Second Chance
Want to see a socially conscious evangelical Christian self-critique? Go to
The Second Chance. It stars the Christian-rock equivalent of Justin Timberlake from the 1990s, who I screamed for in a huge music hall in Southern Missouri when I was in high school.
The website says this about the film:
The Second Chance is a film about two men - one from a white church in the well-to-do suburbs and one from a black church in the inner-city projects. Although founded by the same man, each church manifests its mission in a very different way. This film authentically tells the story of how a rebellious son and a street-smart pastor struggle to bridge the gap between their respective churches and cultures. More importantly, at its core, The Second Chance is about being willing to step outside your comfort zone and serve where you are called...
The movie is surprising. I didn’t want to see it; I thought it was going to be self-promoting in a holier-than-thou way. But I loved it and would add this to their description: The Second Chance is also about the struggles churches and people of faith face on an everyday basis, particularly love of money, love of self, and love of religion (i.e., feeling holier-than-thou). This movie shows what happens when those “loves” get in the way of faith itself - a reminder of why so many people hate and leave the church. But it also provides insight into the other side of faith. I'll leave that for you to watch in your local mega-theater.
THEOOZE
THEOOZE: a Christian web community (over 8000 members) founded by Spencer Burke. In his
own words:
...In today's evangelical world, one of the worst things you can ever be called is liberal. Challenge an accepted belief or confess doubt and you're the equivalent of a card-carrying Communist. Brows furrow. Eyes narrow. Lips purse. Want to earn a place on the Colorado Springs…er, I mean, Hollywood black list? Admit your uncertainty about homosexuality as a Biblically-condemned sin. Want to be branded a traitor in your own church?
...And yet, as I look at history, I'm struck by how many times the church has changed its mind on controversial issues. In antebellum America, for example, there were many Christians who not only embraced, but Biblically defended slavery. No doubt they could quote passage after passage of Scripture supporting their rights to own African Americans as property. Today, however, most Christians reject those arguments. In fact, most Americans-Christian or not-feel slavery is morally reprehensible.
Similarly, there was a time when women were prevented from voting or owning property-a position the church heartily endorsed. Throughout history, Christians have been eager to shackle women both in and out of the church. Given a less-than-stellar track record, is it really so heretical to think that the evangelical church may just be wrong about homosexuality as well? I mean, isn't it wise to at least ask the "What if?" question from time to time, if for no other reason than to test our contemporary application of Scripture?
...Jesus challenged the religious establishment in his day. He answered his critics with powerful, thought-provoking questions. He wasn't afraid to take on tough topics or discuss contentious issues. Spiritual McCarthyism, meanwhile, promotes exactly the opposite. It encourages people to orchestrate their lives to avoid censure and minimize risk. In short, it teaches people to live in fear-to put up and shut up. I don't know. I guess I'm just not sure that fear, intimidation and control should be the defining hallmarks of Christianity.
...In 1998, I started THEOOZE.com. To be honest, it's the kind of environment I've always yearned for as a Christian. Born out of my own personal need to have a safe place to ask questions and work through issues, it has since grown into a thriving online community. Every day, people from all over the world, log on and dialogue with each other about spirituality and life. The conversations that happen on the message boards raise Spiritual McCarthyists' ire and yet, through the Internet, we're able to enter into meaningful, honest discussion with each other.
...I joke sometimes about THEOOZE being a support group for crazy people in their garages-individuals who are struggling to fit in their churches and understand how the cultural shift affects their faith. I laugh about it, but it's actually true and you know what? I think it's needed. There's something wonderfully freeing about knowing that you're not the only one.
Lewis Lives
A few weeks ago at Borders I was looking through the religion section. The first thing I noticed: a whole wall was dedicated to C.S. Lewis. Some of the other “hot selling” books on the shelves were works by Donald Miller and
The Purpose Driven Life. But C.S. Lewis commanded much more space. And it reminded me of the Christian circles in college where you had to be almost equally versed in the works of C.S. Lewis and the Bible. Lewis has influenced my own Christianity, and he continually pops up on Christian blogs (see, for example,
The Blind Beggar, and
Adrian Warnock’s UK Evangelical Blog), in discussions, and in Christian magazines.
In an article on
ChristianityToday.com (a spinoff of Billy Graham’s Christianity Today International magazine), the author points to the superstardom of Lewis in evangelical circles as well as some of the questions which often arise about how his beliefs compare to evangelical Christianity:
Clive Staples Lewis was anything but a classic evangelical, socially or theologically. He smoked cigarettes and a pipe, and he regularly visited pubs to drink beer with friends. Though he shared basic Christian beliefs with evangelicals, he didn't subscribe to [everything]... How did someone with such a checkered pedigree come to be a theological Elvis Presley, adored by evangelicals?
The article then provides historical details about C.S. Lewis as well as the way in which evangelicals interact with his work:
On college campuses, Lewis's books had a "profound impact" for decades on InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF), says Bob Fryling, the executive director of InterVarsity Press. Lewis's books were (and still are) read by Christian students and others curious about the faith. IVCF used Lewis at evangelistic discussions in college dorms.
There's a lot of information out there on the relationship between Lewis and evangelicals. But Fryling, in the ChristianityToday.com article, provides what I believe to be a fitting description: "Outside of the Scriptures themselves, Lewis is probably the greatest authority and example of a thoughtful Christian faith.”
Purpose Driven Man
Dr. Rick Warren, author of
The Purpose Driven Life, is one of the most influential Christian leaders in America. He founded
Saddleback Church in California in 1980 with only one family; today, the church averages 22,000 weekly attendees. They have ministries to assist prisoners, addicts, single parents, and those with HIV/AIDS.
Rick Warren also leads the Purpose Driven Network of churches, which is comprised of congregations in 162 countries. The Network has trained more than 400,000 ministers and priests worldwide, and has a toolkit which is delivered weekly to around 157,000 church leaders.
In
The Purpose Driven Life Warren addresses what he believes are God's five purposes for each of us:
We were planned for God’s pleasure, so your first purpose is to offer real worship.
We were formed for God’s family, so your second purpose is to enjoy real fellowship.
We were created to become like Christ, so your third purpose is to learn real discipleship.
We were shaped for serving God, so your fourth purpose is to practice real ministry.
We were made for a mission, so your fifth purpose is to live out real evangelism.
Dr. Warren states his own
priorities as "spiritual emptiness, egocentric leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic disease, and illiteracy/poor education." And he and his wife give away 90 percent of their income to three types of organizations: one fights poverty, disease, and illiteracy; one serves those affected and infected with AIDS; and one trains church leaders in low-income countries.
