Biblical illiteracy and its implications in the evangelical world

My parents generation knew their Bibles because they actually read it regularly and were taught the major theological terms/themes and their implications. My generation knows about the Bible because we read Christian living books once in a while but basic theology is weak. So what happens with my children's generation and the next? 

Each generation of believers is one generation away from biblical illiteracy and that illiteracy is very real today among evangelicals. As I pointed out in another blog (An essential Biblical vocabulary), many believers, including church leaders cannot even define the most basic theological terms which the Bible uses to define faith, our human condition, God's work on the cross, His work in our lives nor do they understand that God is calling them not only to salvation but to join Him in His work.

This illiteracy problem is also tied to the content of our preaching today which is often so geared to be "practical and relevant" that it becomes more self help and about us than about God who is the source and goal of our  lives. In fact, whenever our teaching and preaching is more focused on us than on God we know that the balance has shifted from Him to us - a subtle but deadly shift. The Scriptures are living water for our souls because the lead us to Him. The more we drink the more satisfied we are.

The result of this is inevitable: A cultural Christianity with a general knowledge about God but not a biblical Christianity with a specific knowledge of God. That is a subtle but deadly shift.

We vastly underestimate the power of God's word to actually bring change to people's live through the work of the Holy Spirit - including our own. As Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Notice the the integral connection between our understanding of Scripture, its formative work in our lives and our resulting work on behalf of God and His Kingdom. These are all tied together and all related to our interaction with His Word and His Spirit as we read that Word. There is no substitute in our spiritual formation for direct, regular, honest, personal interaction with His Word. 

I would encourage all church leaders to consider these questions:

1. Do we have an ongoing plan to influence our congregation to be in God's word regularly so that there is no-one who calls themselves a Christ follower who is not regularly in the Book?
2. Do those in our congregation understand and can they articulate the theological concepts of the Bible? (If they cannot they most likely do not have a Scripturally based understanding of God and man)
3. Are you raising up a generation of young people who know their Bibles and interact with it regularly? Do they understand the basics of of the faith? Can they articulate them?
4. Finally, what is the quality of the church leaders' interaction with Scripture and are they theologically literate? If not it starts with you!

We would not settle for illiteracy when it comes to reading. Why do we so easily settle for illiteracy when it comes to God and His Word? Speaking of relevance - there is nothing more relevant than what God wants us to know about Him, to do in response, to understand and to apply to our lives. That is real relevance.

What I wish my supporters understood about my work as a missionary

As I write this blog I am in Berlin, Germany, one of the most secular, diverse, post Christian, cities of the world - and the cultural capital of Europe. If you want to share the Gospel in places like this literally none of what we are used to in the United States applies. Church is irrelevant and foreign, programs are ignored and evangelistic events for the most part mean nothing. What does mean something is relationship - deep, personal friendships that give one the ability to share the Gospel and that means adopting the very methods of Jesus who spent a great deal of time with people we would not in places we would not.

I asked our staff recently what they wish their supporters understood about their work. This reply was particularly insightful and it illustrates the challenge of ministry in a totally secular context where the concept of God is not even understood. You will find the response fascinating, challenging and a perhaps uncomfortable - as did the disciples and pharisees with some of Jesus' relationships. 

"I would love to see supporters have a more thorough understanding of what it means to relate to non-Christians in meaningful ways. Most of my supporters would probably say they understand evangelism and how much time it requires in building relationships and exposing people to the gospel. They have a heart to see non-Christians reached with the gospel. But they are used to a programatic model, evangelistic events, and using a church building as a central point of ministry. They have very little understanding of what it means to step into a community without the remnants of Evangelicalism and be immersed in the lives of non-Christians. Although they may understand that a culture needs Jesus, they have not thought through what that means for social interactions, evangelism, and developing relationships with non-believers.

"My supporters understand I am reaching out to non-Christians, but they don´t understand the implications it has on my life. It is my job to get into the world of non-Christians and pursue them, to understand them and to relate to them on their turf.  It would be arrogant to wait for them to come to me--and that means I am in bars, cafes, nightclubs, street parties. It means I am regularly exposed to alcohol, tobacco, drugs, pornography. It means I am around men and women who not only adhere to the gay lifestyle but demonstrate it openly.  It means I am rubbing shoulders with people that are not upstanding, people who are literally doing the wrong thing...and people who would never attend an official evangelistic event (let alone go in a church building!). 

"As I think about communicating with my supporters, I am often concerned that what I share will jeophardize my support rather than build confidence in my effectiveness. I would love to share more about how valuable and worthwhile it is to work through the issues that come up as I hang out with my gay friend or stay out until 5am because that is when my friends are available. I do think it is important to communicate what the lostness of a culture looks like--how it plays out in everyday life--but it is difficult to be open with the messiness of it when my lifestyle choices would be labeled as ¨sin¨ by some supporters!  This sentiment may be felt more acutely in European, post-Christian contexts, but I know that there were times in Latin America where many Christian workers felt the same. 

"I would love for supporters to understand that reaching out to non-Christians is uncomfortable, risky, and messy. I am committed to living a Godly life, but that doesn´t mean I can avoid the parts of culture that make Christians in the US uneasy. Part of my job is figuring out how the Holy Spirit is leading me to interact with non-Christians considering the opportunities that exist. And that is much easier said in a missions committee meeting than done."

Insightful words. Now remember why the Pharisees were so shocked at who Jesus spent time with and where. And even the disciples. Incarnational ministry takes Jesus to where people are, develops true friendships and is willing to step into their lives in order to share the good news of Jesus. What might the implications be for our evangelism strategies in the United States or elsewhere?

The dark side of leadership

Insightful article on the dark side of leadership which we ignore at our peril.

I want to be radically normal and radically abnormal

This is who Jesus was and this is who I want to be. Jesus was radically normal. A carpenter, a man of the people, working class, and someone who everyone around him seemed able to relate to. 


He was at home relationally with fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes, the wealthy, the poor, the disadvantaged, the sick. Coming from Nazareth he was even more normal. He was obviously approachable as so many engaged conversation with him and he with others.


But He was also radically abnormal in this: when engaged in conversation he was always upfront about His Father. He went to the heart of things which is the heart in non-offensive but clear ways. He simply shared the good news which was the heart of who He was. 


I am no different than the people around me. I have challenges, a marriage with its complexities, relationships that are good and sometimes problematic, worry on occasion about finances, am overweight and trying to lose. I am radically normal.


But I also want to be radically abnormal - because I have something  that many I bump into don't have: Jesus. I want to be radically abnormal because I am willing to be upfront with those around me about the change Jesus has made in my life. 


If I am radically normal but never share Jesus, I am living in a cocoon of my faith. If I connect my normality with radical abnormality because I share my deeply held faith - then I am living like Jesus. And join Jesus in His Kingdom work.

We will not support you as a missionary because...

We need to think more carefully about some of the decisions and assumptions we make in missions including who we will or will not support and why. The truth is that many churches make some fairly irrational decisions in this regard, decisions which they would never apply to their own ministries.


Take for example support personnel who are not directly involved in evangelism or church planting but who support those who are on the front lines. There are many churches who will tell teachers, administrators, and other support personnel that they are not a priority because they are not doing direct "mission work."


Think about that! Without teachers mission families cannot live overseas. Without financial administrators, missionaries are distracted by all kinds of necessary financial oversight issues. Without people in communications the story of what is taking place on the field will not be told. Without IT personnel, technology becomes a barrier not a help. Without those who connect local churches with international opportunities in order to make the relationship helpful and healthy there is a net loss to both. Without specialized trainers to equip pastors, church planters and national missionaries there is not multiplication.


Any missionary will tell you that it takes a team to make their ministry possible. And, that when support personnel are absent, they are distracted in a major way from what they have been called to do. It is like assuming that a local church pastor will do all that needs to be done in administration and finance without help.


Another curious anomaly are churches who will not support someone who is a in leadership position, overseeing staff and personnel. Ironically, we would not consider not having leaders overseeing others in the local church or in business but somehow it makes sense in missions. 


It is these well trained leaders who develop new ministries, coach and mentor staff for greatest effectiveness, lead teams or leaders of teams and ensure that we are doing multiplication in missions rather than addition. As in any organization, the quality of leadership will determine the empowerment and effectiveness of staff so it is foolish to think leaders are somehow less important than other staff - but some missions committees have made that decision.


Think of your local church. How many people does it take to ensure that healthy ministry is taking place between pastors, support staff (full and part time) and volunteers? Why would it be any different in missions where the cross cultural work environment is far more complex than what we face in our own culture? 


What would your ministry look like if you only hired pastors and there were no support personnel (paid or volunteer?). Of course we would not and do not live that way here, so why would we apply a different thinking overseas where things are harder, take longer and are far more complicated than in our home culture?


Think about this: The mission I lead has almost 600 staff, hundreds of church partnerships in the United States, operates in over 75 countries and has around 100 national partners. It takes a significant, qualified and specialized staff including key support staff to do that well. It is a far more complex ministry than even a mega church in the United States. 


Please think carefully before your church makes policies or decisions that sound noble but would never work in our own culture let alone in a cross cultural situation.

Spiritual Transformation and God's Meta story

There is a missing element in the conversation regarding spiritual transformation in many evangelical circles. There is rightly a conversation taking place about the need to move from behavior modification where people modify behaviors to fit into their evangelical sub-culture (whatever it is) to true inner life transformation.

In the first case life change is at the behavioral level. In the second case it is from the inside out: Hearts that understand and live in grace, minds that seek to think like Jesus, lives that are brought in line with God’s priorities and relationships that reflect the love of Jesus. For too long the church has settled for behavior modification instead of inner transformation. This is a very important conversation.

There is, however, a second part of the transformation process that needs equal attention. It involves the purpose of transformation. Here is something to think about: when our focus on transformation is only personal and about us it is a selfish and incomplete transformation that diminishes God’s ultimate purpose for our lives.

Now I fully understand that heart transformation is the entrance into God’s kingdom and family and where we experience the forgiveness of sin and a new standing in God’s sight. This is the message of John 3:16. What this does not address is the purpose of that transformation: we are reconciled to God in Christ (giving us all the blessings of life in Jesus for eternity) in order to join God in His work of reconciliation in our world (2 Corinthians 5:11-21).

Many of God’s people do not understand God’s Meta story! Our involvement in His Meta story is what brings our lives its greatest meaning!

That Meta story started in the garden where God created the world as He meant it to be: a creation at peace with itself and men and women in perfect relationship with God. That perfection was ruined by sin bringing with it the dehumanization of those made in His image. Into our world came sin, separation from God, relational disconnect, disease, death, sorrow, selfishness, war, injustice, fear, and all the results of sin.

From the moment of the fall, however, God put into place a divine rescue operation (Genesis 3:15) which culminated in the incarnation, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the inauguration of His Kingdom. His intent was and is to bring redemption to a broken world, redeeming what was made bad with the culmination coming at His return.

That redemption starts with hearts that are transformed but He then calls His people to join Him in His work of bringing His Kingdom to earth (Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven – Matthew 6:10). 

This includes feeding the hungry, caring for the marginalized, bringing justice where there is injustice (Isaiah 55, Micah 6:8), caring for the orphan and widow and alien (Deuteronomy), bringing His Kingdom values to all the places we inhabit and the people we know (Sermon on the Mount) to name just a few examples. 

This is the outcome of our heart transformation: nothing less than the transformation of our communities, neighborhoods and workplaces as God uses us to bring His love, truth, values, practices and relationships to every corner of our lives.

Ephesians 2:8-10 sum this up very well. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

The regeneration of our hearts is a complete gift from God. But, don’t miss that we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works – joining God in bringing His love, truth, values, practices and relationships to every corner of our lives. This is no individual pietistic vision but a vision of God’s family intentionally impacting everything and everyone around them. It is the gospel touching everything. It is transformation of hearts that results in transformation of our communities as we live out the life of Jesus.

The Meta story is about God’s plan to redeem what sin destroyed. We are redeemed to join Him in that redemption story.

Leaders as reflective practicioners

Leadership has a built in dichotomy: In order to lead well one must reflect well. It is a dichotomy because when we think of leadership we think of action. Yet wise action comes out of a great deal of quiet reflection. To lead well, one must learn the discipline of reflecting well.

Reflection takes time - time away from activity in order to think, pray and plan. I am currently spending five weeks in Berlin doing just that, along with the opportunity to see what a coalition of the willing is doing to see 100 transformational fellowships arise in this city. My time here may well be the most important activity of my year because it gives me time to reflect. 

In many organizations I work with or relate to, time away to think is not seen as a high value because it is time "away from work." I disagree! It is the most important work we do because it allows us to lead from wisdom that comes from reflection. In activity, less is more if it is highly focused on the right things. Getting to the right things requires time to reflect carefully.

The term reflective practitioners puts this into context. Leaders are practitioners - they do things and lead people. But that leadership is best when it comes out of deep and careful reflection. Reflection is the work behind the work of leading. 

Remember two things. First, three key decisions in a year is far more powerful than 20 non key decisions. Getting to the game changing decisions requires significant time to think.

Second, the decisions of leaders impacts others so ensuring that those decisions are well thought out is critical. Non reflective leadership hurts people inadvertently. 

If you lead you are a practitioner. The question is whether you value the discipline of reflection. Reflective practitioners are better practitioners than non reflective practitioners. Which are you?