So, we are up at Ridgecrest outside of Asheville, NC for the National Collegiate Conference. By we, I mean me and my Defender Ministries cohort Charles. We are teaching eight sessions about how to escape the bondage of porn. (Two trigger words, that should get the blog blocked by the filters.) It is going great. We've done four sessions so far and we've had a great response. I love this conference, because it is so laid back, and a good chance to see old friends from back in the day. Here are some quick hits from the first half of the conference.
1 - It is amazing how a ten hour trip in a van with a big group rapidly becomes a thirteen hour trip in a van.
2 - I hate being in a van for thirteen hours. Even though we drove the van that all the young ladies decided to ride in. Because let's face it, it is MUCH better being in a van with ten college ladies than with ten college guys. They are sweeter, kinder, quieter, and they don't pass gas - out loud. And plus, after thirteen hours, most guys smell weird.
3 - The mountains of North Carolina rule. This whole area kicks butt. (Another trigger word) If you read my last post about my affinity (read: hatred) for the heat, you should know I would prefer this. It is still hot here during the day, and you have to climb up these horrible things called "hills" and "stairs" all over the place. But at night, and in the morning, it is pleasant and foggy and you don't get carried off by mosquitos as large as a bear.
4 - When we checked in, we actually received a flyer warning us that a bear had been spotted roaming around the woods near here. Most places in Florida, that would have been on the news. Here, it only deserves a cheaply constructed flyer. Awesome.
5 - Country fried steak is nummy. I had never had it before. I know that is hard to believe by examining my physique, but it is true. Good stuff. I really think the people I was with should have thought twice before letting me eat it.
6 - Talladaga Nights was pretty funny. I'll post a review on my Movie Reviews Page later this week.
7 - Superman Returns was pretty good. I'll post a review on my Movie Reviews Page later this week.
8 - Sundrop soda is the best of all the quasi-citrus, high caffeine sodas. It is smoother than Mello Yello (which everyone up here carries) and had a better composition than Mountain Dew. AND they had a Cherry Sundrop about five years before Code Red Mountain Dew - so you have to give them props for their vision. Of course, they don't sell it down in O-Town. So I will have to make some room in my suitcase.
9 - How did we survive without cell phones? I have no clue. I don't remember my life before them. I look at the hotel phone and laugh. Yeah, right, make a call from the room. I haven't even given my hotel info to Heather b/c I have my phone, and my wireless broadband card, and a WiFi network on campus. It is like you can't get away -- hey, wait, that isn't good.
10 - How do we survive without television? We don't have one in our room. I never realized how much time I waste in front of the tv. I got so desperate the other day, I went to the workout room and did the treadmill for 30 minutes so I could watch the tube. Yes, 10 Things I Hate About You was worth the treadmill.
I'll check in again later.
Aug 7, 2006
Jul 20, 2006
Burn Baby Burn
You know what I think has to be one of the most overrated things ever? The heat. I don't mean the Miami Heat - although I DO hate them, which you can read about in my award winning blog. I mean the heat in general. Who the heck decided that sitting in scorching temperatures is a good idea for a vacation? We have been in St. Augustine all week. Yes, it has been fun and we have had a good time, but one thing that just sucks is the oppressive heat.
This morning I went out to watch the sunrise with Heather's uncle. After the whole thing was done, I turned to him and said, "Now in two minutes it will be too hot to stay out here." I wasn't too far off. It has just be scorching all week. The same thing happened last year, except my vacation to St. Augustine was interrupted by a trip to Vegas. So I literally went out of the frying pan into the fire. I mean, it has only been 95 here and it was 115 in Vegas. They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. That is probably because it gets burned off and stuck to the seats there.
The weird thing is that is seems to be a universal desire for people to head to these blazing hot climates for vacation. They want to go on cruises into the Tropics and Caribbean. They head to the rain forest. Phoenix and Vegas and L.A. and Orlando are hot spot destinations. The ironic thing is that we talk about heading to all these other planets to colonize them. Doesn't NASA realize these other planets are cold? No one will ever go. NASA would be better off setting up camp on the 700 degree Venus or on the face of the sun. People would probably flock to the transport vehicles for those assignments.
Me? I prefer a place for vacation where I can look around without fear of dying or melting. When I go down historic St. George Street in downtown St. Augustine, I can't help but think about how many minutes I can survive before giving in to heat stroke. There is a giant monument in the center of town to those who lost their lives. I thought it was a nice touch to honor all those tourists who vaporized in the Florida sun. Oh well, I must go get ready to go shopping - and I need to slather on my SPF 150 sunscreen and hook up my IV. Hope I make it back.
This morning I went out to watch the sunrise with Heather's uncle. After the whole thing was done, I turned to him and said, "Now in two minutes it will be too hot to stay out here." I wasn't too far off. It has just be scorching all week. The same thing happened last year, except my vacation to St. Augustine was interrupted by a trip to Vegas. So I literally went out of the frying pan into the fire. I mean, it has only been 95 here and it was 115 in Vegas. They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. That is probably because it gets burned off and stuck to the seats there.
The weird thing is that is seems to be a universal desire for people to head to these blazing hot climates for vacation. They want to go on cruises into the Tropics and Caribbean. They head to the rain forest. Phoenix and Vegas and L.A. and Orlando are hot spot destinations. The ironic thing is that we talk about heading to all these other planets to colonize them. Doesn't NASA realize these other planets are cold? No one will ever go. NASA would be better off setting up camp on the 700 degree Venus or on the face of the sun. People would probably flock to the transport vehicles for those assignments.
Me? I prefer a place for vacation where I can look around without fear of dying or melting. When I go down historic St. George Street in downtown St. Augustine, I can't help but think about how many minutes I can survive before giving in to heat stroke. There is a giant monument in the center of town to those who lost their lives. I thought it was a nice touch to honor all those tourists who vaporized in the Florida sun. Oh well, I must go get ready to go shopping - and I need to slather on my SPF 150 sunscreen and hook up my IV. Hope I make it back.
Jul 9, 2006
On the Verge
So yesterday, during one of my highly self-absorbed stretches of time, I was sitting there thinking, "What did Christopher Columbus think before he launched those ships?" Actually, it could have been any explorer: deGama, Magellan, Lewis & Clark, John Glenn. That instant before they left, what were they thinking? We always picture these dudes standing at the bow of the ship, one leg up on the edge, staring into space like Captain Morgan. "Got a little Captain in ya?" was one of the questions on the application to be an explorer, I guess. Anyway, we like to see these guys as fearlessly heading into uncharted waters and forests without a care in the world. They are some kind of super-human without fear and doubt.
Personally, as I thought through this, I found the entire thought process ridiculous. My hypothesis is that as they guys were ready to head out into the great unknown, they probably were throwing up in ye olde lavatorie. My reason for this is that no one can stand on the brink of something that big and be calm about it. The fear, the questions, the doubt, the responsiblity all has to weigh on you. Columbus wasn't just going out into the ocean and putting himself at risk. He was putting the lives and the families of his crew at risk. He was putting his own family at risk. He was putting the reputation of his supporters at risk. And he was putting the travels of every future explorer at risk. He had to know that. And I'm sure that must have been overwhelming to ole' Chris.
Why am I so sure of this? (And more importantly, why was I wasting precious Saturday time worrying about this junk?) Well, on Monday I resigned from my secure job with First Baptist to go full time with Defender Ministries. I went from having a sure supply of paychecks and friends and very little responsibility to having to live by faith financially and be alone (with the kids) and have a ton of responsibility. And it isn't just me that I am risking. I am risking my family and my partners and their families. And I am risking the reputation of those who support us. And I am risking the future people who will join our ministry. And I am risking those people who need our help. And all of that began to crush me down yesterday, and I felt sick. I feel like a fraud. I can play a good game, and I can do some good stuff here or there, but can I really deliver now that all these people are counting on me?
Well, that really did a number on me for a while. Until I started getting my Sunday School lesson together about Lot. And when you read about Lot, you can't help but read about Abraham. While Lot compromised and slid up all cozy like with sin, Abraham went off with God and lived a righteous life. And while Lot went with the logical and rational, Abraham lived by faith. In Genesis 13, when Abraham and Lot are going their separate way, Lot chooses the beautiful land and Abraham was stuck with what was left. But he and God had a little chat, and God told him that everything he saw would be his and his family's inheritance. What hit me was that Abraham was that he honestly believed that as long as he had God, he had everything he needed. He didn't need the lush green land, because he had the Creator of that land. He didn't need the exciting cities full of "fun people." He had God - the best friend you would want.
That's where I am. I may not know what is going to happen, or how things will be provided. All I need to do is trust that God is in charge. I guess that is how you can step out into the great unknown without being paralyzed with fear. You just need to know that no matter what or who you face will never be bigger than God, and that He won't lead you somewhere that He doesn't plan on coming along. I just need to try to remember that - and pray non-stop. I don't know how those explorers made it. I know that I won't make it boldly standing with my foot propped on the stern. If I want to make it through, I will have to travel on my knees.
Personally, as I thought through this, I found the entire thought process ridiculous. My hypothesis is that as they guys were ready to head out into the great unknown, they probably were throwing up in ye olde lavatorie. My reason for this is that no one can stand on the brink of something that big and be calm about it. The fear, the questions, the doubt, the responsiblity all has to weigh on you. Columbus wasn't just going out into the ocean and putting himself at risk. He was putting the lives and the families of his crew at risk. He was putting his own family at risk. He was putting the reputation of his supporters at risk. And he was putting the travels of every future explorer at risk. He had to know that. And I'm sure that must have been overwhelming to ole' Chris.
Why am I so sure of this? (And more importantly, why was I wasting precious Saturday time worrying about this junk?) Well, on Monday I resigned from my secure job with First Baptist to go full time with Defender Ministries. I went from having a sure supply of paychecks and friends and very little responsibility to having to live by faith financially and be alone (with the kids) and have a ton of responsibility. And it isn't just me that I am risking. I am risking my family and my partners and their families. And I am risking the reputation of those who support us. And I am risking the future people who will join our ministry. And I am risking those people who need our help. And all of that began to crush me down yesterday, and I felt sick. I feel like a fraud. I can play a good game, and I can do some good stuff here or there, but can I really deliver now that all these people are counting on me?
Well, that really did a number on me for a while. Until I started getting my Sunday School lesson together about Lot. And when you read about Lot, you can't help but read about Abraham. While Lot compromised and slid up all cozy like with sin, Abraham went off with God and lived a righteous life. And while Lot went with the logical and rational, Abraham lived by faith. In Genesis 13, when Abraham and Lot are going their separate way, Lot chooses the beautiful land and Abraham was stuck with what was left. But he and God had a little chat, and God told him that everything he saw would be his and his family's inheritance. What hit me was that Abraham was that he honestly believed that as long as he had God, he had everything he needed. He didn't need the lush green land, because he had the Creator of that land. He didn't need the exciting cities full of "fun people." He had God - the best friend you would want.
That's where I am. I may not know what is going to happen, or how things will be provided. All I need to do is trust that God is in charge. I guess that is how you can step out into the great unknown without being paralyzed with fear. You just need to know that no matter what or who you face will never be bigger than God, and that He won't lead you somewhere that He doesn't plan on coming along. I just need to try to remember that - and pray non-stop. I don't know how those explorers made it. I know that I won't make it boldly standing with my foot propped on the stern. If I want to make it through, I will have to travel on my knees.
Jun 23, 2006
Worst. Sports City. Ever.
So, the Miami Heat won the NBA Championship. Whoopty doo. I say that for two reasons. First, it is basketball. And even though it could have been the most exciting series ever, it wasn't. I found myself forcing myself to watch the games. Basketball stinks - and it is getting worse. The officials gave games 3 & 5 (and maybe 6) to Miami. I saw enough to know that. [I'm not going to harp on that because Bill Simmons at ESPN did a good enough job destroying the refs in his article found here.] Combine all that with the fact that even the most "humble" player on Miami (Dwayne Wade) came off as an arrogant turd. There are few, if any, likeable and admirable players in the NBA. Of course, I already covered most of this in my award-winning post last summer.
The second reason for my lack of interest is that, in my esteemed opinion, Miami is the biggest waste of a sport city in the universe. Now I know that is a bold comment, and I haven't been everywhere. And there may be a real rathole on Glaxagore Prime that makes Miami looks super-dee-duper. But I find that hard to believe. (Besides, Glaxagorns are PASSIONATE about hackysack.) I grew up in West Palm Beach, just an errant Daunte Culpepper lob north of Miami - so I am VERY familiar with that sports scene. I had every iota of useless Miami sports crammed down my throat every day in the local papers. And since then, if possible, that place has gotten worse.
Let's analyze the Miami sports world, shall we?
NFL - Miami Dolphins - Established 1966
History: Five Super Bowl appearances, two victories (1972, 1973), twelve division championships - All time winningest coach in the NFL - All time passing leader in NFL - Only perfect season ever for a team
Recent History: An amazing ability to start the year great and collapse down the stretch has been replaced by complete ineptitude, and then by an amazing ability to start the year horribly and get hot down the stretch.
Outlook: Very strong - Good coach, good lineup, good fanbase (uncharacteristically loyal and even national)
NBA - Miami Heat - Established 1988
History: One NBA Championship (2006), six division championships
Recent History: Conference runner up and then league champs - Boasts one of the biggest young stars in NBA (Dwayne Wade) and one of the biggest old stars in NBA (Shaq), and a bunch of marginal and washed-up big names.
Outlook: You would think great, especially with Wade. But the old men on the team are going to start collapsing soon. And the fan base is pathetic - their flaws include not selling out playoff games (what??), sitting down during exciting parts (huh??), and having a jawdroppingly poor knowledge of the game (doh!).
MLB - Florida Marlins - Established 1993
History: Winner of two World Series (1997, 2003)
Recent History: Their entire history is recent. They follow a weird cycle: stink really bad, sell off big names players for prospects, prospects grow up, team gets good, get in the playoffs as the Wild Card, win the World Series, sell off the parts, repeat.
Outlook: The fans have grown to hate the team. Every time they get successful, the team dismantles everything and then sucks. They fight all the time with the city. No one goes to their games. They have empty seats during the playoff runs. They won't build them a stadium. They are leaving town.
NHL - Florida Panthers - Established 1993
History: One Stanley Cup appearance and loss.
Recent History: Sucking
Outlook: Always one of the teams talked about in the NHL's long-awaited contraction talks.
NCAA - Miami Hurricanes
History: Football has won five national titles, baseball has won four
Outlook: One of the biggest college teams in the country and will continue to be so forever. Plus, it is one of the most prolific sources of professional football players.
So, three of the professional franchises can't find a fan base (even though two of them have won championships). Why? Well the NBA and MLB both expanded to include teams into a city that had a very devoted fan base -- to other teams. It is like why the Devil Rays don't have any fans in Tampa because everyone there is a Yankee fan. Well, in Miami, there are tons of Lakers and Celtics and Bulls fans and tons of Yankees and Red Sox and Braves fans. The newness of these teams means that the long time city residents already chose teams. In addition, there are two UNBELIEVABLY popular teams (Dolphins & Hurricanes) in Miami that already take people's time and money. As a result, you have a fractured fan base. No one really likes the Marlins, so no one is going to be willing to put up ridiculous amounts of money to keep them there.
So, Miami has had twelve national championships for their major teams in the past 25 years. TWELVE! There are cities like Cleveland that are dying for ONE. Their fans are unbelievably dedicated and hardcore. But their teams just can't win. It's the same for Philadelphia. But Miami, who doesn't even appreciate it, gets a crapload of titles and then hates the teams that bring them. It cracks me up. So, now they have won another piece of metal to put on the mantle, and don't care. Next year or the year after next, when Shaq retires, Zo retires, and a few of the others get contracts elsewhere, the Heat will fade back into the pack. American Airlines Arena will be empty again. And the local fanbase and newspapers will again ridicule the team. And the Cavaliers fans will keep crying for a title. Blows your mind.
The second reason for my lack of interest is that, in my esteemed opinion, Miami is the biggest waste of a sport city in the universe. Now I know that is a bold comment, and I haven't been everywhere. And there may be a real rathole on Glaxagore Prime that makes Miami looks super-dee-duper. But I find that hard to believe. (Besides, Glaxagorns are PASSIONATE about hackysack.) I grew up in West Palm Beach, just an errant Daunte Culpepper lob north of Miami - so I am VERY familiar with that sports scene. I had every iota of useless Miami sports crammed down my throat every day in the local papers. And since then, if possible, that place has gotten worse.
Let's analyze the Miami sports world, shall we?
NFL - Miami Dolphins - Established 1966
History: Five Super Bowl appearances, two victories (1972, 1973), twelve division championships - All time winningest coach in the NFL - All time passing leader in NFL - Only perfect season ever for a team
Recent History: An amazing ability to start the year great and collapse down the stretch has been replaced by complete ineptitude, and then by an amazing ability to start the year horribly and get hot down the stretch.
Outlook: Very strong - Good coach, good lineup, good fanbase (uncharacteristically loyal and even national)
NBA - Miami Heat - Established 1988
History: One NBA Championship (2006), six division championships
Recent History: Conference runner up and then league champs - Boasts one of the biggest young stars in NBA (Dwayne Wade) and one of the biggest old stars in NBA (Shaq), and a bunch of marginal and washed-up big names.
Outlook: You would think great, especially with Wade. But the old men on the team are going to start collapsing soon. And the fan base is pathetic - their flaws include not selling out playoff games (what??), sitting down during exciting parts (huh??), and having a jawdroppingly poor knowledge of the game (doh!).
MLB - Florida Marlins - Established 1993
History: Winner of two World Series (1997, 2003)
Recent History: Their entire history is recent. They follow a weird cycle: stink really bad, sell off big names players for prospects, prospects grow up, team gets good, get in the playoffs as the Wild Card, win the World Series, sell off the parts, repeat.
Outlook: The fans have grown to hate the team. Every time they get successful, the team dismantles everything and then sucks. They fight all the time with the city. No one goes to their games. They have empty seats during the playoff runs. They won't build them a stadium. They are leaving town.
NHL - Florida Panthers - Established 1993
History: One Stanley Cup appearance and loss.
Recent History: Sucking
Outlook: Always one of the teams talked about in the NHL's long-awaited contraction talks.
NCAA - Miami Hurricanes
History: Football has won five national titles, baseball has won four
Outlook: One of the biggest college teams in the country and will continue to be so forever. Plus, it is one of the most prolific sources of professional football players.
So, three of the professional franchises can't find a fan base (even though two of them have won championships). Why? Well the NBA and MLB both expanded to include teams into a city that had a very devoted fan base -- to other teams. It is like why the Devil Rays don't have any fans in Tampa because everyone there is a Yankee fan. Well, in Miami, there are tons of Lakers and Celtics and Bulls fans and tons of Yankees and Red Sox and Braves fans. The newness of these teams means that the long time city residents already chose teams. In addition, there are two UNBELIEVABLY popular teams (Dolphins & Hurricanes) in Miami that already take people's time and money. As a result, you have a fractured fan base. No one really likes the Marlins, so no one is going to be willing to put up ridiculous amounts of money to keep them there.
So, Miami has had twelve national championships for their major teams in the past 25 years. TWELVE! There are cities like Cleveland that are dying for ONE. Their fans are unbelievably dedicated and hardcore. But their teams just can't win. It's the same for Philadelphia. But Miami, who doesn't even appreciate it, gets a crapload of titles and then hates the teams that bring them. It cracks me up. So, now they have won another piece of metal to put on the mantle, and don't care. Next year or the year after next, when Shaq retires, Zo retires, and a few of the others get contracts elsewhere, the Heat will fade back into the pack. American Airlines Arena will be empty again. And the local fanbase and newspapers will again ridicule the team. And the Cavaliers fans will keep crying for a title. Blows your mind.
May 30, 2006
Grenades
And in the "I Can't Believe Someone Got Paid to Research This" Category, I present you this mind-boggling story. Was this ever in doubt? I think not.
And now for the real reason I am posting today... I figured I could win your favor with a humorous story and then really get up on my soapbox. Just a side explanation before I let loose: I love blogging. But there is always the fear that you are going to irritate the wrong person. I read about several people who have been fired for putting negative things in their blogs about their employers. I also know that a variety of people read this blog. And everyone will not agre with me. But that is kind of what you expect from a blog. Enough rambling and stalling.
I am not a big fan of traveling evangelists. I have had a problem with them ever since Cowboy Ken came to my elementary school, did some fancy lasso tricks, signed some Bibles, and told us all we weren't saved. Every year we had a Spiritual Emphasis Week, where we brought in some big name guy (big name to the teachers - the students didn't care) to tell us all about the horrors of Hell and to rant about how evil we all were. And every year, a bunch of kids would race down on the last day with tears streaming down their faces - trying to avoid the pitch blackness of Hell. It usually was the same kids too. One year I got so terrified I went down, even though I had gotten saved already. My brother told my mom about it, and she talked to me about it that night. As a kid, the graphic scenes and descriptions that are a part of the Bible are very hard to process. When it is coupled with the whole "you are going to hell" bit, it really can send you into a tailspin. I remember going to a musical about Daniel with my family. We all left because I got so scared during that part - mostly because my dad was not saved. They put a partial Passion Play on for us in Elementary school one year, and the visual of a person getting nails rammed through their hands (through stage tricks) made me sick. I guess that fear is a pretty good motivator for kids - and the religious community has figured that out.
Well, that scare tactic doesn't end with kids. Just about every Youth Camp, Disciple Now, youth rally ends with a sermon where emotional tricks and fear tactics are employed to get those students to race down the aisles. And with adults, the same methods are used. We have huge dramas re-inacting in gory detail the Easter story, ones where people are confronted by angry demons and dragged to hell, others where people are faced with a very disturbing and close-to-home tragedy via stage. Perhaps the most traumatizing of all are the traveling evangelists. They are almost like professional spiritual hitmen. They come to a church, accuse the members and guests of all kinds of sin and immorality. They tell them they aren't saved, that Satan has tricked them. They tell horrifying stories of death and eternal punishment. Then they have an altar call with more emotional manipulation. And at all these events people flood the stage and make commitments, get baptized, join the church. The members get thrilled about what "God just did." And it justifies all of what just happened.
But, really what happened? At the end of these events, revivials, dramas, sermons are things any different? Churches will take much offense at that and huff that, "Yes, things are different. Twenty people are going to Heaven that weren't before." That is the sticking point. Those people like me (and there are many) who have a problem with the way these traveling evangelism shows operate are always confronted with these "decisions" and told to stop causing trouble. However, there are some severe issues I have that are not answered by that response. In fact, my issues are compounded in that argument. Here are my arguments:
1 - Fear is a Terrible Way to Start Your Walk with God. That same fear that got you to run forward is now the foundation for your beliefs. If this angry and vengeful God was going to obliterate heathens everywhere, what is He going to do to you? I mean, you just got saved and should know better. Yes, a healthy fear of God is important - no, essential - to a legitimate spiritual walk. A huge problem in today's Church is that it bought a cheap grace from a sissy God - they don't take Him or His Word seriously. However, the kind of fear in these services is not a holy reverance of God. It is a terror attack on unsuspecting and troubled souls. And it is a shaky foundation.
2 - Discipleship is Sacrificed for Decisions. Churches love Matthew 28:19-20. That is the Great Commission - the order from Christ that led to missions efforts and evangelism everywhere. However, most churches don't read that passage. It says, "Go ye therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations." That is not the same thing as "Go and get decisions from all nations." It means to find people who need Christ, lead them to Him, and then walk with them to help them understand what it means to follow Him. Salvation is the first step. We have it all backwards. We try to build a relationship so that we can one day lead that person to Christ. We are supposed to continue that relationship after that. Pushing for a decision is like delivering a baby and then leaving it there on the steps. But churches and evangelism shows do that all the time. There is no discipleship. And when the people who make decsions through these tactics don't follow Christ right, we tell them that their decision wasn't good because they didn't mean it. Does a baby know how to eat on its own, or how to clean itself up, or how to function in this world? No, it takes training and years of teaching - and then they become teenagers who STILL don't know how to eat healthy or how to clean or how to function (though they think they do). Spiritual babies are the same way. But the evangelist doesn't have an investment in making sure those people are followed up with. He's back at his headquarters in Nashville getting ready for the next cruise.
3 - There is No Biblical Precedent for This Position - Some will argue this by pointing out that Paul went all over the place. Yes, he did - and he spent 18 months to multiple years at each location - training pastors and people. And he continued to write those churches and check up on them. He never disconnected with those churches. These modern evangelists come flying in to a church, at great financial gain to themselves, throw a few grenades around, and then leave the church to pick up the pieces. They are located in Nashville, Atlanta, Dallas in a office building. They never have to disciple anyone. They never have to deal with broken people left by their whirlwinds. They make between $2000 and $10,000 PER APPEARANCE. Take a moment to think about that! If they speak 40 Sundays a year, they would make $80,000 to $400,000 just on speaking fees. But most of these people have figured out how to maximize their earnings. They do weekends and cruises and revivals - multiple day events where they can double and triple their fees. They sometimes get a part-time job at a local church doing a mid-week service or rally. So now, they pull in a salary from that church, plus all the speaking gigs. And, of course, they have books and cds and dvds and mp3s for sale at every location. Where in the Bible do you find this? People will hold up the spiritual gift of evangelism, and how Paul talked about how some are called to be evangelists. Do you honestly believe this is what Paul meant? He and Peter were the two biggest bigshots in the Early Church. Wouldn't they have modeled this kind of behavior?
4 - Most Evangelists are Mean Spirited. - Yes, this is a generalization. But it is one with good backing. I have worked at churches for close to ten years. I have gone to church since I was five. I went to a Christian school for six years. I have gone to state conferences, and national conferences. I have heard dozens of evangelists and "guest speakers." And one characteristic of just about all of them is a bitting view of people. They make fun of "weirdos" - which could be people with tattoos or earrings or weight problems or breath problems. They throw around insulting names and categorizations like a whip. The say everyone is involved in every kind of sin imaginable. And if you dare confront them, they hide behind churchy sounding comments like "the Word of God is offensive, get over it" or "people with the spiritual gift of evangelism just call it like it is" or "that is just conviction." Or they cloak their viciousness with humor, so that their saracsm is just part of their delivery. How is this allowing every word to be seasoned with grace? The reality is that they are angry and judgmental, and they like to take it out on people. The only evangelist who I have heard who is not like that is Billy Graham. But he also tries to get people to disciple people making decisions, doesn't resort to fear tactics, and still has some humility.
5 - Most Evangelists are Egomaniacs - They tell all the places they have talked, how many people have heard them, how many have gotten saved. It is like they have their own resume always ready to give as an answer to someone who questions them. They are trying to use their own credentials as why you should book them and use them and believe them. However, they miss out on the point of why we are doing all of this. This is all supposed to bring God glory and advance His Kingdom, right? We are supposed to be less so that He can be greater. How does that match with pounding your chest about how great you are?
This is a hard place for me. I am about to begin a ministry that travels around and works with churches - and then goes back home. We are trying to work out our fee schedule and how to present ourselves. So I don't want to go throwing stones and rocks and then end up hitting myself. But I also hope that we point people to Jesus instead of ourselves. I want our ministry to leave people better off than when we found them, and I want to give them tools to continue making progress. I know that I just sound like a bitter little twit. I just am tired of these guys who bring doubt and fear instead of bringing hope and love. I am sick of hearing about how great they are instead of how great God is. Obviously, I had a wonderful encounter with another one of these on Sunday, which began all of this rant. And I was once again left with the aching feeling that this is not right - this is not how God wanted His Church to operate.
And now for the real reason I am posting today... I figured I could win your favor with a humorous story and then really get up on my soapbox. Just a side explanation before I let loose: I love blogging. But there is always the fear that you are going to irritate the wrong person. I read about several people who have been fired for putting negative things in their blogs about their employers. I also know that a variety of people read this blog. And everyone will not agre with me. But that is kind of what you expect from a blog. Enough rambling and stalling.
I am not a big fan of traveling evangelists. I have had a problem with them ever since Cowboy Ken came to my elementary school, did some fancy lasso tricks, signed some Bibles, and told us all we weren't saved. Every year we had a Spiritual Emphasis Week, where we brought in some big name guy (big name to the teachers - the students didn't care) to tell us all about the horrors of Hell and to rant about how evil we all were. And every year, a bunch of kids would race down on the last day with tears streaming down their faces - trying to avoid the pitch blackness of Hell. It usually was the same kids too. One year I got so terrified I went down, even though I had gotten saved already. My brother told my mom about it, and she talked to me about it that night. As a kid, the graphic scenes and descriptions that are a part of the Bible are very hard to process. When it is coupled with the whole "you are going to hell" bit, it really can send you into a tailspin. I remember going to a musical about Daniel with my family. We all left because I got so scared during that part - mostly because my dad was not saved. They put a partial Passion Play on for us in Elementary school one year, and the visual of a person getting nails rammed through their hands (through stage tricks) made me sick. I guess that fear is a pretty good motivator for kids - and the religious community has figured that out.
Well, that scare tactic doesn't end with kids. Just about every Youth Camp, Disciple Now, youth rally ends with a sermon where emotional tricks and fear tactics are employed to get those students to race down the aisles. And with adults, the same methods are used. We have huge dramas re-inacting in gory detail the Easter story, ones where people are confronted by angry demons and dragged to hell, others where people are faced with a very disturbing and close-to-home tragedy via stage. Perhaps the most traumatizing of all are the traveling evangelists. They are almost like professional spiritual hitmen. They come to a church, accuse the members and guests of all kinds of sin and immorality. They tell them they aren't saved, that Satan has tricked them. They tell horrifying stories of death and eternal punishment. Then they have an altar call with more emotional manipulation. And at all these events people flood the stage and make commitments, get baptized, join the church. The members get thrilled about what "God just did." And it justifies all of what just happened.
But, really what happened? At the end of these events, revivials, dramas, sermons are things any different? Churches will take much offense at that and huff that, "Yes, things are different. Twenty people are going to Heaven that weren't before." That is the sticking point. Those people like me (and there are many) who have a problem with the way these traveling evangelism shows operate are always confronted with these "decisions" and told to stop causing trouble. However, there are some severe issues I have that are not answered by that response. In fact, my issues are compounded in that argument. Here are my arguments:
1 - Fear is a Terrible Way to Start Your Walk with God. That same fear that got you to run forward is now the foundation for your beliefs. If this angry and vengeful God was going to obliterate heathens everywhere, what is He going to do to you? I mean, you just got saved and should know better. Yes, a healthy fear of God is important - no, essential - to a legitimate spiritual walk. A huge problem in today's Church is that it bought a cheap grace from a sissy God - they don't take Him or His Word seriously. However, the kind of fear in these services is not a holy reverance of God. It is a terror attack on unsuspecting and troubled souls. And it is a shaky foundation.
2 - Discipleship is Sacrificed for Decisions. Churches love Matthew 28:19-20. That is the Great Commission - the order from Christ that led to missions efforts and evangelism everywhere. However, most churches don't read that passage. It says, "Go ye therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations." That is not the same thing as "Go and get decisions from all nations." It means to find people who need Christ, lead them to Him, and then walk with them to help them understand what it means to follow Him. Salvation is the first step. We have it all backwards. We try to build a relationship so that we can one day lead that person to Christ. We are supposed to continue that relationship after that. Pushing for a decision is like delivering a baby and then leaving it there on the steps. But churches and evangelism shows do that all the time. There is no discipleship. And when the people who make decsions through these tactics don't follow Christ right, we tell them that their decision wasn't good because they didn't mean it. Does a baby know how to eat on its own, or how to clean itself up, or how to function in this world? No, it takes training and years of teaching - and then they become teenagers who STILL don't know how to eat healthy or how to clean or how to function (though they think they do). Spiritual babies are the same way. But the evangelist doesn't have an investment in making sure those people are followed up with. He's back at his headquarters in Nashville getting ready for the next cruise.
3 - There is No Biblical Precedent for This Position - Some will argue this by pointing out that Paul went all over the place. Yes, he did - and he spent 18 months to multiple years at each location - training pastors and people. And he continued to write those churches and check up on them. He never disconnected with those churches. These modern evangelists come flying in to a church, at great financial gain to themselves, throw a few grenades around, and then leave the church to pick up the pieces. They are located in Nashville, Atlanta, Dallas in a office building. They never have to disciple anyone. They never have to deal with broken people left by their whirlwinds. They make between $2000 and $10,000 PER APPEARANCE. Take a moment to think about that! If they speak 40 Sundays a year, they would make $80,000 to $400,000 just on speaking fees. But most of these people have figured out how to maximize their earnings. They do weekends and cruises and revivals - multiple day events where they can double and triple their fees. They sometimes get a part-time job at a local church doing a mid-week service or rally. So now, they pull in a salary from that church, plus all the speaking gigs. And, of course, they have books and cds and dvds and mp3s for sale at every location. Where in the Bible do you find this? People will hold up the spiritual gift of evangelism, and how Paul talked about how some are called to be evangelists. Do you honestly believe this is what Paul meant? He and Peter were the two biggest bigshots in the Early Church. Wouldn't they have modeled this kind of behavior?
4 - Most Evangelists are Mean Spirited. - Yes, this is a generalization. But it is one with good backing. I have worked at churches for close to ten years. I have gone to church since I was five. I went to a Christian school for six years. I have gone to state conferences, and national conferences. I have heard dozens of evangelists and "guest speakers." And one characteristic of just about all of them is a bitting view of people. They make fun of "weirdos" - which could be people with tattoos or earrings or weight problems or breath problems. They throw around insulting names and categorizations like a whip. The say everyone is involved in every kind of sin imaginable. And if you dare confront them, they hide behind churchy sounding comments like "the Word of God is offensive, get over it" or "people with the spiritual gift of evangelism just call it like it is" or "that is just conviction." Or they cloak their viciousness with humor, so that their saracsm is just part of their delivery. How is this allowing every word to be seasoned with grace? The reality is that they are angry and judgmental, and they like to take it out on people. The only evangelist who I have heard who is not like that is Billy Graham. But he also tries to get people to disciple people making decisions, doesn't resort to fear tactics, and still has some humility.
5 - Most Evangelists are Egomaniacs - They tell all the places they have talked, how many people have heard them, how many have gotten saved. It is like they have their own resume always ready to give as an answer to someone who questions them. They are trying to use their own credentials as why you should book them and use them and believe them. However, they miss out on the point of why we are doing all of this. This is all supposed to bring God glory and advance His Kingdom, right? We are supposed to be less so that He can be greater. How does that match with pounding your chest about how great you are?
This is a hard place for me. I am about to begin a ministry that travels around and works with churches - and then goes back home. We are trying to work out our fee schedule and how to present ourselves. So I don't want to go throwing stones and rocks and then end up hitting myself. But I also hope that we point people to Jesus instead of ourselves. I want our ministry to leave people better off than when we found them, and I want to give them tools to continue making progress. I know that I just sound like a bitter little twit. I just am tired of these guys who bring doubt and fear instead of bringing hope and love. I am sick of hearing about how great they are instead of how great God is. Obviously, I had a wonderful encounter with another one of these on Sunday, which began all of this rant. And I was once again left with the aching feeling that this is not right - this is not how God wanted His Church to operate.
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