Want to give a unique gift this Christmas?

Mentoring Spotlight - Ben and Dennis from The Mentoring Project on Vimeo.

There are three boys, brothers, who need a mentor right now.

Three brothers who have lived for half their lives with no mother. She was murdered.

Three boys who have lived much of their lives with a father who struggles heavily with addiction. He is currently incarcerated.

Three brothers who currently live with a relative… all in a one bedroom apartment.

Three brothers who are in one school for the longest period of time they have ever experienced…. at a year and a half. If you are a member of Oak Mountain Church, there is a possibility that one of these three brothers are in your child’s classroom.

Three brothers who statistics show have a dim future ahead of them….. except for you.

Many say, “I would love to do something if I only knew what to do.”

Here is your chance.

Contact Jason Tucker at jtucker@ompc.org

Believe the gospel, and do something.

From The Mentoring Project .

The Mentoring Project - Elephant Musth Cycle from The Mentoring Project on Vimeo.

Believe the gospel, and do something.

Authentic belief in the true gospel leads to active mission

I continue to be blown away by the creativity and ingenuity of people at Oak Mountain Church who are gripped by the gospel to such a degree that they then move forward into all areas of life with this message of redemption. Because they are convinced that this very same gospel that has spoken to them in real and life-changing ways actually has something to say to the world around them, mission happens.

Nations Outfitters is one example.

Thank you Holy Spirit for the work you are continuing to do among us.


from abc 33/40 news

Gotta' have more Bezalel

x31art.com is a unique website showcasing believing artists and their work. One of the things I trulylove about the site is how each piece is accompanied by a short video of the artist discussing that particular work.




The name (x31art) comes from Exodus 31 where we witness the LORD explaining to Moses that He has chosen Bezalel and has "filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft." (Exodus 31:3-5) He then appoints Oholiab to assist him in carrying out the LORD's instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle, the place of worship.

Did you get that? God, the LORD Most High called, filled and gifted specific individuals within this community of faith in the areas of ability and intelligence, knowledge and all craftsmanship, in order to devise artistic designs so that the people of God may be provided for and led in worship.

There is a principle of Biblical interpretation that basically says the following: Any teaching in the Old Testament that is not explicitly changed in the New Testament is therefore still appropriate and applicable in the life of the New Testament believer. For example, we no longer offer sacrifices of animals in payment for sin because of the once and for all offering of the ultimate Sacrifice, Jesus himself, which makes these animal sacrifices unnecessary (Hebrews 10). In the same way, we no longer adhere to the Old Testament dietary laws because of Peter's vision in Acts 10 where we see "the voice" telling Peter that "What God has made clean, do not call common."

Here is the point. If God, by the wisdom of his own counsel, saw fit to select and appropriately gift individuals to effectively lead his people in worship by means of constructing and artistically rendering things of beauty, why then are we not seeking out those individuals among God's people today? Are we then, by our non-verbal tip of the hat, revealing ourselves to be selective interpreters of Scripture, doing whatever fits our own pre-conceived ideas of what "proper church" looks like?

Of course, the proper course of action is to faithfully explore the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word, the very breath of God (2 Timoth 3:16), to seek God's wisdom in interpreting it faithfully, and then by the power of the Holy Spirit to actually apply it.

So here's to finding more Bezalel's in our midst, so that the people of God can continue to be led in this glorious, multi-faceted act that we call worship.

A Simple Act of Service and Humility

In David Nasser’s new release from Baker Books, he recounts his story from early childhood in Iran, through the Revolution and then to his surreal life as an Iranian boy growing up in (of all places) Birmingham, AL. The tagline on the cover reads “The gripping story of one man’s escape from revolution to redemption.

From what I have read so far it truly is a compelling story, not just of a family’s escape from political and religious persecution in the Middle East, but also of one boy’s journey in being continually drawn towards the freedom and grace of the gospel. Some of the stories of how God pursues Nasser are truly amazing. The following is a paraphrase of one such story.

David tells of being invited to go to church by a friend in high school. He really didn’t want to have to tell his friend no, so he decided to ask his dad and let him be the “bad guy”. You see, David’s family was Muslim and he knew there was NO WAY his dad would ever allow him to attend a Christian church. So David and his friend approached his dad late one evening.

Upon asking permission to attend church on the next Sunday David, rather than receiving a straightforward “no”, was surprised by his father’s question of which church.

“Shades Mountain Baptist” was the response.

“I know some people that attend that church. They are good people. You may attend that church. But only that church.”

The rest of the story is that several weeks prior, there were a group of leaders from Shades Mountain Baptist that had been eating at the Café De France at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, which David’s father operated at that time. The restaurant was slammed and service was getting backed up. Instead of getting frustrated with the slow service, this group of men actually got up from their table and pitched in. (Hmm. Christians influencing the world around them through simple acts of service and humility. What an amazing concept!)

Because of the humility shown by this group of faithful men, David was allowed by his Muslim father to attend a Christian church. A major chapter in David's story and one of the multiple steps on his pathway towards grace.

Simple and obvious question. Where would David Nasser be today had these anonymous men not lived out the gospel in such a practical way? Profound.

Now here is the question that hurts. How many David Nasser’s have I crossed paths with in my life? (Yes, I know. God is sovereign. As a Reformed, Calvinistic pastor, I agree absolutely. But I would also submit that “proper theology” is never an excuse for an unfaithfulness to Christ's commands.)

If the gospel is true, then it must impact the way we live our lives. Not only in the Bible studies we teach or the sermons we prepare, but in the way we treat the server who pours our coffee, the janitor who empties the wastebasket in our office and the unknown neighbor who lives next door.

There is simply no “off button” to the Christian life. As believers, we are always “on”, always serving, always observing, always seeking ways to show a hopeless world that grace and hope do exist in a man. His name is Jesus and we as the church are his body.

“That’s too much,” you say. “I can’t live under that kind of pressure. It is just so much easier to lay low, fly under the radar and live out my simple, quiet faith.”

My response? “You are right. It is too much. Realistically we can’t respond well at all times. But that is precisely why the gospel is true and valid for believers as well as non-believers. Though our position as sons and daughters of the Most High God is absolutely secure, we are also desperately in need of His continued pouring out of mercy, grace and strength upon us as we walk through a broken world seeking to display His care and mercy to others as marred and wounded image bearers ourselves.

May God continue to expand his Kingdom by jealously pursuing a people to call his own, and by His mercy and grace may he continue to use broken people like us in the process.

A Christian and The Arts - A Perspective from Schaeffer

As I mentioned recently, there are a group of people at our church who have recently been thinking about the gospel, the arts and what relationship these two areas have or should have with one another. Intriguing. I have been challenged and encouraged.

I have also been blown away on a fairly regular basis to discover just how many supremely talented and artistic people we have at our church. There is an entire community among us who are virtually unknown..... and just possibly, unfortunately, unsupported and unvalidated in their God-given calling.

We are currently seeking ways to encourage and engage many of these individuals in the particular areas of life which they have been called to bear a unique aspect of the image of their Creator. We would love to see this area of interacting with local artists possibly grow into an active bridge, through which we can touch many within this broader community who have no regular interaction with the body of Christ. If you are interested in joining us, or feel that you have ideas or perspective from which we may benefit, feel free to contact me at jtucker@ompc.org.

The following are selected quotes from Francis Schaeffer regarding this topic of Christianity and the arts taken from a longer paper by David Fairchild over at The Resurgence.

“As evangelical Christians, we have tended to relegate art to the very fringe of life. The rest of human life we feel is more important. Despite our constant talk about the Lordship of Christ, we have narrowed its scope to a very small area of reality. We have misunderstood the concept of the Lordship of Christ over the whole of man and the whole of the universe and have not taken to us the riches that the Bible gives us for ourselves, for our lives, and for our culture.”

"This does not mean we simply accept art without thinking about its message. On the contrary, we must think about its message so that we can learn to appreciate art as a work of art, as well as discern how this art either agrees or contradicts the biblical message. As Christians, we must see that just because an artist — even a great artist — portrays a world-view in writing or on canvas, it does not mean that we should automatically accept that worldview. Art may heighten the impact of the world-view — in fact, we can count on this — but it does not make something true. The truth of a world-view presented by an artist must be judged on grounds other than artistic greatness."

“The arts and the sciences do have a place in the Christian life — they are not peripheral. For a Christian, redeemed by the work of Christ and living within the norms of Scripture and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the Lordship of Christ should include an interest in the arts. A Christian should use these arts to the glory of God — not just as tracts, but as things of beauty to the praise of God. An art work can be a doxology in itself.”

A Pastors Painful Self-anylazation at Stewardship Time

I sat down the other day to update our family budget. This is a fairly normal occurrence, particularly with this being the time of year for our church’s stewardship season. I do typically try to sit down once a month or so to look at what we are bringing in as a family, what we are sending out and just where it all goes.

I don’t know what this process is like in your family, but for us this can easily become an exercise in futility. With a full house of 6 people, 4 of whom are continually outgrowing every item of clothing and toy we purchase, as well as inhaling every morsel of food that comes into the house (sometimes even before it can make it from the grocery bag to the pantry) it is way too easy to end each of those months with a negative number. And after you have seemingly cut everything to the bone and you still see little to no improvement, it can honestly get just downright depressing.

I recently heard about a group of individuals though who got me to thinking. I really haven’t made up my mind exactly where my thoughts fall out on this, but I am certainly drawn to their passion and commitment. That in itself isn’t a claim that their path is right or should be normative for everyone, after all there are lots of very cracked pots out there who are passionate and committed to some whacked out lifestyle or another. However, I am certainly convicted by the fervor with which they pursue the welfare of others and are willing to back it up with their lifestyle.

This group of people have committed to cap their family budgets at or below the median U.S income and then give the rest away.

U.S. census figures for 2007 list the U. S. median income at $50,740. For the state of Alabama that number drops to $40,596. For our specific area, here are how the median income numbers line up.

>

	median income	difference from state median	difference from national median
U.S.	$50,740
Alabama	$40,596
Jeff. Co.*	$44,908	$ 4,312	$-5,832
Shelby Co. *	$67,031	$26,435	$16,291
Pelham*	$54,080	$13,484	$ 3,340
Hoover*	$61,982	$21,386	$11,242
Vestavia*	$70,623	$30,027	$19,883
Homewood*	$45,431	$ 4,835	$- 5,309
Birmingham*	$26,735	$-13,861	$-24,005

(* most recent available figures from 1999)

So here is how it works. If someone living in Hoover makes the median income of $61,982, they would commit to capping their family expenses at the national median of $50,740. That would then leave an annual difference of $11,242 to give away, to your church, to a reputable charity, to save one child from a future of forced prostitution and rape for profit by adopting an infant girl from Thailand, India or one of the many African countries. You get the idea.

2 Cambodian girls, under age 12
recently rescued from brothel by International Justice Mission

“But wait,” you say. “I can’t cut my expenses by $11,000 a year. How would I pay my mortgage, my car note? How would I fund my 401K?” And there is the rub. It now begins to meddle in the area of preference and lifestyle choice. Really what we are saying is that we are unwilling to choose a Hyundai over a Lexus or one particular house over another in order to then give the monetary difference away.

But many of us don’t see it this way. We are surrounded by a culture who lives much the same way we do. We think nothing of the car we drive because everybody in our neighborhood drives something similar. We think nothing of the house we live in because everyone around us lives in a similar home. We look just like everybody else.

Now let’s look at this same concept, financially conforming to the standards of those around us. Take this and move it to the realm of moral standards and holiness. Do we conform to the standards of those around us? I read a CNN article recently advocating the end of monogamous marriage relationships because, according to the “experts” these relationships had outlived their usefulness and benefit to society. Do we as the church then chunk marriage because those in the broader culture advocate such a choice?

Remember, I am thinking out loud. I am not declaring a “holier than the rest” club nor am I saying that if you really love Jesus you will adopt this kind of lifestyle.

But here is the question, what would the world have to say about an American Evangelical church that actually lives this out? In what ways would God’s glory be revealed in our city and to the nations if a group of formerly narcissistic, idolatrous “stuff” worshippers began to sell their homes and their land and (gasp) downsize?

What would the employees of a company have to say about a CEO who shows up at work in a 2005 Ford Taurus instead of his shiny new Benz….and then explains why, for the sake of the gospel, he has made this choice? What if, instead of that new flatscreen you have been drooling over for Christmas, you as a family made a conscious choice to support a mother and an infant in a third world country through Compassion International. For $20 a month a mother and child unit can be supported with food and infant formula, vitamins, proper vaccinations and other helps.


I am truly not one to use guilt as a motivator…..very often. Actually I probably use it more than I care to admit, but it is mostly isolated to my parenting rather than my broader ministry, and it is always a sin for which I have to later repent. (Sigh.) I believe that guilt by itself is anti-gospel and only a short-term motivator at best, but can we truly sit at peace in front of our shiny new technological altar and worship the sacrifice of countless lives that our whimsical purchase could have averted? What will it take for revival to arrive on the scene?

What will it take for Christ’s church to take her rightful role as a counter-cultural voice that causes the broader culture to then claim, “I don’t agree with everything that they say, but simply by the way they live their lives you’ve at least got to take a valid look at what they are claiming.” Or, as the pagan Roman Emperor Julian put it, “Nothing has contributed to the progress of the superstition of the Christians as their charity to strangers...the impious Galileans provide not only for their own poor, but for ours as well.”

May God grant us the grace to hear his voice, the strength to respond to his call and the wisdom to discern how to go about the task.

"No wonder they tune us out."

New release "Unfashionable" from Tullian Tchividjian (Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church)
The following is an excerpt.

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Years ago I was one of five thousand people listening to a panel discussion at a Christian conference. An editor of a conservative political-theological magazine was expressing his frustration with many of the political left-wingers and doing so in an unnecessarily sarcastic and condescending way. When he finished, John Piper (another speaker on the panel) turned to him, and with the utmost seriousness and precision, he said, "For a long time I have appreciated your ministry. You are an astute observer of our culture. I read your magazine every month. It's always insightful. But there's one thing missing from your ministry."

The editor looked at Dr. Piper and asked what it was.

"Tears," Piper replied.

The world so often senses our anger, but do they ever sense our grief? They think we are angry simply because we're not getting our way, but I am afraid they don't feel our sorrow over sin's negative, dehumanizing effects. We fail to communicate our anger in a way that says, "You were made for so much more than this." They assume our anger is only because we're not getting what we want. No wonder they tune us out.

Church Crazies and the Imago Dei

There is a group of people at our church who are crazy. That’s not really news. Every church has them.

How do I know they are crazy? It’s because of the way they talk and the ideas that they have. This group of people, they think that the gospel of Jesus Christ is SO big and SO transformational that it actually has something to say to the world that exists outside of the Sunday School classroom.

They believe that God, as Creator and as the Source of this image which we bear, has something to say to the creative classes of people which surround us. Painters, musicians, actors, sculptors, photographers, graphic designers, the list goes on. Whether they are Christian or not, they are all in some imperfect way, reflecting something of the character of the Most High Creator. And as a bearer of this image of God, they are worthy of honor, respect, love. In short, they are worthy of being shown worth.

This group of people at our church, you know the crazy ones, they are beginning to ask a simple question. What is our role in taking forth the gospel of Jesus Christ to this community of artists? By showing worth to this community of people who are often found far outside of our “respectable” evangelical enclaves of Norman Rockwell worship, could we actually be scratching the surface of what it means to be truly Christian?

See, I told you they were crazy.

And from where I am sitting, crazy kinda’ looks a whole lot like the stories I read about Jesus.

Does church membership really matter?

A thoughtful post from Kevin DeYoung on why church membership actually matters.

********************************************************************

“Why bother with church membership?”

I get that question a lot. Sometimes it’s said with genuine curiosity–“So explain to me what membership is all about.” Other times it’s said with a tinge of suspicion–“So tell me again, why do you think I should become a member?”–as if joining the church automatically signed you up to tithe by direct deposit.

I think for many people membership sounds stiff, something you have at your bank or the country club, but too formal for the church. Even if it’s agreed that Christianity is not a lone ranger religion, that we need community and fellowship with other Christians, we still bristle at the thought of officially joining a church. Why all the hoops and classification? Why box the Holy Spirit into member/non-member categories?

Well, believe it or not, membership matters. In addition to some very tangible benefits to membership (for example, only members can hold church office), here’s five good reasons why Christians should join a church.

1. In joining a church you make visible your commitment to Christ and his people. Membership is one way to raise the flag of faith. You state before God and others that you are part of this local body of believers. It’s easy to talk in glowing terms about the invisible church–the body of all believers near and far, living and dead–but it’s in the visible church that God expects you to live out your faith.

Sometimes I think that we wouldn’t all be clamoring for community if we had actually experienced it. Real fellowship is hard work, because most people are a lot like us–selfish, petty, and proud. But that’s the kind of group God calls us to.

How many of Paul’s letters were written to individuals? Only a handful, and these were mostly to pastors. The majority of his letters were written to a local body of believers. We see the same thing in Revelation. Jesus spoke to individual congregations in places like Smyrna, Sardis, and Laodicea. The New Testament knows no Christians floating around in “just me and Jesus” land. Believers belong to churches.

2. Making a Church commitment makes a powerful statement in a low-commitment culture. Most bowling leagues require more of their members than most churches. The church is often a sad reflection of its culture. Ours is a consumer culture where everything is tailored to meet our needs and satisfy our preferences. When those needs aren’t met, we can always move on to the next product, or job, or spouse.

Joining a church in such an environment makes a counter-cultural statement. It says “I am committed to this group of people and they are committed to me. I am here to give, more than get.”

Even if you will only be in town a few years, it’s still not a bad idea to join a church. It lets your home church (if you have one) know that you are being cared for, and it lets us know that you want to be cared for here.

But’s it’s not just about being cared for, it’s about making a decision and sticking with it–something my generation, with our oppressive number of choices, finds difficult. We prefer to date the church–have her around for special events, take her out when life feels lonely, and keep her around for a rainy day. Membership is the way to stop dating churches, and marry one.

3. Church membership keeps us accountable to each other. When we join a church we are offering ourselves to one another to be encouraged, rebuked, corrected, and served. We are placing ourselves under leaders and submitting to their authority (Heb. 13:7). We are saying, “I am here to stay. I want to help you grow in godliness. Will you help me to do the same?”

Mark Dever, in his book Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, writes,

Church membership is our opportunity to grasp hold of each other in responsibility and love. By identifying ourselves with a particular church, we let the pastors and other members of that local church know that we intend to be committed in attendance, giving, prayer, and service. We allow fellow believers to have great expectations of us in these areas, and we make it known that we are the responsibility of this local church. We assure the church of our commitment to Christ in serving with them, and we call for their commitment to serve and encourage as well.

4. Joining the church will help your pastor and elders be more faithful shepherds. Hebrews 13:7 says “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority.” That’s your part. Here’s ours: “They keep watch over you as men who must give an account.” We take seriously our responsibility before God to watch over your souls. At almost every elders’ meeting, as per our denomination’s Book of Church Order, we “seek to determine whether any members of the congregation are in need of special care regarding their spiritual condition and/or not making faithful use of the means of grace.” This is hard enough to do in a church like ours where there is constant turnover, but it’s even harder when we don’t know who is really a part of this flock.

To give just one example, we are trying to be more diligent in following up with people who haven’t been at our church for a while. But if you never became a member, it is difficult to tell if you are really gone, because we might not be sure if you were ever here! It’s nearly impossible to shepherd the flock when we don’t know who really considers this their flock and really considers us their shepherds.

5. Joining the church gives you an opportunity to make promises. When you become a member here, you make promises to pray, give, serve, attend worship, accept the spiritual guidance of the church, obey its teachings, and seek the things that make for unity, purity, and peace. We ought not to make these promises lightly. They are solemn vows. And we must hold each other to them. If you don’t join the church, you may miss an opportunity to publicly make these promises, and in so doing, invite the elders and the rest of the body to hold you to these promises–which would be missing out on great spiritual benefit, for you and for us.

Think about why membership might matter more than you thought. And if you are looking to make a counter-cultural commitment and invite more accountability and responsibility into your life, why not join a church?

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If you are interested in learning more about membership at Oak Mountain Church, give me a call at 981-4364 or shoot me an email at jtucker@ompc.org.

Who are the poor? A threefold cord is not quickly broken.

I am still chewing on the implications of the following video from Claudio Oliver. It is a brief yet deep glance into the idea what it means to be poor. His conclusion is a thought-provoking one. Basically the premise is that poverty is NOT and economic issue. It is intrinsically a relational one. The solution to poverty (okay, “solution” may be an overstatement) is not to direct more financial resources in a particular direction. Since the core issue is relational, a better plan of addressing this issue is for us to actually befriend those recognized as poor.

And here is where we, as the independent, Western evangelicals that we are, begin to feel uncomfortable. Surely we can’t actually befriend the poor. We can’t invite them into our homes. What if they steal from us? What if they abuse our friendship? What if they take advantage of us?

Have you seen Les Misérables? I fear we too often worship at the false altar of safety and security.

Another great contemporary example of this is Robert Downey Jr.’s character from the film The Soloist. Downey never can quite understand this mentally ill, classically trained, homeless musician until he ends up spending the night on the streets of LA’s Skid Row with him. Something remarkable happens as this homeless man is transformed from a journalistic experiment to a real live human being, who is a friend. Were there risks? I will simply reference the scene where Robert Downey Jr is crawling away after being beaten by the very friend he was attempting to help.

Again, I fear we too often worship at the false altar of safety and security.

Claudio Oliver’s point cuts home. What happens to the poor if they are truly surrounded by those who care, say for example like the church, or like you? Can a person like this really go without a place to sleep? Would we let one we call a friend live on the streets? Obviously we don’t have all the answers, but my brain and my heart are enjoying the discomfort brought on by the topic. Sometimes, it is this discomfort stirring in my heart which brings a welcome reminder that there are still dragons left to slay.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Scott Roley answering "Where has the church failed?"

Life. Together.

My wife and I spent this past weekend in St. Louis visiting some old friends and a few old haunts. We hit downtown, the Arch, the new City Garden, Soulard and then finally McGurk’s for some live, authentic Irish music. There is just something about being among people and places that are familiar, where life has been shared together, in community that breeds, well……life.

We were able to spend time with our dear friends who had struggled for years to have a baby. I still remember the simultaneous joy and pain a couple of years ago when Susie and I discovered we were pregnant with our 4^th and imagining how to share this news without delivering a dagger to these friends whom we dearly love. Well, they delivered their first born just a few weeks ago and as we entered their home, I witnessed the tears flow as Susie was overcome with emotion and joy.

We were able to eat dinner with other friends one of whom we had known for many years previously in Birmingham. I can remember when they moved to St. Louis, a relatively newly-wed couple, and helping him totally demolish the kitchen of their home as he remodeled their first house together. And now, here they were, that same little house busting at the seams with the two beautiful children that God had given them.

I can still remember getting into a conversation with someone at this couple’s house and being 10 minutes or so into the conversation before I realized that this person was not a Christian. I remember the shock and then the subsequent conviction of being surprised by the presence of a non-believer in a Christians home. This is one event that shaped my outlook on Christian ministry almost more than any class I sat through during seminary.

Countless other interactions throughout the weekend continually reminded me of the value of a life lived together, in community. It was all capped off by a tremendously encouraging sermon at Riverside Church entitled “the Neighbor Jesus Loves” by one of my former professors. It is actually one of a series of messages that would be well worth the time to download to podcast for further reflection and digestion. The truth of Scripture delivered with his trademark humility and conversational style reminded me why I was so impacted by the life and the instruction of a guy named Zack Eswine.

And now here I am back at home, energized, thankful to God for the reminder of his faithfulness, and looking forward to the people whom we will cross paths with over these next several months and years. These “neighbors whom Jesus loves” who one day years into the future, Susie and I will be able to visit and recount days gone by when, through the power of the gospel true life was lived, together.

Six ways to engage culture, fromJonathan Dodson

Jonathan Dodson, pastor of Austin City Life Church, has a great article over at Boundless.org discussing six basic ways thru which Christians may redemptively engage culture. They are as follows: 1) prayerfully, 2) carefully, 3) biblically-theologically, 4) redemptively, 5) humbly and 6) selectively.

Here is an excerpt from point # 3.

3. Engage culture biblically-theologically. Why hyphenate biblical and theological? Why not just say "think biblically"? Well, the plain fact is that the Bible does not explicitly address most cultural issues. It does not tell you what political party to join, which school to go to, movies to watch, whether or not you should date, whether or not to abort your baby, or how to respond to cloning. Instead, the Bible offers theological principles which we can appropriate in order to form opinions and convictions about cultural issues.

For instance, there is no verse in the Bible that reads: "Thou shalt not have an abortion." However, the Bible does inform us that God is the author of life and that to take life is murder, which is prohibited by God. The circumstances surrounding abortion can be complex. A mother's life may be threatened if the life of the baby is not taken. The Bible does not say, "Preserve the mother's life." However, there are principles and practices in Scripture that can help us make wise decisions about cultural and ethical dilemmas.

The problem, however, is that we often start with cultural assumptions about what is right, beautiful and good and go to the Bible to prove them. Instead, we need to bring cultural questions about what is true, good and beautiful to the Bible, reflect on them theologically and then prayerfully and carefully form our opinions.

Don't begin with cultural convictions and end with biblical proof-texts; end with cultural wisdom by beginning with biblical-theological reflection. Start with the biblical text and reflect theologically on the cultural issue. Move from Text to Theology to Culture, not the other way around.

You can read the rest of the article in its entirety here.

A little slice of heaven

In case you were unfamiliar with our denomination, welcome to the PCA.

New City Fellowship, Chattanooga, TN

Social Media Revolution

Intriguing video commentary over at The Resurgence looking at the place of social media in larger society . While I feel we (particularly the younger generation) can over-emphasize this medium, often spending unhealthy amounts of time and effort on pursuing electronic communication and interaction at the expense of relating interpersonally, there are certainly valuable ways to use this relatively new tool as we pursue relationships for the sake of the Gospel. Check it out.

Swingsets, Tools and Pigs

My neighbor (I will just call him “Bill”) walked over yesterday evening. I was in the back yard working on a swing set / play yard for the kids and he just walked up. (By the way, what ever happened to the inexpensive $50 contraptions with the hollow aluminum poles filled with yellow jacket nests? I always thought that kind of added to the excitement of playing outdoors. Like a high risk obstacle course of sorts. Now we have to go all out and spend hundreds of dollars to put together a structure better than what at least 1/3 of the world’s population uses for permanent housing.)

Anyway, back to “Bill” coming over. Over the past year of being neighbors we have had a few conversations, always initiated by Susie or myself, and mainly on the subject of home repair since we have both been doing some remodeling.

Two weeks ago I was putting up some crown molding and needed a particular saw that I didn’t have. I knew that a church member who lives nearby had one, but I also figured that “Bill” had one as well. I had a decision, I could drive to the home of the church member, or I could simply walk next door. Easy decision, right? Actually I must confess that it took a little effort to force myself to cross that great chasm otherwise known as my driveway and to knock on the door. (And just think, I do this whole “build relationships with non-christians thing” for a living!)

The short version of the story is that he did have the saw I needed. During the course of the conversation I also discovered that “Bill’s” weed eater was on the fritz, so I lent him mine. I also happened to mention that we were cooking a 90 lb pig in our back yard on Labor Day, were expecting 50 – 60 people for dinner that evening, and would be more than happy for he and his wife to join us. (I will share a little more of the rationale for why we are throwing a party for non-christians in our neighborhood at a later date.)

So like I said, yesterday “Bill”, who has never initiated any contact at all over the past year, took the initiative to walk over, let us know they were looking forward to the party and to offer his driveway for extra parking space for the event. That was kind of a big deal.

You see, the Gospel is not merely a set formula that we use on people to manipulate an intended outcome. (Granted, if we truly love people then there is obviously a desired outcome. We certainly would love to see those we are in contact with come to know Christ as we know him.)

The Gospel is, at least in part, relationship. It is loving people well. It is our motivation for initiating relationships and it is our reason for continuing to invest in those relationships over the long haul, regardless of whether or not the individual “responds”. It is getting to know others and seeking out, recognizing, and honoring the image of God which they bear, however dimly that image might be. While it can be a one time, one shot type deal, often it is deeper and more effective when it is part of an ongoing relational context in which life is shared. Sharing this Gospel can look like sitting down with someone and talking through Christ’s claims about himself in Scripture. Or at times, steps in the process can look like borrowing a saw, loaning a weed eater or even throwing a party.

Man, I am really looking forward to loving people with pork by throwing a Jesus-type party this coming Monday, if this playground doesn’t kill me first.