12/30/2005 11:00:00 AM|W|P|Dan Burrell|W|P|As 2005 draws to a close, I've been watching the annual "lists" floating across the media....10 Biggest Stories, 10 Best Pictures, 10 Worst Movies, etc... Just for fun, I've decided to make my own list (which will be neither exhaustive nor thorough) of Significant Stories in Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism in 2005. Agree or disagree, add your comments to this list and let's see what you found significant over the last twelve months. In no particular order... 1. The Death of Pope John Paul II and Election of Benedict I don't consider Catholics to be "Christians" from a theologically orthodox perspective (nor should Catholics consider me to be "Christian" from their perspective, I would add), but the world at large is hugely influenced by the so-called Holy See and the man who sits on its throne. Pope John Paul II was inarguably the most influential modern pope ever and in some ways, every time the New Pope Benedict comes out into the limelight, it's hard to recognize him as the current head of the Roman Catholic Church. The significance of Benedict's selection should not be missed as the College of Cardinals clearly chose a Catholic Conservative and hard-liner to continue the legacy of the papacy. Benedict will probably be a transitional pope due to his age, but you can anticipate his continued appointment of conservative Bishops which will keep the Catholic Church firmly committed to its present views regarding issues such as women priests, homosexuality and abortion for many years to come. The death of the Pope gave aware evangelicals an opportunity to teach born-again Christians the clear doctrinal differences between Orthodox Fundamental and Evangelical Christianity and Romanist theology. Sadly, major influential evangelicals like Billy Graham fed the world with hyper-sentimental tripe that would confuse most people into thinking the Pope taught the real truth regarding salvation. Let me be clear, if the Pope personally believed what he taught, he did not possess the Truth necessary for Eternal Life. 2. The "Christmas Service" Controversy What started as a tempest in a teapot became a full-blown debate as a cabal of megachurches conspired together to announce they would not be holding services on Christmas Day which inconveniently (for them) fell on a Sunday. Some used the excuse that they were holding services on Christmas eve, others declared it a "family" day while others still said that it was to give their volunteer force a day off. For all their pragmatic protestations, both the secular and the Christian media made a big deal out of their decision and some even reversed their decision and held services on Christmas Sunday. Interestingly, the new pastor at Louisville's giant Southeast Christian Church didn't handle the criticism very well and thoroughly lashed out at Christian critics in a public interview. Whatever side you were on in this debate, the issues raised were legitimate and exposed a lot about the state of the modern evangelical church. 3. Stephen Jones Becomes Fourth President of Bob Jones University Bob Jones University is not the type of Fundamentalist school that evokes neutral feelings. People tend to either love it or hate it, fear it or envy it. In a move that continued their historic policy of Jones-family leadership, Bob Jones III, announced his retirement and the elevation of his second son, Stephen, to become the fourth president in the school's history. (Bob Jones, IV, is a respected journalist who lives in Washington, DC working with World Magazine and has made no secret of his lack of desire to enter the family business of school administration.) BJU has taken some pretty hard hits in recent years in the national media and has been largely unable to shake off its general image of being a segregationist school with a strident militancy for fundamentalist matters of doctrine and practice. Another BJU problem is a perception problem, even among conservative Christians and fundamentalists, that they produce graduates who tend to be hyper-separatists on issues such as music, occasionally intellectually snobbish and at other times cliquish. They have an astonishing level of loyalty among their alumni -- particularly those who are church leaders --, but they have gained a reputation of being condescending toward other fundamentalist institutions and individuals who don't share their views or come from different branches of the fundamentalist bush. Only the ignorant sniff at their academic standards and they are definitely in the top tier of academically-challenging fundamentalist and evangelical institutions. Over the years, however, their recalcitrance to openly acknowledge their absurd (if not sinful) positions on matters like segregation, inter-racial dating and other "old South" cultural views wrapped in the guise of Christianity has ostracized them and limited their influence beyond the conservative fundamentalist movement. Within the movment, they have a significant need to build some bridges that they previously seemed to enjoy burning. It is quite possible for them to restore their standing as the "World's Most Unusual University" in a good way with some creative fence-mending and dialogue with those outside their shrinking world. Stephen Jones represents an opportunity for a "new face" on BJU which could maintain their historic fundamentalist orthodoxy while distancing the institution from some of the stereotypes they have so richly deserved in the past. A coming transition in a similar institution, Pensacola Christian College, (arguably one of BJU's fiercest competitors for fundamentalist Christian students) continues to be handled in a ham-handed way by founders Arlin and Beka Horton. After their first hand-picked successor fell out of favor (Greg Mutch), he was summarily made persona non grata by PCC and Matt Beamer took many of his responsibilities and looked to be the next heir apparent. However, in recent months, Beamer no longer seems to have the profile one would anticipate for the next President of PCC. Anyone even vaguely knowledgeable about the world of PCC and Beka Books knows that control is the name of the game administratively for the Hortons. In a positive way, it has helped them keep control of their life's work and to build an incredible ministry with stunning resources. On the other hand, they are totally out of touch with the struggles that real people working in the real world and even in real ministry must handle on a daily basis. If PCC is around to serve another generation of college students, it will become increasingly important for the Horton's to step back and allow a new leader capable of independent thought and administrative autonomy to start leading the transition. It will be interesting to see if the Horton's are capable of permitting such a transition to the next generation of leadership in their important school and publishing empire while they are still alive. (In the interest of full disclosure, I hold a graduate degree from PCC.) 4. Death of Adrian Rogers and Retirement of Jerry Vines Adrian Rogers was truly one of the great fundamentalist voices in the Southern Baptist Convention. His elegant leadership, his firm convictions and his genteel personality become the public face of the conservative revolution that reclaimed the SBC in 1980 when he was first elected to the Presidency of the convention. Pastor of the historic Bellview Baptist Church in Memphis which once was led by the late, great R.G. Lee, Rogers succumbed to cancer shortly after retiring from the pastorate. He was one of the greatest leaders in Southern Baptist history. Jerry Vines announced his retirement from the Senior Pastor's position at First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, FL. His former co-pastor, Homer Lindsey, passed away a few years ago and thus, a new generation of leadership will be in place at 1st Baptist in a matter of months. Jerry Vines, again a former SBC President, is one of the most powerful and influential pastors in America and his presence will be missed across evangelical and fundamental Christianity. 5. Megachurch Pastoral Shuffles In the last year or two, several major megachurches' pastors have either retired, left the pastorate or reduced their leadership within their churches. Rick Warren is an infrequent presence in the pulpit of Saddleback Church now that his "Purpose-Driven" empire has given him international influence. The pastor of Southeast Christian in Louisville retired this year. Bill Hybels is no longer the teaching pastor at Willow Creek and is instead focusing on the Willow Creek Association. It will be interesting to see how these massive churches handle the transitions of such iconic leadership in the coming months. 6. Directional Shift in Tennessee Temple University and Southwide Baptist Fellowship Tennessee Temple University is the grand-daddy of local church colleges in fundamentalist Christianity. Founded by Lee Roberson, it was once a massive presence in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In the late 70's and early 80's, thousands of students flooded it's campus. After a very rough transition upon Roberson's retirement, the college began to plummet in enrollment. Located in a declining area of Chattanooga, students fled to other schools like Pensacola Christian and Crown College located just a couple of hours away. Dr. David Bouler eventually took over the leadership reins and has struggled mightily to carve out a nitch for this historic school. Enrollment continued to suffer and the leadership of TTU sensed that part of their problem might be an overly-narrow constituency. In a breath-takingly ambitious re-alignment, Bouler hired Danny Lovett from Liberty University to be the new college President and began building bridges to fundamental Southern Baptists during 2005. The result was a new spirit and a new direction for the church and the school and enrollment has begun to climb again. Bouler's influence in the Southwide Baptist Fellowship has been integral to a fresh direction in that movement as well. SBF experienced a small schism in 2004 when about 20% of the voting membership decided that they wanted a more conservative fellowship that did not include non-Independent Baptists and was firmly committed to such positions as KJVO and using only old hymns and gospel songs in worship. The splinter group formed the National Baptist Fellowship and held their meeting the same week as the SBF. There was a fresh spirit in the SBF fellowship and there are reports that the current direction toward a more relevant and cutting edge fellowship remains in the works. (Again, in the interest of full-disclosure, I was a key-note speaker at last year's Southwide Baptist Fellowship. You can hear or watch my sermon, "He's Better Than This" at my website.) 7. The Emerging Debate over Emergent Churches Many within evangelicalism don't know what to make of the so-called "Emergent Churches". Led by poster-pastor, Brian McClaren, these churches specifically target postmodern younger people. No one can argue that they don't understand the culture and aren't effective communicators to this generation. At issue is whether or not they are watering down the gospel and orthodox doctrine in their effort to be relevant and cutting edge. The jury is still out as to their long-term viability, but many are reaching the conclusion that Emergent Church philosophy and doctrine needs to be scrutinized by those who hold to historic fundamental doctrine. 8. Two Words -- Joel Osteen Joel Osteen's rock-star popularity has made him the world's most well-known preacher. It is reported that his TV show is on continually somewhere in the world 24 hours a day. Osteen's movie-star good looks, his Barbie-doll wife and a positive message that emphasize style over substance have given him guru status among groupies. Sadly, Osteen rarely misses an opportunity to "soft-sell" the gospel. He doesn't use terms like sin and hell and sacrifice and focus instead on a repackaged "power of positive thinking" that smacks of Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller. Predictably, mainstream evangelicalism seems to be afraid to question his orthodoxy and in the process, many are being lead astray to a prosperity theology that is missing the concept of taking up one's cross and following Jesus at all costs. 9. Two More Words -- Rick Warren Since Rick Warren's mega-hit book, "The Purpose-Driven Life" gave him untold riches with which he can fulfill his wildest ministry dreams, Warren seems to have developed a messiah complex. He, like megastar author, Bruce Wilkinson, before him, headed to Africa to do what he could to salvage the dark continent. While not questioning his motives, Warren has now started building alliances with theological liberals, Catholics, liberal Anglicans and other groups declaring them part of "God's family." This disturbing trend again has been largely ignored by the evangelical media who seem to fear leaders of such influence. Of course, the refusal of many fundamentalists to recognize that some of his methodology and strategic vision is sound long ago gave up their right to question his current direction with any credibility. 10. Hollywood Notices the Religious Right After the huge success of "The Passion of Christ" -- Hollywood has now started to actively court the Religious Right by offering special deals and previews on their movies that have more of a family-friendly theme. "Racing Stripes", "The Chronicles of Narnia" and other movies have active recruitment drives aimed at conservative Christians. Many pastors are excitedly joining the parade as a way of encouraging movie makers to give families more conservative fare. Others consider aligning with Hollywood promoters the equivalent of becoming Hollywood Whores and want nothing to do with the industry at large. 11. Ralph Reed's Tarnished Halo Ralph Reed -- former head of the Christian Coalition, who is seeking high office in Georgia has had a couple of embarrassing revelations this year. His alignment with legalized gambling organizations in neighboring Alabama and his promotion and partnerships with the Abramahoff scandal in Washington have taken some of the tarnish off the (cliche' alert) "boyishly good-looking" Reed. Reed is one of the most extraordinarily effective conservative lobbyists and administrators in the world, but his careless associations are raising some eyebrows in the Conservative Christian political organizations. 12. Growing Schism Between Progressive and Old-Path Fundamentalist Factions Within fundamentalism, there appears to be a growing schism about the future direction of Independent Baptists between those who see the movement in decline and holding to archaic issues that are best left to local churches and those who see every secondary separation issue as a reason for taking a stand and even breaking fellowship. In the progressive camp would be some parts of the Baptist Bible Fellowship, Southwide Baptist Fellowship, the GARB churches who support Cedarville University and a small, but influential cadre of thinkers within those associated with BJU, PCC, Clearwater Christian and even Central Seminary. This group generally does not hold to a firm KJVO position, have a wide variety of musical styles, tend to be open toward more innovative methodology and are willing to dialogue and partner with others outside of the Independent Baptist movement but who stand for the historic fundamentals of the faith. Many of the "movers/shakers" of this group are middle-aged and younger, but are quietly being encouraged by older "heads" such as John Rawlings, Al Janney, Jerry Falwell, Gary Coleman and others. In the "Old Path" camp would be those who align with the Sword of the Lord, KJVO positions like Horton's and Ruckmans, music purists from the Garlock and BJU worlds, and the old "Hyles" sycophants. In addition, newer leadership like Paul Chappel and Jack Schaap seem to be working feverishly to align with Crown College's Clarence Sexton and disgruntled former TTU alumni to establish a beach head of influence. Many within this segment of Independent Baptists still look fondly backward to the days of iconclastic leadership and mass evangelism methodology (like the bus ministry and street preaching) that were in vogue during the 1970's. They trace their identification to men like J. Frank Norris, Jack Hyles, John R. Rice (who actually didn't hold many of their positions), Lester Roloff, Bob Jones, Sr., and other flamboyant and powerful personalities. They often hold in disdain the use of technology in worship (screens, soundtracks), cooperation with non-Independent Baptists, accreditation of colleges and universities, praise and worship music and "deeper life" (expositional) preaching. They believe progressive Independent Baptists are compromising by working with conservative Southern Baptists, not holding to a narrow view of dress and conduct "standards" (ie...women wearing slacks, percussion instruments in church, blanket disapproval of all movies/videos, etc...) and rejecting some of the "easy believism" methods of evangelism popular in previous generations. These two camps have several veins and they aren't necessarily allies within each camp, but are just generally headed in the same direction. Similar schisms are to be found in the GARB, the BBF (which split a few years ago) and other groups.The International Baptist Network has formed and aligns progressive independent Baptists with conservative Southern Baptists and their first meeting is scheduled for April, 2006.This schism is just beginning to play out and no one knows where it will lead, but clearly there are significant shifts taking place within the most conservative portions of Christianity. 13. Christian Response to Hurricane Katrina Even the media can't ignore the huge response that Christians have made in reaching out to hurting churches and families in the devastated regions of the Gulf Coast. Big ministries and small are pouring millions of dollars and thousands of man hours into rebuilding and helping the battered residents effected by Hurricane Katrina. 14. Emerging Emphasis on Poverty and Disease Among Christians More churches are joining in ministry that deals with issues like famine, homelessness, poverty and AIDS. Long dismissed as mere "social-gospel" humanitarianism that dilutes evangelism, fundamentalist Christians have begun to awaken to the Biblical commands of feeding the hungry and helping the hurting and noting that evangelism doesn't have to be ignored in the process. 15. Re-Evaluation of How Missions are Done Even the mission boards are having to deal with the growing divergence of philosophy and methodology in fundamentalism and evangelicalism today. Piedmont Baptist College just announced it is discontinuing its aviation program due to the absence of need for missionary pilots within fundamental mission agencies. The rise of the internet, the ease of transportation, the independence of individual missionaries, the rise of national training and missionaries are all causing major shifts in how missions agencies are approaching their Great Commission tasks. I realize that some of my stories and comments are probably going to cause some to shake their heads. I'm just calling them as I see them. I invite you to use the comment section to add your own list of top stories or trends or to comment on the ones that I've noted as well. I've tried, to some extent, to be neutral on the stories, but if you don't feel like I have been, feel free to offer your perspective. In any case, it is a great time to be part of the Family of God in the world today and there is much about which we can be excited in the coming year.|W|P|113595862464994979|W|P|Significant News Stories in Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism in 2005|W|P|jdpettus@gmail.com12/30/2005 01:00:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Greg Linscott|W|P|Very interesting summary. Thanks for compliling this.12/31/2005 02:38:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Steph Stanger|W|P|Seems like you've done your homework.... just a couple things I noticed- Bill Hybels is still the Senior Pastor of Willow Creek, just not the Lead pastor of the South Barrington Congregation. Also, Rick Warren gave away most of his "untold riches" as you put it. He's not about the money.12/31/2005 03:00:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Dan Burrell|W|P|A couple of clarifications...

Though Bill Hybels is still "officially" Senior Pastor -- he is leaving the primary teaching responsibilities to someone else and is focusing on the Willow Creek Association. My understanding is that Willow Creek is doing an internal review of their strategy and methodology due to the fact that the congregation is now a quarter of a century old and what was "relevant" then, is not necessarily so today.

Rick Warren indeed has said that he gives 90% of his profits off of Purpose-Driven items and keeps only 10% as his own. I did not mean to imply otherwise or even that he doesn't have a right to the whole 90%. I guess I just fantasize about having tens of millions of dollars to spend on ministry -- to me, that would be more fun than having it for myself. I do believe that the amount of notoriety and financial resources he now possesses have impacted him (and probably would most people I know -- myself included.) I am also concerned with his public universalist-like statements regarding the family of God.

Thanks for the feedback.

Dan1/01/2006 03:08:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Dan Burrell|W|P|James...I'm not surprised that you feel so passionately about your faith in the Roman Catholic Church and I respect your fervency although I still disagree. Hundreds of years of disagreement between Roman Catholic and Evangelical doctrine are not going to be erased by my, nor your, declarations on a blog. However, I offer four distinctive challenges to your doctrine. Sola Fida, Sola Christo, Sola Biblia, Sola Gracia -- Faith alone, in Christ alone and the Word of God alone through Christ alone. These four distinctives are at the heart of our differences.

I am in no position to "judge" -- as in condemn -- anyone to heaven OR hell and I did not do that in my comments regarding the late Pope. I do however have an obligation to always view the teachings, practices and convictions of others based on the unchanging canon of the Word of God (alone.) I do not accept your contention that we need some sort of continuim of church authority to interpret Scripture for us. Scripture reminds us repeatedly that we must each be convinced by Scripture. Indeed, we are specifically warned to mark those who would add to, detract or alter the Word of God. I chose my words regarding the pope very carefully... the caveat was "if..." -- I don't know what he believed in his heart...only what he said. Scripture speaks perfectly to what is required for Salvation and I rest in that (alone.)

I am not your spiritual brother simply because you declare it so. (I might add, we are not considered brothers in fellowship by the Catholic church.) Scripture tells us (the same Scripture that tells us to call no man "father") that not everyone who says "Lord, Lord..." will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. We can't both be right on these issues. The stakes could not be possibly higher.

I challenge you to keep searching the Word of God for truth and I do appreciate the fact that you read my blog and comment from time to time.

Sincerely....Dan1/05/2006 10:52:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Jesus Saves Ministries|W|P|I agree with your comments on Joel Osteen. Check out my comments in the article Ease On Down The Road...To Heaven?! at jesussavesministries.blogspot.com.

Jesus Saves12/24/2005 09:54:00 PM|W|P|Dan Burrell|W|P| My friend, Bob Byers, has been listing his family's Christmas traditions over at Watchman's Words. The Burrell's have multiple traditions that always sound better on paper than they play out in real life. Among them is cutting our own trees, decorating them while eating finger foods, watching a movie or two right before Christmas, making fudge and chex mix, watching "A Christmas Story" at least once and then there's the dreaded Christmas cookies. My mom used to torture us well into our 20's by making a big batch of sugar cookies and then forcing us to ice them while she took movies and snapped pictures. It just ain't Christmas until the cookies are decorated. I'm pleased to announce that indeed, Christmas has arrived as we just finished decorated the blasted...er uh, blessed cookies. Nathan skipped out early to finish some Christmas wrapping and thankfully, Rene is here to help out with his artistic touch. Josh got more icing on his face than he did the cookies, but I don't think it was an accident. So with that...Merry Christmas to all my friends, family and readers who frequent this blog. May your Christmas celebration be filled with thanksgiving for the goodness of God and the gift of salvation.|W|P|113548004844082685|W|P|And the Last Christmas Tradition is Complete....|W|P|jdpettus@gmail.com12/22/2005 05:14:00 PM|W|P|Dan Burrell|W|P| If you listen to the mainstream media these days, we aren't simply losing in Iraq, we've already lost. They've turned PA Congressman Murtha into the biggest media darling this side of John McCain and Cindy Sheehan. In recent news cycles, we have been treated to the melodramatic grandstanding of none other than Saddam Hussein. So, this begs the question... Is the media at least partially responsible (or even culpable) if we do leave Iraq prematurely only to see it fall into the hands of another Hussein or Khomeini? Is the media not to be held accountable if their uproar over everything from the Patriot Act and wiretaps results in terrorist cells exploiting our national debate into an opportunity for another major attack? Let me offer some additional examples of how the media is influencing how we execute this war... First, I've heard from multiple military insiders that dropping a bomb on suspected terrorist hideouts in Iraq and Afghanistan requires enough red-tape, legal sign-offs and full-scale reviews to make a French Union look efficient. While we are wringing our hands over collateral damage that might kill an innocent cur dog owned by an Iraqi child, the bad guys have enough time to finish their car bomb, say their evening prayers and high-tail it to safety. (Not to mention terrorists technique of doing their dirty work or hiding in hospitals, schools and family neighborhoods so as to form a human shield of innocents.) What about our preoccupation as to what defines torture? The media has been oh-so-quick to quote the maniacal Saddam's allegations that he has been abused at the hands of American soldiers while during the same week, video tape showing the beheading of an American civilian contractor was censored and barely even mentioned by the mainstream media. Everytime the French or the Swiss get a little quakie voiced over some potential for abusing some of the most heinous criminals the world has ever seen, American liberal politicians start trying to tie the hands of everyone from the President to Barney Fife to insure that every prisoner is given clean sheets and tea and crumpets. These cowards don't wear the uniforms of a nation, they are not real soldiers, they do not fall under the rules of the Geneva Convention and they do not deserve to be treated with deference so that people who got rich off Hussein's reign of terror will like us. Consider also the issue of "secret prisons", the rights of "Guatanomo Prisoners", the rush to withdraw troops immediately without regard to the consequences and the overplay of the Abu Grahib excesses performed by a few renegade soldiers (and by the way...having some bomb thrower parade around naked with a pair of Victoria's Secrets panties on his head is NOT torture. If it is, then half the frat boys in America can claim they were also tortured.) In regard to torture, I would take some comfort in knowing that with appropriate procedures in place, an American soldier could bring a dog into a room holding a terrorist who has placed a dirty nuclear bomb somewhere in a major city and to convince that coward that in 30 seconds he was going to let that dog chew his face off if he didn't start giving some information and quickly. It seems to be the position of RINO's and Democrats that in order to secure details and intelligence that it should be American law that the soldier say "Pretty, Please?" and offer them some hot cocoa and donut holes for their cooperation. Am I for cruel, wanton acts of violence performed by unaccountable and out-of-control renegades? Of course, not. Am I for giving key leaders the discretion to use techniques that might make some of us uncomfortable against diabolically evil men who are intent on killing our wives and children? You bet your favorite toy, I am. I could go on and on about other things the media has done to ignore the good work of American soldiers, the victory of successful elections, the progress of restoring the Iraqi infrastructure and the generosity of American soldiers. I could also mention the focus on Cindy Sheehan, the free-pass given to the insane Ramsey Clark, the unchecked and unfiltered coverage they give to ever outburst by Hussein and his cronies in the courtrooms and the lack of attention given to the gross atrocities that are being revealed each day of the trail against Kurds and other Hussein enemies. Hussein is evil -- pure and unadulterated. He should be executed soon and publicly. His body should lay in a crumpled heap on a square that used to hold his statues until the entire Kurdish population has a chance to pass by and spit on his carcass. But I'm sure if that were to occur, we'd only get another dose of guilt-laden and apologetic reporting from the folks at CNN, NBC, CBS and ABC. If you've read my other articles, you know that I'm not overly hawkish -- indeed, I wrote a controversial article entitled "Why I'm Wobbly on This War." But, my personal opinions aside, war IS war. It is awful. It is vicious. It is horrific. And once we commit to it, it is essential that we win it -- otherwise, we just invite another war and another by all those who see us as a weak-willed and vacillating target. The power of the media's ability to shape public opinion during war time is not small thing. Remember when the allegedly "neutral" journalist Walter Conkrite decided to come out during his newscast as opposing the war in Vietnam? The rest of the media and many citizens fell like dominoes before his opinion. It became unwinnable because we were unwilling to pay the price required to win it. Since that day, "Not another Vietnam" has been the drumbeat of every major mainstream media figure and every liberal activist and politician anytime that America has determined that force was necessary. It is unfair and cruel to send our young men and women into harm's way on foreign soil and in the name of freedom and then treat them like puppets and pawns. The media shouldn't ignore atrocities or the wicked acts of renegades (on either side). But at the same time, they shouldn't be treated by liberal talking heads wearing $1,500 suits in posh New York office suites like they are the enemy from which they are trying to protect us.|W|P|113529087440497313|W|P|Can the Media Help Us Lose the War on Terror?|W|P|jdpettus@gmail.com12/22/2005 11:34:00 AM|W|P|Dan Burrell|W|P| Have you ever met a Christian who believed all the right things, but communicated it in all the wrong ways? For the last several months, I have been engaged in prolonged and painful conversations with members of the local media (both Christian and non-Christian), political leadership and elected officials regarding the tone and communication of an outstanding local official who has the knack for enraging others with his rhetoric. In the maelstorm that follows, often even those who agree with the position distance themselves from this politician and his party and associates because they don't want to be associated with what they view as "over-the-top" communication which provokes, but does not resolve. Throughout my Christian life, I have observed often-well-meaning people, who seem to take some joy in being ugly in terms of how they communicate their beliefs and practices. The older I get, the more I regret some of the attitudes I used to cling to as a sign of rightness or firmness. I don’t often regret my positions, but I do regret my tone. Several years ago, I wrote down three guiding principles that I have tried to use to direct my words and my actions as it relates to the positions I hold. They are held accountable by the Biblical admonition that I am to “speak the truth in love.” I want to share those with you today…. The first is, “I will accept people where they are and love them to where they need to be.” I have seen churches turn away good people who were probably genuinely searching for answers or direction because they didn’t fit our mold at the time. Have you ever seen a street person or maybe a biker with a pony tail or a tattoo come into your church? You can almost hear the sound of necks popping as we turn to stare – silently praying that they won’t come to sit next to us. Someone might ask, how would Jesus respond? I think I know. I believe that He would stand and motion to the individual. He would make sure that they got the favored seat at the end of the pew. He’d put His arm on their shoulder and inquire sincerely about them, learning of their need and background. I’m sure He would share His hymnal and ask them to come to His Sunday school class. How do I know that? Because one of the epithets that was hurled at Jesus by the pious religious leaders of His day was that he was (horrors) – “A friend of sinners.” Secondly, “I will allow the Holy Spirit time to complete His work in the lives of others.” I always want to play God and it gets me in trouble. I can force people into my mold (which often looks strangely and uncomfortable like myself) and then I might find them “acceptable.” But in reality, that kind of control is only external and never eternal. Only the power of the Gospel can really change lives and we sometimes need to learn to sit back and let God be God. When He completes His work in us, the result is a changed life, not just a changed appearance. Oh, don’t misunderstand me, I think we ought to look/act/talk like the Christian. But that is a product of right walk with God. We sometimes mistakenly think that saying or doing the right things make us a Christian, but it doesn’t anymore than making reving noises and standing in a garage will make us an automobile. Finally, “I will agree to disagree agreeably.” Sometimes, I think we forget who the real enemy is. It isn’t the church across the way that preaches the gospel, but uses different methods. It isn’t the brother across the church who carries a different Bible version or prefers hymns to choruses. It is the devil. Why is it we erupt venom so often on our brothers and sisters in Christ over inconsequential issues and we remain silent when Satan attacks and destroys those for whom Christ died? We don’t have to be ugly and we don’t have to be loud. We can just be firm and recognize that we will never always agree with everyone considering the diversity of the Body of Christ. Our energy needs to be spent on fighting the devil and not fussing with each other. Outside of the church, when dealing with topics ranging from sports teams to politics, we must never forget that we are ambassadors for the Lord and the view we give others of Christ may be the only times they meet Jesus. A right impression of Christ is more important than political might or position of power. Christians aren’t perfect and the process of becoming Christ-like is a daily and life-long process. But all of us could use a “tone examination” from time to time to make sure that our actions and our attitudes are worthy of Christ. We never see Him out of control or responding hatefully to those who are searching for answers. His strongest words were always reserved for those who wrapped themselves in the guise of holiness and religiousity and who mislead, deceived or abused those who need His help the most.|W|P|113526982846625264|W|P|The Christian's Tone|W|P|jdpettus@gmail.com12/20/2005 02:25:00 PM|W|P|Dan Burrell|W|P|

Every once in a while, I just take a morning and clean off my desk. (Yesterday was my day for cleaning.) Most of the stuff I find is a little dated, small ideas, quick notes and things I never quite got around to doing. Well, today’s post is that. A desk-clearing/head-clearing mishmash of odds-n-ends. No order, no agenda, no strategy – just “This, That and the Other.” I think the President is back in charge (or maybe, Karl Rove is) because he’s more like the guy we elected to office than we’ve seen in several months. By the way, I’m really not joking when I put that “Karl Rove” reference in there. I gotta’ say that I have some concerns about the President’s circumventing of established procedures to authorize spying on US citizens. In a day of instant communication and cell phones and email, how hard would it be to run a quick request for a wire-tap or whatever by a judge? In addition, he could actually get retroactive approval for a wire tap up to three days after the wire tap was done according to the law. This country is founded on a separation of powers for a reason. We shouldn’t just ignore that when it gets inconvenient. If you disagree with me on this, just ask yourself what you’d think if “President” Gore or Kerry did this. I think Bush got some bad counsel from Gonzalez on this one. A sense of urgency can sometimes cause pragmatic justifications and excess. There are few media outlets I hold in greater disdain than I do the New York Times. From their owner to the publisher to their editor to their reporters, they are as despicable a bunch of liberals masquerading as journalists as we can find. BUT…I find it disturbing that the President called the publisher and editor into the White House to pressure them personally into spiking a story. Once again, a free press is a free press. If this was genuinely an issue of national security, the President should have gone through the procedures outlined in the law to get approval for surveillance. Don’t shoot the messenger and call it patriotic. Multiple people sent me the press releases on the “mega-churches” that decided en masse to cancel Sunday services on Christmas day and wondered what I thought of it. As you might expect, I have several thoughts. First, I think it is shockingly absurd. Yes! Let’s have a celebration commemorating the birth of our Savior! But let’s not let it interfere with really important things like watching our kids open a vulgar amount of mindless toys and then stuffing ourselves silly before collapsing on the couch to watch the Seinfeld Series DVD’s we got for Christmas. IMHO, I think this is just fairly typical of what has made this generation’s church slovenly ineffective. We want a faith that costs us little – therefore, we shouldn’t be surprised that it accomplishes little. We can gussy it up by having Christmas Eve services or designating the day as a "celebration of family", etc…, but in the end, we KNOW what the real motivation was. Selfishness. Would it have been too difficult to have a one-hour celebration of Christmas sometime during the day that is actually set aside to commemorate the birth of Christ? I also find disturbing, the report that the leadership teams of a conglomeration of mega-churches apparently dialogued privately before making the decision as a group. So, let’s get this right, trendy churches are now setting trends for what should be embraced by the rest of us, right? Nah, that’s why I’m an “Independent” Baptist. I was one of the first to get connected to the world of the internet when it really began unfolding 12-15 years ago. I recall, with fondness, sitting in front of my OLD MacIntosh Computer absolutely amazed that I could get and send email. I participated in an email “forum” of sorts (which, btw, showed even then how people would use the anonymity and isolation of cyberspace to be cruel, contentious and cranky) which is to today’s blogosphere what those big-front-wheeled bicycles are to the space shuttle. I’ve just got to say though that the Internet is on my list of top five great things I’m glad I was alive to experience in this age. Sharing thoughts, reading research, cruising for new ideas, connecting to great people and so much more are possible because of it. Sure, I know it’s pitfalls – and like with everything else there is a down or dark side. This is just a great age to be in the communication ministry and I can’t wait to see where it takes us next. Speaking of which, during 2006, Northside Baptist Church is taking a significant leap forward in connecting to the world “out there”. We will be streaming our services live via the internet sometime this year. We are also going to begin the process of doing on-line training, live “huddles” with leadership, offering courses and seminars and other innovative uses of technology to keep our church family moving forward and remaining connected. I’m working on an article that in a moment of insanity, I will probably post here in the next few weeks. It is going to ask some tough questions of the Christian colleges in this country. From the fundamentalist bastions like Bob Jones University and Pensacola Christian College, to those who have broadened for a variety of reasons like Liberty University and Tennessee Temple, to the small schools who are struggling for relevance and a constituency, to the issue of those formerly conservative institutions which have been lost to theological soundness or are headed that way in a rush, to the reactionary “colleges” (and I use that term loosely) who are founded largely to serve a man’s ego or to “separate” themselves from others with whom they are incapable of debating productively – I have some observations and issues on which I’d like to challenge them. I serve on the Board of Directors of multiple colleges and speak at even more. Some which used to invite me to speak in their largest meetings and conferences will no longer even allow me on their campus to recruit for staff. As a pastor and an educator, I just have some questions I want to ask out loud in regard to the state of higher Christian education. I personally find great frustration with the politics and pettiness that exists between some schools and great hope for some things I see as well. I suspect that just by posting this “tease” I’m going to make some College administrators nervous. That may not be a bad thing. Once again, an all-knowing, all powerful judge has determined what is right for the rest of the country as a Delaware court has not simply overturned a local school board’s requirement that Intelligent Design be considered along side of evolution, but also ruled that they could not teach that evolution was a “theory”. One of the greatest causes of the on-going social wars and subsequent chaos in this country is an out-of-control activist judiciary which continues to wrest control and decisions away from the states and cities and vests them instead, in the domain of the Northeastern power elite. Government breaks down the further you isolate it from the people. Let the states and communities and local taxing districts decide these situations. It’s been 30 years of turmoil since Roe vs. Wade took abortion laws away from the states and made it a federal issue. From crèches in parks, to sodomy statutes, to 10 Commandment displays, to the teaching of evolution, abstinence and extra-curricular religious topics in clubs, the insistence on the activist (liberal) courts to insert their high-minded and heavy-handed authority in issues best determined on a local issue continues to rip at the social fabric and societal values that were once the bedrock of this country. I’m not a big fan of I.D. per se, but let the locals decide. (I might add we got into this mess when we started allowing the federal government to fund the local school systems, but that is another rant.) And I might add, the language of the judge and the verbage used in the decision shows what could only be discribed as an arrogant loathing of the conservatives in this case and their religious values. He mocked, "preached", fined and demeaned them in a way that ought to offend every sincere person of faith in the country. By they way, why is it censorship to suggest that some books should not be accessible to children in public libraries, but not when the federal government refuses to even allow a belief to which the majority of Americans subscribe to be mentioned? As the 2008 election draws nearer, we can see various candidates pulling out of their respective political garages for test spins. Here are a few of my own thoughts on the passing parade: Most Interesting Presidential Face-Off – It would have to be Hillary vs. Condi. Least Interesting Presidential Face-Off – For the Republicans, it would have to be McCain vs. Giuliani and for the Democrats, Gore vs. Kerry. Can anyone say “Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumber”? Most Shocking Ticket: McCain and Lieberman as Independents. Surest way to get the Religious Right to sit at home in 2008: Have the Republicans nominate McCain or Giuliani. Surest way to get the Religious Right to go to the polls in 2008: Have the Democrats nominate Hillary. I’m so proud of our Northside Christian Academy family! One of our delightful junior girls is an amazing story of courage and grace. Her mother (who’s a single mom) suffered a stroke last year and she remains significantly physically impaired as a result. Melody takes care of all the family responsibilities and the care of her mom which is nearly at a level that it requires a full-time nurse. (She is not mobile or continent.) They live together, in a very small house, on disability. She attends our school on scholarship and is a hard worker and fine example. Her life is school and taking care of her mother and attending her church as she is able. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, our church took up a special offering of over $3,000 to help her catch up on some of her bills, but it wasn’t enough. So the school kids decided to designate this year’s “Baby Jesus” offering (an annual Christmas project offering) for Melody and her mom. At this date, the kids raised over $17,000! Read more HERE. Melody and her mom are overwhelmed and our administration is working with them on getting caught up on bills, budgeting the needs for medication and organizing their finances for the mid-term. I’m so proud to be the President of a school with students like our NCA kids. The largest gift that came in was $500 which means these kids and their parents were giving collectively. I know of kids who worked to earn money, gave away their own Christmas money and more so that this need could be addressed. While talking with our headmaster, Melody shyly asked if she might get an extra $25 from the funds so she could buy a housecoat for her mom for Christmas. Mr. Kilgore made sure that Melody knew that she was going to have access to make sure that both she and her mom had a nice Christmas. (If you want to give to the fund, you may send it to the “Melody Fund” at Northside Christian Academy, 333 Jeremiah Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28262).

NOTE: Here's an update from a couple of our sweetest church/school ladies...

Hey, Christy B*** and I went over to see Peggy and Melody M***** today. While we were there Peggy's Physical Therapist came in. Peggy stood up out of her chair for the first time. Her chair is one of those that tilts forward but the last time she tried to stand up she couldn't. She just cried. (and so did I) What a blessing! When we left she was walking to the bathroom using her walker. I'm so excited for them!! Just wanted to share the good news with you all. I’m picking up our eldest “son” from the airport tomorrow and then our whole family will be together for the holidays. (Rene’ is our unofficial “fifth” kid and he’s a student at Florida International University in Miami and hasn’t been home in a year so we’re looking forward to having him home for a few days.) We’re going to take some time together as a family next week, so my updating may continue to be “spotty” for the rest of the year. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog this year. I hope I will continue to challenge your thinking without making you too furious in the year to come.

|W|P|113510796391392410|W|P|This, That and the Other (Redux)|W|P|jdpettus@gmail.com12/22/2005 11:20:00 AM|W|P|Blogger Cindy Swanson|W|P|Dan, thanks for being a blessing to me and others through your wonderful blog. I hope you and your family have a very blessed Christmas!4/27/2006 09:00:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Dan Burrell|W|P|I'm not simply talking about ID, but also would include actual "creationism". Sure, there are gaps and questions that the naturalist or scientist might throw into any discussion. That's fair play. But it's intellectually dishonest to just summarily dismiss any discussion of alternative theories to evolution. There IS scientific and philosophical evidence of ID and Creationism....but the proponents of Evolution won't even allow them to be discussed. That, my friend, is censorship plainly and simply.12/19/2005 09:18:00 AM|W|P|Dan Burrell|W|P|Todd Rhoades sends out a weekly "Monday" email to pastors that is often informative and occasionally hilarious. Todd runs "Church Staffing.Com" which is actually a very good place to visit if you are looking for staff additions. This morning, he gave us his list of "7 Things NOT to Give Todd for Christmas." Few things make me laugh outloud on a Monday. This one did. You can read it HERE.|W|P|113500204371124805|W|P|What NOT to Get Your Pastor for Christmas|W|P|jdpettus@gmail.com12/14/2005 11:33:00 AM|W|P|Dan Burrell|W|P| You may remember that I posted an article on "Taxing the Life Out of Porn" a couple of months ago. I actually sent it to my syndication manager and it went out around the country and was picked up internationally on several websites and press outlets including a large web news outlet. Let's just say that the feedback from the pornographers has been, well, er..."less than gracious." I recently did a websearch on my name to find that one website (and NO, I will NOT link it here) actually has a whole page devoted to me with my name and a suggestion that is both immoral and offensive. As we say in the country, "Throw a rock down a dark alley and the dog that yelps loudest is the one you probably hit." I'm pleased to tell you that this idea of putting a "sin tax" on porn has gained some momentum. Today, at 4:00, none other than FOX NEWS financial guru, Neil Cavuto will be discussing the idea of adding pornography to the sin tax list. As I've said repeatedly, rare is the tax that I like and I'm philosophically opposed to using taxation for the purpose of social engineering. But, I'm willing to pragmatically put aside my economic values for the sake of making life a bit more miserable for porno-kings and their mindless minions. My good friend who is an attorney tells me I'm whistling through my hat. He contends that assigning a special tax to a (albeit a slimey) portion of the "media" is more than a little likely to be interpretted as a violation of the First Amendment. That may be the case, but I'd still like to give it a shot. After we run this by the courts, I'd like to see a sharp group of class action litigators go after the alcohol companies for the tens of thousands of deaths that are caused each year by drunk driving, drunk violence and disease. Hey, if we can do it to the tobacco companies and the pharmaceutical folks, why can't we go after Bud, Jack Daniels and the boys? There's a lot of money waiting to be "harvested" guys -- go for it! If you missed my article the first time, click HERE.|W|P|113457879058701360|W|P|Taxing the Life Out of Porn Gaining Momentum|W|P|jdpettus@gmail.com12/15/2005 10:37:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Terry Lange|W|P|Please elaborate on what a "syndication manager" is? I have never heard of such a person/title before?12/15/2005 10:42:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Dan Burrell|W|P|Terry...I am published columnist with Evangelical Press News which is a syndicate that distributes various news articles and commentarys made available by subscription. The term "syndication manager" is what I call the guy who makes the decisions about which articles and commentaries to distribute each week. I submit my work to him and he takes it from there.12/16/2005 03:49:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Terry Lange|W|P|Thanks for elaborating... As Paul Harvey would say, "Now you know the rest of the story"

Next question, how does one get a writing gig like you have with EPN?

Thanks12/13/2005 12:38:00 PM|W|P|Dan Burrell|W|P| Benjamin Franklin once said, "How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, his teachings! O, 'tis easier to keep holidays than commandments." There’s a lot of hullabaloo this time of the year over “Keeping Christ in Christmas”. John Gibson, of the FOX News Channel has even written a best-selling book entitled “The War On Christmas.” I have been invited twice in recent days talk radio shows (one of which was a nationally-syndicated show) to discuss how corporate America is changing Christmas into a cultural celebration as opposed to a religious observance and how the forces of political correctness are trying to nueter the spiritual message. (After thinking about it, I declined the invitations as I don’t think they would have liked my take on the whole topic.) Controversy surrounding the appropriate observance of holidays or Holy Days and the conflict between the secular and the sacred are as old as the New Testament Church. Paul had to address this to the believers in Rome, Galatia and Colossae. Even then the propriety and protocol for observing various holidays was controversial -- particularly among the believers. Bob Hope used to say, "The Christmas spirit is a wonderful thing. It's the one time of the year when a man will give somebody a $50 watch, and the rest of the year he wouldn't give him the time of day." I think few of us would argue that the way we observe Christmas in this day is at all honoring to the Lord Jesus Christ. Someone tried to engage me in a conversation about the whole commercialization of Christmas as it related to the spiritual message of Christ and I responded, rather crudely, the way we observe Christmas today in terms of honoring Christ is similar to inviting a stripper to your grandparents 50th Anniversary Celebration. It’s simply rude, inappropriate and wrong on every level. Some would argue, but yes, we have Christmas cantatas and communion services and so forth and I would just continue my argument by saying, in the typical American home those are the equivalent of having a Church service for the renewal of Grandpa and Grandma’s 50th Wedding Anniversary THEN having the stripper show up at the reception. For those who think I’m being gratuitously hyperbolic, then I would ask you to consider the typical office party observed at Christmas. Granted, devout Christians don’t go to the same level of excess (hopefully) as do non-believers, but I would still suggest our tendency to over-schedule, over-eat and over-spend is an unacceptable way to observe a Holy Day even if it doesn’t reach the depths of drunkenness and debauchery that will be observed by others. I also want to iterate that I’m not against Christmas. It is a sweet time of year around which many fond memories have been built in our own home and family. But I would also hasten to add that none of my fond memories are attached to busyness, gifts received or gorging myself into a coma. Instead, they rotate around breaking through snow drifts the last Christmas my grandfather was alive to pick him up for Christmas eve communion. Driving all night to spend the Christmas holidays with my mother and sisters the first year after my father died. Hearing my mother read the Christmas story to her squirming grandchildren as they sat on her flocked couch. Yes…it irritates me to hear that Wal-Mart is now saying “Happy Holidays” and just to be ornery, I will look the clerks straight in the eye and respond with “Merry CHRISTmas”. For me, my disgust for the ACLU is pretty much a 12-months-a-year loathing, but I will share with you that it does peak a bit with every lawsuit filed during the month of December to remove a nativity scene or a Christmas hymn from a school program. But in the end for me…I can and will observe Christmas in MY way in MY home and with MY spiritual values intact. That can’t be taken away from me by any corporate mogul or fanatical lawyer. Yes, I’m fully aware of the pagan origins of Christmas. From the Christmas tree to Santa Claus, I understand that the celebration is rife with observances that, at one time, were wasted on false gods, non-Christian or even unchristian practices and a whole lot of silliness. In my Christian liberty, however, I am fully convinced that I can have the freedom to ignore that debris as long as I don’t resurrect its real origin in my observances. Decorating a tree does not make you a druid unless you are observing the doctrines and beliefs of the druids. I’m decidedly not. My tree reminds me of Christ and family – nothing more and nothing less. If decorating a tree stirs conviction in your heart – then by all means, do not put up a tree. I have several friends who refuse to decorate a tree – oddly, one of them actually decorates a cross which I find more than a little bizarre. And yes, I could be accused of being inconsistent by refusing to observe “Halloween” and then turning around and enjoying “Christmas”. Scripture tells us that we must be convinced in our own minds and this is where I’m at today. It is not a test of fellowship with me – again, I govern my family and I provide leadership to my church, but you will have to give account to the Lord for the decisions you make. You are free in Christ to govern your own family. We simply must agree that Scripture should always be our foundational guide. David Noebel of Summit Ministries recently sent out an email with a list of Christmas Acts of Ludicracy which included the following:
  • In Texas, a teacher told students not to write "Merry Christmas" on greeting cards for soldiers in Iraq because it might offend someone.
  • In a New York school, the halls were decked with menorahs and Kwanzaa candles but no Christmas trees.
  • A high school principal in the Seattle area canceled a dramatic performance of Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol" because of its Christmas theme.
  • In Florida, an elementary school concert included songs about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa but offered no traditional Christmas music.
  • In Rochester, Minnesota, two students were reprimanded for saying "Merry Christmas" in a school skit.
  • Bay Harbor Islands, Florida refused to allow a Nativity scene on public property but has menorahs and the Star of David on lampposts.
  • This year's "Parade of Lights" in Denver included Native Americans, belly dancers, and a ceremonial Chinese dance to "chase away evil spirits," but the parade organizers would not allow any Christian-themed floats.
John Gibson recently blogged about a poor old Catholic priest who apparently got confused at a "Holiday" event sponsored by the city and dropped the "J" word. A city council man went berzerk and grabbed the microphone to correct the travesty. (He later recanted and apologized.) It is just one more silly example of political correctness run amok. However, stop and remember this... It has ALWAYS been on Satan's agenda to disrupt Christmas. He tried to stop it for 4,000 years before it ever happened. From the fall of man to the Egyptian captivity to Herod's murderous attack on infant boys -- Satan tried to stop the coming of Christ with every generation. So why should we be surprised that the unconverted world finds the celebration of Christ's birth offensive today? The whole "Peace on Earth" thing about Christmas is totally misinterpretted. It was simply a greeting. Christ's arrival didn't bring peace...it brought conflict. We cannot have the peace OF God until we have made peace WITH God and that could not happen until Calvary's agenda was complete and we have accepted the invitation offered by God to be part of His Redeemed Bride. Of course, we aren't offended by the observance of Hannukah or Kwanza or Ramadan or any other holiday of any flavor of spiritual significance. It means nothing to the Believer. Go ahead, knock yourself out -- it doesn't offend, matter or threaten me. Ah, but Christmas -- the message that sinners need a Savior, that Salvation saves us from damnation, that Satan was defeated and there is hope and life beyond the grave. Well, now...THAT'S a different matter. For in the message of Christmas, we have a confrontation. What will you do with JESUS? Scripture offends. The Gospel offends. Christ offends. That's they way it is supposed to be. Don't simply "react" to the political correctness. Point out the reason. No human can silence the call of God to salvation. Let the controversy be an opportunity; not a stumbling stone. Satan didn't prevent the first advent, nor will he hinder the second one. Our mission must be to be faithful to the call of Evangelism until Christ comes again.|W|P|113449672523881166|W|P|We Shouldn't Be Surprised that Christmas is Offensive to Some|W|P|jdpettus@gmail.com12/10/2005 11:48:00 AM|W|P|Dan Burrell|W|P| One of my closest friends, who is a former member of Grace Community Church received an email link to one of the most horrific websites on abortion I've ever seen from GCC Pastor/Elder Rick Holland. It is gruesome, shocking, horrifying, revolting, heart-breaking and dead-on accurate. You should force yourself to watch it. As the father of four children whose birthparents chose life, rather than abortion, this issue has always run deeply personal to me. But even if I were not connected to the issue at this level, I'd be adamantly opposed to this wanton and reckless attitude toward the miracle of life. Forty million babies have cried for mercy since the landmark ruling of Roe vs. Wade. I'm not so naive as to think that the world will ever be free from the holocaust and curse of abortion. At the same time, our government has chosen to legitimize it -- even subsidize it at times -- when it is nothing less than the wholesale slaughter of innocents. America's refusal to repent of this grave and wicked practice puts us in the same league as Hussein's Bathists and Hitler's Nazis. That isn't hyperbole -- it's just the harsh reality. I dare you to click on the link below and force yourself to watch it. Learn from its facts and statistics -- but don't shy from the brutal photographs and videos. It may remind you of what is at stake with every election, every judicial appointment, every conversation you have with your teenager about purity and abstinence, every act of evangelism and discipleship wherein we share God's plan for order, life and substance. You'll find the link HERE. If you have a blog...add the link to your site as well or link it to this post. The world needs to know.|W|P|113423403252883663|W|P|Let's Not Forget the Horror of Abortion|W|P|jdpettus@gmail.com12/06/2005 07:04:00 PM|W|P|Dan Burrell|W|P|Sometimes where one stands depends on where one sits. And again, sometimes where someone stands depends on where one stands. As a pastor, who stands on a podium week after week – often in various auditoriums – I can tell you that matters of church etiquette may be dependent upon on which side of the pulpit one finds himself. I’ll admit to being a bit defensive and protective of the ministry of preaching. I try not to take myself too seriously. I’m famous for making verbal faux pas’ due to the rapidity of my natural speaking pace and the fact that often my brain is traveling faster than my mouth. Just this week, while speaking at Baptist Bible College in Clark Summit I accidentally read the wrong text and momentarily had Enoch being caught up into heaven in a fiery chariot – but I was under the influence of medications at the time. So, I’m not afraid to laugh while preaching, poking at my own foilables and I really do enjoy connecting with an audience. But I also take preaching very seriously. Our teens will tell you that I don’t suffer goofing off during the preaching or prayer lightly. Once it is time to get into the meat of the Word, I become very focused on seeing it become real in the mind and heart of the listeners. Perhaps that’s why I find some audience behavior annoying, distracting and at times, offensive. I’ve been in a sort of goofy mood this week. These poor BBC students probably think I’ve been smoking and inhaling. Maybe it’s the time of the year or just my own appreciation for the “Theatre of the Absurd” – but, this topic has been in my craw lately, so I thought I’d give you a light-hearted perspective on this topic. So lacking anything truly substantive to blog about tonight, I offer my “Top 10 List of Rude Audience Behavior.” Drum roll, please…. 10. Coming in late These are folks who think that a late entrance is spiritual or fashionable or better-than-not-showing up at all. I’m not talking about the young single mother who is making sure her kids get to the nurseries or the occasional late-comer due to a traffic jam. I’m talking about the chronically tardy whose lateness is a matter of character. By coming in late week after week, you are communicating to the pastor that the first two songs or first two points or first two whatever you miss, just aren’t really that important. 9. Incessant Coughing Everybody gets a tickle once in a while or a lingering case of bronchitis. There’s also the sudden unannounced cough that shows up uninvited and catches everyone by surprise. But what I’m talking about is the person who sounds like they are going to hark up a lung or are in some way related to the sea lion family. If you already know you have a cough, bring a cough suppressant, sit near the back, step into the lobby until the fit passes. But please, don’t sit on the second row and bark until someone throws you a fish! 8. Cute and Not-so-cute Babies and Toddlers I’m 44 years old…there is nothing cute about me at all. I simply can’t compete with an adorable, cooing, curly-haired angel that wants to entertain three sections of pews with their absolutely darling antics. Please don’t make me try. I will lose every time. I just can’t compete with babies. And then there’s the screamers. Those kids, who when they get cranked up sound like a cross between a banshee and a 747 coming in for a short-runway landing. Interestingly, there is a correspondence in many cases between the volume of the screaming child and the cluelessness of the parent. It’s like they think that it’s like a bit of gas – it will pass in a few seconds and everything will be fine. Uh…no, once some of these kids get going there’s just no stopping them. Look, I’ve got four kids. I know they have to come into church eventually and that the training will require some difficult moments, squirming and even trips to the lobby. That’s OK. It’s part of being a family. But one screaming child in a room of 1,000 people will distract the congregation and the pastor and in effect, ruin a sermon. But one screaming or rambunctious child in a church of 100 and you might as well dismiss the service. Don’t let your kid wave at people, climb over and under pews, talk out loud, throw toys across the aisle and cause a disruption. The pastor has worked for hours and this is his life’s work. You do expect him to take it seriously, right? Then use the nursery and come in an listen respectfully. 7. Gum Oh, this is a big one and I’ll admit largely personal and petty. My wife thinks I’m nuts for griping about this as she truly loves her gum. But from my perspective, (and it IS a farm-boy’s perspective) standing before a bunch of gum chewers reminds me of looking at a row of Hereford cows chewing their cud. And if there’s one thing that will absolutely send me over the edge – crack it. Yes, that’s a nice touch. Not only do we get to watch endless mastication, we also get to listen to it as well with punctuated clicks, pops and snaps. Bring a sandwich, eat Oreos, shoot – set up your barbecue in the aisle and cooks some bratwursts, but please….NO GUM! (Particularly if you’re in the choir!) 6. The “drawn out” candy wrapper My grandmother was a great one at this. She’d bring those little Brach cinnamon disks that are so good, but have the noisy plastic wrappers around them. She was always worried about “causing a stir” so she’d try to unwrap it sslloooowwllyy – but what she really did was prolong the agony. Instead of quickly ripping it off in 1.2 seconds, it would take her 3 minutes of little crinkles and wrinkles until everyone was ready to scream, “PLEASE, for the sake of all our sanity! Just unwrap the stupid thing!” I also enjoy those who try to unwrap candy in their pockets and purses which doesn’t really muffle the noise but gives the impression that you’re about to pull out a revolver at any second. That’s a little nerve-wracking also. 5. The Thimble-Sized Bladder/Camel-Sized Thirst Syndrome You know what I mean…the folks that just can’t make it through a 90-minute service without hitting the restroom and/or the water fountain – at least once, sometimes more. My favorite was the rather large lady who sat up in front and would sneak sips from her Diet Coke can and then would waddle out mid-way through the service. Hello??? Lay off the coke and you won’t have to visit the “little girl’s room” – plus, is this a church or the movie theatre? What are you going to want next? Cup holders? While that example is a decade or more old, I’ve recently seen folks smuggling water bottles and coffee cups with them into various services. Seriously, if you are that thirsty – you might need to visit your doctor. If you can’t make it more than an hour without visiting the restroom, here’s another idea – Depends. 4. The Mega-Sneeze This of course is the malady of the individual who didn’t get enough attention when they were a child so they periodically have to let loose with a roaring sneeze that will blow the wig off the person sitting in front of them. Often, it sounds more like someone dropped an ice cube down their back or they are just entering into some sort of Charismatic fit and has the equivalent response of firing off a shotgun mid service. This half shriek, half howl sneeze is guaranteed to disrupt a preacher’s focus and cadence while people peel themselves off the ceiling and titter embarrassingly for a few moments. By that time, the preacher has moved through 2 more points. There additional versions of the "mega-sneeze" that includes sounds that run the gamut from whistles, to a tourette's whoop, to the sound that a mouse might make if you step on it. Just do a polite "achoo" and be done with it, OK? 3. The Inappropriate “Amen-er” A personal favorite here. The “inappropriate Amen’er” is often the person who uses a very loud “Amen” to announce some sort of personal problem. The preacher makes a statement like “A wife should support her husband’s effort to lead the home spiritually” when all of a sudden, some guy rips off a bellaring, “Welp, AMEN!”. A lot of people snicker, the wife turns red, the kids roll their eyes and he feels like he’s had his say. Yep, he said something alright…he just announced, “I’m an idiot.” 2. The Early Departer This person is VERY, VERY important. They are SO IMPORTANT that they can’t honestly be expected to wait until the benediction or the conclusion of the invitation or the final hymn. Oh no…they HAVE to be the first one out of the parking lot, first one in line at the nursery, first one at the Ryan’s Buffet or some other vital appointment. Usually these folks enjoy sitting near the front to give the impression that to respond to the invitation you go backwards, not forwards. Sometimes they have the look of a salmon swimming up stream as they dodge people who are coming forward to do business with the Lord. 1. CELL PHONES OK…This is my number one pet peeve. Rarely does a service go by without someone having a cell phone go off. This in spite of the fact that every church I know today has powerpoint signs, bulletin announcements, even verbal reminders to Turn Off Your Cell Phone. I particularly appreciate those who have a ringer that plays a rendition of “Livin’ La Vida Loca” or “Ebony and Ivory.” Yes, that truly promotes a spirit of Worship. Every phone I know of has both an “off switch” AND a “vibrate” setting. I’ve literally watched people answer their phones in the service and act like they are whispering as they carry on the conversation as they exit. What is SO important that it can’t wait a few more minutes? What did people do way back in the 1990’s when cell phones were a luxury, not part of one’s anatomy? Unless you work for the President or are a transplant surgeon, don’t you think it could probably be wait? Here’s a tip…when you turn the phone off, the voice mail will record your message and you can retrieve it as you sit in traffic waiting to leave the parking lot. Unless, of course, you are an “early departer.” Now, I’ve written this with tongue firmly in cheek. If you think you recognize yourself in this list, I wasn’t thinking about you. Really. No, I mean that. I promise…it ISN’T you! I’m not trying to come off as a prima donna or a legalist or some sort of retentive preacher/tyrant. But I do hope you’ll consider that the audience is really an audience in a true worship service. They are a part of the worship, the process, the presentation. Each of us in the body have different responsibilities as we worship together. Let’s all take our parts seriously.|W|P|113391393695926607|W|P|My Top 10 List of Rude Audience Behavior|W|P|jdpettus@gmail.com12/07/2005 10:15:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Dan Burrell|W|P|Great addition, Tina. I can't believe I missed that one. All personal grooming should be verboten in public audiences, but finger nail clipping is the worst. I always envision the clipping flying through the air landing in some ladies' bouffant.

Someone at church tonight mentioned that they had read this post and suggested the worst they had seen was breast-feeding during church. I've never observed that myself, but gotta' say I'd find it more than a little distracting.

Feel free to add more if you think of them!12/08/2005 12:33:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Cindy Swanson|W|P|Ouch, gotta admit...I'm often an early departer. Only because our church has a tendency to have very long night services, and I have to be up at 4 AM every day. But I really do try to exit from a back row, during a moment when most eyes are closed, BEFORE the invitation and as quietly as possible...honestly!

I was kinda surprised that you didn't mention the sleepers. I used to think preachers were just being petty when they complained about sleepers... until I spoke at a Rotary Club luncheon during which a prominent local dentist was practically snoring the entire time. I saw first-hand how rude and distracting it is!12/09/2005 03:50:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Ken Lewis|W|P|In addition to being a gifted speaker, you have a gift for stating the naked truth, but in a funny and inoffensive manner that still makes the point.

Thanks for the laughs and reminders of things that detract from the objective to 'preach and reach'.12/05/2005 08:53:00 PM|W|P|Dan Burrell|W|P| Well, this week I'm up at Baptist Bible College and Seminary in Clarks Summit, PA speaking at their college and seminary. I really enjoy my invitations here. They have a super spirit on campus. Jim Jeffrey is the President and he is a super guy. They have a wonderful worship leader for the college and the chapel music ministry is the best of any college I speak at bar none. The kids sing, the music is meaningful and sound, the spirit is free and I look forward to being a part of it every time I'm here. I preached at both services at Northside yesterday a.m. and then ran home and packed before heading to the airport. Of course, my plane was delayed an hour and they have no TV's in the waiting areas, so I missed the rest of the Panther's game which gave me a little bit of a bad attitude. (I did get to watch them haul some drunk dude off a flight headed to Newark and give him the "treatment" which was entertaining, but it was the NFL.) I made it to Philadelphia just in time to hustle over to my connecting flight. After running like OJ to the gate, we discovered that the flight there was delayed. Now let me tell you this. USAirways is about the only option we have for flying out of Charlotte as it is a major hub for them. On a good day, their service is mediocre. But if there is a "bottom-of-the-bucket" airport in American today in terms of service -- it is undoubtably Philadelphia. EVERY time I go there, I end up with lost luggage, unexplained delays or long waits on the tarmac. Yesterday I got all three. A four-hour delay -- with absolutely NO explanations from the USAirways personnel. You could get more information by calling the 800 number than you could get at the gate. THEN, when they finally loaded us onto a puddlejumper plane, we watched our carry-on luggage sent on the tarmac for 40 minutes until someone from luggage meandered over. So...they had four hours and forty minutes to transfer our luggage from the Charlotte flight to the Philly-to-Scranton flight. But of course, fully 1/2 of us didn't have luggage when we finally arrived in Scranton at 10:45. So they tell us to file a claim at the front counter. I was 12th in line and yes, they had all of ONE attendant processing claims. After 15 minutes, someone else showed up to help. They assured me that there was another flight coming in and my luggage would be delivered during the night so I didn't have to worry about the prospect of preaching in blue jeans at my 9:00 chapel service. I got up at 7:30 to pick up my bag at the hotel desk and of course, they hadn't delivered it. So I ended up borrowing a sport coat and khakis from the guy who picked me up. Thankfully, we basically wear the same size or so. THEN I get a call from USAirways that they've changed my flights for returning which would have caused me to miss a VERY important meeting I have at church Wednesday evening. So they rescheduled on a different flight to get me back only to put me on a flight that left while I was scheduled to be preaching in chapel! Cindy, the world's most competent personal assistant finally threated to break enough legs at USAirways that they put me on a Delta flight (I still will have less than an hour to go from chapel to being on the plane, but I think I can make it) which will get me back in time for my Wednesday night service and meeting. SO....if at all possible...a) do NOT use USAirways....they've lost my luggage so many times I've lost count, their counter help is consistently rude and they flight times are unreliable (there's a REASON they are in bankruptcy) and b) avoid Philadelphia Airport at all costs (It always amazes me that a skiff of snow causes the airport to go into paralyzation mode -- for pete's sake -- it's PHILADELPHIA...what do the get, like 500 inches of snow a year??!?!?). So I'm a little crabby tonight and stressed...but blogging helps me out. It's like therapy. I know the Lord is teaching me things right now, but I feel like I'm cramming for finals. Just getting sermons together for a week like this is a major effort after the harddrive crash. But in the end, God puts me where I need to be, when I need to be there and always lays something on my heart important enough to share. It's just this walking by faith thing that keeps me on my toes (or more like "on my knees.") Hopefully, I'll be able to post something less-whiny and more substantive in the next few days.|W|P|113383522182978451|W|P|I Told You Dirt Sticks to Me!|W|P|jdpettus@gmail.com12/01/2005 01:37:00 PM|W|P|Dan Burrell|W|P| I'm a bit under the weather this week with some sort of cold/bronchitus thing going on, so I haven't felt much up to writing. There are two interesting articles I'd call to your attention. First, you know one of my favorite bloggers is Phil Johnson of Pyromaniac. His blog artwork is simply unexcelled anywhere in cyberspace. But today, he writes an essay on "Worldliness" that is an absolute masterpiece and pokes both the liberals and the legalists directly in the eye. You simply must read it. Secondly, if you don't think Western Europe isn't a new dark continent in terms of the gospel, check out this article I received from ACSI this afternoon. ------------ It’s a Boy! A British Christian charity, the Breakout Trust, has spent about $350,000 to produce a film and distribute it to 26,000 primary schools to teach children about Jesus and His birth. “There are over 12 million children in the U.K., and only 756,000 of them go to church regularly,” said the animated film’s creator, Steve Legg. He told the Manchester Evening News that he came up with the idea for the movie to teach youngsters Bible basics when he heard about a “boy asking why Jesus Christ was named after a swear word.” Learn more at www.breakout.org.uk/. ------------ Finally, for those who still wonder about my harddrive. The news isn't good. The first company gave up without retrieving a single piece of data. Not one stinking byte. My brains are now bundled into an express mail package going somewhere in Indiana, I think, for another company to give it a shot. I'm sweating bullets as I'm teaching a Senior Level Worldview and Apologetics course in Boston in a month and ALL my notes, tests, visuals -- everything are on that harddrive! And no, I still haven't stopped whining about this.... Acchhooo for now.|W|P|113346317916684524|W|P|A Couple of Articles of Note|W|P|jdpettus@gmail.com