Contrarian View From the Pew: The Closer

Between August 28th, 2002 and July 5th, 2004, Eric Gagne of the Los Angeles Dodgers was chosen by his manager Jim Tracy to close 84 baseball games. [The technical definition of as save can be found here.] In 84 consecutive save opportunities, Eric Gagne recorded the save. The Los Angeles Dodgers had other players on the team, including Kevin Brown and Kaz Iishi, both all star pitchers in 2002, who Manager Tracy could have asked to pitch the last inning. However, every time the Dodgers were leading in the final inning, Tracy called on his specialist, Eric Gagne, to close the game.

Last week I asked my readers to imagine what would happen if a football coach told every player on his team to pass the ball or what would happen if a baseball manager made every player on his team defend the mound. Now, imagine today what would happen if Joe Torre and the New York Yankees didn’t have Mariano Rivera to pitch the final inning of so many games between 1996 and 2000 when the Yankees won four World Series Championships. Also, imagine how successful the 1985 Chicago Bears would have been without Jim McMahon at quarterback.

Mariano Rivera was so special as a closer, it is doubtful the Yankees would have won four championships without him closing the important games. The Chicago Bears, on the other hand, probably would have still won the Super Bowl with any number of other quarterbacks in the NFL, but at least they had a quarterback running the plays and making the passes. Coach Ditka didn’t throw the passes and neither did the Hall of Fame players Mike Singletary or Dan Hampton.

What happens in our Churches and in the lives of our families and friends when it comes time to make a decision for Christ? I’ve never visited a Church or even been in a Church where I was introduced to the Evangelist. I’ve never read a Sunday Bulletin where a staff member was identified as an Evangelist. Quite frankly, I’ve never even met an Evangelist. I know they exist, I just haven’t met one.

Shouldn’t we be praying for more Christians to receive the Spiritual gift of Evangelism? Shouldn’t our Churches be recruiting Christians who are gifted in evangelism? Shouldn’t we have a paid staff position of Evangelist in our Churches? Shouldn’t we start training, encouraging, supporting and helping those who have been given this special Spiritual gift?

If winning baseball games is important enough to have a closer on the team and if winning football games is important enough to have a quarterback on the team, isn’t winning souls important enough to have an Evangelist in our Church and on our team?

Contrarian View From the Pew: Gay Gradations

I have more posts planned regarding evangelism, but I have also been planning to write about homosexuality and as I was reading A Detente in the Culture War by Rob Asghar on Saturday, I decided to tagalong with some of my own thoughts now.

For some reason, I like to start with questions.

Is a Pastor who studies, practices, writes, and rewrites a sermon, but who has trouble delivering an effective sermon the same as a Pastor who is content with being an ineffective speaker, but continues to preach anyway? Is a Catholic who participates in "Right to Life" marches the same a vigilante who kills an abortion doctor? Is Pat Robertson the same as Tony Campolo?

Most believers nowadays are frustrated by the way we are portrayed and broad brushed by the mainstream media. Their portrayal does not match our experience. We hear a wide spectrum of ideas and beliefs about God within our circle of friends, an even wider spectrum on the internet, and an even wider spectrum from all of the sources within the entire community of believers. The spectrum is so wide that almost all believers designate certain other believers as non-believers, because we believe others are practicing heretical theology if we don't agree with them on the essentials. As insiders, we know more about the nuances, and we have a better understanding of the gradations regarding Christian beliefs, than the outsiders who try to tell our story.

When I hear most Christians talk about homosexuals and homosexuality, I hear the same narrow band of stereotyping and condemnation as I hear when I listen to the mainstream media describe Christianity and Jerry Falwell. Just because most of us believe that the cause of homosexuality is irrelevant when deciding if it should be labeled sinful, does not mean that we should respond to all of the nuances and gradations of homosexuality in exactly the same way.

Is the homosexual who makes an effort to remain celibate, but who occasionally gives in to the desire for sex, the same as the homosexual who has multiple partners and has no desire for a lifestyle change? Is a believer who after years of struggle has been unable to change their orientation the same as a proponent and advocate of gay marriage? Is the homosexual who serves the needy the same as the homosexual who lives at gay bath houses? Is the homosexual who is in a committed long term relationship the same as the homosexual who sleeps with as many partners of the same sex as is humanly possible?

Should we continue to judge from the outside or is it time to listen to more of the insiders, and make more of an effort to understand? Is it time to remove a few planks from the eyes of our Churches before ridding the world of splinters? Should we keep condemning and not showing any grace to those struggling with the difficult sin of homosexuality, while we give Pastors who spend 45 minutes to deliver a 15 minute sermon a pass?

Contrarian View From the Pew: A team game

Imagine what would have happened in the 1986 Super Bowl if Mike Ditka, head coach of the Chicago Bears, grabbed William Perry by the face mask right in the middle of the game and said, “Fridge, I know you aren’t particularly gifted as a quarterback, but we have to win this game, so get in there and start throwing the ball”. Imagine also what would have happened if Coach Ditka then turned to Walter Peyton, Dan Hampton, Mike Singletary, Richard Dent, and the rest of the Bears and said, “I know none of you want to play quarterback, and most of you aren’t gifted enough to play quarterback, but we need to win this game, so I want all of you to start throwing the ball.”

How many World Series rings would the Yankees have won under Joe Torre if the skipper said to Derek Jeter before the start of the 1996 Series, “Derek, I know you aren’t really gifted as a pitcher, but we have to win the World Series, so I want you to go stand on the mound.” Imagine also, what would have happened, if Joe Torre then turned to Bernie Williams and the rest of the team and said, “Guys, I know most of your aren’t really very gifted at pitching, but we have to win this series, so I want all of you to go stand on the mound.”

Now, think about what DOES happen in Churches where the leaders tell the members, “It doesn’t really matter if you are gifted in evangelism, spreading the Gospel is so important, everyone has to be out sharing with their circle of friends.”

The goal in football is not to “pass the ball”. The goal in football is to score more points than the opponent. Passing the football well usually helps to achieve the goal, but it is not THE goal. Effective passing requires an effective plan, effective blocking, effective pass routes, and effective receivers; not just an effective quarterback. Winning the game usually requires a solid defense as well. The 1986 Super Bowl champions, and most other Super Bowl winners, have had at least 40 players with very specialized roles. Walter Peyton probably could have played quarterback, but if he did, we would have missed out on some of his spectacular runs, and the Bears would still be without a Super Bowl win. It was much more fun watching Mike Singletary chase down quarterbacks than it would have been for him to be quarterback.

The goal in baseball is not to stand on the mound and pitch the baseball. The goal in baseball is to score the most runs. Good pitching helps to win games, but I doubt even the New York Yankees could win a single game with Derek Jeter standing on the mound. Teams that win World Series rings have players that are specialists at playing their assigned position.

The goal of Christianity is to spread Christianity. Preaching the Gospel is not the goal of Christianity. Preaching the Gospel is a method used to achieve the goal of Christianity. Effective evangelism is an essential part of spreading Christianity and it is a big part of achieving our goal. However, “Evangelist” is not the only important position on our team and we do not need a whole team of Evangelists to accomplish our goal. Evangelism and Evangelists need a supporting infrastructure of other gifted Christians filling many different roles in order to spread Christianity.

As Christians, we should try to be everything God created us to be, we should model the same behavior Jesus modeled for us, and we should strive to become everything the Holy Spirit is preparing us to become; but we don’t all need to be quarterbacks or pitchers, nor should we be.

More to come next week on football, baseball, and evangelism…

Contrarian View From the Pew: Start with what's clear

Clearly, an important aspect of Christianity is for Christians to spread Christianity throughout the world. Jesus taught God’s principles and modeled Christian behavior for his disciples. Before ascending into heaven, he told them to do likewise. Even if Jesus hadn’t been specific about spreading his message, we could not just sit on our knowledge of eternity anymore than we could watch a child drown; our changed hearts compel us to serve others. A part of that service is the offering or sharing of all that we have with others including a clear understanding of the Gospel message.

Individually, we need to let our light shine. If we believe we are a new person as a result of a belief in our Savior, we won’t sit under a basket and keep it to ourselves. Even on our worst days we will have something to offer towards the kingdom of God.

It’s also quite clear from the Bible that individually we do not all have the same role. Jesus used a farm worker illustration when he said, “one for sowing and one for reaping.” Paul used an illustration of the Church as the body of Christ where different body parts are incapable of achieving their intended purpose without every other part contributing to the purpose and without all of the parts working together. Paul also said we are gifted by the Spirit for different roles; evangelism being one of the listed and specific spiritual gifts.

In future posts, I will examine the Churches methods, effects, and results of evangelism as well as suggestions for improvement.

Contrarian View From the Pew: Media bias

Those of us who lean a little to the right have no problem recognizing institutional bias in the MSM (Mainstream Media). I wonder how many of us also recognize the bias in "Christians tackle the eternal question through study series" which makes this claim:

"It now seems that "The Purpose Driven Life" will be a church guidepost for the 21st Century. "

Contrarian View From the Pew: A few questions

What percentage of Christian leaders believe that sharing the Gospel is an individual responsibility?

What percentage of Christian followers believe that sharing the Gospel is an individual responsibility?

What percentage of Christian leaders actually make it a part of their ministry to be out in the world making new friends who are not believers and then sharing the Gospel with them?

What percentage of Christian followers actually make it a part of their life to be out in the world making new friends who are not believers and then sharing the Gospel with them?

How effective are individuals at sharing the Gospel?

Is sharing the Gospel a numbers game like product marketing?

What are the obstacles that need to be overcome in order for a non-believer to accept the Gospel message?

Is there a downside or risk to sharing the Gospel with a non-believer?

Where do the ideas and beliefs about evangelism come from?

What does the Bible have to say about evangelism?

What does the Bible have to say about individual evangelism?

Is evangelism in America different from evangelism in less developed countries?

Do Evangelicals need a paradigm shift regarding evangelism?

VFTP: My promise to be more clear

My mind is racing today with all of the responses I need to make to the comments I have received regarding my “Bring a Friend to Church” posts. I will try to address some of these issues in future posts as I comment on Church trends, assumptions, behaviors, methods; and far too often, misguided actions and activities.

When I started blogging, blurb-blogging seemed like my best style. I wanted my posts to be short, to the point, and clear. After my first month, it has become quite obvious, I need to be as precise about what I am not saying as I am about what I am saying. Hopefully, everyone who is a regular reader will see an improvement in the way I frame my opinions in future posts. Please keep your comments and criticisms coming.

When I wrote the “Bring a Friend to Church” series, I should have been more careful to differentiate between the “Bring a Friend to Church Special Sundays” and just plain old inviting a friend to come worship at your Church on any Sunday or weekday service. I do believe that the Church is the body of Christ. I also believe that participating in Church worship and other activities is the best way for anyone to experience the body of Christ. If any of us has friends who are not a member of a Church, we should invite them to our Church. However, when inviting friends to Church becomes a Church program, and members are pressured to find and invite someone who may not even be a friend, and nothing really special is done for visitors besides sell the Church, or give an alter call, then the efforts are counterproductive.

I also should have been more careful to differentiate between the “Bring a Friend to Church” programs that do not work at all and the “Pack a Pew” programs that do work to increase attendance, but do nothing to edify the body of Christ. For the most part, it is better for people to be a Church regular than not be a Church regular. However, I am very concerned that non-believers and marginal believers are getting the wrong impression about Christ because of the way we do Church.

I am planning several posts in the future where I will address the topic of personal evangelism. I have a sacred cow to roast. I’m cleaning the grill right now. Stay tuned…

VFTP: Stained-Glass Preacher

I have a variety of methods I use to evaluate the character of the people I associate with. I like to observe how people treat strangers. I figure that if someone is honest, respectful, and kind, to someone they have never met or someone they don‘t need, then I can trust them to be the same with my family and others. I also listen [or read] to see if someone is critical of themselves and the organization they identify with the most. I know that people who criticize their own are trustworthy.

Yesterday, I listened to a young Pastor give a very good sermon. He started the sermon by using his earlier life as a Christian as an illustration of how not to behave. Then he went on to criticize the behavior of some of the Churches and members of his own denomination. As he spoke, the Southern California storm broke, the sun came shining through the stain glass windows, and even more importantly, the Son came shining through his words. It was an important reminder for me, and I think others who have been around the block a few times, to get out of the way by minimizing our accomplishments and maximizing our Lords accomplishment.

PGA Maid

Just one more thing for me to like about John Daly.

I'll take him on with a vacuum - no handicap.

In Charitable Daly more mild thing than wild thing - Golf:

"He is also a clean freak. Sherrie, his fourth wife - of 3 years - said: 'He cleans everything. He does the laundry, he's a chronic vacuumer; it's hilarious.'"

VFTP: Judging Preachers

I often hear preachers misuse the words “Judge” and “Criticize” as synonyms. Different Bible translations and commentaries even interchange the two words. These words are not synonyms in the English language. Both words have many different meanings depending on the context. A person can and should judge before criticizing, and a person should be careful to judge ideas, concepts, and behaviors, not people; especially not people who are trying to do the will of God. However, the meanings of the two words are not the same.

“Judge”, “judged”, “judging”, and “judges”, are words that are used many times in all translations. “Criticize” is only referenced twice in the NIV. "Judge" appears multiple times just in the book of James which is a critique (criticism) of the behavior of the early Christians. Nowhere in the Bible are we told never to criticize. If we were, the Bible would be contradicting itself since much of what is written in the Bible, from Moses, to the Prophets, to Jesus, to the Apostles, is criticism.

When Jesus called the religious leaders of his day hypocrites, was he not criticizing them? When he called the generation of his time lazy and adulterous, was he not being critical? When he referred to his followers as hard hearted, was that not a criticism? Why then would preachers say that criticism doesn’t belong in the Church?

When a five-year-old criticizes her father, are her words sinful? I don’t think so. Criticism from my five-year-old is some of the sweetest words I ever hear. I never have to guess at what she is telling me. When she criticizes me, I know exactly what I need to change in my behavior, or I know exactly what I need to change in the way she views my behavior. I only wish the adults in my life were as willing to criticize me as my five-year-old.

I keep asking myself; as iron sharpens iron, how can one man sharpen another, without honest criticism and how can sin in our Churches be identified and corrected without criticism? In Proverbs chapter 27, along with the iron sharpens iron verse, there are some other interesting verses. Verse 5 says "Better is open rebuke than hidden love" and verse 6 says "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses". Both of these verses are references to the importance of honest and loving criticism. Verse 21 is also very interesting, "The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives". Together, these three verses indicate that "Praise" and "Kisses" are the true danger in the church. If I were a preacher, I would make the Biblical case that we need to be suspicious of "Praise" and we need to embrace and encourage "Criticism" and critical thinking.

It is a mystery to me why so many good Pastors and good men believe such a bad and wrong concept. The belief that people should not criticize is a concept from Communism, not a concept from the Bible or orthodox Christianity. It is the totalitarian and insecure leaders who want to avoid and not allow criticism. Great leaders surround themselves with others who are constantly challenging their beliefs and actions. It is the poor leaders who surround themselves with "yes men" who are not allowed to criticize.

It doesn’t seem to me like very many Churches are prepared for the challenges of the 21 century. I don’t see how these Churches will ever be prepared for the future until everyone has the freedom to criticize and correct what is wrong.

No easy answer

I wish there wasn’t such a thing as recreational drugs. I’ve never known anyone who used street drugs without having a decrease in their joy, attitude, and aptitude. I would hate to live in any society where the use of recreational drugs was considered acceptable. However, I place a very high value on personal liberty and I can see where drug laws are also having a very negative effect on our society.

It's an old debate that doesn't seem to ever change, but today Tony Plank at The Disenfranchised Curmudgeon presents a thoughtful, moral, and pragmatic argument for the legalization of drugs in homeland offense.

VFTP: Multi-Level Marketing?

Millions of people over the years have been influenced to find a church by Billy Graham and other gifted evangelists. Churches were packed with new seekers after the 2001 terrorist attacks only to find that church had nothing to offer them. Most likely, they attended a Sunday where they were told to “Bring a Friend to Church.”

Christianity is not a multi-level marketing scheme. Businesses can use schemes like multi-level marketing because they don’t need to be concerned about all of the people who say “no”. If a business gets enough “yeses” it will be successful. For way too long, Christian leaders have also been satisfied with getting a few “yeses” without being concerned about the negative impression they are making on all of those potential believers who look at their pesky neighbor and think to themselves, “I would never be a part of a group like that.”

After all of these years of bugging friends and neighbors, it has become more difficult for those gifted in evangelism to spread the Gospel because the ungifted have already hardened the resolve of non-believers. It has also become more difficult for those who want to belong to a church with thoughtful leadership to sit and listen to leaders continue to make the same mistakes. Isn’t it about time Christian leaders came up with a better idea than “Bring a Friend to Church” Sundays?

Time to Go?

Greg Koukl at Stand to Reason has some advice for Jerry Falwell in "Time for Falwell to Say Farewell".

I think Greg's advice is appropriate for anyone who believes it is possible to represent Christ and be persuasive without being Christ-like.

VFTP: Hurting Evangelism

Yesterday I presented what I think is the first main reason “Bring a Friend to Church” events usually fail to achieve the intended purpose for the event. Today, I am going to present what I think is the second main reason for the ineffectiveness of these special Sundays.

The other main reason “Bring a Friend to Church” events don’t work as intended is because most church members are not gifted in evangelism. Not only are most church members not gifted in evangelism, most church members are not even particularly outgoing. Many of the people who attend church regularly come to church to make friends and see friends; not bring friends. It is much more difficult for the typical believer to make friends and form meaningful relationships outside of church.

Since evangelism is a spiritual gift that most believers don’t receive, and since most people would rather make new friends at church, it is very misguided for church leaders to continue to send believers out attempting to make new friends and then invite them to church. The typical person who is not a church leader knows how manipulative and uncomfortable it feels to invite anyone other than a close friend or family member to their own church. Therefore, church leaders are actually discouraging members and hurting true evangelism by pressuring the members to bring someone new to church with them.

VFTP: Not Coming Back

There are two main reasons these “Bring a Friend to Church” events almost always fail to achieve their intended purpose.

The first main reason is because most churches are only attractive to their own members. [Sometimes, the members even know their Church is not attractive.] Since attractiveness is perceived differently by believers and non-believers; this one reason has two completely different perspectives.

The majority of people who end up attending a church on these special Sundays are already believers. Believers have very strong opinions about the type of Sunday service they like to attend. They are looking for a certain type of church. They want a church that appears a certain way, and a pastor who acts a certain way, and music that sounds a certain way, and members that are friendly in a certain way. If the church doesn’t meet a believer’s expectations for what a church should be that very first Sunday they attend, it is unlikely they will give the church a second chance.

Non-believers evaluate a church differently. They are not looking for a certain type of church. Most non-believers think all churches are alike. Non-believers have many of their own personal reasons for not wanting to go to church. Regardless of the exact reason, most non-believers don’t go to church because there is something at church they expect to happen they want to avoid. They want to avoid people who are too friendly, or they want to avoid a long and boring sermon, or they want to avoid feeling guilty, or they want to avoid an alter call, or they want to avoid giving any personal information, or they want to avoid the offering plate. The very thing non-believers want to avoid the most, almost always happens on these “Bring a Friend to Church” Sundays; especially people being so friendly, they seem needy. Therefore, non-believers also rarely give any church a second chance.

"Bring a Friend to Church" Sundays will never work until the Church Leaders start designing the service and activities specifically for the type of guests they want to attend the Sunday morning event.

Tomorrow, I will give a second reason “Bring a Friend to Church” Sundays almost never work.

A kinder, gentler evangelism

Bonnie at Off the top makes a great point about Anthony Flew's conversion change of heart in A kinder, gentler evangelism.

VIEW FROM THE PEW: Bring a Friend to Church

It is rare to visit a small church that is not having a “Bring a Friend to Church” event in the near future. The pastor will usually include a section in his sermon on personal evangelism and then finish his message by reminding the church about the upcoming event. He will also let everyone in attendance know how important it is for each of them to be out inviting people they know to come to church. Even though past events have had poor results, almost everyone in leadership acts like this is the one event that will actually start to grow their church.

Unfortunately, very few members of any church, often including the pastor, actually believe these upcoming events will change anything. They have all participated in enough “Bring a Friend to Church” Sundays to know that these events rarely have any long-lasting effect on church attendance. Quite frankly, these events may be the very reason the church is not growing. Rather than evaluate the success of their attitudes and methods concerning church growth, church leaders continue to place the blame on everything except their own wrong assumptions.

Later this week, I will be writing about why these events don't work.

VIEW FORM THE PEW: Purpose Driven Tragedy

My wife and I were members at Saddleback Church for almost a year. In many ways, Saddleback is my kind of Church. Every detail is considered and managed; practically nothing is left to chance. Rick Warren seems to me to be a true man of God, a good Pastor, and a genuine leader. I believe God has blessed Saddleback.

Now, having said that, I also believe the “Purpose Driven” movement, is a real tragedy for the Church. I don’t mean the "Purpose Driven” concepts; with only a few exceptions, the concepts are solid. I can’t tell if the movement is a symptom of the lack of leaders in our Churches, or if the movement is causing leaders to be insecure about their own programs, or if leaders are becoming lazy; choosing to copy instead of innovate.

Almost everyone, believers and non-believers alike, are looking for innovative leaders with compassionate hearts. Encouraging people to sit in front of a TV and watch a video of a leader from another Church is not my idea of leadership or compassion. Preachers don’t need to be leaders, evangelists don’t need to be leaders, servant disciples don’t need to be leaders. However, Pastors do need to be leaders and Churches need to be distinctive. Pastors who can’t do any better than sell video tapes, need to reconsider their chosen profession.

That’s one person’s view from the pew.

The Pie

Anyone who is a regular reader of my site without first reading Dime Store Guru is picking at the crust and missing the pie.

Rob Asghar is insightful, humorous, and humble. He takes his blogging serious without taking himself too serious. He is everything as a writer that I hope to be someday.

What are you waiting for; get on over there.

Valentines Day

All week long I've wanted to write something meaningful about Valentines Day. The words to describe how I feel about Valentines Day are turning out to be just as elusive as my feelings and my sense of inadequacy to properly honor my wife. I've always hoped that it would get easier as I got older. It hasn't.

However, Phil at Another Man's Meat gives me a new sense of hope with the way he honored his wife in Oops!

"As I sit here now I’m again seeing how right Paul was. I’m not married to an illusion; I’m married to Nancy Catron, a real living person who has ups and downs, hopes, dreams, moods, faith, doubt, anger, joy, sadness. She’s a complete person. And Nancy sees the same in me. Living life as an illusion would never have sustained us. That’s not the stuff love is made of. If it was all an illusion it would have broken long ago. But, thankfully, God put us together to shatter illusions and in so doing He strengthened the love between us.

Ah, yes…..Ain’t love grand! Beyond anything else, the flowers and the gifts, it’s the one thing that sustains us. I used to hear when I was young that love is for fools and that love doesn’t pay the bills. I sit here and realize how wrong those who said those things were. Love is indeed grand!"

Thanks Phil!