of Colossians 3, including the phrases, ‘If, then, you have been raised with Christ … set your minds on things above.’ … Eleanor’s faith apparently runs deep enough that she forbids Nick and Rachel from sharing a room together in her house during their visit—a conviction that, it’s implied, is rooted in her Christian faith.” But the site also reviews less desirable elements of the film from a Christian perspective. (Plugged-In does this for all major film releases; it’s a good website to bookmark.)

♦ Not exactly a faith-focused story, however… Under pressure from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and after 116 years of captivity, the animals on the box of Animal Crackers have been freed from their cages. (But we still get to bite their heads off.)

♦ A very merry Jewish Christmas for kids: The book description, “A contemporary satirical take on Rudolph, Schmuck the Buck: Santa’s Jewish Reindeer introduces Larry, a young Jewish reindeer. He overcomes his awkward and painful youth to save Christmas. His tale of acceptance and inclusion is sure to warm the hearts of anyone who loves Christmas, Hanukkah, both.”

♦ Finally:

This may have been found on either the religion or Christianity page at Reddit. Not sure. I’m posting it here more for your entertainment and not implying endorsement. I did like the closing sentence however.