Charles Spurgeon on Church Growth

Justin Taylor has a great excerpt on his Theologica - Between Two Worlds blog from Charles Spurgeon, who built the world's first "megachurch" in London, England over a century ago, giving Spurgeon's recipe for growing a large church. Like all of Spurgeon's writings, the English is a bit antiquated and flowery compared to the way we speak today, but it's worth reading.

Here's a taste (there's more on Justin's site):

My good ministering brother, have you got an empty church? Do you want to fill it? I will give you a good recipe, and if you will follow it, you will, in all probability, have your chapel full to the doors.Burn all your manuscripts, that is No. 1. Give up your notes, that is No. 2. Read your Bible and preach it as you find it in the simplicity of its language. ... Begin to tell the people what you have felt in your own heart, and beseech the Holy Spirit to make your heart as hot as a furnace for zeal. Then go out and talk to the people. Speak to them like their brother. Be a man amongst men. Tell them what you have felt and what you know, and tell it heartily with a good, bold face; and, my dear friend, I do not care who you are, you will get a congregation.But if you say, "Now, to get a congregation, I must buy an organ."That will not serve you a bit."But we must have a good choir."I would not care to have a congregation that comes through a good choir."No," says another," but really I must a little alter my style of preaching."My dear friend, it is not the style of preaching, it is the style of feeling... Preach out of your hearts just what you feel to be true, and the old soul-stirring words of the gospel will soon draw a congregation.

Death by Ministry

Last May, Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church had a provocative post on the Resurgence blog dealing with pastoral burnout entitled, "Death by Ministry." After listing some sobering statistics on burnout in the ministry and symptoms to look for (some of which I had never considered before), he provides a list of preventions and solutions:

1. Fill your plate.
2. Exercise.
3. Do not allow technology to be your Lord.
4. Sabbath.
5. Pick a release valve.
6. Work on your life, not just in it.
7. Leave margin.
8. Spend most of your time training leaders.
9. Work from conviction, not guilt.

His most recent post (Of Brokennes and Buddies) shares some of his own battle with burnout in the face of church growth at the rate of 1,000 plus per month. (Can you imagine that kind of stress?!?!!!!) Whatever your opinions may be of Mark's theology or even his personality, our brother is obviously impacting a great many people in one of America's least churched cities. Why not take a moment to breathe a prayer for him and his family during this time? Whether our church is larger or small, any one of us could be where he is right now, and probably will be at some point in our lives and ministries.

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2 NIV)

If you have never heard of Mark Driscoll, there are many articles about him on the web, including one from Christianity Today magazine entitled, "Men Are From Mars Hill." You may find his opinions enlightening, you may find them strange, you may even find them offensive, but if you are like me, you will usually find them thought-provoking! Here are a couple of quotes from the CT article to show you what I mean...

You say there are particular theologies attached to traditional, contemporary, and emerging churches? What are they, and what are Mars Hill's distinctives?

Traditional churches have either leaned toward being fundamentalist and separated from culture, which has led to legalism and irrelevance; or they have leaned toward being liberally synchronized with culture, which leads to compromise and irrelevance. Either way, many traditional churches are irrelevant, whether they lean to the Left or the Right theologically and politically. Most contemporary churches are not very theological beyond a few evangelical basics, because they are guided more by pragmatism and programming than theology. At Mars Hill Church, we are driven by Reformed theological convictions and emerging missional methods. I like to say we are theologically conservative and culturally liberal.

What are some of the major blind spots of megachurches?

The major blind spot of megachurches is that they tend to be very effeminate with aesthetics, music, and preaching perfectly tailored for moms. Manly men are repelled by this, and many of the men who find it appealing are the types to sing prom songs to Jesus and learn about their feelings while sitting in a seafoam green chair drinking herbal tea—the spiritual equivalent of Richard Simmons. A friend of mine calls them "evangellyfish" with no spiritual vertebrae. Statistically, traditional churches are in steep decline, contemporary churches will dominate in the foreseeable future, and emerging churches are just beginning to sort out what the future holds for them.

Are young people becoming more sympathetic to Reformed theology?

The two hot theologies today are Reformed and emerging. Reformed theology offers certainty, with a masculine God who names our sin, crushes Jesus on the Cross for it, and sends us to hell if we fail to repent. Emerging theology offers obscurity, with a neutered God who would not say an unkind word to us, did not crush Jesus for our sins, and would not send anyone to hell. I came to Reformed theology by preaching through books of the Bible such as Exodus, Romans, John, and Revelation, along with continually repenting of my sin. I am,however, a boxers, not briefs, Reformed guy. I am pretty laid back about it and not uptight and tidy like many Reformed guys.

What do you think needs to be the relationship between church and culture?

The difficulty is that there are actually three ways that faithful Christians and churches must respond to culture:

Reject—Some aspects of a culture are simply sinful and should be rejected by God's people. In our day this would include sexual sins (fornication, pornography, homosexuality, adultery), illegal drug use, and the pluralistic notion that every religion is an equally valid path to salvation.

Receive—Some aspects of a culture are the result of common grace and should be received by God's people. Examples in our day would include stewarding and enjoying creation, building community, and acts of mercy for the poor, widows, orphans, sick, and elderly.

Redeem—Some aspects of a culture are, in and of themselves, morally neutral but are used for evil, and can be redeemed for good. Examples in our day include using media portals (e.g., internet, podcast, vodcast) for the gospel, celebrating sex within heterosexual marriage, and spending money and using power in such a way that honors Jesus and demonstrates his love for people.

Podcasts I listen to...

I frequently use the free itunes software to download and listen to audio and video podcasts from a variety of churches, ministries, and news organizations. (Please note that you do not have to have an ipod to do this. The software also lets you do it on your computer.)

If you would like to check out the podcasts I subscribe to, just click here and do the following steps (If you have not yet installed the itunes software, then click here first...!):

1. When the window opens up, a bunch of text will appear on your screen that you do not have to try to understand. Just save the page to your harddrive somewhere via the "Page" then "Save As" on your browser menus.
2. Then, open up the itunes software and choose the "File" then "Import" menu selections from inside itunes and click on the name of the file you just saved and voilà...you will be subscribed to all the podcasts that I am subscribed to...!
3. Depending on what settings you have selected under the "Edit" and "Preferences" menu selections in the itunes software, your computer will start downloading all the podcasts I either listen to regularly or am checking out at the moment. It is easy to delete the ones you don't like and only keep the ones you do like.

Enjoy...! And, let me know what great podcasts you find on the web, too!

Stuart Briscoe on Preaching Today

Here is a great link to an audio interview with Stuart Briscoe on what preaching means today. If you do not yet have the free ITunes software installed on your computer that makes listening to podcasts easy (whether on your computer or by transferring them to an ipod), you can download it by clicking here.

Millions of Muslims Coming to Christ...!

While browsing the web this morning, I noticed an item entitled, Six Million Muslims A Year Coming to Christ on a blog by a Vineyard leader called, "Charismatica." The post points the way to a video on YouTube containing a clip from an interview with a Muslim leader stating admitting that statistic, which works out to about 667 Muslims coming to Christ per day. (The broadcast begins in Arabic, then after a moment, English subtitles pop up.) Interesting...! Here is a link to a partial transcript.

In a similar vein, a friend of mine was flying across Pakistan a few years ago when he came across an article in an English language paper with the headline, "Warning! Our Children Are Becoming Christians!" It was a translated excerpt from an article in a Saudi Arabian paper saying that while rich Saudis were out jet-setting around the world spending their petrodollars, the foreign nannies they had imported were singing their children to sleep with sweet worship choruses about Jesus, and their kids were converting to Christianity at an alarming rate...

Just like Jesus promised,

"...this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14)

Dr. David Shibley's "Open Letter to Southern Baptist Leaders"

Earlier, Dr. David Shibley's blog was carrying the text of his, "Open Letter to Southern Baptist Leaders" regarding the IMB Trustee's decision to no longer appoint missionaries who practice a private prayer language. It is now on the Charisma magazine's website. As a charismatic alumnus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, his perspective is well worth reading.

His blog also contains other interesting posts, including his TOP 10 THINGS I AM LEARNING FROM FRONTLINE SHEPHERDS WORLDWIDE, and his 10 HOPES FOR FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMISSION.

Generation Gap 2007

The stunning rise in influence of bloggers on public opinion is nowhere more evident than in the ongoing controversy in the Southern Baptist Convention over the decision taken last year by their International Missions Board to ban the appointment of missionaries who exercise private prayer languages according to 1 Corinthians 12 and 14. (Marty Duren's SBC Outpost blog with over 600,000 hits is one notable example of this phenomenon.)

Without going into the details of that controversy, or the events that first attracted my attention to it, namely, the furor over local Pastor and SWBTS Trustee Dwight McKissic's sermon on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in chapel at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary over in Fort Worth last summer, I must say that I found SBC President Morris Chapman's recent words on the apparent generation gap in their movement quite thought provoking. In his post entitled, "Are We Watering Down the Gospel and Weakening Our Collective Witness?", Dr. Chapman writes,

No doubt, times are changing.The older and younger generations are separated by the greatest gulf in history due in no small part to "Al Gore's" invention of the Internet. For the first time in history, the man on the street has equal access to the public through a brand new vehicle of communication … Access to the masses is no longer the reserved domain for leaders only … The Internet has provided a means and a medium by which the previously unheard can be heard. Such freedom without implementing certain disciplines can be intoxicating and a person can easily feel the license to say things he/she would never say in any other circumstances.The very opposite is true with my generation. Rather than being intoxicated with public discourse as a means for registering differences, my generation is tempted to do everything quietly, away from public view, with pre-set agendas, persuasive phone calls, and whispers in an attempt to control an otherwise neutral environment by whatever means is necessary to achieve a political end.

The contrast is revealing. The older generation prefers to work with others one-on-one in an effort to influence them to embrace a particular opinion. The younger generations, due to the advent of the computer and Internet, prefer to speak openly, candidly, and publicly, often about personal opinions as well as private and/or corporate deliberations and decisions. The older generation has been inclined to persuade others by applying political pressures. The younger generations have been inclined to persuade others by informing the public and implying shame. Neither approach has room to boast as long as their accusations against each other have the common goal of demanding a specific answer without wise and careful deliberations in a context free from threats, intimidation, and rewards to the so-called "faithful." … Will the generation comprising the over 65 crowd, men and women who pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps and slowly ascended into a role of leadership, ever connect with the new generations spawned by the Internet? To date, I think no one knows the answer. Sufficient time has not passed to make such judgments. It will be a tragedy for all generations if it doesn't happen.

Sooner or later, all the lions of leadership walk haltingly off the scene and are left with little more than an occasional toothless roar that is barely heard and hardly noticed by the pride that he led with such majestic carriage. It will happen to us all regardless of our age at the present time. Younger generations are less conscious of that day because it seems so distant to them compared to older individuals. God designed it that way so that as the older generation begins to walk more cautiously and with increasing maturity, younger generations will bring vision, vitality, enthusiasm, energy, creativity, and innovation to any discussion, any project. Both the older and younger generations bring more to the table than my abbreviated list and both should engage in solutions to make the world better and our Convention more effective for the sake of Christ's Kingdom. To treat each other with contempt and disdain no doubt saddens the heart of God. We should talk with each other, not to or about each other. We should talk about issues, period!

I have never met Dr. Chapman, and quite honestly know very little about him, but I found his analysis of the immense difference in communication and leadership styles between older and younger Christian leaders at this point in time both fascinating and resonant with the ring of truth. Quite honestly, I bear scars in my own soul resulting from wounds suffered in past conflicts which were aggravated by the diametrically opposed approaches to dealing with the issues of leadership transition and congregational life he describes. Whichever side of the generational divide you find yourself on, taking the time to read the full text of his article and reflect upon his words will better prepare you to lead God’s people into this new millennium.

Away with Senior Pastors

The Out of Ur leadership blog has a two-part post (Part I, Part II) evaluating recent ruminations by David Fitch which he entitled, "Some Reasons Why the Lone 'Senior Pastor' Might Not Make Sense Anymore."

Fitch writes,

"...we must dump the CEO- pastor-leader that the church has too often modeled from the secular business..."the CEO-pastor-leader" is a construction that only makes sense in the Cartesian worlds where man is in control..., where leadership is technique driven..., and people are units in a sociological structure devoid of the organic nature that we see characterizes the gifted nature of the Body of Christ. (1 Cor 12: 4-31)."

Harsh words, and like some other elements of the post-modernist, emerging church movement, it sounds to my ears more like a reaction to excess or sterile tradition than a positive response to the simple teachings of the Word of God. And, yet, whatever a person thinks about his conclusion, one must grapple with the reasons he gives:

1.) Because it doesn't make sense to build a church around a personality.
2.) Because there are no supermen (women).
3.) Because isolated pastors can become blinded to their own lacks and get tunnel vision and become egomanical.
4.) Because pastors cannot lead alone.
5.) Because pastors benefit from being bi-vocational.
6.) Because it models the diversity and interrelatedness of the Body.
7.) Because it keeps pastors from becoming fake images which inevitably leads to moral failure and/or disappointment.
9.) Because it is hard for pastors to foster servanthood when they are put on a pedestal separated from the people.
10.) In summary, because the senior pastor position is an impossible position to live up to.

It's harvest time...!

Last week, I spent three days in Peru, ministering at a pastor’s conference in Lima. Having lived there during my early teen years, it brought back a flood of memories. I’ve posted some photos and thoughts about all of that on my Hillcrest Church blog. In the next few days, I’ll post some of the lessons in leadership from the life of Moses I shared at that event.

I’ve spent the first three days of this week in one of my M.Div. classes (Growing the Local Church) at the King’s Seminary at Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California. It was taught by Senior Pastor Jim Tolle. Their Spanish church has grown very rapidly and is now the largest in the United States, with some 12,000 Hispanics in attendance every Sunday.

Interestingly, the strategy God gave Pastor Tolle in the beginning was to specifically target illegal immigrants, welcoming them to the U.S.A. and to the Church on the Way in the name of the Lord. Apparently, this approach is very uncommon among other Spanish language churches in this country, but it has resulted in incredible fruit. Now, their goal is to plant fifty churches in the next five years. Even with that level of outreach, it still looks like they will need to move their public meetings to one of the area’s sports stadiums!

Hearing their story drove home to my heart in a fresh way something I heard said several years ago: “It is God’s job to ripen the harvest. It is our job to reap the harvest. Too many times we try to reap where we want to reap instead of reaping where the Holy Spirit has already ripened!”

Jesus put it this way while passing through Samaria with His disciples,

"³⁵ As you look around right now, wouldn’t you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time! ³⁶ “The Harvester isn’t waiting. He’s taking his pay, gathering in this grain that’s ripe for eternal life. Now the Sower is arm in arm with the Harvester, triumphant. " (John 4:34-37, The Message)

May God give us all eyes to see the fields that His Spirit has already ripened around us…!

The Ten Deadly Sins of Preaching

The Out of Ur blog is carrying Skye Jethani's notes from John Ortberg's session at the National Pastor's Convention entitled, The Ten Deadly Sins of Preaching.

Here is the short version:

1. The temptation to be inauthentic.
2. The temptation to live for recognition.
3. The temptation to live in fear.
4. The temptation to compare.
5. The temptation to exaggerate.
6. The temptation to feel chronically inadequate.
7. The temptation of pride
8. The temptation to manipulate.
9. The temptation of envy.
10. The temptation of anger.

Good stuff!

Goal setting - God's way or our way?

Have you ever read or heard words from someone and instantly said to your self, "That is what I have always believed! I just didn't know how to say it!"? That's the way I felt when I read Jack Hayford's article, "Why I Don't Set Goals" on the Building Church Leaders website.

I want to blog on his article so bad "I can taste it," because I believe it speaks to a much, much larger component of true, spiritual leadership. I don't have time right now. I'll just post the link for you and we can discuss it later.

Be SURE to read his words...and let me know your thoughts by clicking on the "Post a comment" link below.

Relevance

The folks over at Catalyst have an mp3 on file you can download here of an interview with George Barna where he describes why he wrote his book, Revolution. (I found it interesting to hear the man’s actual voice, instead of the one that my mind had created that played in my head any time I read his words. Have you ever been surprised to hear what someone really sounds like…?)

In the interview, Barna describes the frustration he felt after having trained so many church leaders in America for over a decade, while simultaneously coming to the conclusion that very little real life change was taking place as a result. His research revealed many people were leaving the church in order to draw closer to Christ and follow him more fully. He states, “Their call to action was not to go to church, but to be the church.” (Another articulation of this same idea can be found in a short video clip of Mark Driscoll discussing the difference between seeker churches and missional churches. It is taken from a series of short videos that were produced by the speaker lineup at a conference hosted by John Piper dealing with the relevance of Christianity in a post-modern world. I encourage you to check out the others by clicking here.) A lot has been written about Barna’s own personal journey since Revolution came out, some of it quite vindictive, in my view, accusing him of finding what he wanted to find instead of objectively looking at the data he uncovered.

While I am quite convinced that the church of Jesus Christ is and will always be triumphant in any and every culture, I do think his message needs to be heard by all of us who help lead God’s people today. Our answers to his questions must go well beyond simple matters of style. As my good friend, Ken Janke, often points out, what many people want more than anything else from the church today is authenticity. That is far more important to them than cultural relevance!

Witness the iconic stature of Mother Teresa. She never would have won an award for being “hip” or “cool,” yet her influence cut across the entire social spectrum of most every nation on the planet. Why? Because people believed she was real. In their eyes, what she did revealed who she was. Her credibility resulted from her authenticity. Even when people did not agree with what she said, they were willing to listen to her say it, and sometimes her words pierced their hearts. While this phenomenon has probably been true throughout human history, it is particularly the case in our western world. Before post-moderns ever get to the question, “Is it true?” they first ask, “Is it real?” No one I know seriously questions whether or not the diminutive nun from Albania believed and practiced what she preached.

As I read and listen to Barna and Driscoll and Hybels and Stanley and Batterson and a Tall Skinny Kiwi and a host of others like them, I hear God calling the church to a more intentional, active, and winsome engagement with those who do not know Jesus than ever before. In response, my own heart cries out to Him, asking for help for myself and the people I serve, that we might follow Him so closely that people will see right through the outward trappings of the clothing we wear and the music in our worship services and the technological means we acquire and the verbiage we use and everything else that makes up human culture, as beautiful and important and relevant as it is, and see straight into our very hearts to find the Jesus they so desperately need, living there. When that happens, it is amazing how effective He is at drawing them to Himself!

Ben Witherington - Here Come the Pentecostals

Dr. Ben Witherington III is the Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. His blog posts are often thought-provoking, such as his musings on capital punishment after reading John Grisham's, "The Innocent Man."

His "Here Come the Pentecostals" is an interesting account of his own personal journey, coupled with some theological reflections about what he thinks penteocostals have got right...and wrong, particularly what he sees as an endemic fixation with material prosperity.

Here's his take on "cessationism":

The cessationists argue that God ran out of juice. He used to give people these sorts of gifts in the apostolic age, but once that era was over, and once the canon showed up, such extraordinary spiritual gifts ceased. The chief proof text for this view is, believe it or not, 1 Cor. 13.8-12 which reads "Love never fails. But where there are prophecies they will cease; where there are tongues they will be stilled; where there is knowledge it will pass away. For we know in part and prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child. I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult I put childish ways behind me." Of course that is not all this paragraph says. It goes on to say 'Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see to face to face." What is Paul talking about? When will we see face to face, and know as we are known? Well for sure it was not when the second century A.D. began, nor when the Scriptures were canonized in the fourth century. The cessationists have tended to argue: 1)the word 'perfection' refers to the coming of the canon. When the NT showed up we didn't need these extraordinary spiritual gifts any more. Of course the major problem with that exegesis is that no one in Corinth in the A.D. 50s could possibly have understood Paul to mean 'the NT canon' by the word 'perfection'. And in fact this is not what Paul meant-- he's referring to the eschaton when we see Jesus face to face, when perfection really comes in the person of the Lord, when we finally know Him as we are known. Then indeed we will not need prophecy or tongues, and then indeed our knowledge will cease to be partial. Indeed, then faith will become sight, and hope will be realized, and love will be perfected and go on. There is no chance that the word 'perfection' means the canon here. The context is eschatological, and Paul is looking forward to what will be the case when Jesus returns. This is so very clear in 1 Cor. 15, the resurrection chapter, as well. 2) And of course if you are a student of Church History you know perfectly well the Holy Spirit has not run out of unction to function. Those spiritual gifts have been being poured out in every century since the second century until now. In America of course the Azuza Street Revival in 1905 was a landmark event for Pentecostals. Their growth has been pretty steady since then. We might as well just accept it and come to grips with it, even if its not our cup of tea.

Well worth the reading.

Post-Abortion Syndrome - New York Times

I noticed on the New York Times website a few minutes ago that the number one, most frequently emailed article today is a cover piece from their magazine entitled, “Is There A Post-Abortion Syndrome?” It is not only an interesting, well-written piece (though my own bias on the subject is different from the author's), but I was struck by the fact that it is causing so much of a buzz among the readership of the New York Times, which, though arguably the greatest paper in America from a journalistic perspective, particularly with the recent decline of the Washington Post, is renowned as a bastion of eastern liberalism.

As a pastor, the key takeaway for me is the need to remember that a lot of people in the congregation I serve, and in my sphere of influence in the broader community, carry a lot of guilt for a lot of things, and are in desperate need of a clear sense of forgiveness and "atonement," as the author puts it. Prayers, songs, sermons, dramatic sketches, small groups, etc., that provide a vehicle for expressing repentance, contrition, and the acceptance of forgiveness, are really important and should always play a central part in our worship services.

When I think about it, this was surely one of the great values of historical, structured liturgies in the church across the ages. I recognize, of course, and strongly believe in the finished work of Christ on the cross, and am in no way taking away from that reality or the truth that once our sins are forgiven, they are forgiven forever. In the sight of God, there is no need to ever express sorrow for them again. That said, I am quite sure it would shock most all of us as clergy if we really knew everything that had taking place during the proceeding week in the life of every single person in the audience we address as we stand in the pulpit on any given Sunday!

Let us constantly, and continually, lead them to the cross, where there is full and complete pardon for any and every sin!

NIV vs ESV, continued...

Rick Mansfield left a great comment on my post, "Which translation? NIV or ESV?" I have not yet had the time to read all three of the articles he recommended, but his post on his own blog entitled, "Literal Is Not More Accurate If It's Unintelligible," is well worth reading, for anyone who is interested in the subject of Bible translations.

I had no idea there was so much discussion going on in the blogsphere on the subject of the ESV or that Driscoll's writing was so widely noticed. As I wrote in my comment to Rick's post on this blog, "I have always been amazed at how God so powerfully uses some of the most awkward and pitiful translations to impact people's lives what that is all there is available! ... What a mighty God we serve...!"

Christianity with a taste of Europe

One of the marvels of the internet is how it makes the world so accessible. To get a taste of what evangelical Christianity is like on "the other side of the pond," check out the Christian Today website. (Note: This is NOT the same thing as the U.S. based, Christianity Today website, which is another great online resource.) The British site includes news and articles from a thoroughly Continental perspective.

Another great way to expand your horizons beyond the borders of the U.S. is to check out Christian radio and TV in Europe. Here are links to both of the major Christian radio networks in Britain, UCB and Premier. If you understand French, listen to Radio Phare FM, run by a very dear friend of mine, Pastor Claude Greder of La Porte Ouverte church in Mulhouse, France, and their TV broadcasts.

To get a taste of what British Christian television is like, check out the live, online broadcasts of the God Channel and Premier Christian TV.

Enjoy...!

Which translation? NIV? ESV?

Mark Driscoll out at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, has an interesting post on the Resurgence blog regarding the recent decision he and the elders of that church made to move away from the New International Version (NIV) toward the English Standard Version (ESV), entitled, "Pastoral Reflections on Bible Translations." It's rather lengthy, but well worth reading if you can squeeze in the time, and can be downloaded in pdf format if you would like to print it out.

The first four pages are more of an introduction to the doctrine of inspiration and a study of textual transmission and reliability, than a specific answer to the question of why they switched to the ESV. Beginning with page five (online), he lays a foundation for understanding the difference between word-for-word and dynamic equivilence approaches to translating the Scriptures. He obviously has a healthy appreciation for why both approaches can be a source of blessing to the Body of Christ. He then makes a very strong case, it seems to me, both theologically and practically, for using a word-for-word translation like the ESV instead one based on dynamic equivilence for most public preaching and teaching.

His theological line of reasoning is based on these main points:

1. The ESV upholds the truth that Scripture is the very words of God, not just the thoughts of God.
2. The ESV upholds that what is said must be known before what is meant can be determined.
3. The ESV upholds the truth that words carry meaning.
4. The ESV upholds the theological nomenclature of Scripture.
5. The ESV upholds the truth that while Scripture is meant for all people, it cannot be communicated in such a way that all people receive it.
5. The ESV upholds the truth that while Scripture is meant for all people, it cannot be communicated in such a way that all people receive it.

He states his pragmatic reasons as follows:

"1. Our pulpit is theologically oriented.
2. Our pulpit exists to teach people what they may otherwise not know.
3. Our pulpit is in the most educated and literate city in America.
3. Our pulpit is in the most educated and literate city in America.
5. Our pulpit is precedent-setting for the life and doctrine of our people.
6. Our pulpit is plugged in."

While I am certainly not a Greek or Hebrew scholar, I served as a career missionary before becoming Senior Pastor of Hillcrest Church here in Dallas, and have preached in three different languages, so the challenge of translation is not a new one to me. I know from personal, "hands-on" experience that sometimes the only possible way to intelligibly translate some statements is via dynamic equivilence, but I have found myself on my own personal journey back towards a preference for the word-for-word approach to translating the Scriptures.

When I first came to Dallas and set about preaching regularly again in English, in an effort to use the translation that I felt would be the easiest for everyone in my audience to understand, I began using the New Living Translation in the pulpit. Some of its readings are quite powerful, such as the way it renders the traditional "Blessed are the poor in spirit" in Matthew 5:3," God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." It seems to me that the NLT has rendered the essence of that verse in such a way that anyone, even a first-time Bible reader, can instantly understand what it means.

Having said all of that, however, the more I preached out of the NLT and the more I came to appreciate the way it stated certain things, the more I became increasingly uneasy with the fact that it's dynamic equivilence approach seemingly causes it to stray quite far away from some important things contained in the original. That growing concern led me to go back to the NIV. Now, after preaching a couple of years from the NIV, I sense myself growing increasingly frustrated with some of the instances where its translators laid aside a word-for-word approach and adopted dynamic equivilence. I still use the NIV, but find I sometimes need to quote other translations in order to clear up some things that I think it could have stated more forthrightly, and I am not entirely satisfied with it.

Reading Driscoll's article has caused me to decide to take a serious look at the ESV in the near future. For me, the bottom line is that a good translation needs to be accessible (after all, the Bible is God's revelation...!) But, it also needs to be accurate. So, the saga continues... I'll keep you posted.

Free graduate level courses through Covenant Theologial Seminary

For many people in pastoral ministry, especially in charismatic or pentecostal contexts, and particularly overseas in developing nations, the cost and logistical implications of pursuing a high quality, formal, graduate-level theological education renders this utterly impossible. Although the wonderful congregation I now serve as Senior Pastor is very graciously making it possible for me to pursue my Master of Divinity at the the seminary Dr. Jack Hayford founded in Van Nuys, California (The King's Seminary), I could have never done this during the years that Teresa and I lived in France as career missionaries.

For people who are unable to finance a seminary degree, I have recently discovered one way on the internet to study the Scriptures on a true graduate level at no cost whatsoever. The Covenant Theological Seminary (If you are unfamiliar with the Presbyterian Church of America, think Francis Shaeffer) in Saint Louis, Missouri offers an amazing selection of actual course audio recordings, lecture transcripts, syllabi, and course study guides on the internet via their free, Covenant Worldwide program.

By listening to these lectures, reading the texts listed in the syllabi, following along in the study guides, etc., you potentially receive a significant portion of the same benefit as if you were actually enrolled in their program. (Note: You would NOT receive course credit this way, any formal degree, be actually enrolled in the classes, or have any interaction with the professor, other students, etc.! This would be strictly for personal and ministerial enrichment...!)

Since I am currently preaching my way through the life of Christ as recorded in the Gospel of Luke, I downloaded the first lecture this morning, The Historicity of the Gospels, from the Life and Teachings of Jesus taught by Dr. Daniel Doriani and found the quality of material covered and the presentation to be very, very good. (Click here to download/listen to the lecture audio file in mp3 format; click here to download/view the study guide in pdf format; click here to read the written transcript of the lecture online; click here to read/download the written transcript of the lecture in pdf format; you can also sign up to receive the entire course via podcast, for more information, click here.)

I do not know the people at Covenant, but, being a former missionary who still has much contact with indigenous church leaders in various countries around the world, many of whom read this blog, I am deeply moved by their generosity! I think it would be very difficult to find another fully accredited, reputable seminary that so freely shares the priceless gift of godly learning on a "Whosoever will, let him come..." basis. (If you know of other accredited seminaries that share their actual audio lectures, etc., online, please let me know and I will post that information, too.)

May God bless Covenant...!

What a hoot... MeChurch ... NOT...!

I haven't laughed this hard in a long time...! Enjoy...!

Thanks to Matt Green of Ministry Today for pointing the way to this video clip on YouTube in his Wednesday Fun post.

Real-Time World Conversions Map...!

One of the most fascinating new uses of technology in ministry that I have seen recently is something my friend, Samuel Balverde, over at France Advance and Top Chrétien is working on right now. Their various sites, including the wildly successful Looking for God witnessing portal, are now available in several languages and are seeing over four hundred people a day registering decisions for Christ. (For more information about their various ministries, read this post from my Hillcrest Church pastoral blog.)

Their new beta technology feeds the results of those first-time commitments to Jesus into the Joy in Heaven mapping engine which displays satellite maps showing where the latest decision for Christ has just been registered through their sites. Global activity, of course, depends on what time of day it is in the various time zones of the world, but in the last few two or three minutes as I have written this post, I have seen decisions registered in Nairobi, Kenya; Wichita, Kansas; and a little village in Austria...!

As we prepare to go into our annual 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting at Hillcrest Church, this is going to be a wonderful tool to mobilize people to intercession during our evening corporate prayer meetings. As you watch the map, right before your very eyes, it shifts to a new place in the world where someone has just prayed, asking Jesus into their hearts...and you know to pray for that person in that place...! I admit that I am a closest techno-geek, but I really do think that is a very cool and creative and "out-of-the-box" application of emerging technology...!