Ben Stein's "Expelled"

Our local theater didn't show the move what it came out, so I've had to wait for the DVD release. I viewed the movie last night. I loved it. Ben Stein's sense of irony and humor weaves throughout, while maintaining an even-handed treatment of the subject.

Ben's point is that society must encourage and nurture an open and honest exchange of ideas, allowing for dissension and disagreement until all the facts are known. Neo-Darwinism's stranglehold on academia and science takes a huge hit because of its proponents unwillingness to even hear another viewpoint, especially one that challenges the status quo.

But didn't Darwin's Origin of Species challenge the status quo of his day? What about Einstien? Sir Isaac Newton? Copernicus? Galileo? And yet the theories of all these men, excepting Darwin, have been proven correct over and over. Darwin's theories remain in doubt.

Expelled simply suggests that the repression of honest debate leads us down a path of moral relativism, spiritual abiguity, and intellectual poverty.

Stein sports his almost trademark-status sneakers, and the film ends with his call for people to stand up to the establishment in the name of debate: "Anyone? Anyone?" Which movie buffs will recognize from his character in Ferris Beuller's Day Off."

We're planning on watching the film tonight in our small group.

At our quarterly business meeting yesterday, I repeated our mission statement/discipleship process: "We seek to grow in our love for Jesus, love for each other and love for the world." I introduced this in a message I presented Columbus Day weekend, when I suggested that being a disciple, or follower, of Jesus included learning His teachings, and doing what He does. That's what any disciple of a rabbi would have done. I shared a LOT of other cool stuff too. :)

At yesterday's meeting, I introduced the next phase of the process of re-engineering our discipleship process. Now that we know what it is, we next need to ask for each step: "What does this step look like at FBC?" For example, loving Jesus...what will committed followers of Jesus at FBC be doing when they are loving Jesus? The two, three or four things we agree on are then associated with that step in the discipleship process. And then we do the same for the other two steps.

Next, we match ministries or programs to each of those things we identify. Anything else becomes extra, and prime candidates to be re-visioned & recommissioned, or combined or move to something else, or eliminated.

Love and small groups
I suggested that for us, our weekend and midweek worship gathering are the primary entrypoints into our church. That's where people learn and practice loving Jesus. The church leadership has decided that small groups serve as the best environment for people to learn to love each other.

And here's the kicker statement from yesterday: "You need to live in community with a group of people. You cannot love Jesus and not be part of a small group."

That may sound legalistic, and some might even suggest heretical. But in the context of FBC's discipleship and ministry startegy it makes perfact sense...and is truth. John's first letter makes this very clear: we cannot say we love God and not love our brother.

We love, because He first loved us. If somebody says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother. (1 John 4:19-21)

First, John says it's a command. It's not optional. Jesus commands us to love Him and others. So wrap this up with our church's specific strategy, and I can safely say that if you join with our local body, you need to be in a small group. Because it's in that small group that you will learn and practice love for your brother.

Loving the world
The final step in the discipleship process is "loving the world." Another way to say this is to serve the world. But we liked the alliterative "love." Within the context of small groups, we grow in love for each other, and by extension, people outside the church. As we become more like Jesus, we cultivate His heart, which beats for hurting, broken, despairing people. Jesus spent much of His time meeting people's practical needs. So should we.

All this to say that one meeting participant disgreed with my statements. To which I say, Hmmm.

Ouch, it's been a while...

I confess I'm really not trained to post as regularly as I should. I keep thinking I'll post when I'm sufficiently inspired, but when I am, I'm usually in the middle of something. That's why it's been couple of months since my last post.

Since that time, I've married off my oldest daughter (September), and finally saw a bill moose. I preached at church on ministry (nested between two missions weeks. That went real well. And I've done a lot of reading and formulating thoughts on ministry, small groups, church leadership, church in general, etc. And we squeezed some camping in on Columbus Day weekend.

I've mentioned before that I've been working on our church website. I revised the staff page to include links to full biographical write-ups. Mine includes a link to this blog.

Which means, I suppose, that I'm now going to have to post at least weekly!