February 17, 2008
Thank You Jubilee College Students--Yours Is The Model College Conference
Fellas, I just returned from the most impressive and awesome college conference I've ever seen. It's the only conference I know that combines the Biblical narrative of creation-fall-redemption-restoration and living missionally of any college ministry currently embedded on several college campuses. It's called Jubilee and it's sponsored by the Coalition for Christian Outreach (an organization that takes creation-fall-redemption-restoration seriously). This was my first time, but, Lord willing, it will not be my last.
I spoke to an audience, of about 2,000, of the coolest, missionally-minded college students in America. I'm pretty sure this was my largest audience so far. Also key-note speaking were guys like Chuck Colson, Donald Miller, and so on. I was honored. Truly honored.
Asians, Blacks, Latinos, Whites, and interracial combinations of all four, meeting together for a weekend to talk about the implications of the the narrative of creation-fall-redemption-restoration for life in this world right now, today. This is unprecedented!!!
They get it: creation-fall-redemption-restoration, mission! A passion for piety and the redemption of all of creation. A desire for personal righteousness AND a desire to fight against evil and social injustice--to be true redeemers of culture. For example, Gary Haugen from International Justice Mission spoke there last year and in the months following 16 new IJM chapters were started on campuses all over the Northeast. What???
Another example, these college students actually cheered when I said that living for comfort and ease was "pathetic." Cheered?!! What??!!
So,
To all my new friends at the 2008 Jubilee Conference,Thank you so much for being a huge blessing to me over the weekend!! Your passion for Christ and the work of Kingdom makes your CCO chapters the model for other campus ministries around America to follow. Someone needs to write a book about what you're doing. Thanks for the encouraging words after my Friday night talk. It was a pleasure hanging out with all you all between sessions, in the hallways, stair wells, etc. You infused life in me in ways that will take me weeks to unpack.
I've never been around college students willing to spit in the face of American-Dream-theology because you're embracing the implications of creation-fall-redemption-restoration.
Jubilee 2008, if I could speak to you guys every weekend for the rest of this year and get more time to hang out and talk to you guys about life "stuff," I'd die a happy man. Lots of passion and energy! Wonderful.
To all the 70ish of you fellas who attended my mens-only, Saturday morning breakout session on "Transforming Male Sexuality," thank you for your profound courage and being honest about the real things that men battle with every day. The room was packed. Many of you had to sit on the floor. And you profoundly blessed me by just showing up to fight for each other. You guys are showing real leadership that is absent in the church today.
Your honesty, men, is valiant. Most men in the church do not have the fortitude to talk about the stuff we did this weekend. Again, I'm sorry that most of you are surrounded by older men who are cowards and will not be honest with you about the good sexuality that God designed for you; and that your sexuality is to be used for good. I'm sorry that men in the church and your fathers are too cowardly to let you know what they face as well. I'm sorry. For the 8 or so of you who stayed after, and talked for another one-and-a-half, I'll never forget your candidness and your desire to be Godly men. It's rare to be around college guys who are as mature and authentic as you guys were with me.
Honestly, fellas, after our morning session together I wept a couple of times for you guys because I know that many of you have no one to talk to; and because the men in your life totally dropped to ball on this one many of you a left walking into a blazing fire never being taught how to fight it. You've been abandoned and are alone to figure this stuff out by yourselves and for that, I am grieved.
A mis hermanos and bruthas and sistas in the Africana/Latino fellowship at Jubilee your presence makes the conference prodigious. There is no other college ministry in America bringing creation-fall-redemption-restoration to as many minority students as CCO. I wish I would have been able to spend more time with all of you. Cuidate!!
Overall, the 2,000 of you who came this year, know that you changed my life this weekend! I'm forever indebted. Thanks again for letting speak openly with you. May the Lord bless you and keep you all!!
Facebook me!!
And finally, many, many thanks to the Jubilee staff for putting on an amazing, visionary conference and for taking GREAT care of me! I was profoundly blessed by your hospitality and care. Thanks for letting me come! You guys are doing amazing work.
Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO)!! Wow, you're America's best kept college secret. What you're doing needs to be regionally multiplied across America, yesterday! The way you all partner with local churches is inspiring and represents mature, Biblical ecclesiology. I'm indebted and am committed to what you're doing. I'm MORE THAN WILLING to help you guys out in the future. Do not hesitate to ask!
For the Kingdom,
Anthony
Jubilee college students the Kingdom desperately needs you alive and free!! May God make you contagious!!
Posted by anthony at February 17, 2008 08:28 PM | TrackBackI played at Jubilee last year and definitely agree with your comments. Amazing to see the level of engagement there all around. I too hope to be invited back in the future.
Posted by: Matthew Smith at February 17, 2008 10:28 PMMatthew, WOW. That must have been a really cool gig. I'm sure you got some good responses. Those college men and women are amazing!
Posted by: Anthony at February 18, 2008 07:11 AMIs the MP3 from your talk available?
Posted by: Juan Callejas at February 18, 2008 01:22 PMIt was great to have you bro.
You rocked the house for Jesus, got us off to a great start.
It was good to see you, albeit too briefly.
Not long after I became a believer, a CCO mentor and his wife poured into my life during my college years. Twice they sponsored me to attend Jubilee ('94 & '95). Even then Jubilee was committed to teaching people what it means to live Christ in one's sphere of influence. The impact was profound and shaped my thinking forever. After graduating, I moved to Florida and joined a church which, unfortunately, focused only within its walls. This was always quite confusing and caused a great deal of tension between what I thought to be true and what I was being taught. Now that I'm in seminary and hearing this "totality" of Christ message again, it's like I was in a parallel universe for the past 10 years. Glad to be back.
Posted by: Mike at February 19, 2008 12:14 AMEchoing Juan here...
Any chance of an MP3 or summary of your talk Anthony?
I enjoy your blog but ever since hearing you at Resurregence have wanted to hear some more. :)
Posted by: Kyle at February 19, 2008 05:27 AMMr. Bradley, I thought you were one of the best talks I heard over the weekend at Jubilee. Thank you for your words to be salt...real salt. I am a youth pastor who brought his youth leaders to get some other insight into the ever-changing world...they loved you too. God bless you and your ministry. Thanks again. 1 Cor. 15:58
Posted by: ben kendrew at February 19, 2008 11:46 AMAnthony, thanks for your gracious words about the CCO and the Jubilee Conference. It was a pleasure to meet you (i'm the airport shuttle driver) and hear more about God's work in your life and ministry. Blessings to you brother.
MP3's will be available shortly on the JUBILEE website, www.jubileeconference.com. Stay tuned.
Posted by: Chris at February 19, 2008 03:40 PMAnthony, we had a post-Jubilee celebration lunch today here at the CCO office. Your blog comments were read aloud by Scott. Thanks for your encouraging words and for such a great talk on Friday night!
About the book idea you suggested...not a bad idea. Only we might need someone from outside the CCO to write it, we're not too good at bragging about what we do.
Please come again next year and bring students with you! It feels like we're getting closer and closer to the "tipping point" with this stuff.
Peace.
Posted by: Sarah Landini at February 19, 2008 04:30 PM"Again, I'm sorry that most of you are surrounded by older men who are cowards and will not be honest with you about the good sexuality that God designed for you; and that your sexuality is to be used for good. I'm sorry that men in the church and your fathers are too cowardly to let you know what they face as well."
Brother I am sorry, i don't know what to think. My dad would fall in line with what you say here, he never talked to me about pornography of mastubation. On the other hand, every morning without fail, I would wake up and he would be on his knees with his face in his chair praying, no doubt, for me. I'm not saying that prayer is all we need, but I am not so sure that calling him a coward is right. I don;t think you are wrong in what you are saying but I think you are wrong for saying it.
Blessings,
Jason
Ahh, yep, it's cowardice and irresponsibility. Why kind of father would not warn his son about something as powerful as dangerous as that. All father's know their sons will have to fight that and to not offer them silence is passivity and cowardice and is contrary to the patterns in demands of Scripture (Deut 6:4-9; Deut 11:18-20).
Here's another model from Proverbs 5:
Warning Against Adultery
1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
listen well to my words of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of an adulteress drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave. [a]
6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths are crooked, but she knows it not.
7 Now then, my sons, listen to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her,
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you give your best strength to others
and your years to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enrich another man's house.
11 At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.
12 You will say, "How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!
13 I would not obey my teachers
or listen to my instructors.
14 I have come to the brink of utter ruin
in the midst of the whole assembly."
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be captivated by her love.
20 Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress?
Why embrace the bosom of another man's wife?
21 For a man's ways are in full view of the LORD,
and he examines all his paths.
22 The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him;
the cords of his sin hold him fast.
23 He will die for lack of discipline,
led astray by his own great folly.
Jason this is what a father is supposed to do. Warn his son about the dangers that await him. Why would a father leave a son vulnerable.
As a matter of father Bible itself gives the model for a father's role in speaking the truth about good, the bad, and the ugly to his children. It's the essence of bestowing wisdom.
Call your father and asking why he didn't talk you about those things. Did he not know guys struggle with those things? Did he not know that the Devil would try to use those things to take you out? Why would a father not talk to his son about this dimension of spiritual warfare?
I think it's cool and wonderful that he prayed for you and with you. We need more dads to that for sure but Dads also are required to teach their sons about their being a man and especially their sexuality.
Prayer is intended to lead to action.
I'm not ripping on your Dad (but you brought him up) but since he's not Jesus he was destined to drop the ball some where. All of us will (and do).
Again, I'm not trying to rip on your Dad, but I'm curious as to what his explanation would be for not stepping up and talking about something you needed guidance, wisdom, and honesty about. And ask him directly if he was scared or if were there other reasons.
Call him and ask him. Why didn't he talk to you about this stuff? Is it not a father's place discuss these things with his son? What's wrong with calling a "spade" a "spade?" It certainly was not out of ignorance? How else would you explain it?
Posted by: Anthony at February 19, 2008 11:53 PMJason, I guess if not cowardice, it could be passivity? Maybe fear?
Posted by: Anthony at February 20, 2008 12:05 AMAnthony, Thanks for your reply. I didn't communicate clearly. I know that their actions are cowardly - Even my Dad knows that and knows that he could have done a better job communicating to me the perils of human sexuality. Calling them cowards is an insult. - I was saying that I think you are wrong for that. At the same time I totally respect calling a spade a spade. (I see, perhaps you are publicly calling these men cowards because you don't want people to whom you are ministering, to glaze over the fact that they really were deprived, or you don't want them to continue sweeping it under the rug lest they make the same mistake their parents made.) - I want you to know that I really am thankful for your blatant honesty. As for my own father it was a mix of both passivity and fear that led to his cowardice. That coupled with the fact that his generation was very private - Too private for their, and our, own good.
Thanks for the scripture,
Jason
Ok, yeah, that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying!
But Insulting??
Jason would the following be characterized as "insults" in your book:
"You foolish Galatians" (Gal 3:1)
"You snakes! You brood of vipers" (Matt 23:33)
"You belong to your father the devil" (John 8:44)
and more. . .these are all spoken to religious people and very insulting.
Posted by: Anthony at February 20, 2008 12:37 PMAnthony,
From the CCO, I too, want to thank you for your opening plenary address. Our students were challenged right away...
...they all want to jump head-first into manure piles because of you!!
Anthony, I am not so sure that the context of each of the passages mentioned above justifies your actions. In each of these different passage they are addressing the problem directly. Further, It is a gospel issue - People are creating their own gospel. (As far as the Galatians passage - I am not so sure that is even an insult; just because it was done in the context of friendship and a deep love and compassion that Paul had for his friends.) What I mean by the fact that they are all addressing the problem directly is that in each of these passages, they are all spoken in second person plural where as you are speaking in third person plural. Hence, if Paul was writing Ephesus saying I am sorry those in Galatia are such fools!, then I would concur that your insulting is Legit.
Again, I am so grateful that you are calling the sin what it is and not beating around the bush or sweeping it under the rug. But the way that you have gone about it on this public blog, I believe is wrong.
Jason
Posted by: Jason E. Cochran at February 20, 2008 06:22 PMThanks Bob!! I had a GREAT time!
Posted by: Anthony at February 21, 2008 12:24 AMJason, I'm sorry to hear that what I wrote was something you didn't like. Here's a good distinction (and then I'm totally moving on) just because you don't like something personally does not necessarily mean it's wrong. At any rate, discussing this with you is pointless so I'm done but you're really going to be mad then at the column I wrote for World Magazine on Wednesday here: http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/02/20/passive-fathers-sexually-lost-sons/
Posted by: Anthony at February 21, 2008 09:40 AMI just read your article. Man...how true is this and how much we need this. In the macho Latin American context, this is perhaps the deepest wound in the hearts of men, and by extension, of women who suffer at the other end the effects of absentee fathers in matters of male sexuality.
Thank you my brother...what a challenge this is also for us fathers of little girls.
Anthony that was an awesome article and was done with such love and compassion and tact. I especially like the encouragement/exhortation at the end. Way to go!
Posted by: Jason E. Cochran at February 21, 2008 05:22 PM