All quiet on the Northern front

Gone troppo.

Back to blogosphere next week.

Haiku Friday

Sarah has started a regular feature "Haiku Friday". This week's theme is TIME.

The Crucifixion and Zombies

Mark has suggested in the comments from my Revelation and Zombies post, another storyline for "The Bible and Zombies" series.

This time, The Crucifixion and Zombies.

Ben Pfahlert on graduation from MTS

Ben Pfahlert at the Ministry Training Strategy Graduation;

This is not really a graduation. It's a celebration of achievement, a coming of age. Tonight is more like a 21st than a passing out ceremony.

My immediate thought;

Benny, I'm not sure if you've been to many 21st's lately, but "passing out ceremony" seems a pretty accurate description.

I love Ben Pfahlert and I love the ministry training mindset.

It's a holy pyramid scheme.

Flashback

Going back to guest speak for a second time at youth group.

I just had a flashback to the first occasion, when I was preaching evangelistically on Jesus healing the paralytic in Luke 5. As I was about to start, I was momentarily distracted when amongst the fifty blokes, wheeling into the left back row was none other than a person with paraplegia. His presence wasn't off-putting, I didn't falter at all. However, as I tend to look up from my notes always at first instance to my left, which in this case was exactly where the aforementioned guy was seated, one of the leaders in their feedback to me thought I was constantly looking at him.

It's great that he got to hear about Jesus. I just hope others weren't distracted by my natural left-looking tendencies.

Thankfully God is sovereign.

Revelation and Zombies

I've never read Pride and Prejudice. But apparently a modern take on the classic tome called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies has started its own genre.

So come on then, Revelation and Zombies anyone?

Consulting the tea leaves

I am not a prophet nor the son of prophet.

I am however a plagiariser and I stole that opening from Phillip Jensen. Gazing into a crystal ball doesn't sound Christian, so instead I have consulted the tea leaves and wish to put forward a prediction for the future (whilst simultaneously wondering if that was tautology seeing I'm unsure if it is possible to predict the past).

Anyways, I digress. There is a well known adage in Christian circles that I've seen attributed to a number of sources including Don Carson, that "one generation believes a truth, the next generation assumes the truth and the third generation denies the truth." This seems an entirely logical statement to make, and from my understanding of a number of formerly evangelical organisations, it seems to be consistent with fact.

Who is the second generation? The one that doesn't preach the gospel.

But how do they become the second generation? It seems to me, that knowing the 'generations saying', doesn't immunise us from its outcome. It's also hard to recognise because it's not that they don't believe it, rather it is simply assumed. And certainly no one wants to be that second generation. So will it be me?

I have been postulating recently on the effect/affect that the increasing prevalence of online community will have on Christian truth. Without evidence, I suggest a major reason the first generation discovers or rediscovers and believes the truth is because they have to fight for it. When the truth is under attack, it forces us to be clearly defined in what we do and don't adhere to. Another baseless claim I want to make is that it appears to me, the more likely you would need to fight for these truths is dependent upon how much you are in the minority. If everyone believes the same as you, why would you need to fight for the truth? You might need to protect it by some means, but not in the same way that having to fight for the truth brings people united behind it.

So here's the rub. There are so many people on the internet that you can gather support for just about anything. Just have a look at the amount of groups on Facebook. Whether you want to find 20,000 people who hate the Roosters, People who always have to spell their names out for other people, Bug me during Grey's Anatomy and I'll insert this scalpel into your spleen, or I don't care how comfortable Croc's are, you look like a dumbass, no matter what your cup of tea as it were, no matter how obscure your personal tastes, you can find thousands of other people just like you. Complete with all your own little freaky preferences and desires.

I love the internet. I love the possibilities it presents. I love that I can communicate so easily with people on the opposite side of Australia and the world. But when I can gather a whole bunch of people who think pretty much exactly like I do, I will no longer have to fight for the truth. In fact I'll never truly feel in the minority. Even within these groups, if I don't agree, there's plenty more out there who will. The benefit of being in the minority is that it causes us to fight hard and rally behind the truth, to by godly disagreement be forced to define what we believe.

Now of course, I'll never meet someone that thinks exactly the same about everything as I do. Yet even then, this if anything magnifies the problem. We end up defining not the core (which is assumed) but instead define our agreement on peripheral matters. We will major on the minors.

The tea leaves are telling me the blessings of the online world, increase our chances of assuming the gospel.

Any true prophets wish to give a word of knowledge?

More off the record... this time on the record.

Blogger on all things interesting (and more!) Nathan, was not happy with my nothing post yesterday. So let me begin to offer some of my reflections on what I can say in relation to Mondays think tank. My thoughts are still coming together, so I welcome feedback.

On iPastor...

The idea that technology has got to such a point where we can directly beam via satellite into our homes HD video of the best preachers from across the world, is simply breathtaking. And while every step up in technology is railed against by the fuddy duddies of which I am occasionally one, nevertheless the technological march continues.

So what do we do with this technology? Generally we adapt or die. And while early-adopters have the benefit of being at the cutting edge, railers are forever playing catch up. Personally I would say this included both blogging and podcasting for me. It currently includes twitter. I was talking with my mate Paul yesterday and we agreed that neither of us thought twitter was achieving a purpose that Facebook updates didn't, and thus that is currently where both of us are drawing the line. But I'm sure that stance will change if twitter keeps its popularity.

Now, I've spoken before about my discomfort with the Mars Hill Global beam in iPastor guy to preach to local congregations. Is this another area where my initial discomfort will later be replaced by playing catch-up? Perhaps. But the realities of the global nature of relationships over the internet is still being worked out in regards to church life. Is it possible to have an online church? On the one hand, you've got people who live in isolation who either have no church to go to, or none worth going to. Online preaching and churching enables these folks to receive regular Bible input and encouragement from others.

Yet for me, this is where I think my discomfort is with Mars Hill Global. It is not an attempt to use the online world for fellowship with those who otherwise are without access. It is not an attempt to 'gather' those whose predominant relationships are conducted online. Instead as I understand, it is an attempt to meld both the regular "physical" gathering with some of the benefits of the "virtual online" world. It is equipping poorly resourced local churches with a higher level of preaching. Those that could not otherwise get as competent a preacher as Mark Driscoll (which is 99.9% of churches) can now get that benefit every week.

That Mars Hill are taking this on is admirable. It's a loving thing to do. In a lot of situations I think it would provide great benefit. And yet it is not an attempt to come to terms with the nature of online relationships (which needs further thought), but rather a melding of the two. The old and the new. A physical gathering with an online component.

We must make the best use of this technology that is available. Yet my personal view is that while further thinking needs to be done about the implications of online church, the solutions provided by Mars Hill Global in revamping the local gathering, in the long term undermines that existing older model. Seeing it is not as though no local can preach at the global campuses, they instead require someone for about ten weeks of the year.

A way forward? I am willing to admit I may end up playing catch-up on this one. While not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, the old tried and true physical gathering is still working adequately. Though the nature of people relating to others occurs increasingly online, I would suggest that the physical nature of relationships will not dwindle as much as we are tempted to think. People still need to work, people still need to eat, people still need to meet other people.

Instead I would suggest spending our energies and indeed I am working towards changing the thinking of Christians from purely reaching those within their parish boundaries who are somewhere "out there", to thinking along their relationship circles. That our evangelistic effort would be to seek to talk about Jesus with groups of people and communities that we have links with: work, education, neighbours, friends etc. But this thinking should also include those we don't currently have links with but should work towards, such as meeting other parents within schools, meeting neighbours if you don't know them, joining local sporting teams and committees. It seems to me, thinking strategically about people groups we don't have contact with will eventually include online communities as well. But this will only be understood in the wider sense of seeking to proclaim Jesus naturally as an aspect of our relationship circles.

Then again, in 5 years time I might be a professional Christian projectionist.

Tomorrow: There is a well known adage in Christian circles that "One generation believes a truth, the next generation assumes the truth and the third generation denies the truth." Why I think the internet age increases the chances of evangelicals today becoming that second generation.

Off the record

Means I'm sworn to silence... pity, we can't always call a spade a spade. What a privilege to have two of the best thinkers in Australian evangelicalism speak their minds, without fear of having to dot their i's and cross their t's in order to appease the few.

Ah, the blessing of gathering with friends...

[I'm being deliberately vague]

Days of our Lives: Wealth and Money

I've been chained to my desk for the last week preparing to preach four sermons in two weeks. What a great privilege it is to teach the word of the Lord. I'm learning so much.

A month or so back, I asked for some help with one of these sermons, a topical on wealth and money. Consequently, a big thank you to Simone for virtually writing my conclusion and helping me to think through the application of thinking about money for people in the next stage of life to myself, that is home-owners with young families.

For those interested, you can have a listen here. Feedback welcome.

You may also find the outline helpful.

Days of our Lives: Wealth and Money in Luke's Gospel.

Reading: Luke 12:13-59

Is money good or bad?

1. Understanding the Time

a. There's more to life than stuff 12:13-21

b. Don't be anxious 12:22-30

c. Instead, seek his kingdom 12:31-34

d. Understand the time 12:35-59

2. Wise Investment

a. It's the time for debts to be forgiven

b. It's the time when money deceives

c. It's the time to do good

d. It's the time to count the cost

Is money good or bad?