To video or not to video...that is the question!

My mother-in-law has talked with me about her disapproval of her new minister's frequent usage of video clips in his preaching (and by frequent I mean every single Sunday). Even though the frequency is an issue, it isn't the main issue with her. Her main problem is the content. Apparently he uses clips from TV shows such as "The Office" or "Family Guy" a lot.

Now I have seen snippets of both shows and know just enough to know that they aren't exactly family friendly entertainment. Although the clips he chooses to show do not have questionable content per se, the issue is the directing someone to a show that isn't necessarily helpful to one's spiritual maturation process.

I am as techy as the next guy (I maintain a blog for crying out loud!) but I don't see a need to have video medium in every single sermon. I feel to do that would be first of all, lazy on my part because I can just find a nice 6 or 7 minute clip and then fill in the rest with Bible stuff and, "Viola!" I have a sermon!

No. I think video is a compliment. Using it so frequently can be dangerous. The church (little "c") is already biblically stupid enough. We don't challenge the mind anymore, it seems. We rely on technology and media to continue the media-induced stupor. Our job it seems has become wiping drool off the chins of our crowds we have gathered so that they are coherent long enough to continue to help us build monumental Super-Churches.

But that is not what God has called us to do. It was through the non-powerpoint, non-video-projected medium of preaching that God chose to save men's souls (1 Corinthians 1:21).

Our over-reliance on video has added to our dumbing down.

Now, that said, I don't necessarily swing the pendulum all the way over and see no value in it whatsoever. In a recent interview John Piper stated that, "the use of video and drama largely is a token of unbelief in the power of preaching." You can read the whole interview HERE.

I do see the value of video...just not every Sunday. One can have incredible impact with the right complimenting video to drive home a point that has been preached! Using tact and decorum, videos are awesome and add an amazing dynamic to worship and preaching.

But let's choose the right video and let's show it at the right time.

The Church in decline

We have so many "Pottery Barn" churches (as I have heard them described) that in an effort to "evangelize" have given credence to the critic of the mega-church movement who would say that all mega-churches water down the truth in an effort to attract a crowd.

While I disagree with such broad strokes of a brush (HERE is one prime example of a mega church doing it right...even though I don't agree with all the theology, it is definitely not watered down!) But there are plenty of examples where the critics are given plenty of ammo to shoot at the mega church movement.

Personally, I was blown away by a local pastor's suggestion (via Twitter) that we the church shouldn't teach "No Sex Before Marriage." He points out in his blog post that if we teach such a hard line that we run the risk of "alienating people from the church for the rest of their lives."

I have looked, but to no avail, to find where Jesus decided to back off of a teaching topic for fear of "alienating" one of his hearers. In fact, after teaching some very hard truths, we see in John 6:66 that many of his followers turned and left him.

What you don't see is Jesus concerned about their leaving. Jesus doesn't run after them hoping to win them back. Maybe if he invited them over for a cookout on the deck, or maybe if he could change up his teaching style and wear the latest GQ fashions, maybe he could win them back. No. Jesus taught the truth. Some didn't like it and they left. But some stayed!

The church is in decline, not because of our inherently offensive message. And, you need to know that the truth is inherently offensive to those outside of the truth. The church is in decline because of pastors who won't teach God's truth. The church is in decline because we have left the truth in order to grow the church.

What is it that we want? A crowd? Or a committed core of fully devoted (and equipped) Christ followers? I choose the latter.

Where is the bachelor's wife?

We have a young boy that has been coming over to our home recently wanting to hang out with my youngest son, Jacob. This young boy comes from a troubled background and is several years younger than Jacob. So it is kind of a chore for Jacob to hang out with him. But he does, honestly, because he feels pity for him.

One of the days he was over at our home, he asked me a question as we were outside shooting some hoops in the driveway. He asked me this (knowing that I am a pastor), "Who made God?"

That isn't a new question. So many young children have asked it. And honestly, it is one we need to be prepared to answer (1 Peter 3:15).

So who did make God?

The answer is no one did. He was not made. He has always existed. Only things that had a beginning - like the world need a maker. God had no beginning, so God did not need to be made.

For those of us a little older, a little more can be said. Traditionally, most atheists who deny the existence of God believe that the universe was not made; it was just "there" forever. They appeal to the first law of thermodynamics for support: "Energy can neither be created nor destroyed," they insist.

Well, if that is so, then that is not science...that's philosophy. Science is based on observation, and there is no observational evidence that can support the dogmatic "can" and "cannot" implicit in this statement. It should read, "{As far as we have observed,} the amount of actual energy in the universe remains constant."

That is, no one has observed any actual new energy either coming into existence or going out of existence. Once the first law is understood properly, it says nothing about the universe being eternal or having no beginning. As far as the first law is concerned, energy may or may not have been created. It simply asserts that if energy was created, then as far as we can tell, the actual amount of energy that was created has remained constant since.

If the universe is not eternal, it needs a cause. On the other hand, if it has no beginning, it does not need a cause of its beginning. Likewise, if a god exists who has no beginning, it is absurd to ask, "Who made God?" It is a category mistake to ask, "Who made the unmade?" or "Who created the Uncreated?"

It is the same as asking, "Where is the bachelor's wife?"

(For support on this, I consulted the works of Norman Geisler and Josh McDowell.)

Two deaths...

I am writing this on July 7, 2009. The day the earth stopped (or so it seemed) to watch Michael Jackson's funeral. A sad, untimely death for one so talented and still young.

As I watched a little bit of the coverage (a little bit is honestly all I could stand) I couldn't help but think of another death just as tragic and just as untimely and sad as Jackson's. But in the case of the latter, there is no round-the-clock coverage. There is no one that even knows really except for a very small amount of people.

In the case of the latter, this one's demise did not come because of shady medical practices or a longing to stay addicted to medications. The death of this other unknown person came about very intentionally when a young woman entered a clinic labeled "Planned Parenthood" on the outside and she willingly, knowingly ended the life of her own child.

There are no tributes. In fact, this child isn't even named (by the mother, at least, but the child has been named by Father God). This child is not given a funeral. The "body" (it isn't even allowed to be called that) is simply discarded as garbage.

No one speaks about the life lost. No one even dares mention it.

But here's the thing this unknown baby and Michael Jackson have in common. They both went to Jesus. The king of pop met the King of Kings. And this unnamed infant found itself in a very sure and certain future in heaven with Jesus. And Michael Jackson found himself standing before the Righteous Judge having to give an account for his life.

On this day, where so many are so focused on the death of one. I can't help but think about the death of so many and no one seems to care.

Rescue!

Yesterday an amazing rescue took place on the river downtown here in Des Moines. You can read about it HERE. This amazing image was taken during that rescue when an ordinary citizen (in fact he was a construction worker) used his buddies who operated a crane to do what the trained rescue professionals could not...he rescued her from certain death.

That is what evangelism is all about folks! Rescuing those we know are dying. You don't need to be a professional (a pastor)...you just need to be an ordinary citizen who uses whatever resources available to get to that lost person! In Colossians 4:2-6 Paul tells us to make the most of every opportunity. Always be ready for rescue!

What kind of person would you be if your neighbor's house was on fire and you didn't want to interfere because you might upset them? That is precisely why we Christians can come across so obnoxious sometimes. We look at people who don't know Jesus like they are in a burning house! So we are a little pushy...even desperate at times to get people safely rescued from their own impending doom. Jesus is the only answer for that kind of rescue!

Wow! What transpired on the river in downtown Des Moines yesterday afternoon should be a wake up call for all of us! God bless that brave construction worker for doing what he did.