This was floating around Facebook yesterday that originated from comedian Tim Hawkins.

“God is an imaginary friend.”

“Choose reality–it will be better for all of us.”

KDVR TV noted that in the land of faith-filled Tim Tebow comes a crew looking to express their own beliefs. Why?

“One of the reasons we put the billboard up is that we are concerned when religious people feel they have not only the right, but the obligation, to force their religious views on others,” the group says on its Web site. “Examples are proselytizing in the military, educational systems, and government. Another example is the attacks by religious people on gays, lesbians, and abortion providers.”

It seems clear that by “forcing,” they mean expressing our beliefs with conviction–not unlike they are doing here. And I say, express away!

Atheists would disagree, but the burden of proof is on them to explain away an intelligent Creator. Everything that is in our day-to-day realm has a maker of some sort on a smaller scale–we don’t even question that. But a supernatural Maker is so out of the question? And even if it was for some, why be so offended? That goes for both sides, mind you.

We as followers of Christ know that there are those who will cast us aside. Consider the name of the Colorado Coalition for Reason. They are reasonable while we are not. The straw man that is presented here is that if you trust in something that cannot be seen or examined in a petri dish and isn’t explainable to them, it’s not so.

These billboards for the most part only serve to bolster those in their own camp. Christians should not be surprised by this. People, even those who claim to once have believed, will come against us saying they have been more enlightened by their finite view of the latest thing to come down the secular humanist pike. So be it! We speak what we know to be the Truth and let the Spirit of God do His work.

In the meantime, dear Christians, plant those seeds (1 Cor. 3:7-8) and sleep well.

Many evangelicals assert that Mormonism denies the divinity of Christ and is therefore not a branch of Christianity. But the Mormon belief is that Jesus was the first-born child of God and a woman, and that humans can aspire to share his spiritual essence in the afterlife.

What’s more, if a belief in Christ’s divinity were used as a test of our politicians, many past American leaders would fail abysmally. Most of the founding fathers — including Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine — endorsed deism, which sees Jesus as a very good human being, not part of the godhead.

Here, Reynolds takes on two different streams of thought and tries to make them one argument. 

In regards to the first paragraph above, Mormonism is very much considered a cult because of this very doctrine.  Consider what is said from a Mormon publication back in 2005:

"Many religions teach that human beings are children of God, but often their conception of Him precludes any kind of bond resembling a parent-child relationship. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught of a much simpler and more sensible relationship: “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit … was to make himself visible … , you would see him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with Him, as one man talks and communes with another." - Strengthening the Family: Created in the Image of God, Male and Female, The Ensign, Jan. 2005, pg. 48

And with the notion that Jesus had a beginning, when the Scriptures teach numerous times that He had no beginning (John 1:1-3; John 12:37-42; Colossians 1:15-17, cf: Psalm 89:27) makes this a gigantic rift between evangelicalism and Mormonism.  According to the Scriptures, God the Father was never a man who simply ‘grew up’ to become God. 

But here Reynolds goes into another strand of the argument, taking us into the political realm.  No, Jefferson, Washington, Franklin, nor Paine were evangelicals.  Jefferson wrote his own New Testament that took out all of the miracles, leaving us only the teachings of Christ—which he respected greatly.  Paine, writer of the classic Common Sense, was an avowed atheist.  Washington and Franklin never stuck to any religion at all, but did see value in the Bible as a way to craft a society.  However, having a respect for the Bible and surrendering to the Christ to whom that Bible points are two widely different viewpoints.

Reynolds goes on to speak of the 19th century spiritual awakenings that led to a strengthening of faith and a sense that some were appointed for a mission fueled by a vision of God’s will:  Ellen G. White (Seventh Day Adventists), Joseph Smith (LDS/Mormonism), Charles Taze Russell (Watchtower Society/Jehovah’s Witnesses), and Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Science) among others.

But Reynolds believes he understands why evangelicals have an issue with Mormons:  competition.

The real issue for many evangelicals is Mormonism’s remarkable success and rapid expansion. It is estimated to have missionaries in 162 countries and a global membership of some 14 million; it is also, from its base in the American West, making inroads into Hispanic communities. Put simply, the Baptists and Methodists, while still ahead of the Mormons numerically, are feeling the heat of competition from Joseph Smith’s tireless progeny.

Some evangelical leaders take this a step further to accuse Mr. Romney of vaguely conspiratorial motives. The Baptist minister R. Philip Roberts, author of “Mormonism Unmasked,” recently said that evangelicals are concerned not about Mr. Romney promoting his faith as president, but about the great boost a Mormon presidency would give to the church’s proselytizing efforts.

There is particular worry that Mr. Romney, a wealthy, prominent figure in the church, is too close to his faith. How else to explain the concern among evangelicals when it became public that Mr. Romney had tithed some $4 million to the church over the last two years?

Interdenominational competition may also explain why the faith of Mr. Romney’s father, George Romney, went unchallenged when he ran for president in 1968. Back then Mormonism was a much smaller, and therefore less controversial, part of the religious landscape.

“Baptist and Methodists . . .  are feeling the heat of competition from Joseph Smith’s tireless progeny”?  This is a sad commentary on the religious landscape when so many hear what we as church leaders speak of when we talk about our ministries—the issue of numbers. 

The time has come for those of us who are leaders of evangelical churches and institutions to make it very plain: we are not concerned just about physical numbers, but spiritual waywardness.  Reynolds appeals to religious tolerance—and on a democratic, republic level, this is a good thing.  We do not believe it is the job of the state to dictate what religion we should or shouldn’t hold to—this is why the Revolutionaries wanted freedom from England in colonial times. 

But on the religious/spiritual level, every religion cannot be true.  The argument that as long as you believe in something, that should be respected.  We can respect it, but we can also disagree with it. 

• If an evangelical says that Scripture is the sole authority, while a Mormon says it’s Scripture, but also the Book of Mormon, Doctrines and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price—both of these cannot be true.
• If an evangelical says that Christ was divine in order to be able as God to fulfill God’s law, but also live as a man to actively identify and pay for our sins as a sacrifice on the cross; while Mormons believe that Christ had a beginning from a sexual union between God (who was once a man) and a woman, and that it’s by our good works that bring us into heaven—both of these cannot be true.

I could go on.  It’s not about competition.  It’s about truth.  It’s about “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).  For some, it may be about numbers and competition—but not for most.  For most evangelicals worth their salt, it’s about showing how it’s not up to us to work our way to heaven, but about trumpeting a Christ who came down from heaven to rescue us from our sin and self by His sacrifice on the cross and breaking the bonds of death Himself by His resurrection. 

It’s not about competition—it’s about a competence in speaking the truth!  And even in our day, there is still such a thing as absolute truth. 

The question remains: how does this issue play into the election of a Chief Executive in 2012?  Tune in later this week.

The Timeline differs from the default profile pages we know and love in several ways. Now, rather than showcasing only your most recent posts, your personal front page can be scrolled back months or years at a time. Most importantly, this change can offer visitors a glimpse at your entire social networking past, all the way back to the day that you joined up. The revamp can be both a blessing and a curse for seasoned social networkers, as it can produce a bit of pleasant nostalgia, but also drag up some of your less proud public moments.

He offers advice, such as scouring your history to prune away any problematic status updates or photos, or jump ship to Google+. 

The social media lifestyle is helpful, but one does need to show continued discipline in using this.  For some, Facebook, Twitter, and every other type of social media communication is used to put down every thought that comes across the mind.  Daily, we are hearing of young, undisciplined millionaire athletes who, in typical kneejerk reactions, post their thoughts on Twitter—only to go back and ‘scour’ those tweets because of a public relations issue that inevitably arise.

My suggestion?  Before you post anything on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or the like, let it take a lap around your mind—maybe two laps.  Will there be any fallout or any explanations that will be needed?  While we may not always see every angle (sadly, I don’t always), we will at least be taking steps to, as so many are now, cleansing and purging their Facebook pages.  There won’t be anything to purge!

“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give an account of every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Jesus in Matthew 12:36-37, ESV). 

A couple of months ago, I posted a question about an ethical dilemma a recently engaged woman is facing. She just found out that her spouse to-be has had “ongoing struggles with pornography.” She isn’t sure what to do, or how to make sure the issue is sufficiently addressed. You gave your thoughts on the issue, and here are mine.

Dear Engaged and Confused,

Far too many women are watching “The Notebook” or “Twilight” for indicators on what kind of man they should marry. Instead, you probably should watch “The Wolf Man.”

Have you ever seen any of those old werewolf movies? You know, those in which the terrified man, dripping with sweat, chains himself in the basement and says to his friends, “Whatever you do, no matter what I say or how I beg, don’t let me ought of there.” He sees the full-moon coming and he’s taking action to protect everyone against himself.

In a very real sense, that’s what the Christian life is about. We all have points of vulnerability, areas of susceptibility to sin and self-destruction. There are beings afoot in the universe who watch these points and who know how to collaborate with our biology and our environment to slaughter us.

Wisdom means knowing where those weak points are, recognizing deception for what it is, and warring against ourselves in order to maintain fidelity to Christ and to those God has given us.

What worries me about your situation is not that your potential husband has a weakness for pornography, but that you are just now finding out about it. That tells me he either doesn’t see it as the marriage-engulfing horror that it is, or that he has been too paralyzed with shame.

What you need is not a sinless man. You need a man deeply aware of his sin and of his potential for further sin. You need a man who can see just how capable he is of destroying himself and your family. And you need a man with the wisdom to, as Jesus put it, gouge out whatever is dragging him under to self-destruction.

This means a man who knows how to subvert himself. I’d want to know who in his life knows about the porn and how they, with him, are working to see to it that he can’t transgress without exposure. I’d want to know from him how he plans to see to it that he can’t hide this temptation from you, after the marriage.

It may mean that the nature of his temptation means that you two shouldn’t have computer in the house. It might mean that you have immediate transcription of all his Internet activity. It might be all sorts of obstacles that he’s placing in his way. The point is that, in order to love you, he must fight (Eph. 5:25; Jn. 10), and part of that fight will be against himself.

Pornography is a universal temptation precisely because it does exactly what the satanic powers wish to do. It lashes out at the Trinitarian nature of reality, a loving communion of persons, replacing it with a masturbatory Unitarianism.

And pornography strikes out against the picture of Christ and his church by disrupting the one-flesh union, leaving couples like our prehistoric ancestors, hiding from one another and from God in the darkness of shame.

And pornography rages, as Satan always does, against Incarnation (1 Jn. 4:2-3), replacing flesh-to-flesh intimacy with the illusion of fleshless intimacy.

There’s not a guarantee that you can keep your marriage from infidelity, either digital or carnal, but you can make sure the man you’re following into it knows the stakes, knows how to repent, and knows the meaning of fighting the world, the flesh, and the devil all the way to a cross.

In short, find a man who knows what his “full moon” is, what it is that drives him to vulnerability to his beastly self. Find a man who knows how to subvert himself, and how to ask others to help.

You won’t find a silver bullet for all of this, but you just might find a gospel-clinging wolf man.

(Russell D. Moore serves as dean of the School of Theology and senior vice president for academic administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.)

Americans do not have a corner on how to do church. In fact, we could learn some things from other faithful Christians in other cultures.

I have shared here that Trinis are more animated in every way in their worship, but I do not mean this categorically in a good way, for that can be as much out of tradition as much as our lack of animation. Having said that, their reaction to their Savior and the preaching of the Word and the praises to God through music that, for many, would take some getting used to. But it matches what’s happening and what’s being said. From a preacher’s standpoint, their participation helps propel and fuel the preaching out of a sense that what is being communicated is landing.

So I contend it’s a mistake to go to other cultures to Americanize their times of worship, as of God calls all peoples everywhere to be Americans as much as devout followers of Christ. This is not only misguided, it robs us of the blessing of the variety God has placed among the cultures of His imagebearers.

This translates to our cultures as well. We can force the culture of a certain era or section of the country on our own, seeing it as infallible, rather than looking to understand where and when we are now and serve as missionaries to our neighbors and not just other nations.

I was flooded with wonderful memories of previous trips from my former church, for which I am grateful.

I was pastor at Boone’s Creek Baptist Church outside of Lexington, Kentucky for eight years (2003-2011) and took four teams to minister in Trinidad. VBSes, construction, crusades, church planting helps, and various other ministries were accomplished. We developed bonds that can only be forged on a mission trip for Christ.

In the whirlwind of God changing ministries from Kentucky to Colorado, I had little time to really process the change. Much ink is spilled over churches going through a change of pastors, even a grieving process that manifests itself in anger, sadness, loss, and even betrayal.

Yet pastors go through this as well. Transitions seem on the surface seem to happen so quickly when in reality in the private moments there is some anguish and fear and bewilderment as to what God is up to. Then sharing that with family, especially the children who will have to leave school and friends–goodness!!

This is where my thankfulness for the doctrine of the sovereignty of God in all things holds us up. God has His ways and He crafts our hearts to His. I can say that I wouldn’t trade the times at Boone’s Creek for anything in the world and I am grateful that God provides memories that I can draw on. He allowed me to serve some great people there and is allowing to serve great people now.

That is plenty for now. As I continue to process, I will share more.

Now that we are semi-settled, I plan on getting back to blogging, but am praying and pursuing what the focus should be.  While GGP is obviously focused on preaching at TRLT is for my congregation, I need to have a laser focus here as well.   By February 1st, I intend to have that focus ready.

Thank you again for your patience.  I look forward to interacting with you in the future.

Historians over the last century have ranked Abraham Lincoln has one of the top two presidents in the history of the United States—most rank him first by a long shot.  On the surface, the reason many cite is that his presidency coincided with the great turmoil and struggle in our history: the U.S. Civil War. 

Doris Kearns Goodwin, author and historian extraordinaire, has penned a classic that could be classified not simply under “History > American History > Civil War,” but could stand as one of the finest books on leadership in print.  Here is a description of the book from the Team of Rivals website:

Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln’s political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president.

On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry.

Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded, Goodwin demonstrates, was the result of a character that had been forged by life experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals. He won because he possessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires.

It was this capacity that enabled Lincoln as president to bring his disgruntled opponents together, create the most unusual cabinet in history, and marshal their talents to the task of preserving the Union and winning the war.

We view the long, horrifying struggle from the vantage of the White House as Lincoln copes with incompetent generals, hostile congressmen, and his raucous cabinet. He overcomes these obstacles by winning the respect of his former competitors, and in the case of Seward, finds a loyal and crucial friend to see him through.

This brilliant multiple biography is centered on Lincoln’s mastery of men and how it shaped the most significant presidency in the nation’s history.

According to the website, Steven Spielberg is making a movie based on this book, focusing on the last four months of Lincoln’s life and presidency. 

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.  Lincoln demonstrates how to reconcile and work with those who are not merely different from him in personality and ambition, but are indeed rivals—each having believed at one point they deserved the presidency more than he.  The way he earned their respect and loyalty is something to behold.

Christmas has its cradle,
where a baby cried
Did the lantern’s shadow
show Him crucified?
Did He forsee darkly
His life’s willing loss?

Christmas has its cradle
and Easter has its cross
Christmas has its cradle,
shepherds came to see
Little Son of Mary,
Lamb of God to be
Had His Father warned Him,
none would spare Him room
Save in the Christmas cradle
or in the Easter tomb

Christmas has its cradle,
wise men came to bring
Myrr and gold and incense,
off’rings for a King
Myrrh alone stayed with Him,
death’s balm for this Boy
From the Christmas cradle
and to His Easter joy

Christmas has its cradle,
where that Baby cried
In the Easter garden,
Christ lay, crucified
When death’s pow’r was conquered,
God’s life through Him poured
Christmas has its cradle
and Easter has its Lord!

(Rae Whitney)

Tomorrow begins the Week of Prayer for International Missions as called for by the SBC’s International Mission Board (IMB).  Many churches are being very creative in how they raise funds for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.  This past Friday night, Arapahoe Road Baptist Church’s senior adults held an auction of homemade donated items that did really well and was for a great cause.  (What have some of your churches done to raise money for missions?)

Below are some statistics given by IMB to give us an idea of what Southern Baptists are doing—but also the work that’s ahead to reach all the unreached people groups for Christ.  (For more Fast Facts, click here.)

———————–

Field personnel under appointment (11/16/11): 4,887

   Career/apprentices:  4,254

   2-yr. ISC/Journeymen/Masters: 633

Field personnel appointed 2010: 381

   Career/associates/apprentices: 215

   2-yr. ISC/Journeymen/Masters: 166

Student volunteers 2010: 4,100

Overseas baptisms 2010*: 360,879

Overseas churches 2010*: 163,756

Overseas church membership 2010*: 3.1 million

New churches 2010*: 29,237

People groups engaged**: 763

Unreached People Groups not Engaged**: 3,629

World population 2010**: 6.8 billion

The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (LMCO) goal for Christmas 2010 is $175 million.

LMCO receipts for Christmas 2010 was $145.6 million.

*data from 2010 Annual Statistical Report, reflecting status end of 2009
**data from Global Status of Evangelical Christianity August 2011

————

These statistics bring home the fact that much work needs to be done in reaching the unreached people groups of the world.  It’s more than simply making a one-week trip, but it’s about making an investment.

I’m grateful to the International Missions Board for their dedication to promoting, rallying, equipping, and sending missionaries to the nations.  But the main weapon God uses and will use in reaching the unreached is our local churches.  No longer can American Christians simply throw money at the issue (as much as that is needed to fund those who are called), but we need to rally and rise up to reach the nations.

The Nations are our Neighbors

Today, I had the chance to meet with nine others at a church member’s house to hear Wes Tucker who has a passion to reach Muslim college students for Christ.  He goes up and down the range in Colorado, making good inroads at Colorado State University, and hopes to make inroads in area colleges here. 

Over and over, it kept coming up that the nations are our neighbors due to the great influx of international students coming to study here. 

At my previous church (Boone’s Creek Baptist Church in Lexington, KY), J.D. Payne came to speak at our Neighbors to the Nations Sunday on how the nations are our neighbors.  He notes: “The United States is the world’s largest migrant receiving nation–absorbing 20% of the world’s annual international migrants.”  I recommend you going and reading up on his presentations about this issue.  Maybe God will stir your hearts to be neighbors to the nations among us.