Mobile phones will change how we do mission, just as much as did the invention of the printing press, radio, television and the Internet. Here are a couple of videos to spark your thinking:
And if you want to think a bit more about it, follow this link to the Digital Evangelism Issues page on mobile.
‘Men want ‘macho’ hymns, fewer flowers and less dancing in church,’ according to a new survey reported in the Daily Mail.
Not sure that I needed a survey, or the Daily Mail, to tell me this – but I am sure that every church leader in Britain needs to read it.
Since writing my last post on Internet Monk’s blog about the coming Great Evangelical Collapse, I’ve been thinking quite a lot about the differences between the situation in the USA and UK. Not all his points about America apply to Britain. However, I offer the following three points that I do believe apply to the UK:
(1) Evangelicalism in this country has become theologically weak. In our justified concerns for relevance and applicability, the hard reality is that we have not done a very good job of teaching people biblical truth. (I speak as someone whose primary calling is to teach the Bible: I’m not pointing fingers at anyone else.) This has led to a feelings-guided version of Christianity that is uncomfortable with some of the hard edges of what the Bible says. Obviously, this does not apply equally to all segments of the evangelical church, and my guess is that it’s the more theologically aware segments that will survive in the years ahead – especially those that work on remaining culturally relevant, and avoid the temptation to retreat into an Amish-like ghetto of ultra-conservatism.
(2) There is a fault-line running through evangelicalism in this country. The issue is no longer the Charismatic movement, as it was a generation ago. Now, the issue is about the central doctrine of the atonement. I don’t see this division going away any time soon: in fact, I anticipate that it will linger and fester. A house divided against itself will find it difficult to stand.
(3) Evangelicals in this country have, by and large, taken our eyes off the ball. In our concern to make a difference to society, to be up to speed on issues to do with the environment, globalisation, debt relief, and so on – all issues that are genuine concerns – we have lost our lock on the centrality of the Good News about Jesus Christ: the thing that makes is different is what we believe about individuals who are by nature under God’s judgment, but who can without deserving it receive his amazing love and forgiveness. Because we are afraid to talk about judgment, we have also stopped talking about salvation. And this is what will kill us.
It’s here at last.
The first ‘Seize the Day’ podcast is now online. It features Phil Prior talking to Brandon Dickerson, lead pastor of Ecclesia, a church that meets in a theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, right at the heart of the film industry.
I’m also talking in this podcast about resources to help churches and Christian groups respond to the recession.
When someone goes to work in a foreign country as a messenger for Christ and his Church, we understand that there are certain things they have to do if they are to be effective (learn the language, live with the people, understand the culture). Yet somehow, we take it for granted that the same rules don’t apply to us ‘back home.’ Here, we think we can get away with expecting people to come in to us and hear the message on our terms. Changing this default way of thinking is the biggest challenge that the Church in the UK must face if it is going to survive. Eddie recently blogged a talk by one of his friends in Switzerland about this:
When I returned from the field to live in Switzerland I was perplexed at the lack of relevance of the Church in peoples’ lives. I really felt we were on the sidelines, not on the pitch in the midst of the game. It took me about 7 years to start a journey towards an understanding of where we were at. And it took even longer, another 5 years, to become conscious of the fact that what I had as my ideal for the people we worked among on the field, I did not practise back in Europe (Switzerland), and as far as I could see, neither did the Church. Somehow in Europe we had a model of “evangelism” (making a foray into the world to leave it with a message, then retreating back into the safety of Church), whereas for missionary work we had a model of incarnation.
This whole post is worth reading. Go here for more.
I’ve written a few times recently about preaching (here and here). I don’t think there’s much justification in the New Testament for preaching as we see it, as making sermons. The NT seems to put much more emphasis on teaching.
Tim Chester has just started a series of blog posts called Dialogue on Sermons (part 1, part 2). These are really worth reading. He makes the case I’ve been trying to make – but does a much better job:
‘To be honest, Adams’ six points look very like special pleading to me and only reinforce my view that the status of the preacher is what is being defended. The irony is that those who trumpet their adherence to the word do not teach that word in the way it describes itself being taught!
The case for the sermon seems to be that it reflects the authority of God’s word, because the word is proclaimed without interruption or question. Think about it for a moment. What a bizarre definition of authority. Authority = lack of interruption! Surely the authority of the word is best expressed when we live in obedience to that word. So let’s work the truth down into people’s hearts and lives.
Preach it, Tim!
Or teach it.
There have been several additions / changes to Mike Frost’s UK itinerary, 3rd-11th October. His itinerary now looks like this (you can always check the latest details on www.facingthechallenge.org/mftour.php:
For more information about the London events, contact Dr. Krish Kandiah, Director for Churches in Mission at the Evangelical Alliance.
For more information about the Oxford event, contact Stuart Murray Williams.
