Category Archives: Culture

CHRISTIAN MASCULINITY: THE MAN GOD HASN”T CALLED YOU TO BE

Posted by Dan C. on

That’s the title of an article I read this morning that I will link to at the bottom of this short post. I found the article because a post popped up in my FB feed about a book called “The DNA of a Man: How Your God-Given Masculinity Rebuilds Your Mind, Your Marriage, and Your Mission” that the post author was selling directly for $7:00 that Amazon also sells for $7:99 (Kindle) and $19:99 (Hardcover and Paperback).

The FB post talked about all the things that the author had tried in order to overcome all sorts of problems with his marriage and how he had been totally emasculated by his wife. He had tried everything in  areas connected to his faith (church going, doing what his church taught him about loving and serving his wife, etc) and they had all failed.

He “discovered” (God told him) how to regain his “God-given masculinity” and promised that if you would just buy his book all sorts of great things would happen. Per his ad, you could even find out the hidden key to God’s design for masculinity that’s in the book of Genesis!

Since I am old and have read and studied the Bible for a few decades now and have never found God’s plan for my “masculinity” taught in its pages, my FB comment to “Follow the money.” wasn’t well received. I was finally blocked, but not after I posted a couple of quotes from the article I am referencing that clearly stated what the Bible says about being a godly man.

Anyhow, here’s the link to the article. I didn’t find anything new about being a man of God, but I did find out the roots of the “Christian masculinity” movement.

Christian masculinity – Converge or https://www.convergemedia.org/christian-masculinity/

Enjoy the read, share it and let me know what you think. Smile

Welcome to Babylon!

Posted by Dan C. on

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Perhaps one of the most important questions for believers today is this:

“How should Christians relate to this new world where they have lost a home-field advantage and are increasingly marginalized in popular culture?”[i]

This article’s title, Welcome to Babylon! Is also the title of Chapter 1 in Erwin Lutzer’s 2018 book The Church in Babylon. Dr. Lutzer’s chief concern in writing the book was what he termed the death of Christian America:

“What concerns me is the death of Christian America. Many of the biblical values upon which America was founded are no longer being allowed to shape our laws or our lives. In some lesser ways, Christians can identify with the Jews in Babylon. Our culture is instead being shaped by religious fragmentation, widespread disaffection with the church, changing sexual attitudes, and moral and spiritual relativism. Add to that “political correctness” and the “religion” of our political parties run amok, and it’s no wonder America—in the eyes of Christians—looks different each day.”[ii]

What was true in 2018 is perhaps even truer today, in 2024. What Dr. Lutzer described in general terms has various acronyms that have become institutionalized as almost ‘sacred’ in today’s society and culture, and at the same time violates clear Biblical teaching concerning how we as Christians ought to live as salt and light in a dark world. So without getting into the shameful details of we see all around us every day, what can we, as Christians do? How are we to respond to today’s world? Dr. Lutzer suggests that there are at least three ways we could respond, one of which is our only choice:

(1) assimilate the secular culture,

(2) isolate from the secular culture, or

(3) engage the secular culture.

In light of the gospel, the only choice for the Christ follower is to engage.”[iii]

Cultural assimilation would mean the church adopting cultural norms from the world in order to appeal to the world we want to reach. To isolate from the culture in which we live would require separating completely from the world we are trying to reach with the light of the gospel of Christ. The remaining option is to engage the culture, leaving us with the question; “What does it mean to engage the culture?”

To answer that question, we need only examine the instructions God gave, through His prophet Jeremiah, to the Israelites living in Babylonian captivity:

“These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: 4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, 9 for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 29:1-9, ESV)

After those instructions, is the promise with we are very familiar, and we often claim as our own:

10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (vv. 10-11)

Do the instructions given to the Israelite captives in Babylon pertain to Christians today? What is God telling Christians who are living as strangers in a strange land today? (1 Peter 2:11-12)

Once again Dr. Lutzer offers us a suggestion:

Let us read every word of this challenge from George MacLeod, a twentieth-century Scottish clergyman, who reminds us where the cross of Christ should be planted. We can’t change the world from a distance: “I simply argue that the Cross be raised again at the centre of the market-place as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves; on the town garbage-heap; at a crossroad so cosmopolitan that they had to write his title in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek … at the kind of place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. Because that is where churchmen should be and what churchmanship should be about.”[iv]

As Christians, we are called to be lights in the darkness:

“Though outnumbered and experiencing the humiliation of being marginalized in our culture, the church is still sent into the world to represent Christ. We are still the best witnesses of hope this hapless planet has! We, as the church, will never be effective unless we see ourselves as sent by Christ into the world. He prayed, “As you [the Father] sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world” (John 17: 18). We are pilgrims, out of step with the ever-changing culture—yet we are sent by Christ, the Head of the church. The church is the last barrier between the present moral breakdown and total chaos.”[v]

A final question. If the church is the last barrier between the present moral breakdown and total chaos, how do we shine as lights in the darkness and make a difference for the Kingdom of light? Two ways come immediately to mind as starting points.

First, just at the Israelites were commanded to do in 6th century Babylon, we are to live normal lives in today’s Babylon, but not in service to the gods of this world. We are to seek to glorify God in all that we do. (Matthew 5:16)

Secondly, we must be prepared to share with others the hope that we have in Jesus Christ:

“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. (1 Peter 3:15-16, ESV).

[i] The Church in Babylon: Heeding the Call to Be a Light in the Darkness by Erwin W. Lutzer. p 11.

[ii] Ibid, p 52

[iii] Ibid, p 12

[iv] Ibid, p 73-74

[v] Ibid, p 58

__________________________

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (born October 3, 1941) is an evangelical Christian speaker, radio broadcaster, and author. He is the pastor emeritus of The Moody Church in Chicago, Illinois. His book The Church in Babylon: Heeding the Call to Be a Light in the Darkness can be obtained from Amazon.com , as well as from other Christian book outlets.

“Here Comes the He Gets Us Campaign Again: Why Its Portrayal of Jesus is Still a Problem” By Natasha Crain

Posted by Dan C. on

Here is the introduction to a lengthy, yet hugely informative article concerning the “He Gets Us” campaign, some of which filled screens during the NFL playoffs and will again appear during the Super Bowl.

Last year, I wrote an article called “7 Problems with the He Gets Us Campaign,” in which I critically responded to the $100 million advertising campaign featuring a website, billboards in major cities, a book, and ads that have been viewed more than 300 million times. Perhaps most visibly, the campaign’s ads were featured in last year’s Super Bowl. When thousands of people went searching for more information on it, my article came up, and it went viral—actually pulling down my site at one point! Clearly, a lot of people are interested in knowing more about the nature of these ads.

Fast forward to 2024. Super Bowl Sunday is in a few days, and He Gets Us will once again be running ads that generate widespread curiosity. Given the reach of the campaign and high interest level, I wanted to do an updated evaluation of what He Gets Us is doing today. To that end, I’m going to answer four questions:

  1. Does the He Gets Us Campaign get skeptics interested in Jesus?
  2. Does the He Gets Us Campaign get skeptics interested in the right Jesus?
  3. Do the He Gets Us campaign reading plans take people to the next level of understanding Jesus (beyond the slick website and TV ads)?
  4. Does the He Gets Us campaign direct people to theologically solid churches for continuing their search for truth?

I highly recommend reading this latest article, as well as Natasha Crain’s first article, which is linked to above and can also be accessed here. The remainder of this article can be read online at:

Here Comes the He Gets Us Campaign Again: Why Its Portrayal of Jesus is Still a Problem | Natasha Crain

Be Blessed!

Is It the Mission of the Church to “Redeem” the Culture?

Posted by Dan C. on

That’s a big question, and one for which the phrase, “redeem the culture” needs to be defined before we try to provide an answer. Based on my limited research, there seem to be, at least in the U.S., several distinct “camps”:

  1. Two Kingdom Proponents—God is working through the church and we should not be engaging too heavily with worldly, dying culture.
  2. Transformationist Proponents—The church should be active in seeking to redeem the culture as we move toward the end times.
  3. Counterculturalist Proponents—The church stands as a clear model of God’s kingdom and, as such, is a prophetic voice against the prevailing worldly culture.
  4. Cultural Relevance Proponents—Christians should be looking for where God is active in culture and affirm that.

If you are reading this, you might want to see where you fit, I know I did. All four describe ways in which Christians, and the church in general can engage culture. Listed below, in no particular order, are some of my findings from online research, with links to their respective Web sites.

Chuck Colson has been quoted as saying, “Redeeming culture is the never-ending mission of the church.”

A blog article at the Culture Redeemed site states:

“As Christians, we were not just created to glorify and enjoy God, but to be His emissaries to the world, redeeming culture.”

“According to Google, the definition of the word ‘redeem’ is to “compensate for the faults or bad aspects of (something)” or to “gain or regain possession of (something).” Ultimately, redemption can only be accomplished through the work of Jesus; He came to make right what was broken (Col. 1:19-20). But the Lord has chosen to use ordinary people to bring His message of hope and love to a world in need of Him (Matt. 28:19-20). For believers, redemption is an on-going process. We ourselves are being redeemed, but Christians are also envoys sent to assist in redeeming the culture around us.”

A few years ago, FOCUS on the Family aired a broadcast called Teaching Your Child to Redeem the Culture that stressed teaching our children about culture, saying:

“Jesus uses a lot of those “re” words – renew, restore, redeem, repent, resurrect. God must really love ‘re’ words, right? Because they’re all over the Bible. And “re” means to fix something that was broken, to go back to what it was intended to be.”

Dr. Jams Anderson, Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) Charlotte, in an article titled “How should Christians engage with the culture?” reminds us that:

“We are affected by the culture around us, and we also affect the culture around us. We need to recognize that we ourselves as Christians are part of the culture. So we can’t separate ourselves from culture, we can’t isolate ourselves from culture. We are affected by the culture around us, and we also affect the culture around us, for better or for worse.

Lastly, we need to view culture through the lens of the Great Commission. There are many things that we are called to do as Christians to serve God in this world. But the Great Commission, that great calling to take the good news of Christ to the nations, to make disciples of the nations, to bring the teaching of Christ to the nations and to build up the church, that has to be a priority for us.”

An article at Proclaim & Defend tells us:

“Jesus will redeem the culture.

The tenor of scriptural prophecy that tells us that God’s people will take the gospel effectively to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), does not indicate that there will be gradual warming to God’s people as we move forward toward the Kingdom. Attempts of human to Christianize the world’s culture will ultimately fail according to scripture. However, Jesus will return and He will do it. All the Old Testament passages regarding the Kingdom will be fulfilled (literally) and Jesus is the One who will make that happen (Revelation 19-20).

People must be redeemed; the culture is incidental.

The Great Commission, which is the mission of the church, is about bringing people to redemption and transformation.  The souls of individuals must be redeemed.  Only then can the works of their hands be pleasing to God.”

An article in the Christian Post reported that author Andy Crouch told the audience at a higher education conference a few years ago in Orlando, FL that “If the Gospel is to be relevant for a rapidly changing society Christians must re-examine their doctrine that functions like culture is too soiled to redeem”.

An article by Ken Ham at Answers in Genesis, in answer to the question, “Are Christians Commanded to Change the Culture?” tells us that it’s the Gospel that can change culture:

“The Lord Jesus Christ gives God’s people two commands:

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations . . . teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19–20)

We need to understand that the gospel changes people—changes their hearts and minds. And it’s hearts and minds that change a culture.”

In order to bring a measure of clarity to our question, let’s look at some dictionary definitions of the term “redeem”:

Merriam-Webster: 1) To buy back, to get or win back, 2) To free from what distresses or harms, such as a) To free from captivity by payment of a ransom, b) To extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental, c) To release from blame or debt, d) To free from the consequence of sin

Cambridge English Dictionary: 1) To buy back something, or to exchange something for money or for goods or services, 2) To make up for something 3) To buy, get, or win back something. 4) To make good or fulfill a promise. 5) To exchange something for something of value.

Oxford American Dictionary: 1) To make someone or something seem less bad, 2) To get back a valuable object from somebody by paying them back the money you borrowed from them in exchange for the object, 3) To save from the power of evil.

The application of this term to Christ’s death on the cross is quite telling. If we are “redeemed,” then our prior condition was one of slavery. God has purchased our freedom, and we are no longer in bondage to sin or to the Old Testament law. This metaphorical use of “redemption” is the teaching of Galatians 3:13 and 4:5.

Related to the Christian concept of redemption is the word ransom. Jesus paid the price for our release from sin and its punishment (Matthew 20:28; 1 Timothy 2:6). His death was in exchange for our life. In fact, Scripture is quite clear that redemption is only possible “through His blood,” that is, by His death (Colossians 1:14)

In the Bible, the word redeem literally means “to buy out,” and was used specifically in reference to the purchase of a slave’s freedom. It includes the ideas of loosing from a bond, setting free from captivity or slavery, buying back something lost or sold, exchanging something in one’s possession for something possessed by another, and ransoming. This is similar to the secular meaning but it has far weightier implications. According to the Essential Bible Dictionary, redemption refers to God’s merciful and costly action on behalf of his people. For example, God delivered Israel from Egypt.

In Exodus 6:6, God said to the people through Moses, “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.’”

Later, Christ’s death on the cross served as redemption — payment of our sin-debt — to ensure our salvation (Mark 10:45).

The Bible does not explicitly mention society as a beneficiary of redemption. However, it is possible to interpret redemption as having a broader impact on society. We could also say that redemption is also part of God’s plan for society.

In Leviticus 25:47-49, we’re told that If an Israelite becomes poor and must sell themselves to a foreigner, they retain the right of redemption after they have sold themselves. One of their relatives may redeem them, or if they prosper, they may redeem themselves. (See the Book of Ruth.)

Conclusion:

When I consider of the redemption of God’s people my thoughts always return to the glorious scene in Heaven recorded in the Book of Revelation:

“And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” 3And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. 4So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. 5But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” 6And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.’”  (Rev 5:1-9, NKJV)

“Is It the Mission of the Church to “Redeem” the Culture?” In the form of a statement, my answer is a resounding NO! To claim that it IS cheapens what God did for His people through the life, death and resurrection of  His beloved Son. In the form of a question, my answer is another question, “What did the Angel of the Lord say to Joseph prior to His Birth?”

“And she (Mary) will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21, NKJV)

As one of the referenced articles summarized it:

Jesus gave his disciples two commands:

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15, NKJV)

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20, NKJV)

What we need to understand is that the gospel changes people and it’s people with changed hearts and minds that can change a culture. Only Jesus can “redeem” our culture, and one day He will!

Be Blessed!

____________

List of online resources used in this post:

Are Christians Commanded to Change the Culture?

How should Christians engage with the culture?

Should We be Focused on Redeeming the Culture?

What is the meaning of Christian redemption?

Should the Church Seek to ‘Redeem’ the Culture?

What Does It Mean to Be Redeemed?

The Global Transformation of Redeeming Cultures

Redeeming the Culture (Part 1) Proclaim & Defend

Redeeming the Culture (Part 2) Proclaim & Defend

FOCUS on the Family Podcast Transcript

Think About These Things

Posted by Dan C. on

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Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi can be characterized as a very positive book. There are a few personal rebukes and hints that the Philippian church could appear to be more unified (what church doesn’t need lessons in unity?). Most of the book is a positive statement and encouragement of what the church should do rather than a rebuke of what they are failing to do or an exhortation to stop doing something.

In the final chapter, Paul admonishes and encourages Philippian believers to stand firm in the Lord, rejoice in the Lord always, let their gentleness be evident to all, to not be anxious about anything, but pray about everything, and finally what their thought life should look like:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

This does not mean that our thought lives will always reflect Paul’s list of “whatever’s”, however it does mean that believers can control their thoughts and that their thought life should be characterized by what is good and uplifting. We suggest to you that thinking about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise applies to every area of life.

Dear friends, we are living in a world whose god is Satan, and while living and working in this world, we are surrounded daily by unbelievers whose minds have been blinded by this world’s god (2 Cor 4:4). We are constantly bombarded with this world’s (and American culture’s) values and priorities, many of which have been legislated into law, although they represent that which is evil and even called “abomination” in the sight of God. The same man who, as a Senator, signed the “Defense of Marriage Act” in 1996 defining marriage as between a man and a woman, has signed (as the nation’s President) woefully named “Respect for Marriage Act” legalizing same-sex marriage on a national level.

Popular media is filled with the “apostles” of our culture’s moral insanity. Whether we are talking about music, TV, movies, literature, or social media, we are constantly bombarded with information and material that utterly fails the Philippians 4:8 test concerning what should characterize our thought lives. This does not mean that everything we watch, read, or listen to must be overtly Christian in nature, but it does mean that while we can never tune out all media consumption, we can exert a level of control. We can also apply the Philippians 4:8 rule to whatever we are being fed by the media in our TMI world.

I also have to confess that applying the Phil 4:8 rule is easier said than done. It makes me angry, even furious sometimes to see our government legalizing and even celebrating that which God calls abomination, especially when that same government also wants me to celebrate what God hates. I am reminded of a passage in the book of Romans:

“Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” Romans 1:32

For an even more detailed picture of what’s going on in our world, read Romans 1:18-32 in its entirety.

As someone who served his nation in uniform for 28 years, and as a government defense contractor for another 15+ years, I hate to see this once great nation being torn to pieces, all the while knowing that God is sovereign over every nation on Earth.

I don’t much care for much for the ‘professing’ Christian church being an adventure in missing the gospel by ignoring/minimizing sin and feeding us a steady diet of ‘our best lives now’, in its many forms. I’d rather listen to classic hymns of the faith in their original forms, both lyrical and musical. Maybe that’s just because I’m old. I remember when Sunday morning worship was all about God, not me and my feelings. I’m not riding the snivel train, just trying to be honest. I’m sure others might agree with me.

So you see, sometimes it’s hard to shift gears from the bad news that constantly bombards us the things Paul tells should most occupy our minds and characterize our thought lives. While I can avoid a lot of what today’s media and culture sends my way, I can’t block it all out. While I cannot personally fix everything that is broken, I can support those who are trying in meaningful ways to restore the “old paths” (see Jeremiah 6:16).

But I still ask myself “Self, what can you do, not only to maintain a Godly thought life, as Paul advises us, but to fix that which is broken, whether it’s in the church, in our society and culture, in my neighborhood, my family, or wherever I have the ability to effect change?

In answer to that, I am reminded of something Martyn Lloyd Jones once said:

“There can be no doubt whatsoever that all the troubles in the Church today, and most of the troubles in the world, are due to a departure from the authority of the Bible.”

While I agree with the Doctor, that statement presents me with the monumental task of trying to restore the world in which I live to the authority of the Bible. Maybe I should break that down to developing and applying a Biblical worldview to everything in my life. Perhaps when I behave differently than others around me, and when I am asked why I seem to react differently than most to the cultural and political insanity, I can refer to Scripture and how it affects my life, and perhaps even share some of the Biblical truths that fuel my spirit.

But most importantly, above anything else, I can share the story of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that when believed and received, is THE starting point that leads to lasting change in ourselves, in our society and culture, and indeed in the larger world around us.

Christless Conservatism

Posted by Dan C. on

Kirk Cameron talks about ‘Christless Conservatism’ in a short clip from Apologia Studios.

In the clip, Kirk says that “Christless conservatism” cannot solve the problems we have in America and its institutions. He is correct.

He also says “we need a spiritual earthquake that throws open the prison doors of sin and we need to rush out as Christians armed with the only weapon powerful enough to subdue the earth and its institutions – the Word of God.” Also, true. The Word of God is able to subdue the earth and its institutions, and someday it will – in the new heaven and new earth spoken of the Book of Isaiah 65:17 & 66:22, 2 Peter 3:13, and the Book of Revelation 21:1.

Kirk tells us: “We need to take the truth that we know and redeem a dying culture through a Revival.” Now that sounds like a great idea – “redeem a dying culture!” At the same time, I have a simple question: Did Christ die to “redeem our dying culture?”

Here are just two passages to consider:

”And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll
    and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation,”  (Revelation 5:9)

Please know that I’m not bashing Kirk Cameron. I just want to take the idea of redeeming our dying culture one step further. I would suggest to you that as Christians, we are not called to ‘redeem a dying culture’, but to share the gospel message that WILL redeem lost and dead sinners who CAN in turn make an absolutely profound effect on our culture.

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.  (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

Be Blessed!

“In a World Full of Problems, be the Solution.”

Posted by Dan C. on

The above quotation is from the Season 16, Episode 15 of the popular television crime drama, NCIS, titled  crossing the Line. It was spoken by an NCIS Agent to his son. The Agent was later killed in a Navy Yard bombing while his son was visiting him at work. The son visited the NCIS offices as a high school student several years later to try and find closure. But enough of the NCIS episode, and why did I mention it?

Watching the old show again (original shows are always better than the spin offs) reminded me that our NCIS quote has been spoken by wise parents to their children, military leaders to their troops, managers to their employees, and mentors to their mentees for probably centuries, in one form or another. It reminds us that instead of complaining about problems and issues, we should be about fixing things if we are able.

As an an old retired soldier myself and also a Christian, I am also reminded of another quote, “Jesus is the Answer”, which was an Andre Crouch song from 1973, and later covered by countless Christian musicians.

The truth is, quite frankly, that Jesus IS the answer to all the world’s problems, both personal and cultural, political, and societal. And while I understand being part of the solution to problems, we as Christians can never “be” Jesus. We cannot, and never will die for the sins of others, but we can share the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – that it was the incarnate Son of God who did die for the sins of His people, and in so doing be part of the ultimate solution.

Regardless what our temporal purpose might be, we have an overarching purpose to share the gospel of Jesus Christ in a lost and dying world.The Apostle Paul defined that message quite clearly in his 1st Letter to the Corinthian church:

“ Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,  and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, “ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, ESV)

Jesus Is The Answer Quotes. QuotesGramBe blessed as you go forth and proclaim it!

7 PROBLEMS WITH THE HE GETS US CAMPAIGN

Posted by Dan C. on

By Natasha Ceain

In case you haven’t seen it yet, there’s a $100 million advertising campaign that launched this year across the United States and is aimed at helping rescue Jesus’s reputation from the “damage” done by His followers. It features a website, billboards in major cities, and ads that have been viewed 300 million times. “He Gets Us[i],” as the campaign is known, is funded by anonymous donors. If you haven’t seen the ads yet, you likely will soon.

Many Christians immediately have a problem with the idea that Jesus would in some way be “marketed.” As a former marketing executive and adjunct market research professor, I don’t necessarily think such a marketing campaign is inherently problematic. Marketing is simply the discipline of effectively getting a given message to a given audience. If your church has a website, you’re “marketing.” If you have a board in front of your church that announces the weekly sermon subject, you’re “marketing.” If you pass out tracts about Jesus, you’re “marketing.”

In other words, if donors are paying to tell the world about Jesus on a grand scale so that more people may come to a saving knowledge of Him, praise God.

But the message shared better be an accurate message about Jesus, lest you’re actually leading people away from Him in some way.

And therein lies the problem with He Gets Us. The Jesus of this campaign is nothing more than an inspiring human who relates to our problems and cares a whole lot about a culturally palatable version of social justice.

Since many people will be discussing the campaign in coming months, I want to highlight seven significant problems to watch out for and to share with friends who may be misled by what they see.

1. The fact that Jesus “gets us,” stripped from the context of His identity, is meaningless.

The name of the campaign alone should raise at least a preliminary red flag for Christians. Generally speaking, when people or churches focus on the humanity of Jesus—an emphasis on the idea that “He was just like us!”—it’s to the exclusion of His divinity. But Jesus matters not primarily because He understands what it’s like to be human, but because of who He is. In other words, it’s only His identity as God Himself that makes the fact that He “gets us” even relevant.

Why?

If Jesus wasn’t God, it doesn’t matter that He understands what it’s like to be human. Literally every other human has experienced humanity as well! Who cares that this Jesus fellow “gets” humanity like everyone else? But if Jesus was God, the incarnation becomes an amazing truth, because the God of the universe also experienced the nature of humanity.

Of course, if the campaign simply had a title which lacked clarity but its execution was something very different, there wouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Read on.

2. Jesus is presented as an example, not a Savior.

There’s nothing I’ve seen or read in the campaign that presents Jesus as God Himself or a Savior for humanity. The questions asked and answered on the site include things like: Was Jesus ever lonely? Was Jesus ever stressed? Did Jesus have fun? Did Jesus face criticism?

But again, if Jesus was nothing more than a human, why are we even asking these questions? We could just as well be asking, Was George Washington ever lonely? Was George Washington ever stressed? Did George Washington have fun? Did George Washington face criticism?

The campaign wants you to care about Jesus because He’s a great moral example. They say, for instance, “No matter what we think of Christianity, most people can agree on one thing. During his lifetime, Jesus set a pretty good example of peace and love.”

But if that’s all Jesus is—a good example—don’t spend millions on a campaign to tell people about Him. We can find good human examples all over the place. Jesus is a good example—the ultimate example—but most importantly, He’s the Son of God. That’s why His example matters.

3. The campaign reinforces the problematic idea that Jesus’s followers have Jesus all wrong.

Jon Lee, one of the chief architects of the campaign, says the team wanted to start a movement of people who want to tell a better story about Jesus[ii] and act like him. Lee states, “Our goal is to give voice to the pent-up energy of like-minded Jesus followers, those who are in the pews and the ones that aren’t, who are ready to reclaim the name of Jesus from those who abuse it to judge, harm and divide people.”

For 2,000 years, people have done terrible things in the name of Christ—things that Jesus Himself would never have approved of. There’s no question in that sense that people have “abused” the name of Jesus for their own evil purposes.

But in today’s culture, there’s a popular notion that Jesus was the embodiment of love and all things warm and fuzzy, whereas His followers who talk about judgment, sin, objective morality, the authority of Scripture, and so on, are hopelessly at odds with what He taught. The He Gets Us campaign plays straight into that misconceived dichotomy.

Christians who adhere to clear biblical teachings on hot topics like the sanctity of life, gender identity, and sexuality, for example, are consistently accused of “harming” others by even holding those beliefs. Those who speak the truth about what God has already judged to be right and wrong are accused of being “judgmental” themselves. Those who understand Jesus to be the Son of God—the embodiment of truth, not warm fuzzies—are accused of being divisive when rightly seeking to divide truth from error as the Bible teaches (1 John 4:6).

So the question is, when Lee says that he wants to rescue the name of Jesus from those who “abuse it to judge, harm and divide people,” does he mean that he wants to give people a more biblical understanding of Jesus, or does he want to rescue an unbiblical, culturally palatable version of Jesus from followers who proclaim truth that people don’t want to hear?

I think the answer is clear from my next point.

4. The campaign reinforces what culture wants to believe about Jesus while leaving out what culture doesn’t want to believe.

Whereas the campaign is seeking to give people a fresh picture of Jesus, all it really does is reinforce the feel-good image culture already has. A representative web page[iii], for example, talks about how Jesus “invited everyone to sit at his table.” The text talks about how “inclusive” Jesus was, how the “religious do-gooders began to whisper behind his back,” and how “the name of Jesus has been used to harm and divide, but if you look at how he lived, you see how backward that really is. Jesus was not exclusive. He was radically inclusive.”

Of course Jesus welcomed everyone around His table. And surely people need to hear that. But He welcomed everyone because everyone needs to hear His message about people’s need for repentance and salvation! Meanwhile, He Gets Us presents Jesus’s actions as though they merely represented an example of how to get along well with others: “Strangers eating together and becoming friends. What a simple concept, and yet, we’re pretty sure it would turn our own modern world upside down the same way Jesus turned his around 2,000 years ago.”

Of course, if you’re nothing more than a human (see point 1), there’s not much more to take from Jesus’s actions than a social example of playing well with others.

5. The campaign characterizes the so-called culture war in terms of secular social justice rather than underlying worldview differences.

On a page titled, “Jesus was fed up with politics, too,” it says, “Jesus lived in the middle of a culture war…And though the political systems were different (not exactly a representative democracy), the greed, hypocrisy, and oppression different groups used to get their way were very similar.” The page, like many others on the site, has hashtags “#Activist#Justice#RealLife.”

For those familiar with Critical Theory and how it roots secular social justice ideas, this a pretty clear statement of the mindset from which He Gets Us is coming.

If you’re not familiar with how secular social justice ideas and manifestations differ from those of biblical justice, please see chapter 10 in my book, Faithfully Different: Regaining Biblical Clarity in a Secular Culture;[iv] I don’t have the space here to fully reiterate how opposed they are. But the bottom line is that secular social justice is rooted in the idea that the world should be viewed through the lens of placing people in “oppressor” and “oppressed” groups based on social power dynamics. The problems we have in society, according to this view, are that societal structures have produced norms that oppress certain groups, and those groups must be liberated. For example, in such a framework, those who feel oppressed by the gender binary need to be freed from society’s norms of “male and female.” Women whose access to abortion is limited need to be freed from constraints on “reproductive justice.”

The fact that He Gets Us believes culture wars are about the “oppression” different groups use to get their way presupposes a (secular) Critical Theory understanding of the world. In reality, it’s the opposing worldviews in culture that lead to such fundamental disagreement. As I explain throughout Faithfully Different, cultural “wars” over things like the sanctity of life and sexuality are ultimately rooted in disagreements between those who believe in the moral authority of the individual (the secular view) and those who believe in the moral authority of God and His Word (the biblical view).

6. The campaign’s stated goal is about inspiration, not a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

The president of the marketing agency behind He Gets Us has explicitly said[v], “Ultimately, the goal is inspiration, not recruitment or conversion.”

Now, as someone with a professional marketing background myself, I very much understand the fact that not every campaign has the goal of getting someone to “purchase” (or, in this case, “convert”). Marketers know that people generally go through preliminary phases of awareness, then interest, and then desire before committing to action. So if this campaign were only working at generating more and deeper awareness of or interest in a biblically faithful Jesus, that would be no problem. But if your goal is inspiration, you’re going to generate an awareness of and interest in a Jesus completely detached from the one a person should be giving their life to.

If it’s not immediately clear why, you can see the outcome of such a problematic goal on the page that asks, “Is this a campaign to get me to go to church?” Their answer is, “No. He Gets Us simply invites all to consider the story of a man who created a radical love movement that continues to impact the world thousands of years later. Many churches focus on Jesus’ experiences, but you don’t have to go to church or even believe in Christianity to find value in them. Whether you consider yourself a Christian, a believer in another faith, a spiritual explorer, or not religious or spiritual in any way, we invite you to hear about Jesus and be inspired by his example.”

Jesus is God of the universe and the exclusive path to salvation (John 14:6). He’s not just a nice guy relevant for “inspiring” people regardless of whatever errant worldview they happen to hold.

Some people reading this may try to be charitable in suggesting that if the campaign were more explicitly about Jesus’s divinity and the need for salvation up front, not as many would get interested in learning more. In other words, maybe the campaign funnels people to places that can deepen and clarify their understanding of Jesus. If that were the case, it would be a horrible, misleading approach. Every marketer knows that the goal is to generate accurate awareness. He Gets Us presents not just an incomplete Jesus, but the wrong one.

Even so, let’s look at where the campaign eventually takes people.

7. The next steps offered by He Gets Us could lead someone far away from truth rather than toward it.

When people become interested in learning more about Jesus, they’re directed to a “Connect” page.

Hundreds of churches have signed up to respond to people who fill out that connect form. Clearly, an important question is where those people are directed. However, there is no theological criteria or statement of faith that churches must adhere to in order to take part. The president of the marketing agency says, [vi]“We hope that all churches that are aligned with the He Gets Us campaign will participate…This includes multiple denominational and nondenominational church affiliations, Catholic and Protestant, churches of various sizes, ethnicities, languages, and geography.”

As I explain in Faithfully Different (and discuss with Dr. George Barna in my recent podcast[vii]), 65% of Americans identify as Christian while only about 6% have a worldview consistent with what the Bible teaches. Dr. Barna’s research has also shown that a dismal percent of pastors have a biblical worldview. If you have no theological criteria for where you’re sending people, you’re actually more likely than not—based on statistics—to be sending them to a church whose teachings don’t line up with those of the Bible.

In other words, you’re sending unsuspecting truth seekers to places where they won’t hear truth.

Yes, Jesus was fully human, but He was also fully God. When you remove half the picture of His identity (as this campaign does), you give people the understanding they want but not the fuller understanding they need. Because of this, He Gets Us has the potential to actually harm the public understanding of Jesus. People need to know that Jesus is our Savior, not a compassionate buddy.

Footnotes

[i] https://hegetsus.com/en

[ii] https://churchleaders.com/news/435958-he-gets-us-campaign-jon-lee-rns.html

[iii] https://hegetsus.com/en/jesus-invited-everyone-to-sit-at-his-table

[iv] https://www.amazon.com/Faithfully-Different-Regaining-Biblical-Clarity/dp/0736984291

[v] https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/march/he-gets-us-ad-campaign-branding-jesus-church-marketing.html

[vi] https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/march/he-gets-us-ad-campaign-branding-jesus-church-marketing.html

[vii] https://natashacrain.com/what-is-a-biblical-worldview-with-george-barna/

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Natasha Crain is a blogger, author, and national speaker who is passionate about equipping Christian parents to raise their kids with an understanding of how to make a case for and defend their faith in an increasingly secular world. She is the author of two apologetics books for parents: Talking with Your Kids about God (2017) and Keeping Your Kids on God’s Side (2016). Natasha has an MBA in marketing and statistics from UCLA and a certificate in Christian apologetics from Biola University. A former marketing executive and adjunct professor, she lives in Southern California with her husband and three children.

Original Blog Source: https://bit.ly/3EeLC16

The Sovereignty of God in the Affairs of Men

Posted by Dan C. on

Originally posted on April 17, 2016 and even more relevant almost 7 years later.

In my opinion, it might be a gross understatement to say that we are living in a time of intense turmoil on nearly all fronts, both nationality and internationally, and in every arena (political, cultural, social), the impacts of which are seen and felt inside and outside of the body of Christ, the church. And of course just about everybody has an opinion about what’s causing all the turmoil as well as possible solutions. If you ask the ‘man on the street’ in ‘Anytown’ U.S.A. which issue is the most important you will get all sorts of answers depending on the demographic of the interviewee.

Add a Christian worldview to the mix and we are faced with all of above in light of what we are provided in scripture that speaks to our time, from Old Testament prophecy through Revelation, and all that the Bible speaks of concerning ‘end times’ and the return of Christ to our beleaguered planet. And of course there are various interpretations of just about all of it, from the rapture of the church to the timing of the 2nd coming of Christ. While the Bible doesn’t give us all the details, we sure like to try and figure it all out!

To try and make sense of it all, I had to boil it down to two questions.

1. As a Christian, how am I to think about it?

2. As a Christian, how am I to behave in the midst of it?

As to my thought life, I can ignore it all and just go about my merry way , which is impossible, obsess about, which is unhealthy, or I can remember and take great comfort that God is in complete control of the affairs of men.

“The LORD has established His throne in the heavens; And His sovereignty rules over all.” (Psalm 103:19).

“But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.” (Psalm 115:3).

“For I know that the LORD is great, And that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.” (Psalm 135:5-6)

“He (God) changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.” (Daniel 2:21)

English Bible teacher and theologian A. W. Pink (1 April 1886 – 15 July 1952) had this to say about God’s sovereignty:

“Subject to none, influenced by none, absolutely independent; God does as He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases. None can thwart Him, none can hinder Him. So His own Word expressly declares: ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure’ (Isa. 46:10); ‘He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand’ (Dan. 4:34). Divine sovereignty means that God is God in fact, as well as in name, that He is on the Throne of the universe, directing all things, working all things ‘after the counsel of His own will’ (Eph. 1:11).” – A. W. Pink, The Attributes of God (Swengel, Pa.: Reiner Publications, 1968), p. 27.

With the above passages of scripture in mind, and regardless of what I think about specific issues, I am to think about it all in terms of the Sovereignty of God. We can take comfort that God is not an absentee landlord, nor is he just a bystander who steps in now and again to make sure we don’t blow ourselves up. In the midst of all the turmoil it is God “…who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.” (Eph 1:11-12, NIV)

Concerning my behavior, I suppose I could run away to a survivalist community far from the maddening crowd, grow my own food, keeps lots of guns and ammo while adopting an EMP proof lifestyle (no electricity). I could get involved in any number of causes that have been set up and designed to ‘save the world’. Or, I could see what the Bible tells me what I should be doing. The courses of action mentioned in this paragraph are not specifically discussed in the Bible; at least that I can see. At the same time, we are not left in the dark.

First of all, we are to pray; not only for those nearest and dearest to us, but for all men:

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Savior.” (1 Tim 1-3)

The Bible also tells us that as believers we are the salt of the earth and light of the world, in Matthew 5:13-16. We are to let our light shine before others so that they might see our good works and glorify God. So much for going into survivalist mode.

Secondly, as His servants we are follow the guidance the nobleman gave to his servants in the parable of the 10 minas in Luke 19:

“He (Jesus) said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ – (Luke 19:12-13)

Our ’10 minas’ is the gospel that we have received and believed, and that we are called to share with the lost world around us.

Yes, we are living in times of intense turmoil, but we can take comfort knowing that, in the end God is working out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will and for his glory. While remembering that Jesus Christ came to save sinners (not the good old U.S.A), and as we continue to look forward to the return of Christ and the eternal Kingdom, we can confidently continue to share His gospel with a dying world.

Keep the faith and keep up the fight!

 

The Great Evangelical Deconstruction – Albert Mohler

Posted by Dan C. on

by Albert Mohler

imageWhose side will Christian colleges and universities take when LGBTQ identities and Scripture collide? Given the unprecedented pressure to conform to the sexual and gender revolutions, we are about to see another great divide among schools that have identified as evangelical. On one side will stand the colleges and schools that hold on biblical conviction to the church’s traditional understanding of marriage, sex, and gender. Those schools will be considered apostate by the academic establishment. On the other side will stand the institutions that, sooner than later, join the revolution and gain the acceptance of the dominant academic culture. Very quickly, we will know where every college and university stands … or falls.

Calvin University, founded by the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) in 1876, recently announced that the school will allow faculty to remain, even if they disagree with the church’s teaching on LGBTQ relationships. Over the past few decades this issue has been growing into a crescendo of controversy on the Calvin campus. Everyone knew a breakpoint was coming. It came when the university’s trustees met just days ago.

Religion News Service introduced the story this way: “Calvin University’s board of trustees has allowed a group of faculty members to dissent from a clause in the confession of faith that regards sex outside of heterosexual marriage as sinful, thus enabling them to continue to work at the school while also respecting their convictions.”

Calvin’s campus newspaper offered extensive coverage of the controversy, and that coverage reveals that a significant number of faculty at the CRCNA school reject the denomination’s confessional beliefs. In the words of Calvin professor Kristin Kobes Du Mez, “It’s a matter of integrity.” She continued: “It seemed necessary to register my dissent so that I could have clarity in terms of whether it was a space where I could continue to work, or whether I no longer fit within the mission of the community.”

Professor Du Mez has emerged as a major critic of conservative evangelicalism and gender complementarianism. Her statement on LGBTQ issues makes clear that her disagreement extends to the confessional beliefs of the Christian Reformed Church, which owns Calvin University.

The most urgent crisis came after the CRCNA met this summer and raised the church’s stance against homosexual sex to confessional status. A number of prominent Calvin University faculty have taken pro-LGBTQ positions in recent years, and last year an openly gay student who identified as “queer or bisexual,” according to a press report, served as student body president.

Agreement with the Christian Reformed Church’s confessional statements is supposed to be required of Calvin University’s faculty. The board’s recent action allows LGBTQ-affirming faculty to remain even if they offer statements that they are not in agreement with the church’s confessional beliefs on homosexuality. A full process for working this out within university policies is still to come, but an initial cohort of faculty is passing through a process.

In any event, the big story is that a college that has claimed evangelical identity for more than a century, completely owned by a denomination that has raised its affirmation of biblical sexuality to confessional status, is surrendering to the sexual and gender revolution.

What sense does it make to claim that faculty are obligated to affirm the church’s confessional beliefs and then turn around and allow for personal objections to those very beliefs? Samuel Miller, long a stalwart professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, defined the issue very well: “If the system of doctrine taught in the confession be wrong, let it by all means be changed. But as long as we profess to hold certain doctrines, let us really and honestly hold them.” Speaking of a “lax mode of interpreting subscription to creeds,” Miller concluded that allowing for personal exceptions would mean that confessionalism is dead: “With whatever potency or value they may have once been invested, they will soon degenerate into mere unmeaning forms.” If you want to know what that looks like, direct your gaze at Calvin University.

The pressures on Calvin’s board of trustees were massive, coming from LGBTQ-identified students and their advocates on the faculty. The dominant academic culture demands that Christian schools surrender Christianity’s long moral judgment on sex, marriage, and gender. That comprehensive moral judgment is based in Holy Scripture. For the faithful Christian church, it is non-negotiable. A church that departs from biblical teaching on sex and marriage (and gender, too) is abandoning the Christian faith.

It is to Calvin University’s shame that the pressure for surrender came from within the institution itself, from prominent members of its own faculty and students, but the policy was adopted by the institution’s board of trustees, who ultimately bear the blame. This policy announces a departure from biblical truth and an abandonment of the Christian moral tradition on marriage, sex, and gender. Can you imagine trying to explain this to John Calvin?

Online Source at World Magazine

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R. Albert Mohler Jr.

Albert Mohler is president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Boyce College and editor of WORLD Opinions. He is also president of the Evangelical Theological Society and host of The Briefing and Thinking in Public. He is the author of several books, including The Gathering Storm: Secularism, Culture, and the Church. He is the seminary’s Centennial Professor of Christian Thought and a minister, having served as pastor and staff minister of several Southern Baptist churches.