To begin I wish to make it abundantly clear that I am not trying to pick on any person or institution. The example I use is merely to illustrate a point.

I know a teenager that recently sat in on a sermon with the topic of whether or not they only know about Jesus or have a relationship with him. Intrigued that this topic had actually been tackled I asked what had been taught about how to know Jesus. Sadly, I was told, “I don’t think we were taught how to know Jesus.” (more…)

There’s a great clip about “Marketing Jesus” from the movie, The Big Kahuna. As a little background, Danny Devito’s character is talking to a young man who works for the same company as he does. This young man just cost the company a big account because he decided to use a meeting to pitch a business idea as an opportunity to try and witness instead.

Watch the clip by clicking here.

Have you watched the clip? It moved me to examine the way in which I present myself as a witness to others. How does it make you feel when you have a salesperson trying to push a product on you. Even a product that you may want or need. Jesus isn’t a product to be pushed and sold. He can sell himself. Does manipulation and coercion really show anyone the way to Jesus? Any thoughts?

It was the selling of indulgences that prompted Martin Luther to nail his 95 theses to the door of the Castle church in Wittenberg, Germany. Apparently, he found the practice so exploitive and unbiblical that he chose to voice his displeasure publicly—(kind of a 16th century version of a blog rant).

In my mind, I have a sort of “running list” of things about the 21st century American church that I find appalling. (That’s the theme of this category.) But, I haven’t yet written anything down. Partly because I’m not a good blogger, and a bit lazy about writing sometimes. But also because I’ve not been sufficiently “prompted.” I’m prompted now!

Memorial Day weekend saw the opening of the Creation Museum in Northern Kentucky. Reportedly, $27 million was spent on this state of the art, entertainment-oriented facility, designed to inspire belief in creationism and discredit Darwinian evolution. Give me a break!

Isn’t it time we moved beyond this fight? I, for one, am tired of the “battle of the fishes”.

Who decided that it had to be an either/or proposition, anyway? Why must we pit scientific knowledge against matters of faith? Nothing in the Bible itself suggests that the creation poem in Genesis has to be interpreted as historically, scientifically, and literally accurate. Surely, it’s about more than how creation happened. Isn’t the BIG idea in the book of Genesis: the concept of a Creator-God? Neither science, nor Darwinism does much to refute that faith claim.

The Bible is really a book about faith. It is filled with metaphors, because spiritual reality (God) and faith experiences defy literal description. When talking about such things, we are in the realm of mystery, not very often hard, observable fact. Of course, that doesn’t make it less true . . . just less objective.

Which brings me back to why I’m so offended by the Creation Museum: (more…)