Exponential Decay – Scientometrics – Atrophy and the Church

I came across an article the other day from the ‘Boston Globe’ talking about the increasing difficulty of making new discoveries.

I discovered (no pun intended) that until recently no one has really tried to measure the increasing difficulty of discovery. The name given to this new type of research is called ‘scientometrics’.

Once upon a time, it seems like discovering brand new things/theories/places was really simple. Article after article was published by brainy people across a broad range of fields containing discoveries that were breath taking and, in many cases, awe inspiring (how to travel faster than the speed of sound, the invention of the cochlear implant, VOIP technology). The reality was it only took creativity, some time and the ability to ask the right questions to come up with a new discovery. For example, the author of the Boston Globe article reminds us that Galileo rolled objects down hills. Robert Hooke played with a spring to learn about elasticity. Isaac Newton poked around his eye with a darning needle to understand colour perception (and yes, you did read that right).

Now days it would seem this is a thing of the past. No simple rubber band game on a Monday afternoon. We need a massive team numbering in the thousands and an atom smasher which costs more than GDP of many smaller countries on this earth.

You can see why governments and large companies are keen to learn as much as possible about ‘scientometrics’ even if it is just to see the best (and by best I mean most economical) way of making scientific discoveries.

Surprisingly, even in the early days of discoveries the very beginnings of ‘scientometrics’ can be seen. People recorded the number of yearly articles published about insights. Some study regarding monetary grants has shown the average age of scientists who receive grants from the National Institutes of Health has increased and the younger scientists have been given less. The young guns are missing out!

Mmmm… perhaps we should employ some ‘scientometrics’ to Christendom. Do we really give the ‘kiddies’ a chance? When was the last time churches really risked a LOT (including money) on someone who perhaps was not yet proven? I’m not suggesting we forget the character of a person. But I am suggesting that we show some trust in who the person could become.

My denomination has introduced a new scheme for Professional Personal Development. Something which I support… Something I am even willing to pay for… But here is the thing. The process grates. For example, the default position is that those who have been in ministry for more years than you can count MUST get with the program. Seriously, if you have been in ministry for so long and you aren’t involved in some sort of professional personal development, then I would suggest you stopped being a good leader many years ago.

However, those experienced leaders who have been around for some time and who not only value professional personal development but have themselves been dedicated to helping others develop must now take time out of their schedule and get with the program. What a waste of time! And worse still, it’s a bit of a slap in the face. It tells them “we don’t care what you have been doing, we don’t value it. You must do what we say.”

They’re the good guys. I think what may happen with the “not-so-good” guys might be even more scary. The rumblings have it that men who have been in ministry for a certain number of years will be matched up with young leaders to mentor them. Hmmmm. It’s ok if the older leaders are good mentors, good leaders and whole-hearted followers of Christ, but what if they’re not?

If, regardless of leadership ability or character, the older leaders mentor the young leaders because,  ‘We have been in ministry for such a long period of time, we have the answers, we can, no we should, mentor all the newbies’, we should shoot this horse now.

Perhaps for the future of the denomination we should match some of those kind of older leaders up with some of the young guns – not so the young fellas can learn from them, but rather, that they could follow the young leaders around for some time, walk with them and see what they can teach their elders!

I know that sounds egotistical, but the truth is that I am not a young guy anymore nor am I an experienced older leader…I’m a bit in-between J

Now moving on… hobby horse has been shot… In ‘scientometrics’  a term has been identified as the ‘exponential decay’. The exponential decay is a curve that illustrates the ease or lack thereof of each discovery every year.

 Interestingly, the curve shows the ease of discovery doesn’t stop by the same amount every year, but rather it declines by the same fraction each year. For example the discovered asteroids get 2.5 percent smaller each year. What this shows is that while the ease of discovery drops off quickly as early researchers pick the more obvious discoveries, it can continue to ‘decay’ for a long period of time. It gradually gets harder without anything actually becoming impossible.

In other words, while discovery can become extremely difficult, it does not mean that it stops. But the key thing is it does reveal what kind of resources we may need to continue to discover things.

To counteract the force of exponential decay and maintain discovery at the current pace, researchers will need effort that meets an exponential increase. So as we discover smaller and smaller particles, or slightly heavier chemical elements, you can’t just expend a bit more effort. Sometimes you have to expend much, much more.

How many of us have experienced the same sort of ‘exponential decay’ with churches?

I am reminded of a chapter from a book by Erwin McManus regarding a condition known as atrophy… a wasting away from lack of use. I have seen some real keen evangelists have tremendous success within churches, leading people who have been church goers for years to Christ. Most of these evangelists have been our more traditional ‘proclaimers’. God bless these people! They devote themselves to the cause. And as a result they pay a price… a price many of us are not willing to pay. Some of those proclaimers have lost to a degree the ability to reach an increasingly isolated-from-the-church and cynical Aussie.

In recent years a new breed of evangelist has emerged who has discovered a “new” way of influencing people and making culture different. This group of people has little regard for the atrophy suffered in the local church and devote themselves to ministry largely outside the established status quo. These people have very little desire to be part of anything that focuses on the needs and wants of the “saved” over the needs and wants of those still outside the Kingdom.

In my mind these people are the ones we need to be spending our time and money on. We should not only be spending time and money of them, but we need to expand our resources in order of magnitude to counter the exponential decay. Scientometrics in the church. Who would have thought?!

Hard Heart or just not Gullible?

I was having lunch the other day and the topic of my recent illness (cancer) came up. A colleague who was there said they had no idea it was so serious, due to the way Christine and I had continued on as though nothing was seriously wrong. 

This got me thinking. (I know, I need to stop it!) Why is it that I seem to be so non-plussed about everything now days? Why is it that I don’t find myself getting excited about things as I once used too? Why is it I find myself “unamazed” even by things in the past that would have left me in awe? 

Why is it that I don’t seem to experience God in the same way emotionally as I once did? 

One thought that crossed my mind was that we’ve been through so much that it would take something pretty BIG to knock us nowdays. Or perhaps it might be because of a lifetime of… well…. I will be honest… of underachieving… I am no longer surprised by own shortcomings and therefore the shortcomings of other around me. 

Another thought crossed my mind and it was sparked by a comment by a Christian who shall remain nameless. This person brought out ‘the chest nut’ I need to speak in tongues to be spirit filled. Following their logic my lack of emotion of late is due to the fact I don’t have His Spirit in me. Hmmm. 

When they said that I did in fact experience an emotion, the emotion of anger! Seriously, where do people get off saying these things?Have they seen the changes He has made in me? Have they any idea of the road He has led us on thus far? Do they even care what the aims and goals in my life are (extend His Kingdom at all cost!). I bit my tongue and did not say a word in reply, because I’ve learnt it is just not worth the hassle. I don’t need to justify myself to them. 

But then another thought occurred to me, and to be honest I am not sure it is from God and because I am not sure I am tending to think it is not His voice at all. But nevertheless the concern is still there. ‘Dean you have a hard heart’. 

What do you do when you hear that? Do you tell yourself ‘heart get soft’? Do you examine your life and look for things which have caused that hardening? I’m sure if we all did that we’d find something in our life that we could point the finger at. And then all you can do is confess it and move on, right? But what happens if nothing actually changes? So I am not sure what to do. What I am sure of though is that it gets very disheartening if you repeat that same cycle. 

Somehow, I don’t think that is the sort of freedom/liberty/life that Jesus is talking about when He say ‘I have come to give you life’.Perhaps there is another option… and I warn you it isn’t pretty. If you’re squeamish look away now.Perhaps a large percentage of what is done in the name of God and in ministry… perhaps it’s nothing but a poor counterfeit of God’s work. I have been witness to so much baloney by the self-professed ’spiritually sensitive people’. And let me be clear; I am not saying the fault is with everyone else because I have been just as guilty – there have been times I have spoken up the loudest, but in reality I have done so simply to try and convince myself my own shortcomings are not the problem. At times I have spoken up the loudest, ‘This is what God says’ because I myself ‘want to hear God and at the time I am not!’Perhaps the longer you go in ministry, the more you become witnesses to the counterfeit. And the more character-building experiences you go through yourself, the more you become aware of your own shortcomings and conscious of the actions (and inaction) of others.I’m coming to the conclusion that being reserved is not a sign of a hard heart, but more so, perhaps it’s a just a sign of being aware of the danger of being gullible.

God is not fair

Today has been an emotional day and it’s only 9.15 in the morning. I’ve just finished reading an article written by my wife regarding the terrible start in life our son Zeke had. I’ve also been keeping up with the saga of someone who’s been ripped off in an online transaction (read about it here, but be warned, there is some bad language). I recognise millions of people have so much more to contend with than I do and lately just about any story of powerlessness or injustice makes me think of  ‘fairness’ or more importantly the lack of fairness in the world today.

I can’t even watch a simple kids’ movie like ‘Air Bud’ because of the tension raised (oops did I say that out loud?).

Perhaps the triggers for you are different. Perhaps the trigger which gets you started on the ‘fairness’ issue is when you have dealings with the Tax Office. Perhaps it’s when you get a phone call from the credit company on the weekend ‘with a please explain’. For some people the whole topic of ‘fairness’ comes to light when past experiences with the local church are recalled.

In the past I’ve brushed over the topic of fairness and done my best to avoid thinking about it (and avoiding movies/news/documentaries which have any sort of tension based on unfair circumstances – hmmm that explains why I’ve seen every episode ever made of Mythbusters and Top Gear).

Why do I do that? And why is it becoming more of an issue now? For one thing, at my stage in life and having begun a church planting journey alongside my family and friends, the issue of fairness presents itself on a regular basis. My friends who have chosen to plant a church with me have given up everything for the cause and for God. But the results so far are not what we expected.

In fact, it doesn’t seem fair. And now, to be exposingly honest, it seems some churches which don’t have any focus on evangelism seem to be blessed with resources well beyond us.

I wish I could ignore the blatant discrepancies - just keep going and continue to assume all is well… all is fair.

Matthew 20;

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.   2 “When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.   3 “And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place;   4 and to those he said, `You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went.   5 “Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing.   6 “And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, `Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’   7 “They said to him, `Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, `You go into the vineyard too.’   8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, `Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’   9 “When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius.   10 “When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius.   11 “When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner,   12 saying, `These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’   13 “But he answered and said to one of them, `Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?   14 `Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.   15 `Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’   16 “So the last shall be first, and the first last.”

I just find this passage incredibly applicable to my planting situation at the moment. I mean who would be happy with working for the entire day… doing a good job… but with one hour to go in the long day a new co-worker is brought out into the field to work beside you and that worker doesn’t even raise a sweat. The time comes for payment and you all get exactly the same amount?! It would be an understatement to say I’d be a bit ticked off!

So because of the situation I find myself in, and because of passages such as this one in Matthew, I feel forced to say it, and I wish I didn’t have to say this, but God is not fair!

Several years ago I was called into Caboolture hospital, because a priest could not be found to administer the last rites to a dying man. This elderly man and his family were moved into the “death room” as it was commonly called in the hospital. I agreed to go see the man and his family, but explained to the hospital staff who called me that last rites ‘are not really my thing!’

When I arrived in this small room, the family were all sitting quietly, actually quite a number of family members were there and it was a very uncomfortable moment. I felt I was there more for the family than for the man lying on the bed. So I started to engage them in conversation about the man. I was trying to get them to talk and remember the good life this man may have had with them.

However a little way into the conversation the man woke up. He was far more alert and active than I had been led to believe. I explained to the man who I was and that I would like to talk to him and pray with him. I also made it clear that I do not give last rites… as if I have any power to forgive a man’s sin! But I told Him he could meet the person who could, Jesus.

He made the point and was very clear on it, that he did not want to be a hypocrite: how could he follow God now after living a life without him. It seemed so unfair to him. 

Being a young and inexperienced Pastor I tried my best explain to him God’s way are not our ways. I tried to explain to him that our mind is not God’s mind and we can not fathom the depth of God’s perspective on this question, “Is it fair for someone to live their whole life one way and then in one final fleeting moment turn around and plead for mercy, and get it?” I looked for a water tight theological explanation to explain the ‘unfairness’ of it all.

Knowing what I now know I would have said something completely different. Rather than try and be all theologically nice and in control, I would be far more direct. I would answer him by simply saying, “No you are absoulately right! It isn’t fair! But, luckily for you and me, God is not fair”.

 He doesn’t treat us fairly. What does the Bible say about us, “We have all sinned and gone astray”.

If He was fair we would all be hell-bound.

Personally I think this notion of God being fair is silly and needs to be removed from our mindset. What happens when we tell our kids that God is fair and will treat you accordingly? Several things; first, our kids could think God will always come through for us in the way we expect… that we won’t face persecution. We won’t have to stake our lives on faith. If you take this view, God is seen more as a large scale and fairness is proportional to the amount of good one does in life. So when push comes to shove for our kids, when things go bad and it seems as everything is against them as it surely will be at sometime in their lives… they will say, “Well He didn’t come through for me, and so I’m off… to look for something which is fair.”

At best our kids might grow up and become fine ‘respectable’ Christians. We can see evidence of this type of thing within christendom today and sadly even in our own lives. For example, lets imagine God comes to town and all sorts of people are saved - people who are of questionable repute. 

How about mass murder Jeffrey Dahmer who kept body parts of his victims in his fridge? Who was saved just before his own death? We can’t figure it out. We can’t put the pieces together, the scales don’t balance. It is easy for us to harbor bitterness towards those who haven’t done as much as us.

Do you get what I am saying?

We end up having a Christianity which is more about “me” than about “Him”. Because what becomes paramount to us is the notion that God must treat us fairly.

This passage in Matthew is starting to be more like the prodigal son passage. The older brother missed the company of the father ‘because of his good works’. He could not see through the injustice to sit at the party with His father and brother. The older brother was trying to work his way in and the unfair grace shown to the younger brother grated.

The more I think about this the more I see these early workers are very much like the older brother from the prodigal son story. The younger brother worked so he would be indebted to his dad. The older brother who we generally look up to as doing the right thing in the story, works so that his Dad is indebted to him. When the younger brother comes back and the feast is made up for him, the older brother says, “Oh but dad, I have worked so hard for you”.

In essence the early workers are actually saying, “Oh but dad, I have worked so hard for you”.

Perhaps this is more of the point of this passage. Perhaps the passage is showing it is not so much the work we do that earns the reward. Perhaps it is more to do with the Farmer/Father than with us. God does indeed treat us unfairly. He rewards when there is no obligation to reward. He blesses when there is no reason to bless. Even our best deeds are like filthy rags before Him.

So how do we handle fairness? How do we continue losing everything and counting it all gain?

I could imagine some of those earliest workers thinking, well tomorrow I will just start work late in the evening.

Or in a today’s perspective, I could imagine some reading this passage and saying, “Well if God is like that farmer, then I will just wait till the last moment”. Kind of of makes sense doesn’t it?

However, there is one fatal flaw with this idea. Take notice that it is the farmer who goes looking for the workers. The workers don’t find the farmer!

No one knows when the farmer will come calling. No one knows the day or hour. Life has the tendency to change in a blink of a eye.  I’m certain I could go from testimony after testimony of people whose lives have been turned around, completely changed in the blink of an eye because of some events in their life or in a loved ones’ life.

I remember a great evangelist who once said that he would rather lead a child to the Lord any day over some adult! Because that child had a whole life time ahead of them to serve Christ.

So the application is this, if God is calling you, regardless of your age and where you are in life. GO! Because, you don’t find him, he finds you, and who knows when he will be coming your way again, if ever!

That goes for us as a whole community of faith as well. It worries me to think that even now we could be missing out on some terrific outpouring of His Spirit in evangelism, because when He has come looking for workers we have said, “Nah, not today. I’m not ready”, or the “Results won’t be worth it”.

Don’t waste your life, don’t waste a minute of it!

This passage in Matthew contains wonderful truths. And the advice is simple. Go with God when He calls you. Don’t focus on what others are getting paid. Don’t be jealous that some other ministry is succeeding and yours’ seems to be failing.

Actually on that note have a look at:

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,   2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God

Do you see that? Run that race which is set before you! It’s personal, like in a running race, we all have our own lane, we need to keep focussed on the end and stay within our lane. The Bible picture is not so much a race between contestants, but an individual race. We each run the race which God has set out for us, not for anyone else.

What a liberating view this is. Most of my Christian life I have wanted to be a Billy Graham. I wanted to preach to thousands and see thousands respond. I had a chance a few years ago to go to the US and I even went to the Billy Graham museum. I tell you by the end of it I was ready to give my heart to Christ. If someone was at the door at the end and ask me if I knew Jesus and would I like to meet him, I would’ve said lead me in prayer now!

I came back to my home church and I preached like I have never preached before. And not one person responded! This repeated for several more weeks. I was so disappointed. I was shattered. Every inch of my body, every amount of energy I had was put into writing and speaking those sermons. I truly believed that in doing so I could have even just a potion of Billy’s results.

I felt like a big old displacement cruiser. You know the difference between a displacement and planing boat?

I had all this horsepower for evangelism and preaching, but it didn’t matter because the hull just couldn’t displace anymore water.

I was trying to run in Billy’s lane, not the lane set out for me.

I am now far more comfortable and aware of the lane and race He has put me in. It is to enhance, equip, excite and even evaluate God’s people for evangelism and new ministries.

Hebrews 10:36 says For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

If I stick to that purpose, if I don’t focus on what others are getting paid or what others are doing ministry-wise, then guess what? I will receive a prize. A fair wage for a fair day’s work. Much like the early workers in the Matthew text.

To be honest I’m now more interested in developing those who will get in and do the had work. My heart breaks for those in my group who have given it everything and continue to give it everything, who are longing to see a greater move of His Spirit. I want to be with those people, more than those who just come in see some results and say ‘look at me’, or worse  come in and only stick around for a short period of time because the results didn’t come fast enough. If you are struggling with the fairness of it all… if you are jealous of other people’s ministries say this with me – ‘I will look at God not at the blessings He provides in the results. I will do whatever He gives me to do and leave the rest to Him!’

2 Timothy 4:1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:   2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.   3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,   4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.   5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.   6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.   7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;   8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.  

I charge you be ready to go when He calls, in season or out of season. In other words even whether you feel like it or not. Be patient, endure. Keep your eye on the prize – and by the way the prize isn’t a ‘successful international ministry’ and the race laid out for you. And one day you will receive a prize from none other than Jesus Christ Himself.

Man can you imagine that. You are standing in heaven. Jesus comes to you face to face, and He says, “Well done you good and faithful servant”.

Amazing stuff. But totally unfair!

Because we learn from the Bible that it is Jesus who sort us out in the first place – just like the farmer did with the workers, and that any good works we do are actually as a result of Jesus. Our good deeds are what? Like filthy rags. The reality is that crown is all His work! And we get it. Totally unfair.

I want to run the race set before me so I can get the biggest, coolest looking hat with the most jewels in it. Not because I want to show off, not because I want to get paid more than the people around me. But so I can take it off in heaven and lay it back at His feet and cry out ’Jesus, it wasn’t me! It was all you! You are worthy – not me! It is all about you! You have been more than fair! You have been wonderful – mighty – majestic – too marvelous for words. And I can do nothing but stand in awe of you!’

Oasis of beauty in desert of suffering

The animated movie “How to train your dragon” is the story of the interaction between some ferocious flying dragons and a Viking village led by a hulking, weathered chief called Stoick who has a very un-Viking like son, Hiccup.

The dragons are the nemeses of the villagers, attacking their houses and stealing their sheep. All village teenagers go through a dragon training program teaching them how to fight and kill the winged fire-breathers.

Hiccup is an anomaly in his village – a hopeful, sensitive Viking lad who is looked down upon by the villagers, his father included. One night during a dragon raid Hiccup brings down a feared Night Fury dragon, but cannot bring himself to finish the job.

Hiccup names the injured creature Toothless, and secretly nurses him back to health. Along the way hope grows that, one day, Villagers and dragons will co-exist peacefully.

The crescendo of the movie occurs when Stoick discovers Hiccup’s friendship with Toothless the dragon, and uses Toothless to find the King dragon’s nest – a fearsome monster who subjugates all the smaller dragons forcing them to steal the Village sheep to feed his giant appetite.

Hiccup, outcast by family and friends but fueled by hope and courage, teams up with Toothless once more to heroically fight the ferocious King dragon, who comes out of his volcanic lair spewing fire and bent on destruction.

As with all good Hollywood family-friendly animations, the nasty giant dragon is dispatched, Hiccups’ hope and courage win out in the end and everyone lives happily ever after in Viking bliss, albeit with dragons as pets.

I noticed something about this movie.

During the final battle scenes, amidst the furious struggle for life and the restitution of peace, there are these little oases of beauty: Stoick risks his own life to save the life of the drowning Toothless, the village teenagers join in the sky battle alongside Hiccup whom they formerly ridiculed – all riding their own emancipated dragon-training dragons, Hiccup and Toothless put their lives on the line to save the villagers and Stoick demonstrates his love for his son Hiccup and their relationship is restored.

Here in all its animated glory was a simple metaphor for human existence. When it seems hopeless, it isn’t. Even in the most difficult life experiences, it is possible to have moments of beauty. Moments of joy. Moments of hope.

I know this for certain. I live this truth.

Day eight.

My son had been born seven days prior with congenital heart failure – acute multiple holes in his heart and a too-narrow aorta to sustain life.

On day three he’d had the first heart surgery to expand his aorta so blood could circulate around his body, and despite the prognosis and a faulty incubator respirator which had battery failure during the long walk back to the NICU from the operating theatre, he’d survived.

On day eight, he was in the neonatal intensive care unit beginning a long battle to gain the weight and strength necessary to undergo open heart surgery to repair the holes.

A stressful, emotional, hard, uncertain time. Our son was alive, yes, but only just.

I didn’t know what the future held for him. I didn’t know how many days he’d have. All I knew was that God had asked me to trust Him. And He had reassured me He loved my son far more than I ever could.

I began to better understand the interconnectedness of trusting in God, joy, peace and hope. Of finding moments of God-joy infused in the cracks of suffering.

Which brings me back to day eight.

Day eight was the day I was discharged from hospital – I had used up all of the days allocated to me after my son was born and had to return home.

My husband picked me up and we drove to our home about an hour away. Our twenty month old daughter was waiting on the garden path at the front of our house. I had only seen her briefly over the past eight days.

She was ecstatic to see me. She wrapped her chubby little arms around my neck and squeezed until her muscles shook. Her bright blue eyes were shut tight with effort, and her mouth wide with laughter.

The pain of leaving a critically ill newborn “alone” in hospital was immediately enveloped by the contrasting and all-encompassing joy of my little girl’s embrace.

I have a photo of that moment. A moment of joy in the middle of a painful time. A moment of beauty.

In the book of Romans (15:13) we read these words: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

When circumstances seem hopeless, trust in the God of hope who will fill you with joy and peace, so that you may, in turn, overflow with hope.

Hope in the face of hopelessness. Joy in the midst of tears. Peace in times of turmoil.

An oasis of beauty in a desert of suffering.

Internet Evangelism – home of the wild west

Almost every week I get an email from some Christian organisation asking me to sign a petition regarding something ‘bad’ on the internet. Every second day I see another news headline talking about the dangers of facebook. A recent news headline in Australia has been about defacement of a young schoolboy’s tribute page with disgusting porn images. Last week I saw another story about a teenage girl being lured by two men to her death through her facebook page. All this talk about facebook and yet not much about myspace. (By the way, myspace isn’t exactly a field of daisies either. “Lowlights” include video images of terrorist beheading captives.) I tell you it is a wild world out there in cyber land!

Here in Australia we are having the ‘internet filter’ debate. Our government wants to force all ISPs to use a government-approved list of acceptable and unacceptable sites. Some Australians don’t trust their government to run such a thing, some Australians don’t see how it’s even possible. Some Australians think at the very least the government should make the list public. However, making the list public would actually promote some of the sites which frankly shouldn’t be seen by anyone. It becomes even more complicated by the fact that already hackers have shown how easy it is to circumvent the filter, and I should mention the filter does not work in filtering out peer to peer networks where most of the material the government is trying to filter out is shared. To make the filter debate even more silly, the same people who have shown how easy it is to circumvent the filtering system have also show how easy it is to make the list of unacceptable sites known to the greater public.

And now the Internet debate has intensified with the government’s new national broadband network – an issue so complicated it would take hundreds of articles to do it justice and I would still only scratch the surface. Should the government roll out another network? Despite the fact the Australian people have already paid for a network to be rolled out in the guise of ‘Telstra’.

Frankly all of these issues are only issues because we have people who are ignorant of the real issues. Decisions seem to be made with one thing in mind… the lowest common denominator… the largely ignorant population.

Sadly, this ignorance has become a breeding ground for the most well-meaning people. As a result some of the most well-meaning people have become pawns used for other political reasons. Some of these well meaning people have come up with petition after petition and have created proposals which are a terrible waste of resources. Further, these proposals will do damage to some businesses, further erode the responsibility of parents to care for their children, continue to increase the cost of providing internet services (which will be passed on to consumers) and create mistrust.

And here is the worse bit: it will not stop people viewing things which are immoral, distasteful and illegal. In fact, it might make it harder for the enforcement agencies to police.

The state of the ‘internet’ here in Australia actually caused me to consider joining the ‘pirate party’. An ordained Baptist minister wanting to join the pirate party. What has happened to me?

So I went to the pirate party’s web site… (quickly just in case it is going to be put on the government’s banned list ;-P) and I looked to sign up. But I didn’t because I couldn’t find the information I needed (and because the site looked like a 12 year put it together, which is a likely scenario). Not exactly the professional alternative voice I was looking for!

Whenever I get an email from a Christian organisation asking me to sign up to the ‘we want the filter list’ or the ‘facebook is evil club’ a little part of me withers… I feel further and further away from “main stream” Christianity. I wish I could articulate what I know and in so doing some make people aware of the even greater issues behind the debate. Or to show some alternatives which might help rather than ‘tear the Internet down and just don’t use it’. I know these people who send me petition after petition to sign are well meaning, God fearing people. But… the message coming across to anyone who is a bit internet geeky is one of ‘retreat’ or at best ‘react’.

I propose an alternative… An alternative in wish we neither retreat nor react, but actually adapt, overcome and lead!

That was the background information. Moving on. Why would any Christian be interested in Internet evangelism? Why should someone who is part of the ‘internet is evil club’ want to taint themselves with internet evangelism? Or why would someone like me who feels at odds with what mainstream Christianity is saying about the internet want to be involved in internet evangelism?

Apart from the obvious fact that we don’t have a choice when it comes to evangelism… it’s a God given requirement, for me it is because my ministry, my life, my church’s life is all about seeing opportunities in which God’s people cross paths with culture and community. The internet provides just that sort of opportunity.

The internet can be a front door or a side door for so many people into a community of faith. In my church setting we have just as many people who not yet followers of Christ as we do believers. The internet provides a way for those not yet following Jesus to keep in touch with the church (and I mean the people, not the building of course), to interact in a deeper yet non-threatening way through blogging, twitter, facebook, forums, online games, the list is endless! As someone who has been heavily involved in internet evangelism for more years than I care to remember… I’m certain people are more free to go deeper on the internet. And yes before some of the nay-sayers say it, that is also one of the problems with the internet.

But for large number of “de-churched” people in Australia (people who have experienced the church at some time but for whatever reason have dropped out), the internet provides at great doorway for them to re-enter. Tools such as video podcasting allow people to experience your gatherings first and try them out. You might say, ‘Doesn’t that just make it easier for people to drop out of the church?’ Another fallacy I afraid… all those who have tried video podcasting in a professional way have not experienced that problem one bit!

These things I’ve just mentioned are good reasons why some of our more traditional churches should be involved in internet evangelism. But things get way more exciting when we look at how some of our newer church plant models can get into internet evangelism.

Let’s say for example a church plant was looking to start up in high rise buildings in the city. Those of you have tried to plant in high rises know it’s next to impossible to get your foot inside the door (unless you live there). One effective entry point is as follows:

Parents who live in these buildings are concerned with the types of online games and the types of people their kids play with online. What if you could offer the people inside these buildings a secure network of game servers, which are heavily moderated and enforce a  stricter ethical code? These game servers could also be local game servers, so the kids don’t even need to have to go online to play. This type of ministry does get you permission to enter the building and knock on doors to advertise. In fact this type of ministry can also be seen by the developers as an aid to fostering community within the buildings. The game servers could even run building verse building days. As someone who has been successful in online gaming ministries I can tell you that something as weird as online games can and will lead to conversions and can and will lead to church multiplication!

Regardless of what sort of internet evangelism you want to be part of… social networking, web sites, forums, church pages, online gaming…the problem has always been the same. It is the problem that the IEC is working hard to over come.

That problem is the 99% rule. 99% of Christian sites are useless for evangelism. They rarely escape their own comfort zone and don’t have a “product” to sell. In other words there is no reason for anyone to visit let alone to keep them coming back.

So here is what I think we need to be doing.

Tell stories of our positive internet evangelism results with your churches. If you have none, I’ll share mine and you can use those! We need to demonstrate it as a working medium that is effective!

We need to understand internet evangelism is not about preaching, it is not about slick professional tracts in a new medium. It is more about being a good journalist and employing a user-friendly interface. We need to encourage churches and individuals to make effective sites for nonchurch members, sites which are based on a common interest or common ground.

And here is the biggie for me… train potential web evangelists. Internet evangelism has massive implications for the spread of the Gospel into the whole world and there are practical ways and means to do that effectively.

The Pines Training Centre offers a Unit on Internet Evangelism. If you would like to know more please get in contact with me asap.

Perspective Change or Just a Bad Day?

Since my parents moved interstate I don’t see them much. I was afraid that with the move into a small country town they would somehow just give up on following Jesus.

But it seems the reverse has happened.

So when Dad asked me to take him to a large Christian Bookstore during his recent visit, I put my aversion to seeing aisles and aisles of “Seven Sacred Steps to Financial Fabulosity” to the back of my mind and crossed over to the other side.

I told myself a trip to this Christian store may be good for me in my endeavours to finish writing my own book. However, after hearing Erwin McManus speak the other week I decided to change the book into something which is far less ‘Christian’.

And I’m glad I have.

As the uber-silent glass doors swished open and I entered the softly lit, musically ambient, perfectly cooled unnamed Christian bookstore, I saw book after book talking about emerging church… books about how the church has changed… My thoughts were, ‘The only people who really care about the emerging church are Christians, and the fact of the matter is that most of the people who care are so far removed from the world it won’t make a single bit of difference anyway!’

The second thought I had was, ‘Why bother talking about how the church has changed, because as far as I can see mainstream church has only at best begun to talk the talk of the revolution which I have seen occur within a small group of people. The church has not miraculously been transformed, so to say it has, is doing nothing but make the average pew warmer feel a little better!’

But then it happened.

My nervous meandering brought me into a giant forest of books under the title ‘Christian living’. I felt physically sick.

Christian Living? Come on – I thought we were called to live! In my mind it was the perfect example of how this ‘revolution’ some have claimed we have gone through is nothing but a load of hot headed empty words!

The isolation from the world still exists. “We” still separate ‘Christian living’ from ‘living’. Them and us. The good guys and the bad guys. The righteous and the unrighteous.

Some of you will be thinking I must be in a bad mood or that I’m just nit-picking or that I’m a heretic for blurring the line.

But please let me say this; I am more consumed by the primacy of the Gospel and the priority of evangelism then ever before!

I was at a ‘professional development plan day’ recently – it’s a new denominational thing where registered and ordained Ministers have to create, seek approval and follow through on a ‘professional development plan’ (PDP) in order to stay registered/ordained.

I have nothing against a PDP, in fact I strain myself in that area of my life. It’s a natural part of life if you chase after God!

But it can be challenging if those governing the system don’t have the same values as me. For example, it was suggested that young guys would need to seek the mentoring of ministers who have been around for a very long period of time in order for the mentoring to be approved.

The theory sounds right – young guys being mentored by older guys who have been around for awhile.

But as I looked around the room at some of these old guys, I knew they had not been too successful in leading people to Christ or leading churches in a journey which would take them out into the community to influence culture. Maybe some of them had missed the point of life all together…

I recall one of these guys actually telling a pastoral search committee when I first finished theological college that I was ‘too evangelistic’ to be considered for the position.

Now how is that possible? How is it possible to be too evangelistic?

In my mind some of these guys needed a young guy who didn’t mind crossing boundaries to mentor them. (In my mind some of these guys needed mentors just to reengage with society).

So despite my thoughts of the past couple of days… despite me thinking that we are still missing the point I am encouraged and more excited than ever to continue.

Why? Firstly Jesus is worth it! And second I have seen the transformed lives of those who’ve also been consumed by the primacy of the Gospel and the priority of evangelism.

I’ve seen people in my church plant dream more, risk more and dare to do more than what I have done recently, and it excites me to do it all over again!

These people are living contagious lives, they may not be successful in the way most people would measure them, but people who love Jesus and those who don’t yet love Jesus are following them, because they are truly living! Christian life… life… they are living a life into which all people are invited.

Hindsight…

Alright it’s been 10 hours since I last wrote this article. I’m revisiting it before it’s published in the hope that I could rewrite in a fashion that was less confronting and friendlier. However, despite the passing of time, I can’t…

I can’t get over the mass producing of poor managers within the church as opposed to custom made people seeking after God… I can’t get over the constant desire of established religion to separate between ‘Christian life’ and ‘secular life’… I can’t get over the voices of many Christian leaders telling me that the ‘church’ has become more culturally relevant when those who are outside the church and looking in at the church and are saying ‘the answers sure aren’t there’…

And here is the thing I can’t get over the most… here is the thing that depresses me the most and make me so angry that I want to kick the cat (sorry Tiana (ie the cat))!

Why do I find myself getting sucked back into established religion?

Why do I find myself worrying about what other Christians might think?

Why do I even get upset when I try to explain myself to another minister only to be misunderstood and labeled as someone who should be ignored? For example, when I am with pastors I am labeled an ‘evangelist’ or when I am with evangelists I am labeled a ‘pastor’. The labeling somehow helps people to decide weather or not the information brought from that person is of any worth.

Why aren’t the primacy of the Gospel and the priority of evangelism the primal thing in all my life all the time? Why isn’t the priority of evangelism the thought in my mind in every action and word and deed I do?

I have a theory that one of the reasons why I fail in that area is because of my perspective. I need to change my perspective.

I need to read the scriptures and mediate on the things of God from a different mindset. Perhaps I need to approach theology from the mindset of someone who doesn’t feel forgiven by God in order to best present the Gospel to someone who also feels God is against them.

I think I am suggesting a new hermeneutic – one in which my established and unquestioned beliefs are challenged before hand. Hermeneutical spiral is something most of us who went to college would know and understand. To apply hermeneutical spiral to exegeting scripture, would be to first look at the Bible as a whole, then to observe which testament the passage is in. From here we would look at all the books written by this particular author, then to the specific book. After this look for divisions within the book. Now this may correlate to chapter division, but most probably will not. From here, we could look to paragraph divisions, then to sentences and finally to studying specific words.

I suggest where the most change is needed is in first step of examining the ‘Bible as a whole’. I am not suggesting we change our view on the Bible as the inspired word. But I am suggesting we examine the way in which we approach the Bible.

I’m not really sure I am able to explain this very well, so here’s an example. When you read the David and Goliath story, who do you tend to associate yourself with, David or Goliath? Most Christians I have met will naturally find themselves interpreting the passage through the eyes of David. But if we examine the passage through the eyes of Goliath we can find an entirely new perspective about the passage. A perspective which may be the perspective of many in our community who don’t yet follow Jesus.

I was one who naturally read that passage through the eyes of Goliath. I always felt like the giant who was shaking his fist at God. The challenge I feel for many of us is even just to become aware of our natural perceptions. Many of those natural perceptions have just been passed onto us and assumed to be all there is.

Let’s have a look a little further at one perspective which I suspect is one of the major contributors to the size of the ‘Christian living’ section at the unnamed Christian bookstore, that is, reading the scriptures from the perspective of ‘cause and effect’.

In the cause and effect model of thinking and interpretation of scriptures, if we employ a certain action then a certain consequence can be achieved. If we always read the Bible from this perspective it becomes very easy to imagine God as a rule maker. In fact, it may be why many of us have focused on the elimination of sin but at the cost of unleashing a new radical life. Elimination of sin equals life, right? Well, sort off. There is also the taking on board of new things as well isn’t there?

Nevertheless God is not some vending machine in which we put something in and expect a return. Do these seven things and your financial prosperity is assured….

The cause and effect approach to reading scripture is very limiting.

In reality God has no obligation to humanity. He is the cause and the effect!

Your Kingdom Come… whatever that means

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