The Power of a Whisper

Last updated on: August 1, 2010 at 2:13 pm By Scot McKnight

I’ve heard our pastor, Bill Hybels, speak of whispers and promptings from God for years, and so I’m glad to see that he has put together all of his thoughts on whispers from God in his newest book: The Power of a Whisper: Hearing God, Having the Guts to Respond

People get nervous about this subject. Many have stories of stupid things people have done because “God told them to do something.” Some have stories of where they thought God was telling them to do something but it showed later that it wasn’t God at all. It was dopamine or something else.

And yet… yet …. yet… go ahead and read your Bible and you will see witness after witness of God speaking to someone. Abraham and Moses and Samuel and David and … wow, the Solomon and the “Tell me what you want” episode … and prophets like Elijah and, don’t forget this one, the voice of God to return from Exile to the Land and to rebuild that Temple under Ezra and Nehemiah.

The New Testament, too, has it all over the place. Of course, Jesus, but many want to exclude him because he’s the Son of God. But God spoke to Peter and told him to head up to Joppa and we have the first gospeling of Gentiles, and then God spoke powerfully to Paul and we could go on and on.

And the Church has had the same witness (you’ve got to read about “whispers that change the world” in chp 9). And yes all kinds of goofy things have happened (read chp. 4 on how to know when you are hearing God.)

But once we admit God does speak to us, why not now? Read this book by Bill Hybels and you will find the “spiritual” inner person that has been in prayer for decades, that has been seeking the face of God as a Christian leader, that has heard from God about parenting, and that has been listening for God — during good times and during his dry seasons — and how he has had the courage to respond to what God’s promptings were. In many ways, the history of Willow Creek is the history of God’s promptings of Willow Creekers. (Read chp. 3 and you’ll see what I mean.)

Is there any genuine Christianity where God does not communicate with his people?

The question that kept coming to me as I went through this book: Why not now?

The Future of Denominations

Last updated on: June 23, 2010 at 12:07 am By Scot McKnight

Ed Stetzer, an astute observer of American Christianity, has a piece in CT about denominations. Many denominational leaders today are worried about clear trends; I’m asked about the issue often and I do see denominational loyalty on the decline… but I’m a pragmatist about this: we are natural organizers; organized groups tend to get more accomplished; etc.. I wouldn’t claim they are perfect and I would argue they are far from perfect, but that is because we are imperfect. Willow Creek, though not in a denomination, has in effect formed a network that is not that far from what denominations do… with all due respect to denominations and with clear differences between denoms and places like Willow Creek. Still…

Where are you on this denominational discussion? Are you for them, against them, or do they not matter? What are their advantages? What are their disadvantages?

Denominations appear to have fallen on difficult times. Theological controversies over core Christian beliefs have weakened some denominations. Others have succumbed to classic liberalism. A handful of denominations have reaffirmed their commitment to theological orthodoxy, but even many once-growing conservative denominations have experienced difficult days. All in all, membership in 23 of the 25 largest Christian denominations is declining (the exceptions being the Assemblies of God and the Church of God).

The 2008 American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) found that the percentage of Americans who self-identify as Christians decreased from 86 percent in a 1990 study to 76 percent in 2008. Much of the loss does seem located in large mainline denominations. At the same time, the ARIS indicated that nondenominational churches have steadily grown since 2001–and that self-identified evangelicals have increased in number. But it seems that denominations have not shared in the growth.

According to many church leaders, denominations are not fading away–they are actually inhibiting growth. I have heard many pastors denounce denominations as hindering more than helping their churches’ mission. Others carp at wasteful spending, bureaucratic ineffectiveness, or structural redundancies; these objections seem to have gained adherents in an economic climate of pinching every penny. Loyalty to a denomination has declined and in some cases disappeared.

Meanwhile, many of the better-known churches in America today have no denominational affiliation.

But…

(more…)

What about a Sabbath?

Last updated on: May 7, 2010 at 12:03 am By Scot McKnight

Every now and then a new book presses home, usually from a bewilderingly new angle, an old theme in such a way it gets me to thinking. And I was reading such a book when Nancy Beach, a teaching pastor at Willow Creek, gave her inspiring and insightful talk last weekend on Sabbath. Judith Shulevitz, in her new book The Sabbath World: Glimpses of a Different Order of Time

, is the book I’m reading and pondering and wondering. She’s not really an observant Jew, but the whole idea of Sabbath fascinates her and she probes and probes and finds all kinds of ideas. A good book.

For the moment, let’s just set aside the important distinction of the Jewish Sabbath, which is about rest from work, and the Christian Sunday or Lord’s Day, which is more about worship and fellowship than rest from work, though it necessarily involves the concept of rest. Ideas get bundled up here, and I see no reason to get overly strict about them, but one thinks of rest and fellowship and worship and family and play and contemplation and doing things for their own enjoyment … of doing things you truly want to do instead of things you have to do … of putting down “work” completely for 24 hours. It’s that “putting down” for a whole 24 hours that makes the Sabbath what it is.

The secret to Sabbath, so it seems to me, or at least one of the secrets, is the habit of setting apart a designated period of time and keeping it no matter what else beckons. And over time how that designated time begins to deepen and grow and lengthen and create memory.

It is unwise to think we’re going to change laws and retreat back to the days when restaurants and shops were closed on Sunday.

But, still, what is your ideal “Sabbath”? What are your thoughts?

God’s Beloved Life

Last updated on: January 19, 2010 at 12:41 pm By Scot McKnight

Last weekend Efrem Smith, author of The Hip-Hop Church: Connecting With the Movement Shaping Our Culture

and a pastor from … in Minneapolis MN, preached at Willow Creek and all I can say is “Wow.” He blessed us and challenged us and inspired us — fantastic sermon. He preached from 1 John 3 and, in effect, he deconstructed and then reconstructed some current ideas by making this argument:

You can’t have God’s Beloved Community until you have God’s Beloved Church, and you can’t have God’s Beloved Church until you have God’s Beloved Life …

New life in Christ is designed to create the Church and God’s Church is to be a blessing to the Community. The sermon ended on a powerfully dramatic note when Efrem talked about “love lifted me” and Bill Hybels asked him if he could sing the song. Well, Efrem said “No” but an African American woman in the front row said she could — and she sure could!

OK, truth be told, I’m not a little proud that Efrem is a Covenant pastor at Sanctuary Covenant.

The New Desegregation?

Last updated on: January 6, 2010 at 2:01 pm By Scot McKnight

Wow, this is quite the story….

Call it the desegregation of the megachurches — and consider it a possible pivotal moment in the nation’s faith. Such rapid change in such big institutions “blows my mind,” says Emerson. Some of the country’s largest churches are involved: the very biggest, Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Community Church in Houston (43,500 members), is split evenly among blacks, Hispanics and a category containing whites and Asians. Hybels’ Willow Creek is at 20% minority. Megachurches serve only 7% of American churchgoers, but they are extraordinarily influential: Willow Creek, for instance, networks another 12,000 smaller congregations through its Willow Creek Association. David Campbell, a political scientist at Notre Dame studying the trend, says that “if tens of millions of Americans start sharing faith across racial boundaries, it could be one of the final steps transcending race as our great divider” — and it could help smooth America’s transition into a truly rainbow nation.

Hybels and his Willow Creek church are already headed down that path. Though Willow is not the most advanced example of multiracial church, it makes an excellent window into the new desegregation because of its size, its influence and the ferocious purposefulness with which Hybels has deconstructed his all-white institution. Willow may also be emblematic in that Hybels appears to have stopped short of creating a fully color-blind church. His efforts illustrate both the possibilities and the challenges that smaller churches may face as they attempt to move beyond black and white.

Weekly Meanderings

Last updated on: November 14, 2009 at 12:03 am By Scot McKnight

The new sculpture of Mr. Rogers in Pittsburgh.

Eugene Cho’s ODW is a hit. Good for Eugene, good for all of us.

When did death enter the picture? What kind of death then entered the picture?

Which one is your favorite? (I like Tim and Joel.)

Which one is your favorite? (I like #2.)

Which one is your favorite? (What some people do who have too much time to these sorts of things.)

Bill Donahue‘s excellent post on filling rows or forming circles.

John Stackhouse, an open Christian, opposes crosses in public schools — in Italy.

iMonk opposes gospel cowardice.

Are you grumpy?

CAS — I tried to do three weeks in a row, but pictures aren’t my norm … but I’ll link anyway.

Tony’s new blog site.

41 things married folks need to know.

Some things to know about making a blog feel like home.

This is a bigger issue than one church, one diocese and one city (D.C.). This issue could be a massive debate.

The biggest issue of the 21st Century.

Brett knows movies.

Marko says he knows dancing … I’d like to see it.

Mark knows grackles.

Meandering in the News

1. 950 times, and not one more beyond that!

2. Wow, it’s informing to play with the various options of joblessness today.

3. This is funny … anyone in NZ want to speak up?

4. China is on the move … $10B to Africa.

5. Volterra — we loved our visit to this place.

6. Fantastic, fantastic development in Islam.

7. Ancient Hebrew cosmology: nice graphic. (HT: Akma)

8. Sad development in the ocean. (HT: RS)

9. My advice for the British — don’t take this stuff personally or seriously: “I would say Britain is stumbling because they don’t spend as much time polishing up their appearance and they are letting themselves down on physical fitness,” Beautiful People managing director Greg Hodge said. “Next to Brazilian and Scandinavian beauties, British people just aren’t as toned or glamorous. Only the male Russian and Polish applicants fared worse than British men, although Russian women had a 44 percent acceptance rate. Polish women did not appear in the table.”

10. America’s coolest universities.

Meandering in Sports

Congrats to this young man: 2 in one hole in ones.

Allen … not sure what to say.

We are Bears fans, but they are not ready for prime time TV. What the Bears are doing for me is making me think about Spring Training and the start up of the PGA Tour 2010.

Weekly Meanderings

Last updated on: November 14, 2009 at 12:03 am By Scot McKnight

The new sculpture of Mr. Rogers in Pittsburgh.

Eugene Cho’s ODW is a hit. Good for Eugene, good for all of us.

When did death enter the picture? What kind of death then entered the picture?

Which one is your favorite? (I like Tim and Joel.)

Which one is your favorite? (I like #2.)

Which one is your favorite? (What some people do who have too much time to these sorts of things.)

Bill Donahue‘s excellent post on filling rows or forming circles.

John Stackhouse, an open Christian, opposes crosses in public schools — in Italy.

iMonk opposes gospel cowardice.

Are you grumpy?

CAS — I tried to do three weeks in a row, but pictures aren’t my norm … but I’ll link anyway.

Tony’s new blog site.

41 things married folks need to know.

Some things to know about making a blog feel like home.

This is a bigger issue than one church, one diocese and one city (D.C.). This issue could be a massive debate.

The biggest issue of the 21st Century.

Brett knows movies.

Marko says he knows dancing … I’d like to see it.

Mark knows grackles.

Meandering in the News

1. 950 times, and not one more beyond that!

2. Wow, it’s informing to play with the various options of joblessness today.

3. This is funny … anyone in NZ want to speak up?

4. China is on the move … $10B to Africa.

5. Volterra — we loved our visit to this place.

6. Fantastic, fantastic development in Islam.

7. Ancient Hebrew cosmology: nice graphic. (HT: Akma)

8. Sad development in the ocean. (HT: RS)

10. America’s coolest universities.

Meandering in Sports

Congrats to this young man: 2 in one hole in ones.

Allen … not sure what to say.

We are Bears fans, but they are not ready for prime time TV. What the Bears are doing for me is making me think about Spring Training and the start up of the PGA Tour 2010.

Weekly Meanderings

Last updated on: August 8, 2009 at 12:04 am By Scot McKnight

Buckingham Fountain, Chicago!!!!

Good one from Mrs. Neff.

The future car is an iCar!

Lots of future education in the church will be from sites like this — and the series by Hurtado looks incredibly interesting to me.

Do you believe in hell? Pastors and the soft sell on hell.

Religion and social media, as well as Ten Commandments for Social Media — by Jana Riess. Religion and church signs. Religion and the future of mainline denominations. Religion and emergent – Tony knows this stuff.

Karen’s next book — she’s got good titles and wonderful stories.

Mark is always good and wise. Jeanne Stevens posts wisdom about courage.

Church “visitors.” (HT: TS)
Back yard visitors.
Those visiting doubts.

Brett on Christians and alcohol. Dan on missional.

Lesson is: don’t bark at dogs, esp police dogs.

Good tips for bloggers. Wisdom about what not to blog about.

My problem with … those who evaluate why one church is doing well and another one not so well? The problem I have is that this article is absolutely absent of any theological analysis. I’m sorry, but in reading this essay there is no analysis of gospel theology, of Christian life vision, of prayer, of anything but … one group has a more up-to-date form of (social media) communication. I doubt, brother, this is what explains what you think is the difference.

The best (chain) brew? Come to Chicago and try some Intelligentsia! (Well, it’s not a chain, but there’s a few stores and they are in my little chain.) But Starbucks is masking itself in the form of other coffee shops.

This accident happened directly in front of our home Tuesday AM about 6:20. Everyone was OK, but it sure didn’t look like that would be case when I first saw it.

1. Maira Kalman‘s back — with a wonderful post on inventions.
2. The Washington Post’s “On Faith” page has a good discussion of perspectives of how to determine what marriage is.
3. I’m for this — but don’t know how long it should last. Any suggestions?
4. Cars fitted so blind persons can drive — how cool is that! (HT: RJS)
5. Thievery, as can be seen from this story, can wear a person out.
6. From NYTimes: “And in terms of health, it’s not better to have married and lost than
never to have married at all. Middle-age people who never married have
fewer chronic health problems than those who were divorced or widowed.”
7. 52 zoos in 52 weeks, plus 55 animal parks, and all on a budget!
8. Birthers, give it up! On a related topic: Saletan on the anti-contraception crowd.
9. Thomas Sowell: “Let’s go back to square one. The universe was not made to our
specifications. Nor were human beings. So there is nothing surprising
in the fact that we are dissatisfied with many things at many times.
The big question is whether we are prepared to follow any politician
who claims to be able to “solve” our “problem.””
10. Lest we forget … let us keep these folks in our prayers and within view.
11. Who benefits most from affirmative action? White women.
12. And American benefits not at all from the invective propagated by too many … nice article.

Sports:

“Dating to the 2006 British Open, Woods has won 21 of 39 starts on the PGA Tour.”

At 97, the guy gets his first hole-in-one!

Weekly Meanderings

Last updated on: June 20, 2009 at 12:08 am By Scot McKnight

You can pick your friends,
you can pick your nose,

and now you can pick your friends’….

Kris and I are in Arlington Virginia at Aldersgate Methodist Church with Jason Michelli. But Weekly Meanderings go on!

My three virgins.

Andy’s post isn’t a blog post — it’s a gem that needs to be printed out and pasted near the desk of pastors and evangelists. His next post about Willow Creek is another good one. Jeannine Brown’s study of shalom also needs to be printed out. Cobus and Tom reflect on doing African theology. Secrets in churches? Lavonne writes about health care. Tamara’s kingdom investment. Bob Robinson on what evangelicals need most in politics.

What birds have you been seeing? We’ve had some hummers around and recently a little Downy Woodpecker has been visiting our feeder (for some suet).

Are Twitter’s days numbered? Is texting a teenage addiction? (A must-read.) Eugene‘s new design and ads on his blog, but make sure you see his post about the Saudi martyr. Spiritual but not religious: a link. Charlie Wear on first steps.

Erika’s story. Owen Youngman’s wide-ranging and interesting links. Acedia, another take. Dan Reid on structural sins — illustrating Seattle’s streets. Lera Boroditsky’s suggestions about the significance of language.

Interesting story of a lapsed Catholic and the emerging faith of his son. (HT: AC) Speaking of Catholics, Jim Caviezel is interviewed here about his new movie. From the other angle, the Calvinists are fighting amongst themselves. But Mark’s got good news about the PCUSA.

Blog tip of the week: writing posts in advance.

1. The rise in anger is notable and worth working against. This might explain the rise in anger: times have changed and the Repubs have a challenge. And this will be perhaps the defining issue for the next election. Is Daniels pointing the way?
3. Global eco-changes.
4. Brooks on FedMed.
5. Indeed, Obama could have said more about Iran’s so-called revolution, especially about the need for free elections.
6. The old correlation vs. causation issue applied to alcohol.
7. Did you see this one?
8. Science and origins of life. We’re honored at this blog for “RJS” who writes readable prose to inform us about issues of science.
9. John Wilson on birds … I’ve not done enough about birds on this blog of late, but we’ve seen all sorts of birds this year on our walks.
10. We are seeing more and more of these: Prius.

Sports

What’s up with the Cubs, Mayor Daley? (They’re hurting our economy and I’d like to turn it up if I could.)

Hey, do you need to show more fire Lou Piniella?
Lou’s response: “I’m not a dragon.”

He also said, when asked about detecting steroids on players, “I wouldn’t know a steroid from a reefer.”

Sosa = great talent + cork + steroids.

Inexcusable

Last updated on: June 13, 2009 at 1:12 pm By Scot McKnight

David Letterman, who will do most anything to get a laugh, especially if he can do so at the expense of a public (and conservative) figure, spoke of Sarah Palin’s daughter, who attended a Yankees game with her mother, being “knocked up” by Alex Rodriguez. He messed up his facts, thinking the daughter was the pre-married pregnant Bristol but who was in fact the 14-year old Willow, and then lamely fessed up to what he had said — but laced up his confession with cynical humor.

I’ve argued for a long time that a steady diet of cynicism destroys respect for humans, and David Letterman has now reached that level. What he said is inexcusable. Not just poor judgment, not just stupid, and not just crossing the line. It was inexcusable.

Jeremiah Wright, who has lived a life of living to craft words in preaching and who therefore knows the potency of words and the prophetic power of what he says, was asked by a reporter about whether or not he is in contact with President Obama. Wright, who says he was in a rush, said something about “Them Jews” who wouldn’t let him get to Wright. Then he came up with a lame claim that he meant “Zionists.” Since Wright is better with words than this, and since he is a man who has spent his life fighting stereotyped words that destroy the fabric of people groups, he needs to be particularly sensitive to other people groups.

Jeremiah Wright’s wrong on two accounts: neither the Jews nor the Zionists are blocking him from Obama. And what he said, since it stereotypes Jews with an age-old conspiracy about who is really in charge behind the scenes, is inexcusable. (See this for his confession.)