I'm indifferent about worship styles, but that's not what matters.

A close friend of mine shared a piece with me about one worship leader's "journey" away from contemporary worship.  Click here to read "my-journey-away-from-contemporary-worship-music"

My only real critique on the piece is this: What is theologically deeper than love?  The author address the shortcomings (in his mind) of the song "One thing remains" as an example of how in his opinion modern contemporary worship music is inferior to the traditional hymns.

I JN 4 says "God is love"

"[7] Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. [8] Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:7-8 ESV)

John's Gospel claims love motivated God to send Jesus to save us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 ESV)

And Paul says how love is the greatest virtue, "So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV)

I truly have no preference anymore when it comes to worship music.  I like the newer songs, and I enjoy the traditional hymns.  Both offer a lot.  Ironically, even the old songs were new once... so they were "contemporary" when they were first sung. 

And who is to say our music is narrowed down to only theological instruction?  Emotions stir and motivate, and hopefully there is a place in our music to do both, to instruct and move us.  The sermon will hopefully provide what some people think our hymns should.  Realistically, with worship there isn't a contemporary or traditional dichotomy in God's mind, there is only the eternal.  

I see nothing dishonoring in either style of music, traditional or contemporary.  Both have their place.  And, both speak the heart language of people, you just have to figure out how to interpret them, and who needs which type to be reached so that no group is alienated.   To honor God and to reach the hearts of people, isn't that the goal of our music anyway?  

Thinking about thinking for yourself...

(Timesnews 1/16/15)

Whether it comes to religion, politics, or science, there seems to be an all knowing cohort of experts we’re expected to heed with our heads bowed low.  No one respects an armchair quarterback -- but just because you might be an “everyday average person” doesn’t mean you are oblivious.  

The most influential person in history was not considered to be an expert in anything by His contemporaries.  Jesus was scoffed at because He didn’t have any formal training: “About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching.  The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” (John 7:14-15 ESV)  And His closest followers experienced similar reactions, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13 ESV)

Socrates said, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”  I think he was using a little hyperbole, but the point is well taken.  Socrates was well known for admitting he knew he didn’t know all that much.  Similarly, it has been said more recently, “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”  In other words, strive to learn more.

It’s interesting to me how much of what is accepted as “fact” changes within a generation, yet this transient state of “established fact” does not seem to hinder the sway experts hold over our society.  Do I believe in absolute truth?  I do, 100% yes I do!  Do I also recognize we are fallible and easily misled?  All too well, and that applies to the certified experts too.  

Our “experts” on Foreign policy haven’t slowed North Korea down from pursuing their nuclear dreams, so it’s ironic that hacking Sony over the “Interview” has gotten the President’s attention.  The recent barbaric slaughter of a dozen Parisians over publishing satirical cartoons and the following standoff with the gunmen certainly has the attention of the experts now.  No one could’ve predicted the dramatic plunge in oil prices or the ensuing stock market rollercoaster ride, yet the experts assure us they know the future of the economy.  I’m seeing a pattern some experts might want to ponder:  “Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.”  (Ecclesiastes 9:11 ESV)  

This isn’t at all to say don’t trust people who have an expertise in their field.  We have very well trained medical professionals who go to great lengths to bring us healing; with nearly a decade of education and a lifetime of practice, these people dedicate their lives to saving ours.  We have educators who work hard to instruct our children and who personally sacrifice much along the way.  We have police officers who sharpen their instincts and hone their skills to keep us safe.  We need to respect the people who specialize in these areas, and who help keep our society going strong.

I’m saying don’t let “the experts” silence you, bully you, or intimate you.  It’s almost as if we have christened divine attributes on the gatekeepers of opinions in our society.  It’s sad to think we have ample access to more information than any previous generation, but then all too often as a whole we timidly forfeit our views.  You probably know more than you give yourself credit for and more than likely you can figure out a whole lot more.  You also are smart enough to know that one expert’s speculation often needs to be scrutinized if something isn’t quite adding up in your mind.   

In case you didn’t know, we have a phenomenal public library here in Kingsport.  If there’s an area you need to learn more about, you can easily increase your own expertise on any subject.  The best way I know to expand your mind is through reading.  As Mark Twain quipped, “The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the fellow who can’t read them.”

Don’t let “the experts” rob you of your self-confidence.  You are created in God’s image.  This means you are a creative, thoughtful, intelligent being too.  Whether you listen to Michael Savage or Diane Rehm, you can and should think for yourself.  Make this year a year you stretch your thinking cap and gain confidence in your own ability to think.  Thinking might just be one of the greatest gifts God has given us, so let’s not abrogate our thinking to anyone else.  

PS: The library even has books that can help improve how to think...

Why The Walking Dead is like crack...

If you are like me, you can't wait for the next season of The Walking Dead to launch.  I have a confession to make.  We actually plan our Sunday nights around The Walking Dead... But, I wasn't always a fan when the show first was aired.

My wife and one of our four sons loved the show and would talk about it constantly.  I thought, and said as much, "How dumb?"  I wondered how a show based on zombies made it past one episode?  It didn't seem, from the outside, to have enough sustainable material and it seemed to be a repetitive mindless idea.  Kill zombies, stay alive.  How simple, and then how boring.  How did I go from avoiding the show to being an addicted fan?  I watched it one night with my wife when she asked me to, then I watched it another time, and then I was hooked.

The elements that have reeled me in are twofold: The sense of community shared within the main characters and the transformation of their mindsets as they endure their struggle.   Those two ingredients make for a real plot and character arc that I didn't have an insight into until I watched the show.

I think the show is so appealing on another more subconscious level too.  Us, the viewers, we live vicariously through the show.  What I mean is, we all want to be able to overcome and to survive whatever challenges life throws at us.  And, the show provides this for us, a chance to cheat death and to conquer the worst situations.  Also, as the characters battle through their post-apocalyptic scenario, they don't have house payments, the economy doesn't effect them, they don't get fired from their jobs, their factory doesn't get outsourced overseas, they don't have high insurance premiums... i.e., they don't have to deal with same problems or carry the same responsibilities we are all trying to escape from.

So, for an hour on Sunday nights, we escape the daily grind and win countless victories from our couches, and then we can't wait until the next week to watch it all over again.... It's so addictive it's almost like the show is laced with crack.

God is on the ropes, really...?

Darwin didn't have an explanation for what sparked life, and as far as I know he didn't try to explain how life began.  An assistant professor at MIT supposedly has taken up Darwin's mantle and will fill in the gaps of Darwinism with the Statistical physics of self-replication and he'll explain biological self-organization with the very concept Christians have tried to use to disprove the possibility of evolution... 

Jeremy England will attempt to make the case that the Second Law of Thermodynamics (entropy, which is disorder, and where everything eventually goes to a steady state/equilibrium because energy disperses over time) can not just help life begin, the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics requires life will begin (given the right circumstances he adds).  My first thought as I read about England's theory was his work will probably end much like the once celebrated Miller-Urey experiments.  Click here on to read how far off Miller-Urey missed the point   

This idea isn't entirely original.  Back in seminary over ten years ago I was reading similar theories that claimed entropy didn't disprove evolution, because of how stalactites, tornadoes, snowflakes, and crystals form randomly.  Note, these non-living, fairly simple configurations of material do not go on to spawn more complexity.  The reality is, if you leave a box of nails and pile of wood outside, it won't jumpstart itself into a house, instead it all disintegrates because of entropy.  What England adds to discussion is that entropy not only won't eliminate creative capacities, it drives creativity.  

England's ideas are not far from those of Lawrence Krauss who says energy and matter can spontaneously appear Ex Nihilo.  England, Krauss, and others have pulled a fairly cool sleight of hand over on people.  To say that life, or matter, or energy can spontaneously self-create and appear requires quite a leap of faith.  Not a leap of faith that's based on common sense or with rational proofs and good reason, but a leap of irrational faith.   

Along with other Darwinistic thinkers who claim we see patterns in creation that would seem to lend evidence to an Intelligent Designer, but we only see these because we are hardwired to formulate or to make sense out of these cosmic accents which are really just random, unguided processes.  Now, we have this next generation of mental gymnastics that will try to explain away the need for God as creator.  This clever trick is so slick, only a snake oil salesmen could truly appreciate how it works.   

So, with a shrug of the shoulders and disdain for the uneducated, we are told the complexity we see in nature is just an illusion.  We are told that the cosmic accident called the universe popped into existence, uncaused, and even though all the Laws of physics were in place, this hostile, blind, mute universe which breaks down and falls apart over time really sparks life in the very process we observe that causes chaos and destruction.

Not only can't Darwinism account for life, it can't provide a reason for the complexity and variation of living forms.  Mutation, time, chance, and change still would not account for the vast overabundance of life forms.  If you ask what guides the mutations or the changes, the thimblerig game shuffles once more, and the illusive pea is once more out of sight and we are mocked for insisting on making sense of the universe that appears to have purpose and meaning... 

The theory that entropy (which as we observe it undoes everything) actually causes life, is sown together about as tightly as the Emperor's New Clothes.  Lest I be misunderstood, I want to clarify that science & faith are not enemies.  And, I know, I'm just a theologian by training -- so I might not have the right to discuss science -- but wouldn't that imply that people not trained in theology shouldn't talk about God?  

One of the most important life skills to find true satisfaction

             

Plenty of people like to play with puppets, in fact, you could say most people love puppets.  But on the other hand, no one really loves you if you are a living puppet.  No one wears a tag like in the picture above saying, "I'm a puppet," still, when people can push you around, you might as well wear the same tag too.

Do we have to "fit in" in society -- and is that such a bad idea?  I'm not talking here about accepting common sense social norms or cooperating with healthy customs.  For example: Personally, I don't like wearing shoes, ever.  But I realize there are times in our society where it's necessary to wear shoes to not offend people unnecessarily.  What I'm talking about instead of regular cultural obligations, is the dysfunctional habit of letting people have unhealthy amounts of influence over you.

What makes this all so hard?  Our number one need in life is to be accepted.  And, just like bullying, some people like to take advantage of what they perceive as weaker people.  That's why we cave to peer-pressure and do things we don't really want to do.  That's why we smile and pretend to agree with others when we really disagree.  That's why so many people are unhappy in their pursuit of happiness.   It's not only draining to seek acceptance when it's out of reach, it's an empty lie that you have to have everyone's acceptance all the time.   

How do I know if I'm a puppet?  Whenever you give people too much control over your life just to gain their love, acceptance, or approval, then you are their puppet.  When it comes to solidifying relationships, seeking employment, or trying to make an impression, if you feel you have to relinquish your actual personality, your real needs, and your true opinions, then you have forfeited too much. 

How do I regain control of myself?  Realize first of all, if I have to completely give up myself to have a relationship with another, it's not a relationship.  Instead of calling that a relationship, it's called domination or manipulation.  Secondly, one of the hardest skills people acquire in life is learning to be comfortable being themselves; being comfortable with yourself also includes accepting the fact not everyone will like you.  When you are someone's puppet, they will never respect you or truly love you.

To achieve true approval from others requires being true to yourself, being yourself truly.  If people don't like the real you, they won't really like you if you fold like a puppet to fit their whims...   You have more self-worth than that, than letting other people determine who you should be; but it might be hard to see that right now if you are filled up and animated by other people...

You will always find people to fit in with, people who have the same dreams and goals you have if you look long enough.  You can find true companionship and legitimate friendships when you stand up for yourself, and standing up for yourself is the one thing a puppet can't do.    

  

Ready for the New Year

Sadly, it looks like 2014 might be remembered mostly for its combination of painful events: Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson MO and Eric Garner’s death in NY, plus the ensuing riots/peaceful protests that followed their Grand Jury decisions.  We won’t easily forget the multiple beheadings of innocent people by ISIS, or the continued unrest in the Middle East.  The full repercussions from the recently released “Torture report” remain yet to be seen.  And, who will ever forget the frightful Ebola epidemic?  As we wrap up 2014, the New Year couldn’t come any sooner; we are all ready for a fresh start.  

As we contemplate the bleakness of this past year, we shouldn’t be too surprised.  Scripture teaches the world is presently in the clutches of satan, “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19 ESV).  But, we also know the end of the story as well.  God will one day, in His timing, bring all evil to an end and, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  (Revelation 21:4 ESV).  We have good reason to be hopeful -- even in the midst of despair.  But, in the meanwhile, we need to do more than just hope for better days.

This year we’ve experienced a lot of darkness, yet we also saw many people collaborating to fight against the darkness.  This was a year of ice water bucket ALS challenges and we made great strides in fundraising for medical research.  Yes we lost the brilliant and talented Robin Williams to suicide, but think of how many lives have been saved since, by lowering the stigma and raising the of awareness of depression and mental illness.  And, this year ushered in the new “Tennessee Promise.” This amazing program gives high school graduates two years of free tuition to a community college or technical school.

If you want to make the world a better place in 2015, it starts at home.  Taking good care of yourself by finding time for plenty of rest, eating right, getting plenty of exercise, and caring for your family too is a good place to begin.  Being active in your church and your neighborhood is vital too.  Give blood if you are eligible, and regularly volunteer your time by serving in a Food bank or with some other worthwhile community need.   This month we volunteered for a second year for the Salvation Army, ringing bells.  Sadly, they had to hire about 80 bell ringers -- I think we as a community can do better than that, please consider calling them and pitch in too.  

Also, learning to see the good in people who are different than you makes a big difference; much of the turmoil we witness or experience in the world is based in prejudice and racism.  We need to really embrace the Biblical truth we are all created equally in God’s image.  The events that cast a shadow over 2014 were basically ones involving people.  People count.  People matter.  It’s time for us globally and as a culture to honestly assess how well we are doing when it comes to the way we are treating each other.  We do not always treat all people as well as we could and then we all suffer the consequences when people are mistreated.  There are ripple effects in this life that go far beyond just the people in the center of any conflict.  

Certainly, with the many tragedies of this year, we all have a better appreciation of life.  

Thankfully, ebola seems containable and it will not be front page news for a while.  While I disagree theologically with the religion of Islam, I know not all Muslims are bloodthirsty killers.  Similarly, not all protesters stoop to looting, there were many more respectful people who peacefully expressed their views over the deaths of Brown & Garner, don’t let that fact escape your notice.  And remember, not all police officers make poor judgments either.  I happen to know a few outstanding officers here in Kingsport who regularly take risks to ensure the safety and peace in our town; they deserve our respect and appreciation.  

We have a lot to be thankful for, and with the blessings of a New Year to look forward to we have plenty of reasons to be optimistic.  Finish this year as strongly as possible and pray for God’s blessings on 2015 like you’ve never prayed before!   

Waiting for the next big controversial topic...

When I was a student at Harding in the late 90's, our Bible professors were certain "women's roles" would usher in the next big split in the churches of Christ -- before the turn of the century they predicted.  It would be like 1906, and the census report by David Lipscomb.  Only now, they said, there's going to be another branch, one that allowed women to be active in the worship service.

It seems like there's always something doctrinal people are upset about.  Hand clapping.  Instrumental music.  Women's roles.  Too much ecumenical participation.  Really, there are probably more issues Christians have belabored and grieved over, but those cyclical hot button issues seem to be pretty popular.

I think Facebook and other social media sites help spread the fury faster than ever now.  This isn't a critique of social media, just an observation that these squabbles travel faster thanks to Youtube and other ways we share our vastly different opinions.

We are blessed to be part of a church that has studied through the "hot topics," and has moved forward.  The things that people are celebrating or lamenting are non-issues for us these days, and it surprises me often how people still fight some of the old battles.  I guess as long as legalism and hard core traditionalism hold sway, people will want to be champions of the truth regardless of the cost.  The reality is, you might win the battle, and then lose the war.

We don't have "Church of Christ" anywhere on our website or in any of our bylaws.  The major reason?  We didn't want the people we were reaching to say, "Church of Christ?  You are the ones who think you are the only ones going to heaven."  Or, the other reaction, "Church of Christ? Which one, you guys fight all the time, don't ya?" So, we at New Song dropped the name, but celebrate the rich Biblical heritage of the churches of Christ.

The infighting that happens over the grey areas kills the church.  Young people, rightly so, become disenchanted with the church when they see their adults fighting over non-essential doctrines.  If they stay in the church through their teen years, they won't in college.  And, how about the message that non-believers hear?  As everyone spreads these in house fights all over Facebook, their unchurched friends only comprehend one thing, not who is right in church, but that all of us in church are wrong.

For Christians, one of the most liberating things people can do is to get past the fighting and draw your own conclusions, and then move on.  And, to not worry about what other churches or groups are doing.  That is true freedom, to not worry about others are up to and to celebrate what Jesus is doing in your congregation.  I hope that whatever the next big topic is to fight over, it's really worth arguing over, because the collateral damage we have suffered tells me our priorities have been in the wrong place.