This book, Methland, chronicles the crank-fueled decay of a small town in Iowa, Oelwein. The top three states, in order, for meth lab busts are Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois. But Missouri is the Yankees of this odious trend, with three times the number of homegrown destruction as its nearest competitor.

Let's not call it the "next crack epidemic" just yet. But as unemployment rises, so does meth use. Any church in a small town area or rural setting must include the meth industry in its local anthropology. I've heard stories of kids riding their bikes around with a one-pot backpack. I've long thought that Jesus is the only rational alternative to drug abuse. But will anyone go to our small towns with the Gospel?

I'm tired of reading stories like this:

(NNPA)--On any given day, nearly 23 percent of all young Black men ages 16 to 24 who have dropped out of high school are in jail, prison, or a juvenile justice institution in America, according to a disturbing new national report on the dire economic and social consequences of not graduating from high school.

Article here.

New paradigm: skip urban youth ministry and get Christians in the classroom so that these fellas and have academic discipleship as well. A middle-school or high school teacher will have far more opportunities for "contact work" when they see the kids all day, everyday.

I think some urban ministries may be the easy way out for some. If you're a teacher you won't even need to raise support because you'll be making nice change too. I can seen now that the real urban youth may actually be in the trenches in the classroom day-to-day and not at basketball games coaching and once-a-week Bible studies; shouldn't urban ministry be about discipling minds as well--like algerbra, physics, literature, etc?

Recently, I heard someone argue against contextualizing the Gospel. In response to that, I probably could have just as aptly titled this post "This might show how your church comes across."

Please let me know if you are able to make it through the entire video. I failed.

There seems to be a lot of confusion in "missional" world that if you are truly "missional" then you can't put your kids in a Christian school. Why not? Does anyone find it odd that "missional" has been reduced to being in space that's not Christian?

Why can't a Christian school be "missional?" For example, I know lots of Christian schools that are open to the public--no faith commitment needed to attend. This seems to fit with the idea of creating space to introduce families to the Triune God.

New York City, as far as I can tell, has no Christian school for high school students. Isn't a Christian high school a good place for non-Christians to place their kids?

I don't understand why Christians brag about not putting their kids in a Christian school as if that's suppose to mean that they "get it."

It seems that what matters most is whether or not a Christian school is open to "gentile" and "Samaritan" families sending their kids there instead of this distinction that says missional means public school.

Can anybody help me understand why being "missional" and Christian education for children seem, on the surface, incompatible? I don't get it.

Pictured above is one small section of the weight room at Trinity Christian Academy.

This is just amazing.....I truly hope and trust Mars Hill was blessed and pressed to think through issues in a better way.

Rev. Robert Sirico delivered a sermon titled "Whistling Past the Graveyard" at Mars Hill mega-church in Grand Rapids, Mich on September 20. You can listen to his sermon in its entirety by clicking on the sermon title above. Mars Hill was founded by Rob Bell in 1999.

Rev. Sirico addressed Christology, mortality, atonement theology, and the problem of evil. In his remarks Rev. Sirico declared:

And the vision of that hill, there on Golgotha's bloody mount, is the answer to the riddle of human existence. There in the crucified Christ, we see one who not only suffers for us...but he suffers with us. He enters our grief, our solitude, our pain. And because the one who is suffering so is innocent, he has the capacity to subsume into himself, into his divine person, all of humanity's suffering, all the history of limitation and death.

No words.....no words......

I've been trying to figure out why many churchy people can quote a well-known pastor but can't quote the Bible. Or the pathetic of church hopping between evangelical churches because the sermons at church A are "better" than good church B.

Maybe church whose liturgies are shaped by Jesus and the Lord's Supper (communion) tend to not form personality-cult preachers and men-followers where people attend church to hear from a man and not commune with the Jesus.

You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe--as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. (from 1 Cor 3)

Followng Keller, Piper, Dever, Jakes, Long, etc. is EASY when the liturgy elevates preaching over the sacraments. So that, for example, announcing to a group of Jesus followers that people are gathering to take the Lord's Supper together and hear the word will spark the question, well "who's preaching" for those tending toward what Paul is warning against here.

I think may be why Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Anglican Lutheran churches, and other liturgy-focused communions (generally not Baptist, non-demon, Presbyterian, Pentecostal) do not have "big name" preachers nor personality cult-followers in general (of course there are exceptions).

Hearing "Paul" or "Apollos" or "Keller" or "Driscoll" or "Piper" or "Jakes" or "your favorite preacher on Sunday" is not the point, what matters is that those who have been raised to the dignity of the royal priesthood by following Jesus, having been Baptized and configured more deeply to Christ by formation, participate with the whole community in the Lord's own sacrifice at the Lord Supper.

So in these idolatrous-prone churches with the "good" preacher leaves the people go to another church "to be fed" by some other mortal. Maybe the Methodists, Anglicans, Orthodox, and Catholics are on to something by moving preachers and priest around local churches. Hmmm...

Guess, it's hard to get famous and have a mega-church if people are gathering to hear the word on the way participating, in community, in the Lord's sacrifice together.

Thoughts?

A year ago, the Mexican Roman Catholic Church proposed a way to end violence against women. They asked women to stop wearing "provocative" clothing because that is the cause, or at least one of the main causes, of violence against them. To this proposal, the reaction is what we see in the video...a group of women wearing miniskirts and shorts protested in front of the Cathedral against the absurdity of the proposal.
I wonder....as Christians...can't we offer better proposals than these? I mean....really....isn't there a more hollistic way to approach the issue than just blaming it on how much leg is shown? What does this say about men? About women? Thoughts?

FADEP (The Center for the Study of Family, Population and Development) has recently published in English a study of the impact of strong, united, traditional families on Guatemala's economy and business community. The complete document in English can be downloaded on a PDF here.

As we move through this global economic crisis, strong families are essential, not only in providing the market with truly free and virtuous individuals that can thrive on an even more challenging market place (because of the strong moral character that is only forged within the context of family), but also serve as the strongest support web for those hit the hardest by the crisis.

If we are to survive this crisis, if we are to build strong communities of faith and if we are to re-learn the gospel, the vocation of serving others and the virtues of self-restraint and selfless love, we need to work together in strengthening the family.

The consequences of not doing so are very scary:

P.S.: Feels great to post again!!!!!!

I know, I know...most of you have probably heard this story time and again. It is a prime candidate for going "cliche" on your inspirational video/message/spam mail list. However, there are much deeper issues here that we cannot miss and we cannot dismiss as mere cliche's.
Nick gets the Gospel...he gets it and live and acts upon it. We all desperately need this.

I thought this church was exemplary, but maybe not for everyone:

...Anyone familiar with Redeemer knows that Asians constitute about 50% of the congregation. However, the leadership does not nearly reflect the Asian demographics of Redeemer. In fact, I am only aware of one Asian on the session - Redeemer's governing body - and two who are Teaching Elders, that is, part of the pastoral staff that reports to the session in a PCA church.

...Redeemer has recently fired a black pastor, Mark Robinson. This in itself may not cause alarm. Pastors get fired all the time for various and sundry reasons related to character and competency. But why did Redeemer fire him? Embezzlement? Moral scandal? Lack of competence? Some persistent character deficiency pointed out in an evaluation? No. None of these. He was fired for lacking 'fit'...

...To be sure, this is not to imply that any time a White organization terminates a Black employee the reason must be because Whites see a Black person as the problem such that their very existence constitutes the problem...

...[but] [y]ou simply do not fire a competent employee with "gospel character," especially without any warning or due process that the gospel (not merely corporate policy!) would seem to mandate. Is this the way grace-touting, gospel-driven people treat a person - a fellow pastor - with "gospel character?" The worse gospel-less corporate human resource department would not perform such activities...

I wonder if this episode will concurrently discourage black folks, including pastors, from associating with PCA and Acts 29 churches, and discourage these churches from hiring black pastors.

This is how it's done my friends....


More info here.

Truly, the UK needs the Gospel:

Men who go to church regularly prefer "proper macho songs" and feel uncomfortable with hugging and sitting in circles discussing their feelings, a survey for Christian men's magazine "Sorted" has found.

These guys need to be converted, stat.

Nearly 60 percent of respondents said they enjoyed singing, but were more motivated by "proclamational" hymns than sentimental-type songs.

Haven't these guys read the Bible verse proclaiming "Jesus, lover of my soul"?

Men were also uninspired by church discussion groups, with many suggesting that the pub would be a much better place for interacting.

Ok, enough sarcasm. Seriously, do small groups even work?

These are amazing statements. To think of a market that is actually asking for responsible restraint and trading what used to be superfluous consumption into meaningful consumption...consuming with purpose, not as an end in and of itself.

As Christians, we need to infuse these trends with a new quest for Truth, and to teach again the value and dignity of the human person who should be at the focus of any and all marketing efforts.

I encourage you all to read the Pontifical Council for Social Communications "Ethics in Advertising" document here.

Tomorrow, Monday June 1st, we'll be live on the radio here in Guatemala City speaking about the global financial crisis from a Christian and moral perspective. We'll be on Ilumina FM 98.1 and you can listen online.

The show is at 5:30pm Guatemala time. To find out the time in your area, visit here.

If you missed it, the podcast is available for download here.

The Christian youth of Guatemala is organized and ready. No more passivity.
comunicado-asterisco.pdf

More info on the Joven Emergente website.

From Time Magazine:
If only it were the worst thing that a Roman Catholic priest has been caught doing. The Mexican celebrity magazine TVnotas recently published 25 paparazzi photos of the Rev. Alberto Cutie, the popular Miami Beach priest famous for his Spanish-language television and radio talk shows, cavorting amorously on a Florida beach with an attractive woman. Over a three-day period, the pictures also captured him kissing her in a bar. In one of TVnotas's "in fragranti" shots [Note to TVnotas copy editors: it's "in flagrante"] the woman wraps her legs around Cutie; in another, Cutie has a hand down her swimsuit, fondling her rear end.

So the now infamous and until a short while ago much loved charismatic catholic priest was caught by the paparazzi in Miami Beach with his Guatemalan girlfriend (a mother of 2) according to the New Miami Herald (who even published her home address). Many questions arise, celibacy will be questioned and once again, Christianity comes under attack as one of its leaders falls victim to sin and also to the unrealistic expectations we many times place on imperfect men.

CBS News Video of the story here.

Our mission

Youth for Western Civilization will educate, organize and train activists on campuses across the nation to create a culture that will promote the survival of Western Civilization and pride in Western heritage. This movement is focused on the support of Western history, identity, high culture, and pride and opposition to radical multiculturalism, political correctness, racial preferences, mass immigration, and socialism.

Ok, so with the environment that is currently boiling up: pandemia + economic crisis + terrorism + drug related violence + weak churches, I fear a movement like this will only worsen things. Countering "multiculturalism" and "racial preferences" seem to me dangerious ideals that will only continue to foster ignorance, fear, resentment and further the cycle of violence we live in.

Fox News reported on this movement here.

Thoughts?

The Mexican news website El Milenio reported that from now on the consumption of 5 grams of Marijuana, Cocaine or Crystal is legal. This is part of an effort to battle the "narco retail" business.

What are the implications? Is this the solution? What is the proper Christian response to this?

People do not think clearly on the systemic level.

From Matt Perman, explaining Andy Stanley's DVD set "Systems":

...systems trump intentions and mission statements.

Here's what that means. You might have a great mission statement, but systems are what create behaviors. So if your systems are out of sync with your mission, then your results will be off-mission too.

This will be true in spite of the best of intentions. Even if everybody in the organization wants "change," the change will not happen if the systems are set up in a way that produces and rewards the opposite behavior.

Man, this insight explains so much. It's not just business organizations, but also churches and governments. If we include groups of people with implied mission statements, then this applies to families, cultures, etc. Keynesian economics, currently favored by our leaders, is a great example of a foolish system, but so is Monetarism.

Things like racism and poverty are systemic dysfunctions as well as personal problems. Sin works on both individuals and systems, so shouldn't the Church do the same? Have you been in an organization with nice leaders but a horrible system?

Man, John Piper's message yesterday was the hotness. He admitted he was a "mama's boy" as he touched on Paul's spiritual fatherhood of Timothy. Check it out on the Gospel Coalition website when they post it, but until then, here's an excerpt:

(Paul writing to Timothy)

My Beloved Child

And if you are wounded, or sorrowful, or timid, because your father was so absent or so passive in your spiritual upbringing, remember: I am your father. I don't call you "my beloved child" (1:2) for sentimental reasons, or merely because God awakened you under my preaching. I call you my beloved child, because I am right now being a father to you.

The grace that I am delivering to you right now is coming from your heavenly Father (1:2) and flowing through the words of your spiritual earthly father. That is what I am, and love to be. That is why I long to see you that my joy may be full. I love you. I never had a son. You never had a father who connected spiritually. That is who we are. This is a grace for us, son. Be strong in it (2:1). That's the first thing Paul says to deliver grace and power and courage to Timothy.

Update:

Here's the link to the video.

I have recently begun working on an organization called Me Importa Guatemala, an organization who seeks to pull together all the isolated efforts in Guatemala to move our nation from its current environment of impunity, injustice and fear to an environment in which freedom and justice drive our growth, progress and future.

I know, it sounds cheesy, but it is not until you are faced everyday with death, crime, impunity and injustice that you realize how important it is to lose your fear and indifference and actually do something.

That is what this video is about. Taken from the movie based on the Mayan civilization, Apocalypto, we have resolved to take our country back, to not let fear dominate us so that we may leave our children a nation with dignity, purpose and courage.

Don't worry England, we also have dementia:

Dr Nazir-Ali, who was born in Pakistan, said: "What amazes me is how people in [England] don't take account of the brute fact that the Bible and the prayer book have shaped so much of its literary and cultural achievements.

(From The Telegraph)

What's labeled "Christian" art more often adds to the fog rather than cutting through it.

The billboard on the top says "Don't make me come down, God". Something doesn't quite add up.

This billboard is part of a campaign all over Guatemala City.

Need we say more?

The Pope's recent visit to Africa has been quite controversial. In a very bold and brave move, the Pope reaffirmed the Church's position on AIDS, the use of condoms and marriage and the family. I applaud his effort and as Christians we need to seek to reengage in this discussion, not through cheesy morality-driven abstinence pledge guerrilla tactics, but by shining the light of the Gospel on this issue. AIDS is the result of a heart and sin issue, it is the result of a devaluation of the family, of the value and dignity of the human person and of the sense of life and the true meaning of sex. Only the Gospel can illuminate us through these dark alleys.

We are in lent. Worldwide, mostly Catholics, are in a 40 day period of penance in order to prepare themselves spiritually for Holy Week. This is a weird season for Evangelical Christians in Guatemala and most of Latin America. It is very weird because Holy Week is a week off work in remembrance of Christ's Passion (the focus is on the Passion), it is the culmination of Lent (which begins on Ash Wednesday, right after Carnival), and also coincides, at least here in Guatemala, with our warmest time of the year...which means, an opportunity to go to the beach and party, I mean, really party like there's no tomorrow.

In the midst of it all, Evangelicals lie in a sort of cultural limbo that on the one hand is fueled by our traditonal and unfortunate anti-Catholic bias that forces us to naturally reject the religious significance of the holiday, and on the other a moralistic and legalistc understanding of anything that might resemble fun and shun it. So most of the time, we just escape...anywhere and do nothing.

Is that wrong?

A number of people expressed interest in my main man, Vishal Mangalwadi, so I got the hook up:

From his biography page:

Vishal Mangalwadi (1949-) is an international lecturer, social reformer, political columnist, and author of thirteen books. Born and raised in India, he studied philosophy at universities, in Hindu ashrams, and at L'Abri Fellowship in Switzerland. In 1976 he turned down several job offers in the West to return to India where he and his wife, Ruth, founded a community to serve the rural poor. Vishal continued his involvement in community development serving at the headquarters of two national political parties, where he worked for the empowerment and liberation of peasants and the lower castes.

Must the Sun Set on The West?, his series of lectures, is available for purchase. John Piper references these lectures in this sermon which contrasts mantra with the Gospel. Some contemplative people will be rocked.

I was introduced to him via a series of lectures available for free through The Maclaurin Institute called The Heretics Series. Warning: Although India was a British colony, Vishal doesn't hate Western Civilization.

He offers some full books and some excerpts for free on his webpage, including a great piece on corruption that traced the phenomenon of bribery to idolatry. Essentially, he says if you have to appease your god, you will demand others to appease you. This man spits fire.

10 years after I wrote my thesis on "Stewardship and Transcendence: Two Key Biblical Principles of Economics" to obtain my B.A. in Economics from Francisco Marroquin University in Guatemala, a reporter from El Periodico, came across it as part of her research in an article published last Sunday about a small rural, indigenous town in the Northwest of Guatemala called Almolonga. (You can download my complete Thesis in English here -please bear with my mistakes in grammar and style while reading it: Thesis English.doc) I had the privilege of being interviewed for this article.

Almolonga is famous for its amazing transformation from an extremely poor rural town, to a bustling commercial and agricultural center that has been infused for more than 35 years with the envigorated preaching of God's Word. The town is now more than 90% Christian, there is no jail, only one cop works in the town and most of the old "cantinas" are now mom & pop grocery stores. The town that now worships Christ, used to worship Maximon, a mayan-catholic deity/saint who required offerings of tobacco and booze in order to bless his devout followers. More on Almolonga here and here.

If we are truly to become accomplices as communicators with those who read our posts and listen to us speak in the building of His Kingdom, it is about time we consider some new ideas of what it means to truly communicate, engage and mobilize.

I have been reading the book: "La Comunicacion Municipal, Complice con los Ciudadanos" (Municipal Communication, an Accomplice with Citizens) by Toni Puig, Communications Director for the city of Barcelona, Spain. (Not sure if the book is out in English yet, a good practice for all Spanish students).

I would like to share some insights from the book.

"For Frederic, communication, advertising in its terminology, currently consists in prioritizing unreachable desires for constant insatisfaction."

"For the first time in history, human beings from every nation have the same goal: make enough money to look like an ad." (Frederig Beigbeder, 13.99 Euros)

"In our current communication there are no, unfortunately, rules. Communication arises from the will to live, to add, to share, from big causes, from commitment, from difference, from adventure, from determination, from singularity, from feelings, civic values, from love for citizens and the city, from our own experience and our shared experiences, from talent, from personal work and from teamwork."

Things to ponder as we grow as communicators.

This past Wednesday at a correctional facility for minors in Guatemala, Jorge Winter, a teacher there, was brutally murdered by interns there. The full report here.

The interns took 3 people hostage and demanded that their conjugal visits and tv privileges restored (remember, this is a facility for MINORS) and as a result for not having their demands met, they chose Jorge because according to them "he had already lived too much", took him to a separate room, destroyed his head, opened his chest and tore out his heart.

Jorge was there as a teacher and also looking to minister to these young kids, most of them members of juvenile gangs. His goal was to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jorge died in the line of fire and left behind 4 children and a wife with terminal cancer.

There are still people in this world that are willing to go where we would never have the guts to go, and give their life for the sake of the Gospel.

Rest in peace Jorge. May the Lord keep those who are left behind and may the seeds planted bear much fruit.

When we dare to reflect on what we have come to accept as normal, as "owed to us" and we couple that with the reality of a false gospel that has destroyed the hearts and souls of believers that have sold their souls to the "more is better" doctrine and way of life.

Whatever happened to contentment? God is enough. Do we believe this?

Check out Louis CK's thoughts on "Everything's amazing but nobody's happy"

After watching it, watch John Piper's famous remarks on the Prosperity Gospel

Yesterday, Eric Holder, US Attorney General, informed that after 21 months of anti-narcotic operations in Mexico, 755 narcos related to the Sinaloa Cartel were captured and with that, 23 tons of drugs.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of a drug war against two powerful drug cartels in Mexico (the Sinaloa Cartel and the Gulf Cartel) that are themselves in a war to control the lucrative drug trafficking business into the US (for consumption).

The war between these two cartels has claimed over 6,000 lives in Mexico in 2008 alone (more than those in Afghanistan during the same year) and due to this drug war in Mexico (Government vs cartels and also cartel vs cartel), the cartels have begun to fight for a new territory to dominate.....Guatemala.

When I saw these old WWII posters (I understand that the historical context is completely different) and compared what is going on in Latin America with the new Bolivian constitution, Chavez going on for indefinite re-elections and our president flying to Cuba to bestow Guatemala's greatest honor, the Order of the Quetzal medal, to Fidel Castro and seeing at the same time what's happening in the US with this whole stimulus package frenzy, I cannot help but wonder if we are not on the brink of falling to these extremes again.

In Guatemala we have a saying: "El que calla, otorga" ("He who remains quiet, concedes"). Why aren't we taking the streets and denouncing all these outrageous policies, acts of corruption and impunity? I have a theory.....

"I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician." (Charlie Chaplin)

It's about time we stop taking ourselves too seriously. It is only when we are bold and humble enough to laugh at ourselves, and place ourselves at the mercy of others laughing at us that we can really begin to connect in true relationship with others.

What the Doctors of Joy do in hospitals is what we should do everyday on the street. Connect, empathize, laugh, cry and look at the bigger picture acknowledging the issues but daring to look beyond to hope with a smile, knowing that in the end, everything will work out when we go back Home.

Not sure if you can get the documentary in the US (it was produced in Brazil under the title "Os Doutores da Alegria" and it has subtitles in English). Here is a PDF presentation of their work: Doctors of Joy Presentation.pdf

I had long given up on "Christian music. Having been part of the "movement" in the late 90's in Guatemala playing violin for a Christian Rock Band called Locos & Cuerdas, and having grown up listening to DC Talk, Delirious, Jars of Clay and others, what you hear these days lacks depth, meaning and musical quality.

During my 9 month time in Brazil, I began to rediscover the true heart of worship when I met my friend Anderson Dantas and in a way, began to believe again that music written by Christians can begin to rescue true passion for Christ and for his Kingdom.

A couple of days ago, I came across this CD from Jesus Adrian Romero , a Mexican singer-songwriter and for me, a true Psalmist. His latest CD "Ayer te vi y fue mas claro que la luna" (I saw You yesterday and it was clearer than the moon) blew me away. This is an album that dares to speak to and see God as a person, that dares to feel and is not ashamed to be personal, intimate and real. Personally, the song that really got to me is the 10th track "No hay paredes" (There are no walls). This is a song that to me, expresses the internal desire to truly live a missional life. The lyrics in Spanish (and a rough literal translation into English) follow:

Has a Christian high school athlete ever come at his recruiters like this?

"I basically told them, 'This is me,'" said Te'o, from Laie, Hawaii. "I'm LDS. I'm thinking of serving a mission, and I want that to be available to me. If that's not in the cards for your university, I have to respect that, but I have to consider others."

Just when you thought that the video documentary "Jesus Camp" went too far, you encounter Nezareth Castillo, the now 13 year old boy from the province of Trujillo in Peru who has been for quite some time (the video posted is a few years old) a child-star preaching sensation in South American megachurch circles.

Some people call him an alien, or even a midget posing as a kid. Others, more attracted by him, call him the greatest preacher of the 21st century. When interviewed by TV Chile when he was 8 years old, he expressed his wish to continue to preach the Word of God as he grew older and later even become president of Peru.

In all the videos I've seen of him, interviews, articles, etc., not once do I see either of his parents in the picture. Not once do I see him in the company of an older, wiser man that can teach him and guide him in the hard path of ministry. Instead, I see a young boy, speaking words well beyond his age or school level, arguing evolution ala "answers in Genesis" style, mesmerizing crowds of stupified church folk that jump up and down as they witness yet another irresponsible act of sacrificing the life of a young Christian on the altar of "leaderhip" or "annointing".

I ask myself if this is not simply Evangelical Child Abuse.....or as Paul once put it...despising our youth....throwing them onto the stage without guidance, time, experience and parenting. He is now 13....and we all know what begins to happen around that time. Let's just hope that after missing out on childhood, his teenage years do not destroy his life and that the Lord may keep him from temptation, from danger and especially, from blood thirsty, money loving preachers ready to make a quick buck by parading as a circus act a young boy that is definitely gifted, but is still that, a young boy.

There actually are some Christians who think a church should look like its neighborhood. I recently got to meet Eric Mason, the lead pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philly. "Epiph" joins the ranks of churches that "contextualize (their) ministry by sound exegesis of the biblical text and exegesis of the culture for the purpose of reaching the lost and discipling them." What makes Epiph distinctive is that part of their mission is to exegete the hip-hop culture.

The band from Epiph led for part of the time at the recent LEAD conference. They had two percussionists, electric bass, keyboard, lead guitar, lead singer, three backup singers, and...a trumpet man. I talked to this dude on the horn during a break time about how I loved the sound of a clear, strong trumpet blast and he replied, "It's biblical." Profound.

There are lots of people in the church who are nothing but "dressed up devils!"

"Do we want to minister to everybody or do we want to minister to just a certain crowd?"

"If we only want college graduates who make $70,000 and above, it's no longer a church, it's now a social club."

Wow, there's a novel idea: use your church to reach people who have never been to church or don't normally go to church. What? There are churches that focus on this? Really? Why would a church do that? Reaching non-churched people must make the preaching unsophisticated, and therefore, uncivilized, low-cultured, watered-down; and then you might get people who aren't middle-class. If you can't reach the elite why have a church, right? Let the other 80% of the US population burn in the lake of sulfur.

Mark Driscoll's session at the 2008 Desiring God explores why evangelical teachers soft pedal and baby-talk churchy-folk instead of challenging religious people in the way that Scripture does throughout the entire story. There is nothing more pathetic than a preacher/teacher dude who doesn't have the fortitude to offend churchy people. It's weak.

Can you imagine what church culture would be like if evangelical dudes would actually call people "foolish" or "a brood of vipers" or "prostitutes" at times? It's the kind of preaching/teaching celebrated in the black church tradition.

"Stepping on toes" is a virtue in the black church I grew up in. When I entered into evangelicalism years ago, I started hearing the opposite in many places: soft-spoken, baby-talk that wouldn't even challenge a poodle because the last thing you want to do is offend people. Any of the prophets, Jesus, Peter, Paul, and the like would be considered real "meanies" if they preached in conservative evangelical churches today. Maybe the baby-talk preaching is a hyper-reaction to the past abuses of legalism or something. I dunno?

Thoughts?

Last week I spoke at the Acton University conference in Grand Rapids, MI. I gave to lectures (1) "Evangelical Social Thought Grounded in Love" and (2) "The Social Gospel Movement and Protestant Liberalism."

There were 51 countries represented. I can't tell you guys how much fun it is to be in conversation with people who are trying to figure out how to get clean water to those that don't have it or those helping their countries write constitutional provisions so people can be free while doing evangelism instead of trying to figure out if N.T. Wright is a Christian or not. And 51 countries of Christians from all traditions (Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant). There is no other place I know of where serious Christians from all those traditions fellowship, pray together, and discuss the implications of Christianity worldwide. Amazing. There were several students from my school there as well so that was really cool.

(Rev. Shayne Wheeler, All Souls Fellowship)

Fellas, here are few sermon series to pay attention where men are called in local mission for the Kingdom instead of the pathetic "shire Christianity" of safety, comfort, ease and talking to ourselves.

Shayne Wheeler, All Souls Fellowship, Atlanta, GA. They're covering some penetrating topics in the church.

Geoff Bradford/Steve Huber, Liberti Church, Philadelphia. An awesome series on work.

Darrin Patrick/Jonathan McIntosh, The Journey, St. Louis. Just wrapped up a series on idolatry. The best I've ever heard on the subject and extremely helpful for Kingdom living here and now.

What's so odd about missional churches is that tend to naturally move toward racial diversity too. I wonder why that is?

Here are some signs of possible immature and unhealthy churches and/or dying or dead churches:

(1) Little or no adult baptisms. That tells you A LOT about who the church is NOT engaging. (Acts 18:10) Fellas, did you know that there are actually Christians who don't think it is odd that their church hardly ever has adult baptisms. Some don't even bat at an eye at that. Shouldn't that be kind'a embarrassing? The most I've ever personally been involved with, as a church employee, was when I worked at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philly). It was an amazing number.

(2) It's mono-ethnic( except for rural churches). If the church is in or near a major city and the church represents a segregated mono-culture (by race and/or class) in leadership and membership you are right to think that is kind'a odd. It's 2007 not 1907. And, sadly, church leaders and members avoid living in the epicenter of major cities. (Rev. 5:8-14; Eph. 4)

(3) The church has no social witness. Members and regular attenders are not personally involved in local, state, or national social issues (wherever the curse is found) at any level. It's not a regular part of their family life. (James 1:27)

(4) Infrequent practice of the sacraments.

(5) Non-Christians are not involved in the life of the church, the personal lives of church goers, or attending worship (Lev. 19:33-34).

(6) The preaching, teaching, programs, aesthetics, music, etc. primarily appeal to 40-something women and their children. The men may be physically present but are bored and/or dead.

Fellas, what am I missing (and please don't say, "preaching 'the gospel'")? I'm looking for things that will move the church beyond status quo/shire Christianity.