Have Christians Lost Their Credibility? TLA Stories of the Week

Today, while doing TLA Stories of the Week (below) I realized that we should talk more often about how us Christians (as a whole and as individuals) are perceived. Another words, let's talk credibility.Sure, it's not healthy to focus too much on what other people think of us, but like a football coach showing game films (video) of Sunday's game on Monday to his team, the practice of reviewing an analyzing can be very helpful.So, where do we start?Let's start by taking a look at an article recently published at TogetherLA: The Shocking Reasons Christians Have Lost Credibility in Today’s Culture.So, have we lost our credibility?Is it our job to change the culture? Is changing the culture part of the Great Commission? Why or why not?Will deepening our prayer life "do the trick?"Will showing up at church make a difference?How about reading the Bible? Will that help change culture?As stated in the article, LifeWay Research found that 40% of churchgoing Christians read the Bible “once a month, rarely or never.” That means when it comes to the primary book informing us about the God of the universe, His remarkable and unfolding plan for our lives, and our eternal destiny, Christians think so little of it that we read it only when it’s convenient. Maybe it’s time we rediscovered the power of God’s Word.How about politics? Can we change culture through our politics?The authors of The Way Back say we need to be careful with politics. "Vote, join a party, run for office. But keep the Church above the process. Think about it – the country is pretty evenly divided between parties, so when we drag the gospel into party politics, we’ve immediately alienated half of the country. How does that help the cause of Christ?"It is the cause of Christ we are talking about here.Perhaps we start by caring what Jesus Christ cares about.Let's have this conversation! Please leave comments below.

The Shocking Reasons Christians Have Lost Credibility in Today’s Culture

We’d like to say we were shocked, but the truth is, we were expecting the criticism. My friend and marketing expert Jonathan Bock and I were asking people on the street what they thought about “Christians.”BY PHIL COOKE AND JONATHAN BOCKThe response? Hypocritical, judgmental, harsh, phony, insensitive, bigoted, and exclusive. Not exactly the “Fruit of the Spirit” the Bible describes as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.That disconnect — the difference between what the Bible says we should be known for, and how those outside the Christian community actually describe us launched our new book project, The Way Back: How Christians Blew Our Credibility And How We Get It Back.We began the book thinking it was a marketing problem. After all, we’re media and marketing experts and know the power of a great marketing campaign. But when we examined the research from major organizations like Gallup, Barna, Pew, Lifeway, and others it didn’t take long to realize that we’re not living the kind of lives that would make anyone want to become like us.To put it simply, we don’t have a marketing problem, we have a salesforce problem. Study after study reveals American Christians simply don’t believe in our product anymore. Can we turn it around? We believe we can, but not until we get serious about living the kind of life that astonishes the surrounding world. Remember in the gospels how people were “astonished” at the message of Jesus? But 2,000 years later, how many people are astonished at our message or our lives today?If you’re serious about changing the direction of the culture, here are eight good places to start:1) Deepen Your Prayer Life - Research indicates that 37% of Christians don't even think prayer is essential. That’s more than a third of American Christians! Our connection with God is rapidly being snuffed out, and we wonder why we’re losing our momentum.2) Start Showing Up - The Hartford Institute of Religion found on a typical Sunday, only 20% of Christians show up at a church at all - which means 80% of American Christians aren't. Over and over the New Testament calls us into a fellowship of believers. You can’t do that in your bedroom, so let’s get up and experience the power of joining together in worship.3) Read Your Bible - LifeWay Research found that 40% of churchgoing Christians read the Bible "once a month, rarely or never." That means when it comes to the primary book informing us about the God of the universe, His remarkable and unfolding plan for our lives, and our eternal destiny, Christians think so little of it that we read it only when it's convenient. Maybe it’s time we rediscovered the power of God’s Word.4) Get Serious about Giving - Only 10% of churchgoers give 10% or more of their income. Think of all the Christian work that never happens because we refuse to support it financially.5) Become a Better Neighbor - Our friend and evangelist J John says, “You want to be a missionary? Great. Go next-door.” Who’s life could you impact on your own street or at your office? Don’t worry about changing the world until you change your neighborhood.6) Be Careful with Politics - Vote, join a party, run for office. But keep the Church above the process. Think about it - the country is pretty evenly divided between parties, so when we drag the gospel into party politics, we’ve immediately alienated half of the country. How does that help the cause of Christ?7) Be an Example With Your Own Family - Right now, the greatest hot-button issues in culture are about sex, gender, and marriage. What kind of impact could we make if Christians became known as the one group who are willing to go the distance to have amazing families? Being a powerful example would have far more impact than criticizing other people’s choices.8) Do It All With Joy - The greatest key to reflecting the fruit of the Spirit is that you never actually have to “witness” to people. Trust us, when you’re exhibiting traits like joy, love, and peace, people will come up to you and start asking about it! Living a joyous Christian life astonishes people and makes them curious about where your joy comes from.All of our research for the book showed us that as a Christian community, we’re simply not living the kind of life that astonishes or amazes unbelievers. Can we turn it around? The first believers certainly did. During the first few generations of the Church, those believers had no money, no political power, no influence, and no plan. But they had one thing the 21st Century Church has forgotten about:Commitment.They believed so much in the reality of the gospel, they were willing to give up their possessions, their status, their reputations, and their lives. And because of the commitment, within a remarkably short time, their example turned the world upside down.The question today is — is it easier to throw stones and blame others for Christianity’s disappearing impact, or take a hard look at ourselves and start showing the world a new way to live.Maybe it’s time to try something “new.” Something that 2,000 years ago transformed the world.Phil Cooke and Jonathan Bock are media consultants and producers based in Los Angeles. They’ve just released a new book, “The Way Back: How Christians Blew Our Credibility and How We Get It Back” by Worthy Publishing.

Every Man Ministries: Male Strength Under Attack

 Male strength is under assault in today's culture. Strength without character is in the news everyday and it makes men appear appear just dangerous. But what does strength with character look like and would the world welcome it? We need strong men but the right kind of strong men - men who are strong and good.

Dangerous Good: The Coming Revolution of Men Who Care

True Identity: We are Strangers In a Foreign Land

The reality is, Christians are interlopers. We are strangers and foreigners.

BY ED STETZER

As Christians, I believe we should always be more driven by our missionary identity than we are by our national identity, our political identity, our environmental identity, our social identity, or even our church identity.Don’t get me wrong. We ought to love our church. (I know I love my church.) And the Church (with capital C) is the bride of Christ, destined for eternity with God. But here on earth we must face the reality that our culture is not to be our primary identity.Our culture is a mission field. We must see ourselves as people on mission. This is not our home. This is our mission field. Therefore, we all must see our vocations as mission—as kingdom work.

Strangers in a foreign land

First Peter 2:11 tells us that we are strangers and exiles. This land is not our home. But part of the challenge is that a lot of people want to fight for their homeland instead of acknowledging that we're supposed to have the mindset of foreigners and exiles.Let’s put this into the facts that we know about our population. If the percentage of people who are nominally Christian is shrinking and nominal Christians become Nones, then we are dwelling in an increasingly secular land.As a result, we need a reemphasis on gospel clarity. Being labeled Christian no longer means a ‘social Christian’, but instead is someone who's been changed by the power of the gospel, if indeed you have. This is a vital theological shift in the way we are viewed and should view our land.Understanding these shifts is necessary in part because we live in an age of outrage. People in our land get ticked off over things that they don’t like. This calls us to gospel clarity. And missionary identity, seeing ourselves as strangers and temporary residents, is what will pull us towards showing and sharing the love of Jesus as we should.

We are a convictional minority

At one time, we were perceived (incorrectly, I think) as a religious majority. Today, we're a convictional minority. This is key, because when you're a convictional minority, you don’t fit in the mainstream of culture. We are statistically a minority of people in our culture who think differently than the mainstream culture. We are not walking around thinking, We're the majority. You're going to do what I say. You're going to accept all my standards.A lot of people still think Christendom when they think American, Candian, British, or whatever. They believe they need to take back the country, because it's theirs and others are interlopers.The reality is, we are the interlopers. We are the strangers and foreigners.When we think like a convictional minority, we'll engage culture less with "You owe me" and more with “How can I engage you the culture we are in via the mission we are on?"Christendom has died. Not Christianity, statistically, but Christendom.The prevailing idea of a Judea-Christian worldview is no longer something we can take for granted. We are in a post-Christendom age. Our focus must now be more on mission, evangelism, and the like.Sorry, Christian, we are not birthright owners. We are exiles. Many sincere Christians have seen America as a new Israel. When Ronald Reagan said, "We will be as a city upon a hill," some saw some divine relation to a specific nation. But, let’s be clear: Reagan wasn't quoting the Bible; he was quoting John Winthrop standing on the deck of the Arabella in 1630.God loves all people. And perhaps we have great responsibility because we occupy “a great land between two great seas” (another Reagan gem). But we are not the new Israel. Our covenant relationship with God is no covenant like the Old Testament.Sure, we can pray, "Lord, heal our land," but 2 Chronicles 7:14, where God says, "If my people, which are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, I will hear from heaven and heal their land," is not about us. It’s about ancient Israel in the time of King Solomon, who was about to go off the deep end into idolatry.We need God to heal our land, but we don't have a land in the same way as King Solomon.

Stop the Israel thinking

We've got to stop the Israel thinking, which is, This is our place, our home. Instead, we must consider that we are foreigners and strangers in exile. It's someone else's home. We're not Israel. We're Israel in exile.Jeremiah 29:5 speaks to those like us in exile. Sure, plant gardens and grow, and flourish, and more. But always remember you’re in Babylon.This makes all the difference. Why? Because only then will we have exile thinking and gospel focus. We begin to think about our mission to engage a culture that God loves and wants to redeem and restore to himself.Ed Stetzer holds the Billy Graham Distinguished Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College, is executive director of the Billy Graham Center, and publishes church leadership resources through Mission Group.This article was republished with permission and originally appeared here. 

Engaging Culture Well: How to Share Your Faith Critically and Contextually

In every time period and historical context during which it has been shared, the gospel has confronted culture in one way or another.

By ED STETZER

During the years of Christ’s ministry, it challenged the mistreatment of the poor.During the Reformation, it drove Martin Luther to condemn the selling of indulgences.During the late 1700s, it inspired William Wilberforce to abolish the slave trade.The message of Christ’s redemptive love and free gift of forgiveness for all has been the force behind centuries of social change. Christians who understand the implications of this gospel can’t help but find ways to apply its principals as they live and work in secular society.For obvious reasons, however, cultural engagement brings with it unique challenges and complications. Many find themselves wanting to charge in, speak prophetically, criticize openly, and then expect to wait and watch for meaningful change to occur. But as Christians work to identify issues of concern in communities—either our own or those elsewhere—a posture of respect becomes critical.Ultimately, it’s not about forcing others into agreement or ‘winning’ a debate. It’s about sharing the message of hope that we have and trusting God to change hearts and minds.

Pursue Understanding

When we find ourselves in conversation with individuals from other cultures—particularly, those who don’t see eye to eye with us on spiritual matters—it can be easy to enter into ‘prophetic preacher’ mode. An attitude of superiority and condescension quickly cloud our witness and prevent others from receiving our message.Sometimes, though, the most effective way to share is with our mouths closed.When Paul visited Athens in Acts 17, we know he spent time reasoning with Jews, Greeks, and philosophers alike. But, he didn’t do so without first getting some context; he pursued understanding of these people’s culture before entering into the conversation.We see him remark on observations of Athenians religiosity—he tells an audience of Athenians that he “walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship” reading their inscriptions and considering their philosophies (Acts 17:23).Like Paul, we must practice a certain level of cultural literacy; before offering criticism or commentary, we need to understand who we’re speaking to and where they’re coming from. When we do this, we learn how to share truth in a way that others can recognize and relate to.

Build Relationships

People respond well to the gospel in relational contexts. While I’m confident that God can and does work through a variety of evangelistic efforts, I know from personal experience that the gospel is best shared between two people who’ve established a certain rapport with one another over a period of time.When trust is established, people are generally much more willing to open up and share their story.This is why it’s so important for followers of Christ to enter into community with those who are different from them. When we build relationships with people from other cultures, backgrounds, and belief systems, we build bridges and pave the way for the gospel message to be shared.A relational approach to evangelism requires just as much intentionality as other forms; in many cases, even more. It means being diligent in the development of new friendships, prayer, and generosity with our time among other things. It means being the hands and feet of Christ in ways that take us out of our comfort zone and into a place of dependence on God.

Make the Message Relatable

Often when sharing the gospel with people of different cultural contexts, it’s easy to get caught up in ‘Christianese’ speak.But what would it look like if we made the message of the gospel more relatable and easily understood?There are certain things we all share as human beings; among them a desire to be known, loved, and valued. But so too there are aspects of Christ’s gospel that speak to each of us in different ways. For those living in want, Jesus as the bread and water of life are powerful metaphors. For children who’ve suffered some form of abandonment, the notion of God as a devoted, faithful Father is equally as redemptive.As we desire to deliver the gospel far and wide, we must learn to show the ways that the message speaks to them specifically. How does it fill the empty space in their heart? How does it challenge their preconceived notions of the divine? How does it speak truth into and transform their life?The gospel is powerful, but so too are the ways we deliver it to people. Let’s learn to share it through relationships, with understanding, and accessibility. Check out our latest resource, Our Gospel Story, to help you get started.Ed Stetzer holds the Billy Graham Distinguished Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College, is executive director of the Billy Graham Center, and publishes church leadership resources through Mission Group.This article was republished with permission and originally appeared here.

What Culture Needs From The Church Right Now

I grew up in a small town outside of Dodge City, which used to be famous for its corruption and gun battles, as well as a favorite hot spot of Western TV shows. But by the time I lived there, it was a quiet, sleepy small town that had traded in its brothels and bars for meatpacking plants and wheat farming.

BY DAVID A.R. WHITE

My years in Kansas were more defined by the small Mennonite Brethren community of which I was a part. My parents were the pastors of that community and I had a very insulated upbringing. I had only been to the movie theater a single time growing up and was completely unaware of the larger world that the entertainment industry represented and comprised. In fact, I felt incredibly guilty about seeing that movie in the theater because of our church’s stance on entertainment.But, much to my surprise, God gave me a dream to become an actor and make movies while I was growing up in those Kansas wheat fields. My journey started at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, where my parents and most of my relatives had studied, but I left after my first year. I called my dad and told him I was moving to Hollywood to make movies.You can read about my early years in Hollywood in my book Between Heaven and Hollywood, but eventually I founded a faith and family movie company named Pure Flix. In 2014, we created a film called GOD’S NOT DEAD, about a college student confronting his university professor with the truth of the Gospel. What had started as a small budget feature film became a viral phenomenon as tens of millions of people around the world clamored to see the film.It wasn’t long before Hollywood took notice and soon the entertainment world began to shift. There was clearly an audience hungry for more faith and family films and that was just the beginning.GOD’S NOT DEAD: A LIGHT IN DARKNESS opened nationwide (March 30) as the third installment in the series, and it is sharing a message that could not be more relevant and timely to our nation today. [UPDATED]Rather than being a country of unity, we have become a society defined by division, anger and brokenness. But I believe that God is raising up a generation of believers to walk in grace and to shine God’s light into that darkness. My hope is that GOD’S NOT DEAD: A LIGHT IN DARKNESS will spark conversations about how we can show love to our neighbors even through conflict.Three of my favorite lines in the movie brilliantly illustrate what our culture needs from the church today:

1. "THE CHURCH HAS BECOME KNOWN MORE FOR WHAT IT’S AGAINST, THAN WHAT IT’S FOR."

God calls us to be separate and apart from the world, even as we live in it. Rather than reflecting the world’s conflict, we can offer a different narrative – the Gospel.We have to show the world what we as Christians stand for – God’s grace and the redemptive power of faith in Christ.We cannot shy away from shining God’s light through grace, forgiveness and kindness. God has handpicked and placed you where you are for a purpose. He has chosen you to show His love to the people around you.When we extend God’s love even to those that don’t deserve it, (which is all of us) we bring light into the darkness.

2. "IT'S OKAY TO BE BROKEN. IT MEANS GOD IS STILL SHAPING YOU."

Our culture needs us to go first. We need to be willing to say, “I know I am not perfect, this is why I need Jesus.” People need to see us being real.All of us are broken, and God’s Word tells us that truth. God is always at work in us, finishing the good work He started when we accepted Christ into our lives. We bring light into the darkness when we admit our failures and walk out our faith humbly.

3. "IF GRACE ISN’T OUR GOAL, WE ARE JUST FIGHTING."

We have to be careful to not get too caught up in the culture wars; after all, we are called to a different kingdom – the kingdom of God.The people around us and connected to us on social media need to know that our goal is grace. Most of all, the people in our lives need to hear from us how much God loves them, mess and all, and how much he wants to draw them to Himself.God always has a plan. Even when our culture is dark, it is an opportunity for His light to shine brightest through us. When we bring light into the darkness, God is glorified. When God is glorified, others begin to see Him for who He truly is. The world around us needs us to shine God’s light like never before.Sometimes all it takes is a spark.

Catch GOD'S NOT DEAD: A LIGHT IN DARKNESS in theaters nationwide this weekend!

David A.R. White is an actor, producer, and founder of Pure Flix, the leading faith-based movie studio in the world. David has starred in close to 20 feature-length films. He shares his personal story in his book Between Heaven and Hollywood. He and his wife Andrea Logan White, and their three kids live in Southern California. More at DavidARWhite.com.Published with permission from THINK ETERNITY.

'There Is No Neutral Ground Here,' Erwin McManus Says to The Church [Interview]

On Saturday (Aug. 12, 2017), in the middle of the chaos in Charlottesville, Virginia, that began the night before, Erwin Raphael McManus, author and pastor at Mosaic in Los Angeles tweeted, “We cannot unite with hate. We must stand against it. You cannot reason with racism. You must condemn it. The church must lead the way. NOW!”His post came after a relatively long thread of tweets that condemned the evil and called out the church in America to unite in “peace, justice, and hope.”Below is McManus’ answers to seven questions asked by TogetherLA while the nation was and still is processing what happened in Charlottesville and the ongoing reactions across the US.TogetherLA: Describe your initial reaction to the events that transpired in Charlottesville.Erwin Raphael McManus: It was probably a combination of disgust, disappointment, and hopefulness.Disgust because there should be no room for movements of hate such as white supremacy and Nazism. It's astonishing that people can be so ignorant, fearful, and filled with hate.Disappointed because I love this country and expect better from us. The undercurrent and subculture of racism and white supremacy have always been here but now they have been emboldened to go public as they feel their views have been validated and normalized.Hopeful in that this is not a new problem in our society and it has been allowed to thrive in the darkness of denial and silence by the white majority and unjust legal system. Their boldness to go public has brought them to the light and the darkness cannot prevail over the light. I am convinced most Americans- yes even white Americans- are committed to justice and equality for all people. I am convinced that most Americans are disgusted and even ashamed that Nazism is alive and well in this country that fought to defeat its evil ideology.TLA: Your call for the church to respond “NOW!” as you posted on Twitter obviously reflects urgency. Why?McManus: It is inescapable that the Evangelical church is seen as married to the present administration in Washington. Silence in this moment would be perceived as agreement and adherence to white supremacist ideologies.There is no neutral ground here. You either speak against racism or you add credence to their views. I am convinced the Church is the greatest hope for humanity and for creating a new world where everyone is valued and embraced regardless of differences.This is a critical moment in history and I want the church on record and on the right side of history.TLA: How should the church respond?McManus: As they have all weekend after Charlottesville. They must openly, emphatically, and clearly denounce White Supremacy and any ideology associated with Nazism.Then we need to advocate for social justice and reform so that all minorities are protected not only under the law but more importantly by our cultural values and ethic. The law cannot change the human heart. Government is limited in its ability to effect culture. This is the role and responsibility of the Church. Only Jesus can move us from hate to love.TLA: What do you see happening in Los Angeles in regards to church unity? Are they getting together? How?McManus: The Church is not segregated by region or cities. That's an antiquated view of the world. We are united with churches all over the world working towards common goals based on shared values. Mosaic is one of the most racially diverse churches on the planet. Our community and extended church family is global and completely integrated.TLA: What are the ramifications of Charlottesville for the church as you see it?McManus: Perhaps the most significant ramification for many churches is that if your church is racially homogenous it will be essentially irrelevant. The future belongs to those who have the courage to create it. We need a new humanity. We need a new expression of community. We need the Church to bring the world together. This makes me excited. There is so much opportunity here. I'm grateful that Mosaic began creating the new expression of the Church over twenty years ago. We are not reacting to a crisis. We are acting on a conviction and a calling.TLA: Is there something in your new book, The Last Arrow, that ties into how you feel today about current events?McManus: The Last Arrow transcends a moment or an issue. It is a call to move beyond self-indulgence to a life of sacrificial service. In The Last Arrow I address a broad spectrum of issues from the Syrian refugee crisis to the cultural epidemic of depression to the personal struggle of insignificance. The Last Arrow is a clarion call to make a difference in the world rather than a self-help book for personal self-improvement.TLA: Is there anything else you would like to add?McManus: Racists are not born they are raised. Isolation is the breeding ground for racism. The more you come to know the world around you and people different than you the less likely you will become an extremist. The church needs to bring the world together.As a speaker, I can inspire people to change but as a writer I can guide people to change. That's why books are so important. As a pastor, though, I can be a part of creating the change the world so desperately needs.For me that change the world so desperately needs is called Mosaic.

Yesterday the most powerful force in the world for the advancement of peace, justice and hope, came together.Fueled By Love:#TheChurch

— Erwin McManus (@erwinmcmanus) August 14, 2017