Breaking Point

We are at a breaking point in the Church. There must be a revolution in how we deal with the complex issues of our day. There are a few points I want to make on this subject:

1. The moral movement of our society is a symptom of a sickness in the Church and is a signal at our ineffective methods by which we deal with issues in this world.

The fact that our society is struggling with issues that challenge Godly values is an indicator that Christians are failing to influence our neighbors with the love of Christ. With divorce rates, abuse, and other issues plaguing Christians as much as non-Christians, it is obvious that we are not upholding a Godly example for the rest of our society. We have traded deeply devoted, loving relationships for shallow imitations of God's intent for us. Our church communities have created a group of converts who hold a faith that has little bearing on their daily lives. They see the American dream and God's dream for humanity as synonyms. We have lost our creativity in dealing with people's life change through the power of God.

Additionally, we have failed to realize that the means by which we influence society have been corrupted. We have been convinced that we can control the morality of our society by wielding political power. This is the same dangerous trap that Jesus was tempted with, Constantine fell to, and American Christianity has been co-opted by. We must learn to resist the temptation to achieve immediate results through political power when Jesus taught us to take the long, slow, difficult road of serving and suffering for those in need. By getting deeply involved in people's lives, we can experience real life change by the power of the Holy Spirit.


2. The Church must find common ground to unite to be "like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose." (Phil 2:2).

This point is so important in light of how divisive social issues have become in recent years. There are simple Biblical truths that we must use as our foundation, but the way we express those truths in our relationships with others can differ. Since a grounded Christian worldview is becoming the minority in America, we must rethink what it means to be effective in living a life of love, and showing others the Kingdom of God here on earth. I have some interesting ideas on this issue, but I don't have the time to write them all down now. However, these are questions we need to be asking in the Church. This is a new time, a new generation, and a new opportunity to help God in His work of redeeming His creation.

Touching Story

A professor of mine helped publish this video about his mother and aunt who are 95 years old. This is a great story about two people who are deeply moved by the election of Barack Obama. Check it out here.

A Night in Chicago...

I'm in Chicago right now visiting a graduate school. We flew into the city on Saturday afternoon and spent the afternoon at the Chicago Art Institute and at Pizzeria Due in downtown Chicago. The pizza was amazing! We also went to Millennium Park and Grant Park to walk around and see these historic sites. I will post some pictures soon,