Disagreeing among the Church about Preaching
A few weeks ago, I was talking with someone about our history of meeting together as a church. We’ve been meeting together for around six years. When we started meeting together, we met in a much more traditional manner than we do now.
What do I mean by meeting together in a traditional manner? Well, we sat in rows with everyone looking forward at the platform or podium. Each week, someone chose songs for the entire group to sing. Each week, someone taught (preached) based on a predefined schedule.
Now, as you can tell, there were still some less-traditional aspects to our meeting. There may have been different people (from week to week) choosing songs or different people (from week to week) teaching/preaching.
Over the first couple of years, as we continued to study Scripture together, our manner of meeting began to change some. The first major change occurred when we added a “testimony” time after the planned teaching in which everyone present was given an opportunity to speak.
About a year after we added this new opportunity for others to speak, we had some discussions as a church to determine which direction we wanted to head. While the discussions covered many, many different topics, there were several disagreements about teaching/preaching.
Here are a few of the teaching/preaching topics that we discussed:
Who should preach/teach?
Some only wanted the elders (those recognized by the church as elders) to preach/teach when the church met together. Others wanted the elders plus a few more who had been approved and trained by the elders to be allowed to teach/preach. Still others wanted anyone to be allowed to teach/preach.
How should we preach/teach?
This was an interesting topic, because it was difficult for anyone to explain exactly. The best way to explain it (as I understood it) is that some wanted only a certain style or preaching/teaching, while others were open to different methods from different people.
What should be the goal of our preaching/teaching?
With this topic, we discussed the purpose of our meeting together, which, of course, would determine the purpose of any activity including preaching/teaching. As you can imagine, there were different options offered in this discussion.
And, on a related note, Does the “testimony time” take away from preaching/teaching?
This is self-explanatory, but some were concerned that allowing anyone to speak took away from the focus on the preaching/teaching. Again, this disagreement and discussion took us back to the purpose for meeting together.
I wish I could say that we always came to agreement on these topics related to preaching/teaching. But, we did not. I wish I could say that we always remained united in spite of our disagreements, but we did not.
Some people did decide to stop meeting with us because of these disagreements. I can understand the difficulty being part of a group that differed in an area (like preaching) that many concerned to be of utmost importance. Others decided to continue meeting with us in spite of the disagreements. I’m glad they did. I’ve learned alot from them.
By the way, and for the record: No, the church did not always make decisions that I agreed with.
I learned alot through those discussions and disagreements. For the most part, people responded in a Christ-like manner. There were some instances in which people did not respond in a way that honors Christ. At times, I was in the latter group.
In the years since, our teaching/preaching (and our meeting time in general) has continued to move from more traditional to less traditional. But, that will have to wait for another post.
My Short Story: Running Late
Last week, I told you that my friend Dan had published an excerpt from an upcoming novel. The excerpt was called “Physician, Heal Thyself!”
I also told you that Dan is an avid fan of the zombie genre. While talking with him, I was encouraged to begin writing fiction again. As I told you a few weeks ago, I once wrote fiction, but I had gotten out of the habit. (See my post “Have you ever written fiction?“)
Well, I’ve now published a short story on Dan’s site called “Running Late.” Yes, it’s a short story that include zombies, but I think you’ll find that it has very little blood and gore. In fact, the zombies simply form the background to the story.
Plus, believe it or not, my short story does tie into the church and following Christ. (Sometimes it’s easier to see the “message” when portrayed in a fantasy world instead of our own world.)
I’d love to get your feedback, both on the story itself and on the message that I’m trying to get across. You can leave comments here or at “Running Late.”
Where did I go? (May Synchroblog)
This post is part of the May Synchroblog on the topic “Life Unfurling.” The purpose of this synchroblog is to write about something that we’ve “let go of” along the way in our spiritual journey.
This is an easy one for me. (Well, easy in one sense. But, in another sense it is dreadfully difficult and painful.)
What have I “let go of”? Me. I’m not saying that to sound super spiritual. Instead, what I’m saying is this: The “me” that existed a few years ago does not exist any longer.
When I first graduated from college, I was extremely introverted. I enjoyed closing myself in my office, working on my computer, and interacting with other people as little as possible. I was also an extremely self-centered person. Oh, I loved my wife, but primarily because of what I got out of it.
In the years that followed, God has changed me. I’m now much more extroverted. I enjoy spending time with people. I actually enjoy serving people. Now, I love my wife for completely different reasons.
Wow… It seems so strange writing about what I used to be like, and what I’m like now. I did not plan to change. I was happy with myself.
Somewhere along the way, as I walked with God, little by little, that person changed. I’m not him anymore. I’ve left him behind. As I said, it wasn’t always easy. It often meant giving up who I thought I was and what I thought I could or couldn’t do.
I don’t look for that guy anymore. Years ago, I was perfectly happy being him. I don’t know why God changed me. I don’t know why I had to lose that guy. But, I’m glad that God has me here now.
(This post is not intended to suggest that introverts are somehow less mature than extroverts. I’m simply expressing how God has changed me over the years. I know some people who are introverts and who are very mature in Christ, and I thank God for them.)
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These people are also writing about “Life Unfurling” for the May Synchroblog:
- John Martinez at Indie Faith – Letting Go of the Holy Me
- Beth Patterson at Finding Ground – What is Passed Over is Not Love
- Jeremy Myers at Till He Comes – Help, I’m Lost and Can’t Find Myself
- Ellen Haroutunian – Life Unfurling
- Marta Layton – On Burdens, Blessings, Babies and Bathwater
- Alan Knox at The Assembling of Church – Where Did I Go?
- Crystal Lewis – What Happened When I Let Go
- Pam Hogeweide at How God Messed Up My Religion – Letting Go of a Church-Centered Me
- K.W. Leslie at the Evening of Kent – Legalism, Anti-Legalism, and Anti-Anti-Legalism
- Ryan Harrison at How We Spend Our Days – Scraping the Barnacles
- Kathy Escobar at The Carnival in My Head – Letting God Off the Hook
- Christine Sine at Godspace – Giving Up For God, What Does it Cost?
- Liz Dyer at Grace Rules – What Do You Do When You Are Not Sure
- Dan Brennan at Faith Dance – Letting Go for a Greater Good
- Elaine Hansen – Recovering Control Freak – Let Go?
- Wendy McCaig at View From the Bridge – Embracing the Grey
- Chris at The Amplified Life – Seasons of Life
Guest Post on Till He Comes Today
I wrote a guest post today for Jeremy at “Till He Comes.” The post is called “That verse may not mean what you think it means.”
When I asked Jeremy to write a guest post for me (it will be published next Monday, as I said in my earlier post), he also asked me to write for him. He asked me to “focus more on topics related to Bible study, Scriptural insights, and theology.”
My guest post is about hermeneutics, or interpreting the Bible. Primarily, it’s about interpreting Scripture within the context in which it was written. We should be looking primarily at the paragraph level (not the word, phrase, clause, or sentence level) for meaning. (If you’re interested, I’ve also published a more technical piece on this topic. It was part of a series and was called “Biblical Theology and Discourse Analysis Part 4“.
Please take the time to read my guest post on Jeremy’s blog, and interact with Jeremy and me there.
Promoting interaction and conversation for the church among bloggers
Since I began blogging just over 5 years ago, I’ve always enjoyed the interaction and conversation among bloggers. Okay, so, “always” may be the wrong word. Usually… I’ve usually enjoyed the interaction and conversation.
Also, I love to talk about the church. But, then, you know that based on the name of this blog. So, I’ve tried to promote interaction and conversation for the benefit of the church as much as possible.
In the past, I’ve done this by linking to other blog posts that I’ve found encouraging, challenging, informative, etc. Occasionally, I’ve also linked to posts that I disagree with. In each case – whether I agree or disagree with the blogger – I link to the posts for one reason: to encourage conversation, both on my blog and on the other blog.
Also, I take part in synchroblogs for the same reason. I enjoy the challenge of writing about specific topics (that I don’t choose) but also in writing on the topic in a way that relates to the church.
A few years ago, I also tried to promote interaction and conversation using a new type of synchro-type blog that I called “chain blogging.” I was able to put together one chain blog that worked out very well on the topic of “city church.” (By the way, I would be interested in either organizing or taking part in another chain blog if we can find enough people interested in a topic.)
Occasionally, because of the topics that I write about, I’ve received emails from readers. I’ve asked some of the people who wrote the emails if I could post those emails as “guest blog post.” Those posts have generally been some of the most read posts on my blog. Again, I do this because it allows my readers to hear another voice and another perspective.
Lately, I’ve been reading alot about “guest blog posts.” A friend even asked me why I didn’t invite people to write guest posts for me. Actually, I had asked one or two people before – primarily people who did not have blogs. But, I had never really thought of asking other bloggers to write guest posts.
But, I now think it’s a great idea. And, in the last few weeks, I’ve asked several people to write guest blog posts for me. Many of them have agreed, and a few have even already sent me their blog posts. The people come from very different backgrounds and have different views of the church. The first guest blog post is currently scheduled to be published Monday morning.
I hope these guest blog posts provide additional opportunities for interaction and conversation for the sake of building up the church.
If you are interested in writing a guest blog post for me (or if you’d like me to write a guest blog post for you), please email me at aknox[at]sebts[dot]edu.
I’d love to know what you think about this new idea (for me) to promote interaction and conversation about and for the benefit of the church? Pros and cons?
Why am I not rejoicing that Osama bin Laden is dead?
Saturday, I read on Dave Black’s blog (from Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 7:52 p.m.) that he was teaching a series Sunday through Wednesday evening for a church near us. (Well, 30 minutes away, but that’s still near enough.) A friend and I decided to drive out to Louisburg to hear him teach Sunday night.
It turns out, he’s “teaching” a revival service, but then he doesn’t do the normal “revival service.” That evening, he was talking about missions with Jesus as our example. He taught from Matthew 9:35-38, and he showed several slides from Ethiopia. It was great to hear him talk about Ethiopia again, and to see the pictures of people that I met there.
At one point, Dr. Black made a statement about terrorists in general and Osama bin Laden in particular. He said that God wants us to love our enemies (including terrorists), and that he was willing to travel to Pakistan or Afghanistan (if an opportunity presented itself) in order to share the gospel and demonstrate God’s love to terrorists and Osama bin Laden. (By the way, I have personally seen Dave Black love Muslims in word and in action.) (And, no, I’m not saying that all Muslims are terrorists.)
Then, when I got back home, I saw the news on Twitter (then confirmed by the president) that Osama bin Laden had been killed. I also saw the response of several Christians. They were rejoicing over the fact that bin Laden was dead.
I could not bring myself to rejoice. I did not agree with Osama bin Laden – neither his theology nor his politics – and I certain did not like his methods. I do believe that he was responsible for the death of many, many people – probably more than we know. I believe that he would have though of me as his enemy, and I believe that he would have wanted me dead if possible.
But, I could not bring myself to rejoice that he was dead. Instead, I was sad that, as far as we know, he never received Jesus Christ as Lord during his lifetime. Osama bin Laden was created in God’s image – just as much as I was and just as much as you were. While I may not yet have learned to love my enemies like I should, I think I am learning not to rejoice when my enemy is destroyed.
Technical Difficulties Corrected
Over the last 12-16 hours, there have been a few technical difficulties with my blog. For readers, it showed up if you tried to leave a comment. It looked like the comment worked, but the comment did not show up.
In fact, there was a database problem. If you tried to leave a comment last night or this morning, the comment was not saved. Plus, I was not able to do anything on the blog that required database modification (i.e., writing new posts).
However, I think I have corrected the problem. If you left a comment in the last 12-16 hours, please comment again.
Thanks for your patience!
We’re spending the weekend in New Bern, NC
Margaret’s parents surprised us with a long weekend vacation to New Bern, NC for Margaret’s birthday.
New Bern is one of our favorite “get-away” places in NC. Margaret and I have been there a couple of times, but this will be the first trip for our children and for Margaret’s parents. I think we’re going to enjoy showing the around the town.
So, while you’re reading this, we’re probably exploring Tryon Palace, or eating Shrimp and Grits at the Chelsea, or walking through the historic district, or sampling the crab cakes at Captain Ratty’s.
While we’re in New Bern, I don’t know how much internet access I will have. I do not know if there will be wi-fi in the resort. I do have access via phone, but I probably won’t be doing that much.
So, go ahead and comment and interact on the posts that I have scheduled to publish while I’m gone. I’ll be able to moderate comments (if necessary), and may interact a little. But, otherwise, I’ll try to respond when I return on Sunday.
(Also, thank you to a very good friend who is house and dog sitting for us this weekend!)
This is my Three Thousandth Post
It’s true. This post is the 3000th post that I’ve published on this blog in the last 5 years and one month.
There’s no prize or anything, just an announcement, for trivia’s sake. So, one day, if someone asks you, when did Alan Knox publish the 3000th post on his blog? You can answer confidently, “Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time.”
You never know. It could happen.
Have you ever written fiction?
Recently, a friend of mine (thanks Dan!) encouraged me to write fiction. Actually, the encouragement came primarily through him talking about a novel that he’s working on. So, (since he twisted my arm) I decided to start writing some fiction as well.
Several years ago – okay, many, many years ago – I wrote a few short stories. Primarily, I wrote these as school assignments, but I enjoyed writing them. A few years after that, I wrote another series of stories. This time, the stories were still fictional, but they were more closely related to parables than short stories.
But, I haven’t written fiction for a long time, and I’ve never written it like this. I have a story in mind, but I’m primarily writing it in short episodes. (I don’t know if I’m going to do anything with these stories, but if I do, I’ll probably let you know.)
I’m enjoying this change of writing genre and format. I’m learning to express myself in different ways. Specifically, I have to write narrative and dialogue in manner that my theme and message will be apparent without stating it outright. (Of course, I could have a character state it or think it, but that’s still different.) Plus, I have to consider plot, setting, characterization, etc.
I think this exercise is helping me to become a better writer overall. And, thinking about this, I wondered if any of my readers have written fiction. Or perhaps some of my readers have written other genres: journalism, poetry, anything.
So, what about you? Have you ever written fiction? Have you ever written any other type of genre? Do you find that writing in different genres helps your writing overall?