Concerning biblical interpretation, I though Galli (in bold) was able to draw out Chan's thought on method, and on the dominant, overarching themes we often focus on when reading Scripture. Here is the exchange:
I would say for me the most compelling thing is that it's woven all through Jesus' teaching. You can't possibly talk about him and what he said faithfully and ignore judgment and hell.
Yeah. I read Scripture pretty simply even though I've been through seminary and everything else. I try to read with an open mind and be led by the Spirit. I try to picture myself stuck an island reading it over and over and ask, What would I naturally conclude? What would be the thing about God that I'd be most struck by? I would definitely be shocked and awed by his love, but I'm more stunned by his power, and his seriousness, his holiness maybe even more than his love. I don't want to say his love's no big deal. He loves us but nonetheless the reoccurring theme is about his power, his glory, his holiness.
Two items here are of note. First is Chan's method, what he describes as a simple approach to reading the text. Second is Chan's focus, or the primary themes that burst forth from the pages of the Bible as he reads the text.
Chan's description of his methodology indicates that he holds to the idea of the perspicacity of Scripture, an approach held by many evangelicals. Perspicacity is an uncommon word in our day, but connotes the idea that the message of the Bible can be clearly perceived by the one reading it. Stated differently, there is nothing within the pages of Scripture that cannot be grasped through careful reflection and open mindedness. As someone who possesses Baptist heritage, and as someone who continues to believe in soul competency, this idea resonates with me deeply.
Yet, I know all too well that the story of the Bible is deeply complex, and its interpretation comes to us within the context of an existing and ongoing discourse. We call this discourse the practice of theology. And, again, as someone with Baptist heritage, the idea of a theological tradition can be difficult to maintain, particularly with slogans like, "No creed but the Bible, no cause but Christ". And while I respect Chan's method, that being reading the Bible simply, his account is, frankly, too simple. As he indicates elsewhere in the very same interview, the testimony of the saints throughout time is critical for our own reflection on doctrinal matters, including the question of hell. I do not intend these remarks to denigrate or dismiss Chan, but rather to remind us all (myself included) that biblical interpretation is a complex and difficult task.
Secondly, there is the question of theme, and here I believe Chan's observation is important. We live in a time where the love of God is the biblical theme that trumps all, but the definition of love, and what a loving God might be like, is often determined by a sentimentalized account of God and an "I'm OK, you're OK" anthropology. Chan's insistence that his reading of Scripture causes him to reflect on God's power, glory, and holiness, is a welcome corrective. Through those lenses, the love of God takes on new meaning, and refuses to be sentimentalized.
Film is incredibly powerful. The film featured above is the fourth in a series of four that is the fruit of a partnership between Christianity Today, the Lausanne Movement's Global Conversation, and Fourth Line Films. The fifth film in this blog series is another production from Fourth Line, but is unrelated to CT and the Lausanne Movement. These films are great discussion starters that address important issues in worldwide evangelicalism.
Today's short film tells of a refugee community in Thailand who is being served by a small group of Christians. These Christian leaders are working with the indigenous communities to improve agricultural and farming techniques, to serve as go-betweens for the refugees to the Thai government, and to address the spiritual needs of the community. This is a great example of holistic ministry that not only addresses the needs of the soul, but also works to alleviate hunger, poverty, and oppression among an uprooted people group present in a foreign land.
Share the footage, join the discussion, and consider deeply what this issue means for the future of Christianity. I invite you not only to be a critic, but to offer constructive feedback on how the church might rediscover the gospel message, and communicate that message in a truthful manner.
Film is incredibly powerful. The film featured above is the third in a series of four that is the fruit of a partnership between Christianity Today, the Lausanne Movement's Global Conversation, and Fourth Line Films. The fifth film in this blog series is another production from Fourth Line, but is unrelated to CT and the Lausanne Movement. These films are great discussion starters that address important issues in worldwide evangelicalism.
Today's short film tells of religious violence in the city of Jos, Nigeria. The film follows two individuals, one Muslim, and one Christian, and unveils their perspective on what has taken place in their city. Each man, a father of young children, comments on the challenges they face in raising their children to love their neighbors, even when they do not believe as they do, and how difficult this is in the face of such egregious violence. This film presents us with just one example of the challenge of religious pluralism in the world, asking how we are to regard those of other faith traditions in a spirit of peace, service, and love, denouncing the temptations of violence against the other.
Share the footage, join the discussion, and consider deeply what this issue means for the future of Christianity. I invite you not only to be a critic, but to offer constructive feedback on how the church might rediscover the gospel message, and communicate that message in a truthful manner.
Film is incredibly powerful. The film featured above is the second in a series of four that is the fruit of a partnership between Christianity Today, the Lausanne Movement's Global Conversation, and Fourth Line Films. The fifth film in this blog series is another production from Fourth Line, but is unrelated to CT and the Lausanne Movement. These films are great discussion starters that address important issues in worldwide evangelicalism.
Today's short film "Family" documents the deep struggles faced by those around the world who grow up without a mother or father, and the places our world provides refuge. There is some solid commentary about the nature of ministry, the true test of our deep devotion for God as presented by the challenge of loving people who appear different but share in our humanity, and the need for a faith that moves beyond confession to action.
Share the footage, join the discussion, and consider deeply what this issue means for the future of Christianity. I invite you not only to be a critic, but to offer constructive feedback on how the church might rediscover the gospel message, and communicate that message in a truthful manner.
Film is incredibly powerful. Over the next several days, I'll be dropping a segment that is the fruit of a partnership between the triumvirate of Christianity Today, the Lausanne Movement's Global Conversation, and Fourth Line Films. These films are great discussion starters that address important issues in worldwide evangelicalism.
Today's film explores the current boom of the Prosperity Gospel, a message that originated in America, but has taken hold worldwide. The filmmaker travels to Ghana and other African countries. Some of the footage is, to say the least, chilling. I've long been a critic of prosperity theology, for many of the reasons that are witnessed in this film.
Share the footage, join the discussion, and consider deeply what this issue means for the future of Christianity. I invite you not only to be a critic, but to offer constructive feedback on how the church might rediscover the gospel message, and communicate that message in a truthful manner.
I have served in youth ministry in the past few years. I've given thought to intergenerational ministry, and have always had a concern that the widespread, accepted approach to youth ministry programming as a "subset" component in the life of the church was undermining our end goal of raising up disciples of Jesus Christ. Students are not exposed to mature Christians, or the wisdom of the generations, and thus lack the resources to imagine for themselves what an exemplary Christian life might look like.
I wanted my students to be in worship with a full complement of the saints, both young and old. And I wanted my students to have leadership within those worship gatherings. So do most youth ministers. But our approach to separating the generations has, at times, drawn people into segregated fellowships at the cost of a collective gathering where our witness is more robust.
This quote from Kara Powell, executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute at Fuller Theological Seminary, appeared on CT's Out of Ur blog a few days ago, and captures well the development of youth ministry in the last half century and what I can only hope will be the future of youth ministry (bold emphasis mine):
"[The church] realized in the 1940s that we were not offering teens enough focused attention. So what did we do? We started offering them too much. All of a sudden churches had adult pastors and youth pastors, adult worship teams and youth worship teams, adult mission trips and youth mission trips. And there's a place for that. But we've ended up segregating--and I use that word intentionally--our kids from the rest of the church. Now we tend to think that we can outsource the care of our kids to designated experts, the youth and children's workers.... I think the future of youth ministry is intergenerational."
The comments on this thread are interesting. Check it out.
The title alone is enough to draw the reader's attention. The man fueling the conversation is Dr. Mark Regnerus, a sociologist at the University of Texas, who published his book, Forbidden Fruit: Sex and Religion in the Lives of American Teenagers, back in 2007. His CT article has been much discussed, and it is a worthwhile read. Regnerus was published on the same topic back in April in the Washington Post (an op-ed which Regnerus reports was negatively received). Albert Mohler of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary wrote about the CT article here. The AP's Eric Gorski has written a recap that has been picked up by a number of major media outlets, including The Chicago Tribune.
Regnerus begins by recounting the problem with current evangelical and Christian discourse on marriage. There is none. We do not explain our theology of marriage. We do not encourage marriage. In fact, we delay marriage. We put it off. And therein he finds the problem. Any discourse we have had on marriage, according to Regnerus, has been far overshadowed by our obsession with proclaiming abstinence. Regnerus believes that the abstinence message is important and critical for Christian proclamation. But as a sociologist, Regnerus has found that over 90 percent of American adults experience sexual intercourse before marrying, and 80 percent of unmarried, churchgoing, conservative Protestants who are currently dating are having sex of some sort. He believes intensifying the abstinence message won't work. Instead, we need to encourage people to get married.
From here, Regnerus reviews the standard sociological data. Marriage is being delayed, despite its benefits for child rearing, wage-earning, and longevity of relationships. Marriage is under extreme duress, noting that fewer than half of American households today are made up of married couples. Average age at which people are married is up, even among evangelicals. And all of this waiting creates a sexually stressed environment for adolescents and young adults. Regnerus has reviewed that data and finds it undeniable that we are "battling our Creator's reproductive designs." He wants people to get hitched. And he knows that the current demographics in the evangelical world make this tough, as there are far more women committed to the faith than there are young men. This leads Regnerus to observe that men, therefore, can be more patient in marrying. If they are Christian, they can take their pick of leading ladies. The ideal woman will come along, and while these men wait around, they delay growing up. Regnerus notes that sociological data reflects that workplace performance for men 25-34 years-old has fallen 20 percent since 1971, partly as a reflection of prolonging adolescence. I know enough guys addicted to video games to intuitively know this is right.
Regnerus confronts objections to early marriage head on, including: (1) economic insecurity; (2) immaturity; (3) a poor match; (4) marrying for sex; and (5) unrealistic expectations. You'll have to read his argument to find out how he responds to these challenges. Regnerus believes each of these objections can be met, and that marriage itself can be reclaimed by Christian people as a formative institution, rather than as an institution one enters when they are already fully formed. Regnerus believes that marriage itself has important theological significance for Christian witness, and thus is a place wherein men and women can tell of the depth of God's covenantal faithfulness to his people. This theological witness has important significance in a culture where the meaning of marriage is being lost.
With Regnerus, I have had suspicions that marriage has somehow been lost within Christian discourse. When I do hear it spoken of, it is often captured in terms of the myths of romanticism that dominate our culture. We speak of "falling in love," and that is followed by a quick movement toward tying the knot. Marriage is then affirmed as an agreement between two autonomous individuals to support one another while remaining autonomous individuals. Even when we speak of covenant and lifelong commitment, it seems that the type of commitment that is being made has more to do with the two individuals than the witness and life of the church. In other words, our discourse on marriage has little to do with our unique politics as the church. And it is that type of discourse that I believe Regnerus hints toward, but does not explore fully. And it is that type of discourse, how marriage fits into our polity as God's people that I believe must be addressed.
Read the article. Reflect on it. And if you see people who are committed, moral, mature, and who display faith and fidelity, encourage them to get hitched.
Ben Simpson 
, a work written in response to Rob Bell's 
. The interview examines Chan's motivations for composing the book, his views on hell, his thoughts on Rob Bell, his burden of responsibility for representing God and the message of the Bible truthfully, and his discomfort with the idea of eternal, conscious torment as punishment for rejecting Jesus Christ. Galli also leads Chan to discuss the importance of the doctrine of hell in light of its pervasiveness within the pages of Scripture.