Archive for the ‘Culture’ Category

Jul
26
2010

Immigration and Evangelism

Perhaps there is no hotter topic than the subject of immigration. If you want to turn a really nice dinner party into an ugly brawl, just stand up and give your views on immigration. Yes, you will have ignited a verbal war.

Judging the emails, Facebook entries, and Twitter chatter, Christians are talking a lot of immigration. But the question is, and should be, how should a Christian think biblically about this issue.

Its no secret that the population of immigrants is swelling in the United States. And many immigrants are not here legally. This has many people rightfully upset, not the least of whom are those immigrants who worked hard to be here legally. It’s quite obvious that the government has had difficulty enforcing the border. Some feel they haven’t worked hard enough. But they have beefed up security in the past couple of years, and if you believe it, the statistics show that the flow of illegals has declined.

For many, its an issue of law and order. A nation of laws cannot allow laws to be unbroken. I agree with this. Order in society is essential to freedom. Romans 13 clearly gives the government the right to enforce its own laws and Christians should abide by those laws unless they infringe on our ability to worship God.

Here is where I have a problem with the typical conservative reaction to illegal immigration. I think they have largely directed their angst at the wrong group of people: the immigrants themselves, instead of the businesses who have largely “winked and nodded” when it comes to hiring illegals below wage and getting much more labor than would be required for a typical working citizen. The Bible tells us that the laborer is worthy of his wages (Luke 10:7; 1 Timothy 5:18). Businesses have largely gotten a free pass on what could be described as a form of slavery or serfdom.

And yet, we have much more anger at the illegals themselves. My question, as a Christ-follower, is this. How does God see these people? Statistic show that immigrants, especially Hispanic ones from Mexico, have a very high percentage of converting to Christianity when they arrive. This is a huge mission field for the gospel.

So what should we see when we see the great tide of immigrants across the border? We should see what Jesus sees, “fields that are white and ready to harvest” (John 4:35). We should see human beings, created in the image of God, whom God wants to restore to Himself through the salvation of the Gospel.

But many times, Christians don’t see what Jesus sees. We instead see a rising influx of immigrants as a threat. I’ve had more than one conversation with them and I’ve noticed that people complain about the changing demographics of their neighborhood.

You see, Jesus was always about a perfect balance of law and grace. The Pharisees were all law. They even added to the law. They were so intent on finding, pointing out, and stamping out sin. And Jesus didn’t necessarily disagree with their assessment that men were sinners. But He also talked of grace. Grace that loves the sinner in spite of the sin.

When it comes to illegal immigration, I wonder if Christians lead first with their Bibles, they might come to a more compassionate response. This is why I think you’re seeing a rising tide of evangelical leaders push for stricter border enforcement, but also a humane and compassionate response to those illegals immigrants who are already here. Not because we ignore the law, but because we are also about grace.

And to those who will still argue about the law–are they willing to be completely scrutinized for every law they might be breaking. What about those Christians who refuse to obey taxes? Should we apply the same tough tactics some advocate toward illegals?

I know this engenders a lot of heated opinion. But here is the bottom line. As Christians, called to be on mission with God and to reach the unreached with the gospel–can we honestly advocate a “kick ‘em out” mentality? Can we be faithful to the Great Commission and still speak of illegal aliens with the angry anti-immigrant rhetoric?

I wonder sometimes if we conservatives are more interested in scoring political points, in seeing the “bad guys” (Democrats, liberals, etc) defeated than we are in seeing lost souls won to the saving knowledge of faith in Christ.

Because I think we are to follow Jesus first, follow Scripture first, and then let our political viewpoints fall where they may. Most of all, to those who come here to the U.S. , will the church reach out with the gospel or with a political punch in the mouth?

Jul
21
2010

Christians and a Responsibility to Truth

Two news stories, one in the evangelical world and one in the political world, remind us that while Christians have a responsibility toward truth and grace, we don’t always uphold that.

Ergun Caner is a professor at Liberty University and was, until recently, Dean of the School of Religion. I didn’t get too deep into the weeds on this story, but apparently a few bloggers found discrepancies in his rather compelling conversion story. However, many prominent evangelicals,  have stood up for Dr. Caner. What was telling from my point of view as a very detached observer is that Christian bloggers were willing to stand with Muslim bloggers in attacking a very respected man of God. That’s not to say Dr. Caner was without blame, but from reading the articles, it seems the “discrepancies” were very minor, chalked up to human exaggeration and bad memory. I’m a public speaker, I preach every Sunday and sometimes my recollections of things in the past may not be as clear as they really were. To Dr. Caner’s credit, he did apologize for any inconsistencies and has been gracious in his response.

The second story is in the political world, the dustup over Shirly Sherrod, who was fired from her post in the Agriculture Department because of an edited video posted by the conservative, Andrew Breitbart. It appeared to have shown that Sherrod demonstrative prejudice in her dealing with white farmers. The since-released whole video shows her to be sharing a very compelling personal story. The clip went around the conservative media world, from talk shows to blogs to Fox News, etc. The only problem is that it was out of context and untrue. But the rush to judgement had begun and Sherrod was fired by the Agriculture Department.

Again, I didn’t have time to dive too deep into the weeds on this one, but reading Twitter and occasionally glancing at news sites, it was remarkable to me how easily the conservative political world wants to jump on stuff like this, without getting the whole facts.  And yes, I know the liberals do it. But “the liberals do it too” doesn’t make it right.

I think this an opportunity for Christians to take a deep breath. What frustrates me sometimes is the willingness of Christians to believe anything bad about the people who are on the other ideological spectrum from us. I get probably ten to twelve emails a day from Christians who forward their political emails. Sometimes I’m glad to be made aware of newsworthy items of concern or praise. But mostly I delete them, because they are filled with conspiracy theories and rush-to-judgment political observations that are either half-truths or snarky assumptions.

I think Christians can and should do better than this. For some reason we seem to think its okay to suspend Scripture when it comes to politics. But Christians should be about truth, not rumor-mongering. Why is it okay for us to believe the latest gossip or half-truths about Democrats and liberals?

I’m reminded of Philippians 4:8, which encourage us to think on whatever things are “true, pure, honest, lovely, of good report.” The true part is not an option. And even when things are true about people we don’t like, we should dwell on them. Now, admittedly, I have a hard time doing this. I like to dwell on the ugly side of people I don’t like.

That doesn’t mean we should lay down and accept an unbiblical worldview. It doesn’t even mean we shouldn’t work toward and vote for Christian values. But when our politics comes before our faith, when we begin to take our behavioral cues only from the conservative heroes we listen to, watch, and read all day long, instead of Jesus, then we’ve got a problem.

That means we might think twice about tearing down someone on a blog, especially a Christian brother. Even if we disagree. Perhaps we should think twice about forwarding conspiracy theory emails about the President. We might even pray for him. Most of all, we should live as if Jesus Christ is our Savior and our Redeemer, as if the last page of the Bible is really true. And our deepest passions shouldn’t be invested in hating the Democrats, but in fighting the real Enemy, Satan, and in doing battle to share the good news of the Gospel with those caught in his grasp.

Jul
21
2010

In Praise of Starbucks

Last night I had a rare night to just relax. The kids were in bed early, Angela was out to run errands, and I had the TV remote to myself. So I flipped around and finally settled on a biopic on CNBC done by the Biography Channel. The story of Starbucks, in particular, its chairman, Howard Schultz.

The documentary was very well done. I’m always fascinated by the stories of successful businesses. Whenever we’re waiting in a doctor’s office, I always gravitate toward the business magazines. I love to see how entrepreneurs push back against the norms and not only build a successful business, but shape the culture as a whole. In the last two decades, I’m not sure there has been a more culture-shaping phenomenon like the rise of Starbucks.

Now I know that for some, Starbucks is evil. They think the idea of spending five bucks on coffee is the height of American greed. They are old-school and won’t every buy anything above a cheap cup of McDonald’s joe. I can respect that.

But whether you hate Starbucks or not, you have to marvel at its rise. And even though Howard Schultz doesn’t appear to be a follower of Christ (never asked him), the way he runs his business offers some really great lessons for us who are.

For instance, Schultz built Starbucks, not merely to try to make money. Of course he wanted to make money, but their business model is so very different than the norm. In this documentary, he said that he is not “making transactions” and that his goal is not to “fill bellies.” His goal is to sell community, to offer a third-place between work and home for people to gather. His philosophy seems to be that if you create a good experience, people will come back for more. If you treat people well, they will pay more to come back for that same level of treatment. And if you give them great stuff, if you’re brand means something, they will trust you. What’s interesting is that Starbucks has never relied on traditional marketing. They don’t advertise. Why? Well, if customers have a good experience, they tell others. Its amazing that such a large successful corporation was built without advertising. And yet their hard work in creating a likable experience has done just that.

Perhaps the greatest lesson we can learn from Starbucks is in the way they treat their people. They offer health insurance to part-time workers. Each worker is considered a “partner,” and has stock in the company. They treat their employees with dignity. Their employees feel as if they are part of something larger, greater. Again, Starbucks is the farthest thing from a “Christian company.” And yet I wonder how it is that they can treat their people better than many Christian CEO’s? Interesting.

Lastly, I think its profound the way Howard Schultz changed the American landscape when it comes to coffee consumption. If you think about it, our coffee tastes have improved dramatically. Even Starbucks competitors offer better coffee. Every business seems to offer better-tasting coffee.

So what can be learned from the rise of Starbucks? Well that’s debatable, I’m sure, but at the very least its refreshing to see quality, a good experience, and good treatment of employees rewarded with success.

Jul
15
2010

Hating on the Church

It has become rather fashionable these days for Christians to hate on the church. Almost every day, a new book is put out by someone who is disolutioned with, has a lengthy critique of, and has a new solution for the church. But I wonder if it is spiritually and intellectually easy, and I dare say, lazy, to hate on “the evangelical church.”

When I first started writing, I succumbed to this crutch. I would find a really meaty Biblical principle and in the course of constructing my devotional or article, would add the line, “most Christians” or “most churches,” as if I, in my limited experience with other churches, had a good grasp of the evangelical church as a whole.

The truth is that heaping scorn on “the church” or “most Christians,” is easy and it is a nice cover for our own failures. And it is true that there are problems in the Church of God. The Church is far from perfect and always needs introspection and change. But the Church is also Christ’s bride. Christ loves the church.

Imagine how I’d feel if someone told me they really like me, but strongly dislike my wife. Well. I’m not a very confrontational guy, but you attack my wife and I can get pretty angry. Imagine how Christ feels.

Its also a convenient escape from the change and growth God wants to do in us, personally. When I’m reading Scripture and applying lessons to “the church” or “most Christians who don’t  . . . ” or even “the culture,” then I’m saying that I’ve got everything figured out. You see? I’m not applying Scripture to me, Dan Darling. I’m applying it to other people. Oh, I’m good at that. Great at that. I can give you seventeen bullet-points of where the church, most Christians, and the culture is doing astray.

But in my life, God is most concerned with me, my growth, my sanctification, my development, my repentance, my outworking of the fruits of the spirit.

So, if we want to keep avoiding the obvious work of growth in our hearts, keep hating on the Church. But if you desire genuine transformation, let’s start reading the Scripture back to ourselves, with the attitude of Paul, who said, “I am the chief of sinners.” I’m the problem and nobody else.

Jul
08
2010

Guess What? If it’s Online, It’s Live

I have over 1,000 friends on Facebook now and a growing number of Twitter followers. The world is much different now than it was even five years ago. We’re all social; we’re all sharing stuff with our little tribes. I don’t think this is a bad thing and these tools are incredibly useful in getting a message out to a wide group of people. Personally I’ve seen God use Facebook and Twitter to use my ministry to minister to people. That’s a good thing.

But there’s a trend I’m noticing on social networks that’s a bit disturbing. It’s disturbing because it’s happening among Christians. It seems that we’re becoming a bit too personal, a bit too expressive in our posts and tweets and blog posts.

We seem to have forgotten that if we post it online, its, well, online. And online means, typewritten somewhere, forever recorded, and well . . . public.

Imagine you’re standing on stage or you’re with a group of people. What would you want them to know and what would you express to them?

Put it another way. What if you were really accountable for your Facebook posts and Twitter tweets? Imagine that if someone came up to you at church or in your small group or at a family reunion and read out loud your posts.

Now all of us would be embarrassed slightly, so this doesn’t completely hold serve. And there is a certain social networking culture that lends to more expression, a bit more sharing. I get that.

But still, what we say online is public. Period. This is why I don’t understand people swearing, taking personal shots at friends, saying politically insensitive things.

For some reason, when we get behind a keyboard in the privacy of our homes, we feel so free, so unburdened, as if we can shout to the world and not have our words come back to haunt us.

I have news. Those words can come back to haunt. Employers scour FB posts and Twitter feeds and rightfully so. So do you want to be known as the loose cannon, foul-mouthed person, who is unstable?

And let’s talk from a Christian perspective. I’ve talked to several youth pastors who have said the posts by kids in their youth group have revealed a whole side to them; a side they didn’t know existed.

Who you are on Facebook isn’t some alternate creation of you that won’t be held accountable. That’s the real you.

I’m not saying to be fake. To put up some unreal version of you. I’m just saying that as soon as you hit send, you’re public.

Do those thoughts honor God? Do they edify your brothers and sisters in the church? And . . . will they come back to embarrass you later.

Something to think about.

Jun
16
2010

Just Call Me Dad

I have to admit that before I was married, I really didn’t enjoy kids. Its not that I didn’t like them, but the sounds of crying babies and snotty-nosed toddlers and sugar-addled adolescents just didn’t get my juices flowing.

But something happened on December 31st, 2004. For the first time, I was no longer a kid, a guy, a newly-wed, a husband. I was . . . a Dad.

I can’t tell you the overwhelming sense of joy and pride I had at being a Dad. That God would entrust me, of all people, to care for one of His children.

I also had another feeling. I don’t know what I’m doing. I mean, I knew what I was doing in the sense that I had enjoyed a great upbringing with Christian parents and a good, wholesome environment, and a terrific church influence. I’d even heard and internalized a lot of parenting ideas in the course of my then-two decades on the earth.

But, when the baby is live and you’re the Daddy, reality kicks in. You recognize your own frailties, you’re weaknesses. You know that you need the grace of God in your parenting.

Today I have three children, Grace, Dan Jr, and Emma. They are all under five. And I must say that the most rewarding part of my life right now is the fact that I am a father.

It’s humbling and sobering. A father’s role in the family cannot be understated. The shrapnel of bad fathering is imbedded deep into our society. Anyone can be a father, someone once said, but it takes a committed man to be a Dad.

Above all, I want to be a good Dad. When I look down and see those innocent eyes look up at me, I realize that I’m no longer one man living on this earth. The decisions and choices I make are like stones skipped across a pond. Their effect ripples across the waves of human lives.

As a pastor, I’ve seen the heartbreak of absent fathers, distant fathers, and selfish fathers. I see the tears in the eyes of children. They just want to see a Dad who cares, who loves, who has the courage to guide them in the ways of the Lord.

Fathering is tough. And even the best fathers make mistakes. I do every single day. Some days it seems all I do is make mistakes. Fortunately, God doesn’t call us Dads to be perfect, just teachable, obedient, faithful, and humble. Ultimately, His grace will flow in the areas where we have failed.

But what a wonderful journey. To come home every day, to climb those stairs and see my three children reaching, looking, hoping for my grand entrance.

I can’t tell you how awesome that is. Thank you God for making me a Father. I hope to honor you with the way I lead.

Jun
11
2010

Can We Stop Bashing the Church Now?

This is an early preview of my Crosswalk Column for next week:

If I had a dollar for every Debbie Downer book on the American church, I’d make Warren Buffet look like a poverty-stricken college freshman.

It seems every single day, Christian pollsters, pastors, authors, and just ordinary folks are telling us that the American church is basically fat, lazy, and doesn’t care. And if we don’t do certain things (the seven points in their book), the church will cease to exist.

But I don’t see it. In fact, I’m excited about the next generation of believers, especially among the young people I see.

Read More

Jun
09
2010

The End of Books as We Know It

Sunday afternoon, in between church services, I found some time to read The Chicago Tribune which we have delivered faithfully every Sunday. Yes, I still read the “dead-tree” version. Even though I read most of my content online, there is still something special about opening the newspaper.

I read with great interest Julia Keller’s column on the end of books. It was a special column leading up to the Chicago Printer’s Row Book fair. A key thought was this:

A friend of mine in her early 20s managed to poke a finger through the tissue-thin argument that iPads, Kindles and Nooks are just as good as books, that reading is reading, that content is all that matters.

She and her classmates at the University of Notre Dame were invited to the home of a revered professor. It was a gleaming palace of erudition, she said: Room after room was filled with elegant floor-to-ceiling bookcases; each bookcase was filled with beautiful volumes; each volume seemed to glow with the written legacy of the world’s wisdom.

It was, she recalled, breathtaking.

Reveling in all of this, my friend had a sudden, unsettling thought: What if, instead of the soaring bookcases, the professor’s home had featured a card table with a Kindle on it?

The content might be the same — vast storage capacity is one of the chief selling points of new technologies — but how different it would be in terms of spiritual sustenance.

That last sequence stuck with me. I’m a huge fan of technology and love the idea that you can download books, etc. I think technology has actually promoted reading. People probably ingest more content now than they have in decades, with blogs, news sites, rss feeds, etc.

But nothing will replace a library with books. There is something wonderful about a room full of books. I can’t imagine future generations will walk into an austere room filled with screens. I have to imagine we will still produce books with spines. That the thriving cottage industry of used books and valuable first editions will continue. That we’ll still dog-ear favorites and pass them to loved ones with notes in the front.

Sure, the delivery method will change, the printing process will be more efficient, and perhaps we’ll publish less books–some whole genres will be extinct, like the encyclopedia or the cookbook or the dictionary.

But books? I think they’ll be here forever.