On Separation: it is interesting that those who don't believe in "secondary separation" (separation from disobedient brothers) accuse those who do of being divisive. Ironic, isn't it? If the goal is unity of the church at large, shouldn't you refrain from harming the unity of the body by calling people who differ from you divisive, especially when you complain about them doing that?
On preaching: the problem with some preachers is that they are more in love with their message than they are with their people. What I mean is this: For some preachers, the pursuit of the perfect homiletical outline has overridden their obligation to think about the audience to whom they are preaching. While the message should never compromise because of an audience, it should also never fail to communicate with the audience. The preacher must begin his preparation with two eyes on the text. He must finish his preparation with one eye on the text and one eye on his audience. One pastor I read talked of doing his final sermon prep at the food court in a local mall. He would see the people walking about and think about how his sermon would plug into their lives. It's not a bad suggestion.
On slogans: slogans are great tools. They are generally bad solutions. They are, by nature, usually memorable, but simple. I love those who can take a complex truth and boil it down to a simple memorable statement. But we must be cautious about naked sloganeering. Most of them need the clothing of explanation and application. For instance, I frequently give the whole message of the Bible in two words: God wins. It's a slogan. It's true. It also needs explanation. God's victory includes a lot of things along the way that need to be explained, defended, applied, and accepted. So by all means, use slogans when you can, but use them carefully.
Finally, on analysis: if you are going to do an expose of something, make sure you do your homework. Case in point: John MacArthur has recently written a book about the emerging church movement. It is being roundly criticized by some who believe that MacArthur did not do enough homework in preparation for the book. Though I have it, I have not yet read it (not sure if I will anytime soon). Questions are being raised: How many emergent church services did MacArthur attend? How many interviews with emergent church pastors did he conduct? If the answer is none, that is bad. When the people you are writing about do not recognize themselves in your writing, there may be a problem. Now I recognize that people being critiqued are not always objective about their problems, but they should at least recognize some of what you are saying. MacArthur's book is probably not entirely wrong, but it deserves some caution. I recommend reading both sides of the issue before you make dogmatic statements. It may save you from being wrong.
I think the emergent conversation has some severe problems. I think much of it is a distortion of historic Christianity. But I think we can show that from what they believe and do. We do not have to make stuff up, or paint the worst possible picture of a situation. Their own actions are sufficient.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
At the Diner - Wisdom from the Mail Lady
I never see the mail lady (she calls herself that) when she delivers mail at the church. She just puts it through the slot. But I do see her in the diner just about every time I am in there.
She usually stops and talks and tells me what’s going on in her church and her life. Yesterday, she had these words of wisdom gleaned from a message last week at her church, presented in her own inimitable way (which needs her personality to give the full effect).
Tell them if you want to be in a good relationship with your husband you have to stop talking and let him be in control. It’s in the Bible.
I told her I would pass it along.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The Conversation of Worship - The Public Reading of Scripture
The public reading of Scripture is a feature of the corporate worship of God’s people, both in the Old Testament and New Testament. Public reading of Scripture was found during the wilderness wanderings (Exod 24:7), the great reformation of Josiah (2 Kings 22-23), and the return of the exiles under Ezra and Nehemiah (Neh 8-9). In each of these cases, as well as more that could be cited, the public reading of Scripture played a major and vital role in the revival and growth of God’s people. This practice was carried over into NT Judaism, seen in the life of Christ (Luke 4:16ff) and Paul (Acts 13:15ff; esp. v. 27), though the reading of the word was typically not mixed with submission in those who heard it.
Paul considered his own writings as authoritative and worthy of public reading. He command the public reading of Scripture in
However, the public reading of Scripture may be the most uncommon of worship practices in modern churches, particularly in fundamentalism. Though we have long and rightly emphasized the preaching of the word, we have often overlooked the naked reading of the Word. It is generally not viewed as a dynamic part of the worship, and perhaps viewed by many as boring and uninteresting.
What is striking in the OT passages is that the people’s attention was focused on the Scriptures for lengthy periods of time. They would stand while the Law was read from for hours at a time—from “early morning until
There are a number of ways in which the public reading of the Word can be carried out. It can be done by a single person reading aloud to the assembled congregation, by means of responsive reading (alternating verses between a solo leader and the unison reading aloud of the congregation), or by having the congregation read aloud together. A variety of practice can be beneficial in exposing ourselves to the Word of God through the bare reading of Scripture without comment.
[1] It may be that these long sessions also included “translating to give the sense” of the Scripture, which would be preaching.
Friday, May 25, 2007
The Conversation of Worship - The Regulative Principle
For worship to fit the proposed definition there must be both a reception of the truth and a response to the truth. The idea known as the Regulative Principle teaches that God has ordained the manner in which this reception and response should be carried out. The Westminster Confession of Faith is a widely recognized formulation of the Regulative Principle.
WCF 21:1 The light of nature showeth that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty over all; is good, and doth good unto all; and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might. But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scripture
The Regulative Principle is the expression of the Reformer’s desire to return to sola Scriptura. Believing that the Scripture was sufficient for all things, it necessarily followed that it was sufficient to declare how the church should approach God in worship.[1] Frame says “Everything we do in worship must be divinely warranted.”[2] Or as Pratt puts it, “We must have positive biblical support for all that we do in worship.”[3]
The Regulative Principle distinguishes between the elements of worship (the constituent parts of it) and the circumstances (place, time of day, use of bulletins, musical instruments, etc.). The circumstances are the way in which we observe or practice the elements. The elements are prescribed while the circumstances are left to the discretion of the church.
Though the Regulative Principle is an ongoing topic of debate, it is generally agreed that there are five elements of worship prescribed in Scripture and therefore necessary for the church. Those five elements are 1) Reading of Scripture, 2) Prayer, 3) Singing, 4) Preaching, and 5) Sacraments or Ordinances. The intent here is not to make an argument for the Regulative Principle, nor to answer objections or address the suggested weaknesses of it. Rather, having previously defined worship as a conversation, the intent is to show how the conversation of worship is warranted by Scripture and should be considered as a paradigm for corporate worship.
[1] See D. G. Hart and John R. Muether, With Reverence and Awe (
[2] John M. Frame, “A Fresh Look at the Regulative Principle,” www.reformedperspectives.org/newfiles /joh_frame/frame.ethics2005.afreshlookattheregulativeprinciple.pdf, accessed 17 Dec 06.
[3] Richard L. Pratt, “The Regulative Principle,” www.reformedperspectives.org/newfiles/ric_pratt/ th.pratt.reg.prin.pdf accessed 17 Dec 06.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Evangelism for the Fainthearted
Evangelism for the Faint Hearted
By Floyd Schneider
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There is no doubt that a vast majority of people in evangelical and fundamental churches (churches that actually have the gospel or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof) have never shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with other people. One of the most common reasons given is that they are scared. I remember when I first came to Grace, an older lady who had been a member of the church since the 50s expressed to me her unwillingness to counsel a child in the way of salvation. She was afraid she might say the wrong thing or give a wrong answer.
The truth is that she is not alone. It is doubtful that there are any of us that have never felt the twinge of cowardice when a door for the gospel opens. Even the apostle Paul prayed for boldness. For most, this struggle to share the gospel with others is not because they think it is unimportant (though some certainly do), but because they are scared. Fear overrules their knowledge of the obedience of evangelism.
To address these people Floyd Schneider has written an excellent little book (217 pages) that will be abundantly clear on the first read, but will likely take a number of reads to begin to understand and think in the manner he present.
In essence, this is a book of questions, good questions, questions that will form the basis of a good evangelistic approach. In fact, this book has more question marks than any book I have ever read. Now mind you, these are not the questions the author is asking you, but questions that the author is encouraging to you ask others.
In short, this is a book about apologetics that takes very little training. It encourages evangelization by encouraging people to find answers to questions in Scripture. Your basic role is encouraging people to ask questions based on what the Bible says, and then find the answers to the question in the Bible.
Three Major Propositions
The genius of this book can be summed up in three major propositions.
1. Relationships provide the foundation for fruitful spiritual conversation.
While Schneider does devote a section to Short Conversations with people whom you might never see again (chapter 8, pp. 103-116), the bulk of his book is built on the foundation of his first principle of witnessing: Become a friend before you become a preacher (p. 87). While some have objected to “friendship evangelism” because it seems to be more about friendship than evangelism, Schneider is clear about getting to the gospel. However, he believes (and with good merit) that these kinds of conversations are usually better received from someone who is a friend first.
He cites a Swiss missionary who says, “If people get to know you as a nice person and then they discover that you’re a bit odd about religion, they won’t mind. But if all they know about you is that you’re a fanatic about religion, they probably won’t ever make the effort to discover that you’re a nice person” (p. 28).
In stressing the need for a relationship, he encourages cultivating a genuine interest in something they are interested in and warns against viewing non-Christians “only as potential converts, whom you will cast off if they do not get saved” (p. 30).
2. Questions can demonstrate the absurdity of rejecting a belief system without evaluation.
Another major component of Schneider’s approach is the apologetic task of showing the absurdity of unjustified epistemology. (I just wanted to write that.) Here’s what it means: If you have never read the Bible, how do you know it’s not right? How can you so adamantly reject something you know nothing about?
He demonstrates the absurdity of moral relativism with examples that everyone will understand. He shows how people use in everyday life are rejected when it comes to their beliefs about God. As I read, I found myself smiling, even laughing, at the simplicity with which Schneider shows the absurdity of some people’s approach to faith, religion, and life, using illustrations from everyday life to show that people treat issues of religious faith totally differently than they treat other things that they must believe. Several of his ten principles (pp. 87-116) deal with getting your friend to question his current beliefs by asking him questions about why he believes what he does—how he justifies what he believes (his epistemology). He says, “You will have accomplished a lot if you cause a stranger to doubt his own viewpoints” (p. 116).
Questions have a way of provoking thought. Declarations have a way of provoking self-defense. With an unbeliever, you want the former, not the latter.
3. The Bible provides the authority by which one will be converted. Therefore, get your friends to read the Bible with you.
The third major proposition Schneider heavily emphasizes is the sufficiency of Scripture to bring about faith in the reader. He says, “God’s thoughts, as found in His Word, will do a far better job of convicting our unsaved friends than we can with our explanations of His Word. Therefore, we emphasize reading the Bible with our friends, not just giving them a gospel presentation” (p. 22).
Contrary to most evangelism approaches that I have seen, Schneider does not present a canned conversation with leading questions to get people to a point of decision in a few minutes. In fact, Schneider is adamant that you not give answers (principle 9, p. 100). If you do, you will become the source of authority. He does not encourage debating with people, or trying to “argue them into the
To demonstrate this approach in action, pp. 172-205 contain an extended discussion of
Other Observations
Schneider includes a section on understanding Christ’s approach (pp. 34-46), preparing yourself (pp. 47-52), turning conversations to spiritual topics (pp. 53-73), witnessing to cult members (p. 120-124), and actually reading the Bible with someone (pp. 157-164). Each chapter closes with “Do It”—a list of suggestions for putting the chapter into practice. It makes this book very useable for a discipleship course in evangelism training.
The emphasis on question asking is a much needed emphasis, but it will take a photographic memory or several reads for most people to begin to grasp the mindset Schneider is suggesting. He recommends lots of practice by yourself, asking questions and anticipating responses (p. 87). Learning to ask question is an art-form in a way, but it can be learned. The great thing about what Schneider is recommending is that you do not actually have to have answers. The text will answer the questions.
Incidentally, I think the questions throughout this book have the potential to help pastors in their sermon preparation by helping us to think about the objections to Scripture and the false standards of belief that have been raised up that can and should be destroyed by preaching. It can help the pastor ask probing questions that provoke thought. And it simply has some great illustrations about scriptural topics.
Cautions
While Schneider heavily emphasis the authority of Scripture, one can get the impression that he is also dependent on his ability to ask probing questions. We must be aware of our dependence on cleverness to do the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit does certainly use our witness, but it does not seem that he is generally given to cleverness. The danger of all apologetic evangelism is the danger of authority transfer from the simplicity of Christ crucified and proclaimed to the ability to persuade through cleverness and argumentation.
The use of friendship evangelism must also be carefully guarded to make sure that our evangelism does not become simply being different. Schneider does emphasize the evangelistic power of a changed life. However, we must constantly remember that a changed life is not enough. It did not please God through the amazement of changed lives to save, but rather through the foolishness of the message preached. As Schneider points out, becoming a friend before becoming a preacher is vital, but it is insufficient.
Conclusion
I highly recommend this book. It will be great as for an individual or for a discipleship class or group study. It will not be a good book for those who like instant results. If your driving goal is to see a person pray during your very first conversation, this approach will not satisfy you. It will however have the possibility of actually seeing people saved after they have come face to face with the truth of Scripture as opposed to coming face to face with you. Schneider will not encourage to you take their hand, put your other hand on their shoulder and squeeze just right while looking them in the eyes from fourteen inches away. He will encourage you to get them face to face with the Jesus of the Bible.
Those who are scared that they do not know enough about the Bible can find great encouragement in this approach. All you need to know, really, is how to find the gospel of John, and how to ask questions. You do not even have to be able to answer them. Remember, one of Schneider’s main points in the book is that we should not answer questions. When we answer questions, it becomes our view and we are risking the appearance of asking someone to believe what we have said. It would be better to have them find their answers directly in Scripture.
This approach to evangelism will be difficult for those with the gift of teaching, since they like to instruct and give answers. It will also be difficult for those who think they have the gift of right answers. One of the main repetitive themes of the book is Ask questions; don’t answer them. You want the answers to be found in the Bible through reading. That way, you do not become the authority; the Scripture does.
So read it … and do it.
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