Questioning is a Good Thing!

Rob Bell said in an interview with the Whittenburg Door…

Photo of Rob Bell by Gaylene Trethewey©

I don't believe in Christian art or music. The word Christian was originally a noun. A person, not an adjective. I believe in great art. If you are an artist, your job is to do great art and you don't need to tack on the word Christian. It's already great. God is the God of Creativity. Categories desecrate the art form. It's either great art or it isn't. Followers of Jesus should have the first word instead of coming late to the game with some poor quality spin-off. Let's talk about things before everyone else. —Rob Bell (Whittenburg Door—printed by permission)

Let's be honest, I like Rob Bell. He’s hip, smart, articulate, wears really cool glasses, and he's a real mover and shaker in the church world. He calls it like he sees it, and he has one particular trait that I admire most—he asks hard questions. I like asking hard questions too, even if I don’t always have adequate answers myself. It doesn’t hurt to ask, and it stirs our God-given gift of thought.

You can call hard (aka irritating) questioning "cynical," but I prefer to call it necessary. It’s necessary because it requires real analysis and process. If I say to you, “Money is, and always has been, problematic in the church,” you have to, at the very least, dip into your database and see if, in your own experience, you’ve ever had a similar thought. You have to accept or refute the statement as you read it. You might even continue to read what I have to say and draw a conclusion later, but you will probably eventually conclude that I am either in error or that you want to think deeper on your own about the assertion I made.

Questions demand answers, whether we do that work passively or actively it requires real thinking and a kind of sorting out of our own points-of-view. That’s a good thing! It’s like doing research before you buy a HD television. You go to the web, you find out what others think about the products available, then you decide for yourself before you drop your hard earned cash. It’s both practical and soul-satisfying to exercise your mind over issues that will impact you financially or in some other way.

My friend, Vern Sanders, has been championing "Local Solutions for Local Situations" for years. We want to challenge the Evangelical church to ask hard questions. Are you with us?

Why I, er...we, can't lose weight...

I have this friend, George, let's call him (...yeeeeh, that's right...George) who went on 6 diets in one year and lost (and regained) 15 pounds—over and over. I asked him why he felt that he had failed to attain and retain his desired weight loss. His answer didn’t surprise me. He said, “I’ve discovered that one size does not fit all (no pun intended).” His journey took him from pineapple soufflés to boiled chicken and back to the spiky fruit once again. He quickly tired of the boring nature of these diets and craved some variety. That’s where things went awry. The variety included things like vanilla shakes and French fries and the weight quickly reappeared. So, then it was on to the next book, the next diet, and the next failure. While the experts said he would lose weight if he just stuck to the plan, he was not everyone, and the latest diet expert was clearly not speaking for him when they spoke of miraculous results. The church finds itself currently in something of a “diet guru” implosion.

Christian leaders (at one time we called them pastors) are currently trying everything under the sun to fulfill the Great Commission. Like a failed diet, it seems to be two steps forward and four steps backward. They have an ongoing depression mixed with incredible hope, much like the failed dieter has when attempting to change old habits. They try everything, enjoy small victories, then sometimes realize no real change has happened. They don’t have larger congregations, the folks they have don’t seem to be changing, and George Barna endlessly reminds them that Christians are pretty much like everyone else when it comes to moral living and resolve.

Is there a plan out there somewhere that holds the key for changing the Evangelical world? Is there a formula for being all that God called us to be? The answer is a resounding, “NO!” Formulas suggest that a truth is going to come from some knowledgeable trendsetter and change everything forever. Innovators do make a difference in our lives and our churches. They take us forward and they challenge us to new thinking, but nobody has a corner on THE answer except God.

Speaking of questioning--you gotta see this! Tim Hawkins is great and makes us all think about creeping corporate influences on the church and vice versa... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYaTSbCGY50

—Doug Lawrence

Doug Lawrence *

*Doug has been a consultant to church leaders for 35 years. His two-day (Friday evening/Saturday morning) seminars include, "We're All in the Same Boat...So, Let's Walk on Water Together"—10 Proven Strategies to Improve Your Church's Perspective 100%" Please click on his name above and email him about availability and his helpful sliding fee structure.

Questioning is a Good Thing!

Rob Bell said in an interview with the Whittenburg Door…

Photo of Rob Bell by Gaylene Trethewey©

I don't believe in Christian art or music. The word Christian was originally a noun. A person, not an adjective. I believe in great art. If you are an artist, your job is to do great art and you don't need to tack on the word Christian. It's already great. God is the God of Creativity. Categories desecrate the art form. It's either great art or it isn't. Followers of Jesus should have the first word instead of coming late to the game with some poor quality spin-off. Let's talk about things before everyone else. —Rob Bell (Whittenburg Door—printed by permission)

Let's be honest, I like Rob Bell. He’s hip, smart, articulate, wears really cool glasses, and he's a real mover and shaker in the church world. He calls it like he sees it, and he has one particular trait that I admire most—he asks hard questions. I like asking hard questions too, even if I don’t always have adequate answers myself. It doesn’t hurt to ask, and it stirs our God-given gift of thought.

You can call hard (aka irritating) questioning "cynical," but I prefer to call it necessary. It’s necessary because it requires real analysis and process. If I say to you, “Money is, and always has been, problematic in the church,” you have to, at the very least, dip into your database and see if, in your own experience, you’ve ever had a similar thought. You have to accept or refute the statement as you read it. You might even continue to read what I have to say and draw a conclusion later, but you will probably eventually conclude that I am either in error or that you want to think deeper on your own about the assertion I made.

Questions demand answers, whether we do that work passively or actively it requires real thinking and a kind of sorting out of our own points-of-view. That’s a good thing! It’s like doing research before you buy a HD television. You go to the web, you find out what others think about the products available, then you decide for yourself before you drop your hard earned cash. It’s both practical and soul-satisfying to exercise your mind over issues that will impact you financially or in some other way.

My friend, Vern Sanders, has been championing "Local Solutions for Local Situations" for years. We want to challenge the Evangelical church to ask hard questions. Are you with us?

Why I, er...we, can't lose weight...

I have this friend, George, let's call him (...yeeeeh, that's right...George) who went on 6 diets in one year and lost (and regained) 15 pounds—over and over. I asked him why he felt that he had failed to attain and retain his desired weight loss. His answer didn’t surprise me. He said, “I’ve discovered that one size does not fit all (no pun intended).” His journey took him from pineapple soufflés to boiled chicken and back to the spiky fruit once again. He quickly tired of the boring nature of these diets and craved some variety. That’s where things went awry. The variety included things like vanilla shakes and French fries and the weight quickly reappeared. So, then it was on to the next book, the next diet, and the next failure. While the experts said he would lose weight if he just stuck to the plan, he was not everyone, and the latest diet expert was clearly not speaking for him when they spoke of miraculous results. The church finds itself currently in something of a “diet guru” implosion.

Christian leaders (at one time we called them pastors) are currently trying everything under the sun to fulfill the Great Commission. Like a failed diet, it seems to be two steps forward and four steps backward. They have an ongoing depression mixed with incredible hope, much like the failed dieter has when attempting to change old habits. They try everything, enjoy small victories, then sometimes realize no real change has happened. They don’t have larger congregations, the folks they have don’t seem to be changing, and George Barna endlessly reminds them that Christians are pretty much like everyone else when it comes to moral living and resolve.

Is there a plan out there somewhere that holds the key for changing the Evangelical world? Is there a formula for being all that God called us to be? The answer is a resounding, “NO!” Formulas suggest that a truth is going to come from some knowledgeable trendsetter and change everything forever. Innovators do make a difference in our lives and our churches. They take us forward and they challenge us to new thinking, but nobody has a corner on THE answer except God.

Speaking of questioning--you gotta see this! Tim Hawkins is great and makes us all think about creeping corporate influences on the church and vice versa... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYaTSbCGY50

—Doug Lawrence

Doug Lawrence *

*Doug has been a consultant to church leaders for 35 years. His two-day (Friday evening/Saturday morning) seminars include, "We're All in the Same Boat...So, Let's Walk on Water Together"—10 Proven Strategies to Improve Your Church's Perspective 100%" Please click on his name above and email him about availability and his helpful sliding fee structure.