ie:missional

While specific to the SBC, this article hits many of the same issues that I posted previously. When you hear over and over that the issue is getting “back to the basics”–the same basics that most churches never left–you know that any denomination’s leadership is as clueless as they can be about the reality surrounding their own decline.

The issue is that “the basics” are no longer a part of the culture, thus getting “back to the basics” doesn’t affect the culture. Sadly, it gives us a sense of false hope as if merely doing things by rote is the answer. “Pray more.” What about responding to and living out the answers to prayer that God is already giving? “Pray more.” What if God has given the answer, but we’ve so assured ourselves of what the answer should be that we don’t recognize the voice of God when He speaks? “Pray more.” What happens when the answers to those prayers are then equated with “worldliness” or “cultural accommodation”?

“Witness more.” Really? What if it takes years to prepare the soil so that the seed of the gospel can even be watered, much less take root? Have we forgotten that seed thrown on hard soil can actually be washed away by water, not to mention plucked up by the Devil? All those smashmouth evangelism efforts may have accomplished absolutely nothing in the way of preparing human hearts. “Witness more.” What if damage control from a thousand hypocritical Christians has to be put into place before the unbeliever will even give us a hearing? “Witness more.” What if they have never understood one word of our gospel spiel since we are, for all intents and purposes, not speaking a language they understand?

“Don’t be like the culture.” I’ve got news for you we are already like the culture. Our presence is part of what makes the culture. What we do not need to be like is the world: living by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Playing an Eagles song in a worship service is no more worldly than going to an opera the night before. “Don’t be like the culture.” And how, exactly does one suppose to get the gospel into it? Open the windows of the temple and throw the seed toward the target? If we are not living in the culture, not only are we not living like sojourners and pilgrims, we are not living like Christ.

How about let’s get back to these basics: (1) Exegeting the culture so as to infiltrate it with the kingdom of God. (2) Befriending those who are victims of the Enemy rather than treating them like the enemy. (3) Using stones to create God-honoring landscapes, rather than throwing them at those who aren’t like us (that’s actually a metaphor). (4) Actually being salt and light in our cultures rather than thinking that we already are by virtue of being saved. (5) Leaving behind all the quasi-religious, expired denominational, hindering traditions that weigh us down so that we can run with endurance the race that is set before us.

End of rant.

Many of you know Alan Cross one of the genuine thinkers in the missional blogosphere. He and I became friends as a result of reform efforts in the Southern Baptist Convention three or so years ago.

Alan and Erika’s two-and-a-half year old son, Caelan, has already lived a lifetime worth of fighting due to his diagnosis with cancer at the age of 8 months and subsequent treatments. Yesterday, Alan posted that Caelan’s cancer may have returned. It’s a tough read.

The blogosphere is known for its “lurkers”-those who read posts all over, but never leave a comment. I’m asking everyone who stops by here today to follow the above link and leave an encouraging word for the Cross family. It’s not hard: fill in the info, leave a message and hit “Post.” If you don’t have a blog, that’s alright; leave the URL field blank. Your comment will still go through. Your two minutes will be a weight lifting word for them.

I have the opportunity to address a group of pastors today regarding adoption of Unreached People Groups. If God brings it to your mind to pray around 2:40 Central Time, it would be greatly appreciated.

Update: Thank you those who prayed. Our trip, though long, was smooth and safe and the speaking opportunity was very well received. We were in Brentwood, TN, just south of Nashville. I was able to share both on how our church understood the biblical philosophy of mission and how we came adopt the T—n people, while encouraging those from various churches to make UPG adoption a priority. This is the simple outline that I used:

Basis- The missio dei is the basis for every church’s mission.

Availability- A defining characteristic of a UPG is the limited availability of the gospel.

Sacrifice- It does take sacrifices of time, money and effort to engage unreached peoples.

Intentionality- You can’t get 8-12 time zones away by accident.

Church- Local churches can and must engage unreached peoples.

Soli Deo Gloria

In case you don’t live in the southeast and, therefore, may not have heard, it hasn’t rained much here in a while. At a time of year when Atlanta would have normally received 50 inches of rain, we are some 26 inches shy of average. In fact, almost all of north Georgia, over 50% of Alabama, about 50% of Tennessee and parts of North Carolina are in the midst of an “exceptional drought,” the most dire category in the annals of weather prognosticators, meteorologists and other record keeping peoples. With a warm, dry winter predicted for the upcoming season, things are not looking any wetter…or better.

If it were a lack of rain alone, then it might not be a story. But, Atlanta is the largest metropolitan area in the US being served by a watershed area as small as the Chattahoochee River Basin. Combine that with the lack of planning by state and local municipalities who have issued building permits like there is no tomorrow and we have a situation in which the primary energy and drinking water source for the city of Atlanta, Lake Sidney Lanier, has dropped to near (if not to) an all time low and continues to drop at an alarming rate. Entire marinas are nothing but mud, surrounded by boats having no chance of floating.

As if this weren’t enough, the Corps of Engineers which is in charge of releasing water through Buford Dam is charged by the EPA with releasing about 3,000,000 gallons of water each day more than is necessary to support the continued life of freshwater mussels in the Appalachicola River. (See info about the Apalachicola, Flint, Chattahoochee basins.) Add to that the ongoing GA-ALA water dispute and you have the makings of a real crisis, which is what we are facing.

Enter the leadership of Georgia churches. During our periodic drought times, which have been increasing both in length and in frequency, area pastors always call for prayer that God might intervene and send rain to our parched earth, both providing replenishment for our drinking, car washing and bathing supplies and to help our already federally subsidized peanut farmers. This year our Governor, Sonny Perdue, himself a believer joined in the call. News reports mentioned 300 people gathered to pray on the Barrow County Courthouse steps, which was followed by a steady drizzle and then two days of precipitation. The leaders of the Georgia Baptist Convention have joined in citing a tie between repentance and physical blessing as observed in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

In times such as this, my question has always been, “Should we pray for rain? We pray and pray and pray for God to intervene in people’s lives, to bring revival to ‘the land’ and cause spiritual awakening, what if the drought is His way of getting the attention of people who should acknowledge their dependence on Him. Are we praying against the very method that God is using to answer our first prayer?”  I don’t know, so I join in prayer with everyone else.

This is what I’d like to see: during one week of November, the Muslims implore Allah for seven days of rain. During a second week, the Hindus talk to Krishna about the crisis, during a third week the Jews pray and during the final week, Christians pray and the God who answers by a seven day period of steady rain is the true God. We could even allow the atheists to assign the weeks to ensure no cheating or advantage.

Yeah, I know, but at least my idea is biblical (1 Kings 18).