"Judgmental"

"Judgmental" is just one of the terms that young people use to describe Christianity. Sadly, Christianity's reputation has taken a hit over the last few years. It seems that as though we're known more for being hypocritical, judgmental, anti-gay, and too political. The Barna Group has done some groundbreaking research recently that gives us a picture of what the next generation thinks about Christianity and why it matters. Check out these sobering stats:

PERCEPTIONS OF CHRISTIANITY AMONG 16-29 YEAR OLDS

• 91% of non-churchgoers believe Christianity is antihomosexual.
• 87% believe Christians are too judgmental.
• 85% believe Christians are hypocritical (saying one thing, doing another)
• 78% believe Christians are old-fashioned.
• 75% believe Christians are too involved in politics.

My hope is that Christ-followers in America will wake up and start engaging culture like they should, with love and compassion for ALL people. And if we really wake up, I guarantee that the world will take notice and those perceptions will change drastically. And perhaps 30 years from now, Christians and the church will be known more for love, service, holiness, and respect.

Over the next few Sunday mornings, we're going to talk about these negative perceptions and what it will take to change those perceptions. Hope to see you this Sunday!

"Reflections from a New Father"

Here is a link for an article that I wrote this week for our adoption agency, Children's Hope International: http://www.childrenshopeint.org/E-News/June08/email.htm

Happy Father's Day!

Date Night @ the Opry

On Tuesday night, Carrie (my wife) and I had our first date night since we brought our baby boy home. Carrie likes Carrie Underwood, so I bought her tickets to the Grand Ole Opry. The Oak Ridge Boys (my favorite group) also happened to be there. Thought I'd share a few pics...

Jesus' Wife

Did you know Jesus is married? A lot of people don't realize this, but the Bible refers to the church as the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:23-32; 2 Corinthians 11:2). This means that just like my wife and I go together, Jesus and His wife (the church, his followers) go together. You can't be committed to Christ and not be committed to His wife. If you're not involved in a local church, I think you have to question whether or not you're a Christian.

Because PCC has its first membership class coming up on June 22, I've been reading books and articles that talk about the importance of being a member of a local church. I'll just share a few that might make you think a little...

"The difference between being a church attender and a church member is commitment. Attenders are spectators from the sidelines; members get involved in the ministry. Attenders are consumers; members are contributors. Attenders want the benefits of a church without sharing the responsibility. They are like couples who want to live together without committing to a marriage." (from Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, pp. 136-37)

"The plain fact is, when we resist passion and commitment in our relationship with the church, everyone gets cheated out of God's best: You cheat yourself. You cheat a church community. You cheat your world." (from Joshua Harris, Stop Dating the Church, p. 18)

"We need to give up trying to live the Christian life on our own. We need individually to covenant together with others to follow Christ. Christians must stop being selfish in their understanding of the Christian life. The Christian life is not just about you..." (from Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, p. 138)