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Recently it was reported that the Southern Baptist Convention reported a decline in baptism for this year to the lowest since 1987 and that their membership had dipped by about 40,000 in 2007. This news is a bit of surprise for America’s largest protestant denomination. More surprising, however, was SBC PResident Frank Page’s remarks, “”Our culture is increasingly antagonistic and sometimes adverse to a conversation about a faith in Christ. Sometimes that’s our fault because we have not always presented a winsome Christian life that would engender trust and a desire on the part of many people to engage in a conversation on the Gospel.” Interesting “sometimes that’s our fault” but most of the time it’s someone else’s?

Is Frank Page stating that the reason people aren’t coming to Christ is because they don’t want to? Hasn’t that always been the problem? Wasn’t Jesus crucified because his culture was “antagonistic and adverse to a conversation about a faith in Christ?” Weren’t the disciples martyred because their culture was “antagonistic and adverse to a conversation about a faith in Christ?” What culture hasn’t been “antagonistic and adverse to a conversation about a faith in Christ?”

The problem is not that people are “antagonistic and adverse to a conversation about a faith in Christ” it’s that they’re particularly “antagonistic and adverse to our portrayal of faith in Christ.” We have recreated Christ in our image and it’s not pretty. We have made an idol and called it contemporary Christianity. What we need a is a restoring of the right image of Christ so that people would deal with Christ, not our distortions of it.

Page gets at this when he says, “We have not always presented a winsome Christian life that would engender trust and a desire on the part of many people.” True, but not enough, it’s not the lifestyle choice of Christianity that brings salvation or is desirous. It is Christ who brings salvation and is desirous, not the lifestyle choice – we’ve gotten it wrong!

On a more encouraging note this same article in the Lexington Herald-Leader acknowledges that independent and community churches are growing. Is it because these churches are less steeped in excessive dogma? Is it because they have less trappings surrounding their image of Christ? I don’t know, but I’m glad that I’m a part of one and that we have the ability to be a body of believers – attempting to be the Body of Christ and nothing else.

Mike Huckabee has seen his fair share of controversy, so has Jeremiah Wright. Both were pastors, but that’s about where the similarities end. With Wright’s renewed media attention and controversy I thought it would be fun to dig up this quote and throw it out there for consideration.

“As easy as it is for those of us who are white to look back and say, “That’s a terrible statement,” I grew up in a very segregated South, and I think that you have to cut some slack. And I’m going to be probably the only conservative in America who’s going to say something like this, but I’m just telling you: We’ve got to cut some slack to people who grew up being called names, being told, “You have to sit in the balcony when you go to the movie. You have to go to the back door to go into the restaurant. And you can’t sit out there with everyone else. There’s a separate waiting room in the doctor’s office. Here’s where you sit on the bus.” And you know what? Sometimes people do have a chip on their shoulder and resentment. And you have to just say, I probably would too. I probably would too. In fact, I may have had … more of a chip on my shoulder had it been me.”

- Mike Huckabee, his perspective on the preaching of Jeremiah Wright. ( Source: MSNBC, cited by Sojomail 3/27/08 )

Forgiveness is giving up the right to retaliate. Forgiveness is the willingness to have something happen the way it happened. It’s not true that you can’t forgive something; it’s a matter of the will, and you always have the choice. Forgiveness is never dependent on what the other person does or does not do; it is always under our control. Forgiveness is giving up the insistence on being understood…. Jesus forgave those who crucified him. This is a radically new way of thinking. For those who accept and practice this discipline, there is a release of energy and a sense of freedom.

- Pixie Koestline Hammond
For Everything There Is a Season
Quoted in Sojomail.net 4/15/08

Click on the picture to go to Rick O’Shay’s blog and read the horrifying truth!!!

Does it count as a book if it’s a few sheets bound by two staples? I only ask because Miley Cyrus, of Hannah Montana fame, recently announced that she would be publishing her memoirs. At fifteen, she has accomplished more notoriety, fame and probably does more work than I’ll ever do in my life. But I wonder, what memoirs does any fifteen year old have? I recently asked if Disney would allow me to review them, they turned me down…so I’ve made up my own preview of Ms. Cyrus’ memoirs for you (this will probably spoil the plot, so if you plan on buying the book don’t read any further):

“It was dark and warm, I don’t remember much, then a bright light came and my dad started crying. I couldn’t talk so I cried, there was so much more room on the outside of the womb! I remember it was cold until they wrapped me in a blanket. Things are a little fuzzy after that, a lot of plush toys, I started to walk after I mastered crawling – of course. My favorite toy growing up (until last week) was a microphone, I used to sing a lot (my dad is a professional musician after all). I graduated from a toy microphone to a real one, then I got famous, some money and that’s all for now. My show is really clever I put on a wig when I want to be famous and then take it off when I go back to my ‘normal life.’ [Which coincidentally is what I do...only on Thursdays between 8am and 8:30am.] My parents are making me turn out the flashlight so I’ll have to finish this tomorrow. I’ve colored a picture for the illustrations, if you’ve enjoyed this then thank my tutor for my mad English skills!”