I read this satire article this morning on "The Talking Mirror" and couldn't stop laughing. It's hilarious that so much of this is true. However, in the end, it's also a little sad that this is what many see our 'worship' as in the church today. Either way, I hope you enjoy this great article!

How to Write Contemporary Worship Music

You’ve got a problem. You feel the Lord calling you to a career as a chart-topping, face-shredding rock star, but you feel guilty about the sex, drugs, and sex that inevitably accompany super stardom. Your solution? Become a worship leader! Get the groupies, the Facebook fanpages, and the all-you-can-drink booze buffets you’ve always wanted while keeping your conscience squeaky clean!

Now, before you run off to Colorado Springs and start a band, I should tell you, it takes more than non-threatening good looks and a severely inflated ego to become the mouthpiece of the church. You need a catchy ditty that people of all ages will relate to without fully understanding. Sounds daunting right? Wrong. Thanks to advances in modern science, we’ve simplified effective worship song writing into a single, can’t miss formula. Just follow the template below and people will be saying “Dave Crowder who?” by this time next month.

First you want to state who your song is addressed to.

Jeeeeesuuuuus.

To avoid confusion, you will then want to distinguish this Jesus from the one who mows your lawn.

Sovereign Lord of all creation.

Perfect. Next, let everyone know how cool you think Jesus is with a disjointed list of laudatory adjectives.

Holy, Incredible, Awesome, Invincible, Phantasmagorical!

Having established the high regard you have for the second member of the Trinity, you will next want to describe the extravagant lengths you go to to demonstrate your love.

Falling before you / forever adore you / always want more of you / doing my chores for you / making some s’mores for you.

Then comes the pre-chorus. This is an integral part of your song wherein you ratchet up the emotional fervor until it reaches critical mass just as the chorus begins. Use this time to describe the many-faceted complexity of your relationship with the Savior.

I love you / you love me / we’re best friends as friends as can be (repeat 4x).

By the fourth repetition, the instrumental accompaniment should have reached a crescendo loud enough to drown out the vocalists, though they are now shouting at the top of their lungs. In this frenzied state you will transition into the chorus.

Regardless of your song’s message, the chorus should always follow the same format: repeated shouts of adoration intermingled with requests that those in attendance join you in singing. If you have trouble coming up with the right words, feel free to borrow liberally from other musicians.

Jesus, you’re so hiiiiiigh, high above me / you’re so lovely! / Sing it with me! / You’re so hiiiiigh, high above me / you’re so lovely.

After the chorus, the assembled worshippers will likely need a breather and a sweat rag. Those who have been slain in the spirit will probably need medical attention. As the puppet master of this whole scene, it is considered good form to bring things down a notch for the second verse.

In the interest of time and efficiency, feel free to copy and paste the lyrics from the first verse into the second one. If you feel you must, it is acceptable to modify the list of adjectives from line three. While some consider this to be extravagant and needlessly showy, it is a great way to keep your disciples on their toes.

Insurmountable, indestructible, unassailable, super-fantastical!

The second verse is, of course, followed again by the pre-chorus and the chorus.

After the second chorus, you will want to give the hand raisers and ribbon dancers a brief respite before the home stretch. A “bridge” is a popular way to do this without letting their heart rates or endorphins return to normal levels. The bridge is an important interlude, often accompanied by a key change, which serves to connect the second chorus to the third without subjecting the performer to the artistic degradation of a third verse.

Again, feel free to borrow lyrics from chick flicks, romance novels, or Seventeen Magazine.

You are the one, the only one for me. / Together forever, with you I’m free. / Nobody else makes me feel like you do. / Together forever, too good to be true.

Following the bridge, the chorus should be repeated 12-15 times. Apply fog machines and laser lights as needed, and close the whole thing out with some sort of explosion and/or stage dive.

And there you have it. Get some hair gel, buy a few graphic T’s, master the G-C-D chord progression, and prepare yourself for your new life as the second incarnation of worship-rock god, Chris Tomlin.

See you at Passion 2010.

Rejected Super Bowl Ad

NBC recently rejected an ad for the Super Bowl about Barak Obama. . .why? See for yourself:




Seems that we can talk about anything during the Super Bowl, except the importance of life. Well, at least you'll have beer commercials.

Pro-Life

Today marks the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, one of the most influential and ungodly court decisions in American history. All day today, and this week, you'll be hearing stories of marches, speeches, and other events for or against abortion, and a woman's 'right to choose.' Now, I don't believe that my feelings towards abortion are any secret if you've been reading my blog for any length of time, but today, on this anniversary, I'd like us to focus on what it truly means to be 'pro-life,' because I think that many people use this phrase, and it does the struggle a great injustice when it's not used correctly.

If you are pro-life, then you must be pro-ALL life. Pro-life should not just be a debate and struggle against abortion; if that's all that pro-life is to you, then you're not pro-life, you're anti-abortion. Pro-life means that you believe that ALL life is sacred, created intentionally and purposefully by a loving, caring, all-powerful God that desires that ALL life goes on. Being pro-life means that you live a life of Christian love towards all humanity, showing the love of God to all in all situations. I believe that being pro-life means that you should be pro all of the following:

1. The unborn life: the Bible makes it clear, God put us together in our mother's womb and has known us personally since before the moment of conception. The unborn child, whether 2 days along or 9 months along, is a child, a human, an intentional creation of God that no one has any right to destroy, and God will hold in judgment those that do end this precious, fragile life. As it says in Genesis:

"And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.

"Whoever sheds the blood of man,
By man shall his blood be shed;
For in the image of God
Has God made man."

There is no difference, and should be no difference between killing a child 2 weeks old, or killing one 2 weeks short of birth. As John Piper recently wrote, we should not accept the same excuses for abortion that we used to accept for slavery. God sees the life of the unborn child as sacred, and we should as well. Since Jan 22, 1973, when Roe v Wade was decided, 49,640,776 babies have been aborted in the US. This should matter to each and every believer on a national scale.

2. The orphan: Just as God cares about the unborn, God cares about all living humans; as Father God, however, he has a special love for the orphans of this world, and expects that His followers will as well. As James says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress." According to many estimates, there are as many as 143 million orphans in the world today, all in need of food, shelter, and most importantly, love and hope in the name of Christ. How can we claim to be pro-life if this isn't a priority in our lives, and expressed through our faith daily?

3. Elderly: How many people live in your city are living in nursing homes, often alone and in need of the love of Christ? Or, how many people around you are home-bound, needing visitors, or physical acts to show the love of Christ better than just words can? But these are often the forgotten people in our communities, and in our churches. How deeply do you care about their lives? Do you care about widows like God's Word commands His believers to?

These are just a few examples, but I believe that Biblically, God calls us to love and work on behalf of all life, from the unborn on. So, how is your life expressing God's pro-life heart? How is your faith shown in your love for others? How committed are you to changing ALL injustice towards God's live on here, including the unborn? God, may our heart for your people be the same as your heart. Change us in areas where we are missing those that need your love and hope, and allow our faith to stand strong for all life, for your glory and their benefit.

New Year 1945

(I was planning on writing continuously on my "Sola" series, but haven't had the time for blogs of such length. So, this instead has kept me from writing anything at all. So, as time allows I'll occasionally write more on the Solas, but until then I'll keep updating with shorter posts on other things that God impresses on my mind.)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of the greatest Christian voices in Germany crying out against the Nazi party and Hitler during their reign in Germany. Bonhoeffer was convinced that Germany would never be secure as long as the Nazi party or any other party tried to separate their country from God. So, in spite of the risks, Bonhoeffer spoke out loudly against the Godless direction the Nazis and Hitler were taking Germany, both on spiritual issues and against the war. Because of his stance, Dietrich was in constant danger of imprisonment or other retaliation from the Nazi party; at one point, friends in Britain and America even smuggled him out of the country to keep him safe. However, Bonhoeffer was convinced that he had no right to lead as a Christian unless he was willing to suffer with his fellow Christian brothers in Germany, and so he returned to Germany. He was shortly after imprisoned, and suffered in concentration camps for several years, so impressing his fellow captors as well as his Nazi party guards with his faith that they smuggled his writings out to Britain that they might be published while he was still in prison. One of his last received writings was entitled "New Year 1945," and was received just months before his martyrdom in April 1945, intentionally killed just days before the Allies would have freed him from his camp.

With every power for good to stay and guide me,
comforted and inspired beyond all fear,
I'll live these days with You in thought beside me,
and pass, with You, into the coming year.

The old year still torments our hearts, unhastening,
the long days of our sorrow still endure,
Father, grant the soul Thou hast been chastening
That Thou hast promised--the healing and the cure

Should it be ours to drain the cup of grieving
even to the dregs of pain, at Thy command,
We will not falter, thankfully receiving
all that is given by Thy loving hand.

But, should it be Thy will once more to release us
to life's enjoyment and its good sunshine,
That we've learned from sorrow shall increase us
and all our life be dedicate as Thine.

To-day, let candles shed their radiant greeting:
lo, on our darkness are they not Thy light,
leading us haply to our longed-for meeting?
Thou canst illumine e'en our darkest night.

When now the silence deepens for our harkening,
grant we may hear Thy children's voices raise
from all the unseen world around us darkening
their universal paean, in Thy praise.

While all the powers of God aid and attend us,
boldly we'll face the future, be it what may.
At even, and at morn, God will befriend us,
And oh, most surely on each new year's day!

Sola Scriptura: Revelation

As we begin our discussion of Sola Scriptura this week, lets start by looking at God's revelation to us, and how He speaks to His believers. Revelation, in the dictionary, means, "something that is disclosed, especially a striking disclosure, that is something that has not been relized before." In theology, more specifically, it means, "God's means of disclosing Himself to His creations." Revelation is necessary because we are created beings, and sinful ones, that are separated from God, and confused by sin. Without God's revelation, we would be left with only speculation, guessing who God was and what He desired from us. Because most men do not want God in their lives, men pursue speculation in areas of science, philosophy, spiritualism, social science, etc.

In the Bible, revelation takes two different forms. The first form is general, or natural, revelation. This is revelation that is received by all men and apparent to all men, whether or not it is accepted by all men. General revelation takes three different forms:

1. Creation: The Bible makes it clear that through creation, men may know that He exists, He is powerful, He is intelligent, and that He is beautiful. Passages teach us about the undeniable revelation of God's creations such as Psalm 19:

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

And Romans 1:18-21

18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

2. Providence: God continues to rule over creation, keeping His world in motion, and providing for His creatures. This is also a form of revelation (and common grace) that all men experience, and can know of God through. Paul spoke of this in Acts, when he said, "Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."

3. Conscience: God has given everyone an internal witness to His goodness and holiness, through our conscience. All humans have revelation through the conviction of their conscience. . . anyone who hasn’t done something they knew was right, or anyone who has felt bad after doing something they knew was wrong; all have felt the revelation of the conscience. Even those that appeal to a ‘higher moral standard’ know inherently good from bad as God has revealed it to them, revealing in the process His holiness. Romans 2:14-15 says:

14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)

These are the forms of general revelation that God, in His wisdom, goodness, and grace, has given to man. However, these forms are not enough, because they do not lead us to salvation, no one can look solely at creation, providence, and conscience, and discover the cross, the blood, and salvation that only comes through Christ. For that, we need specific revelation, which not all men have. Specific revelation comes in several forms as well:

1. Supernatural occurrences: These are prophetic visions, dreams (such as Jacob's dream of the ladder, Joseph's dream with the angel, etc), visit's by angels (Joshua before the battle of Jericho, Mary with Gabriel, etc), and miracles. God worked often throughout the Bible in this way, and He still does interact with the world like this.

2. Jesus Christ: Jesus is the ultimate form of revelation: God coming as a man to redeem His fallen world. He is the point of all revelation, and is what God desires for all the world to know. Hebrews 1 discusses this revelation, saying: 1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.

3. Scripture: The written, complete, and wholly-inspired Word of God. The purpose of the Bible is to tell us who God is, who man is, and what God has done to redeem man and a fallen world through His Son, Jesus Christ. As 2 Timothy 3 says:

14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Next time, we will examine the revelation of the scriptures more closely, and see how they are the foundation of our faith as believers in Him.

Solas

I've decided to devote the next few blogs that I write to my thoughts on the 5 solas of the Reformation. Now, I'm not a church historian in any way, nor am I much of a scholar on the Reformation. So, I'll be sharing my thoughts with you on each sola, one at a time, sharing MY thoughts on what this sola looks like in my life, and what it should look like in the life of every believer.

For those of you that don't know, the solas are 5 positions that the Reformers taught as clear contradiction of what the Roman Catholic church believed. The solas (which means "alone" or "only") teach us this about Christianity: We believe in the authority of Scripture alone (sola Scriptura) that teaches we are saved by grace alone (Sola gratia) through faith alone (Sola fide) in Christ alone (Solus Christus) for the glory of God alone (Soli Deo gloria).

This week, I'll be writing a few short blogs about the first, and foundational sola: Sola Scriptura. I'd love to hear your thoughts about the Word of God as I write!

Living Soli Deo Gloria

Pastor John Piper posted this blog yesterday by Pastor Eric Redmond. It's part political, part religious, but I was so impressed with his conclusions about living "Soli Deo Gloria" (for the glory of God alone) that I had to pass it on. I'll put some of my thoughts at the end, and I'd love to hear your thoughts about it, too!

Eric Redmond: "Living Soli Deo Gloria Under Obama"

Eric C. Redmond is the author of Where Are All the Brothers? Straight Answers to Men's Questions About the Church (Crossway, 2008). He most recently served as the 2007-2008 Second Vice-President of the Southern Baptist Convention. He has previously posted other thoughts on the election at his blog, A Man from Issachar. He and his wife, Pamela, are adoptive parents who have five children in their home and two children in heaven.

Let us then continue to honor the good appointment of God, which may be easily done, provided we impute to ourselves whatever evil may accompany it. Hence he teaches us here the end for which magistrates are instituted by the Lord; the happy effects of which would always appear, were not so noble and salutary an institution marred through our fault. At the same time, princes do never so far abuse their power, by harassing the good and innocent, that they do not retain in their tyranny some kind of just government: there can then be no tyranny which does not in some respects assist in consolidating the society of men.
John Calvin, commentary on Romans 13:3.

A Note of Thanks

First, allow me to express my thanks to Justin for inviting me to contribute to his blog on the day after what might go down in history as the most significant Presidential election in the United States in our lifetime. I have found Justin to be a kind and discerning brother, for whom I give many thanks. I also am grateful for his passion for demonstrating the mercy of Christ to the unborn and the orphan—a passion we share in experience.

My Post-Obama-Election Dilemma

I am not and never have been a fan of John McCain, his proposed policies, his inconsistent record on many issues, his poor choice for a running mate, his thoughtless economic plan, or of his very negative campaigning against Barak Obama. It was hard for me to bear the thought of voting for him. It was equally hard for me to bear the thought of siding with a campaign for "change" that would passively allow each state to choose whether it would change the definition and legal institution of marriage, and that would not actively seek to change (read "work for the overturning of") Roe. v. Wade. For me, neither candidate represented change or progress for the country, except on the issue of the country's readiness to be led by a candidate of color.
How I wish that the first time there was a probable opportunity for an African American candidate to reach the White House I could have cast my vote for such a candidate without any reservation. However, I am pro-life, and President-Elect Obama is the most anti-life senator to come to power in my lifetime. I also am pro-conservative justices (who limit legislating from the bench). I am pro-marriage— that is, pro-heterosexual marriage. In the end, I could not overlook these issues as I approached Election Day. But the temptation to justify voting for Obama was strong, for I did not want to be against the side of history—of an African American finally making it to the Oval Office.

However, if I have not learned anything else from the recent happenings at my (soon to be former) church, it is these two things: First, it is not virtuous to side with the majority because one does not wish to stand out among friends, or because one is unwilling to examine all information on an issue, or because one wants to dispense dislikes toward current leadership, in spite of righteous reasons to vote against the majority—in fact, under some circumstances, it can be a horrendous evil. Second, even if one is seeking to be consistent in humility and holiness individually, to abstain from voting on any matter is to allow the majority to speak for you. That same majority, with a victory, might make trouble for the greater populous by means of the evil(s) of which you sought to distance yourself by abstaining from voting.

So I made two very difficult choices: First, I chose to vote rather than stay home. Second, I voted for lives of the unborn rather than for approval from the vast majority of my own ethnic community. The latter choice took the risk of being reproached for the name of Christ, for I only voted for life because of the fear of my Lord (cf. Ex. 1:15-2:12). I know such a choice risks invoking the ire or dismissal of the overwhelming majority of the African American community. Yet, on a most historic Election Day, I could not allow my personal pro-life stance to crumble under the weight of being perceived as a traitor to the African American cause for victory, for that goes against all godly wisdom:

If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man according to his work?
Prov. 24:10-12, ESV

I cast my vote in the hopes of rescuing those being taken to the slaughter. I could not vote in such a way that I would have ignored the blood flowing from fertility clinics, for I know that the Almighty would repay my cowardice. My hope in his word is that he will remember me and graciously and provide for my life, repaying me with mercy.

In contrast, I do not think a recession can be said to be taking people to death unjustly, especially when many in Maryland voted to throw their lots in with bringing slots to my state; (the correlation of the recession to the slots-vote should be obvious to the righteous). I think our soldiers voluntarily sign up to defend our freedom at the risk of their own lives. Lack of health insurance coverage for all makes life very hard for many, but it does not lead to a denial of all medical care for any one class of people. (N.B. I have two members in my home with medical pre-conditions, and I am about to begin paying health insurance out of pocket because we cannot afford a break in coverage when my current job ends. I understand the value of health insurance and the stress of keeping up with the rising costs of such coverage.) So the economy, the war in Iraq, and universal health insurance became secondary issues for me—albeit very important ones —because righteousness was not at stake. Even so, the righteous should not now overlook these issues while loving their fellow man.

My Duty to Christ and the King

The question for me at this time is this: Can I continue to live Soli Deo Gloria under a President whose moral judgment already is questionable before he takes the oath of office? Yes I can, for I can be obedient to Scripture, praying for the one in authority (I Tim. 2:1-8), honoring the one in authority (1 Pet. 2:13-18), submitting to the one in authority (Rom. 13:1-7; Tit. 3:1), and seeking righteousness for the entire citizenry (Prov. 14:34). These I will seek to do by grace. I will "honor the good appointment of God."

Moreover, I can follow the admonition and example of Calvin, who, in the quote above, preached that believers should impute to themselves the ills of government and recognize the common grace given to mankind through human governing authorities. For example, in our day, it is not the governmental regulation that slaughters the innocent; it is the people who chose to end the lives of their children, and the willing executioners who kill for the sake of the monetary gain afforded by the abortion industry. The government only allows this sin to receive legal permission and protection. Nevertheless, that same government provides many laws that allow me to worship in freedom, preach the Gospel freely, vote in an election, and write blog posts like this one without fear of censorship or death. I readily can recognize the retention of "some kind of just government" under President Obama's rule.

My Dilemma Resolved

My humble proposal of an attempt to be Christocentric rather than Afrocentric will not be received with approval by many African Americans that I know. I hope to live long enough to witness another African American become a candidate for President of the United States of America—a candidate who is pro-life and pro-righteousness. Yet my hope may ring hollow to many other African Americans who are celebrating a Democratic victory that happens to seem pro-African American. To the celebrants, I might be labeled as sore loser seeking to justify his reasons for siding with conservative white America rather than with Black America.
In writing elsewhere about "how I have wrestled through the Christian version of the Uncle Tom epithet" (with respect to my embracing of Reformed Theology), I have penned this thought:

If a person would allow himself to be pigeonholed into becoming a person of a nationalistic or ethno-centric thought out of the fear of being viewed as an Oreo or Uncle Tom, then Reformed Theology is not for that person. But neither is the Gospel, for the Gospel calls each of us to stand against an ethnic-centered philosophy of one's own race, for such a philosophy is naturally conformed to this present world and is in need of redemption. If you cannot stand against your own culture where it does not square with the Scriptures, you are the one who is ashamed of Christ, and such shame has nothing to with philosophical or ontological Blackness; it only has to do with your view of the majesty of the God who calls you to deny yourself in order to follow Christ. ("Sovereign in a Sweet Home, Schooling, and Solace," in Glory Road: Our Journey Into Reformed Christianity, ed. Anthony Carter [Wheaton, IL: Crossway, Wheaton, forthcoming])

I am fairly certain that if J. C. Watts had been the Republican nominee for President, and if he had been running against Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee, the great majority of African Americans would have found reason to vote for the wife of the "first Black President" and her liberal ideals rather than for Watts and his conservative ideals. In doing so, such a vote would indicate that the great majority of African Americans have feelings about the type of African American who would be deemed worthy their votes for the seat at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue—who would be worthy of African Americans' approval as their choice for their representative in the White House. Seemingly, for the Black Nationalist and the liberal, not every African American would qualify to wear an honor for which our ancestors were stolen, enslaved, whipped, lynched, dehumanized, and killed. Likewise, it is my opinion that my ancestors experienced such suffering and injustices so that it would be possible for any African American to reach the Oval Office, but not so that every African American, regardless of qualifications, could reach the Oval Office. Those who fought for civil rights for African Americans were doing so out of a moral impetus to see African Americans treated humanely—as human beings rather than like chattel or as 3/5ths-human. I think the best way to honor their work and lives when the office of Commander in Chief is within reach would be to continue that moral quest. That quest is continued by finding a candidate who seeks to see African Americans, even those in the womb, treated humanely—as people rather than as cattle for our labor and experimentation or as a 3/5th-human fetus.


Nick's Thoughts

1. I love the perspective of this election from an African-American evangelical, and what a crisis of decision it caused for him. I also love his perspective on the struggle between being Afrocentric and Christocentric.

2. I like his separation of the issues: infants dying undeservedly because of abortion vs people suffering deservedly due to recession.

3. His point about living Soli Deo Gloria under Obama is right on. Whether you agree or disagree with Obama, the vital point is that as a believer, his presidency doesn't change anything about our ability to live for the glory of God alone (not Obama, God).

4. I couldn't agree more with his point that, though the government makes sin legal such as abortion and same-sex marriage, it is the individual person that makes the choice to sin by having the abortion or persuing homosexuality.

So, what do you think? I'd love to know! I'd also love to see if people of both political parties can read past the politics and see the Bible in here or not!