I'm Gucci Little Piggy and I Endorsed This Post

I recently ran across a video which had a somewhat prominent pastor and author endorsing one of the presidential candidates. The message centered around the candidate's commitment to family and how, in this pastor's words (and other religious leaders'), he would be committed to America's families as well.

It made me sick.

Yes. Maybe I have a lot to learn when it comes to pastors and politics. I admit, there's probably a lot of room to grow for me. I'm open to the fact that I may need to learn better and repent.

However with that said, I can't stand when pastors put their name behind a candidate of any party because in the end, it's not just their name they've put out there but (in my humble opinion) the name of Christ as well. Granted, they aren't Jesus but they are supposed to shepherd his flock in his name "for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account." (Heb. 13:17b) To a great extent pastors represent more than themselves.

So when I see a pastor promoting a candidate for either party via pulpit, rally or video I just wish I possessed a magic remote that could "mute" them at the touch of a button because I think in the end they are hurting, not helping, themselves, those outside the church and those inside. Instead of helping people see through our pastoral leadership that Jesus is neither Republican or Democrat, we encourage people to make rather simplistic choices on complex situations by letting them know who they need to vote for. Pastors who unfortunately take those steps preempt the discerning decision-making process that Followers of Jesus need to walk through.

What's incredibly ironic, and would be funny if it wasn't so hurtful, is that so many left-leaning Christians who rightfully blasted church leaders for publicly endorsing the conservative Republican candidates of the 1980's and 1990's now find themselves drinking the same Kool Aid in pushing their Democratic candidate. But just because it's colored blue (and is super hip these days) instead of red doesn't mean it is any less poisonous. Or hypocritical.

Again, let me be clear. This is not about being politically active as a believer. This is not about liking one candidate over another. This is about pastors pushing politicians. I think it is the duty of pastors to attempt to discern what the Bible says about the pressing issues of our day - abortion, homelessness, war, poverty, the family. That's not only fair ground, that's simply trying to help your congregation follow Jesus in obeying what his Word teaches (cf., Matthew 28:20). Let's just make sure that it's Jesus we're encouraged to follow, not any one politician. My hope is that pastors who deeply care about the Gospel and its centrality in both our people and our pulpits will be careful seeking to remind everyone that there is only one Savior and his name is not Obama or McCain.

To do any less is to settle for something less.

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God."
- Psalm 20:7 (ESV)

Suburbia and The Idolatry of Sports

"You shall have no other gods before me."
- Exodus 20:3 (ESV)

You see them blanketed on the windows of minivans and SUV's darting to and fro in the suburbs - stickers in the form of basketballs, baseballs, cheerleader megaphones, ad infinitum - adhesive messages which, for many, unfortunately proclaim to the oh-so-disinterested masses what recreational idol has consumed their child's life. And because many suburbanite parents hazardously revolve their world around their kids, the entire family is caught paying homage to these false gods of gridiron, diamond and tumbling mat.

Exaggeration? I'd like to think so but when I watch parents magically transform into over-caffienated bus drivers zipping their kids around to every event that has a jersey and a final score for each and every one of their progeny, it looks more like family NASCAR than family fun. Recently I spoke with a parent in my congregation who was extremely agitated at the number of weekly practices his kid would have to participate in when pee wee football began this fall. The number? Four, plus games on Saturdays. You have to be kidding me! Others who have their kids in club-related sports say the time commitment can be even worse. Add another brother or sister and you've got the making for a lifestyle that may already teeter on the verge of insanity.

What's more frightening is that many a Follower of Jesus doesn't even blink. Like lemmings they undiscerningly follow the masses over the cliff to dash their spiritual health on the rocks of suburbanite expectations of kids and sports duped into the myth that this is "normal life". This frequently forces them to drop something from their weekly schedule. Often church and anything related to it becomes the first causalties. If I've seen it happen with one family I've seen it happen to a hundred of them: a family is faithful and energetic for living out the mission of Jesus both personally and corporately then Lil' Jonny and Jill reach an age where they can get in organized sports (which in suburbia seems to be almost disturbingly younger and younger). So they join this or that club sport and then "POOF" - the family essentially vanishes. They show up at church maybe once every other month, their personal devotion takes a nosedive and while the kids excel in hitting a ball and sticking that landing, they have little hearts for the things of Jesus.

It is idolatry. Plain and simple. It is giving your heart and life to that which only should be reserved for God. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the damage it takes on the Christian soul, in both a personal and familial sense. No question, it is one of the great golden calves of suburbia.

Am I anti-sports? Not at all. I grew up playing sports with my two other brothers. My parents are both great athletes and coached us throughout our childhood. I love sports and think kids should play them. (See my earlier post Hope on the Hardwoods) Participating in team sports helps children learn about community, dealing with success and failure, and so very much more. The problem is that instead of being an aspect to life sports become our life - both kid and parent. As a result, these activites become a black hole which continually holds families within its disastrously powerful grip.

That's why my family has chosen to limit how much organized sports our kids will participate in. I currently have three boys and we are seeking a rotation, if you will, that will have one child in an organized sport at a time. What we've found is that gives us margin to have lifestyles with a healthier pace. We don't look at other aspects of our lives (e.g., church involvement) as burdensome. Will we ever have times where mutilple kids are playing in the same seasons? Probably, but hopefully that will be few and far between.

Our sincere aim is to fight against the suburban legend which says our lives should have a huge chunk of it given to our kids involvement in sports. But if you can sit still and gain some clarity, I believe many would realize that the demands it makes on our lives time-wise exposes it for the idol it truly is. Parents look at the trajectory of your family concerning this area of your lives. Does this help grow or retard growth? Is the pace of your family glorifying to God? Are your kids stronger for Christ and his cause as a result of the lifestyle you lead them in living? Do you get more bent out of shape that they didn't perform very well on the field or that they didn't spend time in God's Word throughout the week?

Hopefully, Followers of Jesus who live in suburbia will make wise, even if countercultural, choices that might leave us with images of sports covering our windows without covering our hearts.

The Suburban Christian

Often I find myself seeking out how I can make sure that while I live in suburbia that suburbia doesn't live in me. In other words, how can I make sure I'm following Christ in a land given to rich young rulers? Unfortunately, more than I'd like to admit, I find my heart wandering into paths carved out by the self-centric ease of suburban life instead of the small, narrow trail created by the feet of Jesus.

Thankfully I was reminded of that struggle as I finished Albert Hsu's The Suburban Christian over the weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hsu's book is loaded with insight into the mindset behind suburbanites, stats and studies which at times reveal a surprising picture of suburbia, and helpful suggestions on how people can both follow Jesus and live in the suburbs.

As a pastor of a church in the suburbs (check that, I technically live in an exurb, which is an "edge [city that is] economically autonomous and no longer dependent on the older cities"), any insight on how we can better make disciples of suburbanites is worth receiving. For what it's worth, I believe The Suburban Christian carries the baton well in this endeavor. I likely will read through it again and again. I think this book should be read by both staff and layperson. If you seek to live out the Gospel in the suburbs, this book will be an asset for you. Thanks to Chuck Land, Lead Pastor of Crossbridge Church in Sugar Land, for suggesting it.

Me and the ESV...Study Bible

Almost four years ago, January 2005, my church adopted the English Standard Version (ESV) as our official translation to be used in all adult services (both weekend and midweek). That decision was the terminus of an interesting journey.

Since college I had used the New American Standard Bible (NASB) as my translation of choice both personally and in the pulpit. When I began as the Teaching Pastor alongside with the Senior Pastor (whose name is Bruce) in 1998 that preference didn’t change even though he primarily used the New International Version (NIV). Thus the congregation would be exposed to my NASB when I taught and the NIV when the senior pastor was in the pulpit.

Then one day, my birthday to be exact, Bruce walks in my office with a gift. I open it up to find a Thinline NIV Bible with a note written on the inside of the cover saying, “Yancey, I give you this with an agenda. I want us to move to one translation.” I couldn’t have agreed more. My only problem was that I didn’t want it to be the NIV. Do I hate the NIV? No, it has served well many a Christian. It’s just that when you teach expositionally like I do, you don’t want to undermine your congregants confidence in their Bibles by repeatedly saying, “Now I know your Bibles say X but in the Greek it actually reads Y.” I found that the NIV had me facing that situation more than I felt comfortable. So while I was excited about moving to a common translation for our church, I wasn’t excited about it being the NIV.

I shared those feelings with Bruce adding that I wanted to try and search out a translation that would marry well the characteristics of both accuracy and readability. Essentially, I wanted our church to be exposed to a translation that “said it right” like the NASB and “said it well” like the NIV. Thankfully, Bruce was all for it! In researching numerous different translations I discovered the ESV. After studying its background, philosophy and, not the least of which, the text itself, I was convinced I had found the perfect translation for us.

I remember calling Good News Publishers/Crossway Books and talking to Bill Jensen, who at the time was Vice President for Bible & Product Development, about if they would consider working with us if our church decided to move solely to the ESV. Bill assured me they would and was incredibly gracious by giving each of our elders an ESV Bible so as to help them make a well-informed decision. A few months later our elders, impressed with its powerful combination of accuracy and readability, consented to adopt the ESV as our church’s translation. Everyone was incredibly excited about this “new” translation! We shipped in hundreds upon hundreds of ESV’s for our members to purchase (which they did in droves), they could now easily follow along with the teacher when we read from our Bibles during the services and the teaching team could finally stack hands on one translation.

It was early in the game for us and frankly, for the ESV as it intersected working with churches. Bill asked if I would personally endorse the translation to which I didn’t hesitate. In fact, I felt honored to do so (even though I caught endless grief from my buddies who saw my name along with Sproul, Piper et al. on the ESV website). I truly believe it simply is the superior English translation today for preaching, studying, reading…for it all.

Now looking back on that decision we couldn’t be happier. The ESV has continued to hold up its end of the bargain by faithfully delivering the biblical text with accuracy and readability. I hear it’s the fastest growing English version today. Good. It should be. The men and women at Crossway Bibles have done an amazing job! May God continue to bless them and the continued expansion of the ESV in the homes and churches around the world.

Funny. I wasn’t going to write this story at all. I really wanted to scratch up a short post about the new ESV Study Bible coming out October 15th. I’m excited because many in my congregation initially asked me in 2005 if there was an ESV Study Bible. I would point them to the Reformation Study Bible but now I’m happy to say that the ESV has their “own” study Bible. I’ve seen a glimpse of it at a conference in Seattle. I believe it will be the “Mother of All” Study Bibles. I can only trust that if the guys at Crossway handle it as well as they’ve handled the ESV itself, then for those who love study Bibles, this will one you shouldn’t be without.

I guess I’ve written “my story with ESV” instead of simply promoting the ESVSB because I’m proud of them and their work, grateful for the gift they’ve given the church, happy I crossed paths with them when I did and grateful that God has raised them up for a time such as this.

PS - Watch the video below for an intro to the new ESV Study Bible

Postcards From The Hilltop

A few days ago I was told something which caused me to bristle a bit. The offending remark? I don't understand the hardships of ______ ministry because I don't serve in that ministry, therefore I am incredibly hindered, if not outright impotent, in giving good leadership to that ministry. In essence, because I'm not in the trenches I miss too much.

While I'd be the first to say that serving side-by-side with someone gives a you an incredible advantage for sympathy and understanding, it by no means automatically opens up a better track to leading that ministry in light of its integration to the entire church. In fact, I would argue that the best organizational leadership for ministries comes from those who are not three feet deep in it. Why? They may miss too much.

Often such immediate proximity has the potential to over-inflate both the good and bad a ministry experiences, lead to an unhealthy sense of independence from the other ministries, and as a result, any and all issues related to that ministry can easily dominate the immediate horizon for the leader. That's why when it comes to alignment to the general direction and strategy of the church at large, ministry leaders need oversight from people outside that ministry - not because serving "in the trenches" isn't valuable (when, in fact, many executive leaders/elders who don't oversee a specific ministry have led those types of ministries before), but because it pays to have oversight from someone above the fray.

Throughout most history, battles have been fought under the purview of leadership that observed the fight from a nearby hillside allowing them to strategically see the engagement in its entirety. From this position, commanders were better enabled to send commands to the troops on the ground hopefully taking advantage of the enemy's weakness or shoring up their own areas of vulnerability. Those decisions simply could not be made as well if the leadership in charge with the overall conflict was at the front lines with swords drawn.

I assume that positioning has usually been a given over the centuries. I doubt the general rule of thought by those of who led the cavalry, artillery and infantry in the field of battle was to naturally regard their high command (literally, being perched upon a hilltop) as calloused, arrogant or unable to grasp the severity of the situation simply because they weren't physically next to them. They knew they needed them in order to be successful. The truth is everyone had the same goal - victory. And because that was the goal, armies as a given had their highest leadership in very high places, above the fray, so they could see things their valiant soldiers couldn't. Someone needed to swing the sword and someone needed to direct its aim. Like two wings on an airplane, both were needed to be effective.

I don't have to serve in a specific ministry to know that it's difficult, weighty work for that specific ministry. I can see what's going on. I can hear from their words. Would I appreciate their situation all the more if I picked up a sword and rattled it with those particular troops? No question. However, just because I'm not in the trenches in that particular ministry doesn't mean I don't get what's going on. In fact, I'd say that because I'm blessed to be on the hilltop for some of them, I might know what's going on better than they think because, ironically, I'm not close to it. I might just be able to see things they simply can't.

Maybe, just maybe, I might understand more than they think.

The Christian and Suburbia

For quite some time I've wrestled with what it means to be a Follower of Jesus living in suburbia. I've preached series on it, dialogued with other staff about it, heck, even the title of my blog touches upon the idea of trying to follow Christ in a culture given to consumerism (which, if anything, describes suburbia. See my inaugural post).

However, I'm not sure I've discovered a lot of answers as much as I've generated more questions. That's why I'm excited to begin reading Albert Hsu's (pronounced "Shee") The Suburban Christian. I've had friends recommend this book and can't wait to see if it will give me greater insight into how we can better make disciples of those living in the suburbs. Stay tuned.