Posts Tagged ‘church’

Dec
10
2010

Friday Five Interview: Jonathan Merritt

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Today I have the privilege of chatting with Jonathan Merrit. I’ve been following the work of Jonathan in the last couple years as God has given him a platform to speak and write on subjects relevant to a younger generation of evangelicals. Southern Baptists will know Jonathan as the son of Dr. James Merritt, a past President of the Southern Baptist Convention and a reknowned pastor and teacher.

Jonathan is a thoughtful writer, speaking on the intersection of orthodox Christian faith and culture. He is author of Green Like God: Unlocking the Divine Plan for Our Planet (2010), which Publisher’s Weekly called “a must-read for churchgoers,” offers a biblical justification for care of creation. His work has appeared in respected outlets such as USA Today, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Washington Post’s “On Faith,” BeliefNet, Christianity Today, and CNN.com. Jonathan is also the editor of Q.

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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.

Jun
18
2010

Friday Five Interview – Charles Stone


Several years ago, when I was working for a Christian organization and the editor of their monthly devotional magazine, I had the chance to meet Charles Stone, Senior Pastor of Ginger Creek Community Church. Actually I “met” him via email. We had the opportunity to print an excerpt from his then-new book, Daughters Gone Wild, Dad’s Gone Crazy. This was a great book that chronicled the  journey he took with his daughter who rebelled for a time but then came back to the faith.

Since then, we’ve become friends. Charles graciously endorsed Teen People of the Bible. We’ve also ran into each other at writer’s conferences, etc. I highly recommend his blog: charlesstone.net.

Well, now Charles is out with a brand-new book, 5 Ministry Killers and How to Defeat Them. It is a revealing look at pastoral burnout. I’m nearly finished with the book and I can say that it has challenged me and has educated me on the rigors of ministry. I highly recommend it for both pastors, board members, and lay people.

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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.

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