Some Thoughts on ‘The Explicit Gospel’

Matt Chandler, head pastor over the Village Church (my church!) wrote a book recently. This is why he wrote it:

The moralistic, therapeutic deism passing for Christianity in many of the churches these young adults grew up in includes talk about Jesus and about being good and avoiding bad-especially about feeling good about oneself-and God factored into all of that, but the gospel message simply wasn’t there. What I found was that for a great many young twentysomethings and thirtysomethings, the gospel had been merely assumed, not taught or proclaimed as central. It hadn’t been explicit. (see the full Introduction chapter)

I’m not very far in the book yet, but there are already three outstanding points.

1. The gospel isn’t just for conversion, it’s for our sanctification too. We aren’t “done” with the gospel after we put our trust in Christ. The gospel is the path we walk on for the rest of our lives. It continues to purify every aspect of our life. If we have a problem or a failure, the answer is always the gospel. We continue on as cracked vessels, and the gospel is the glue that continuously mends us back together.

2. God is in control. In the first chapter, Chandler sets up who God is and His authority. And he does an incredible job of making it absolutely terrifying and oddly comforting. The God we serve made galaxies with his words. And He knows what James Cameron didn’t see on the deepest ocean floors (context). He knows which cells in our bodies are going to become cancerous. And, He is utterly in control of it all. Oh, and he doesn’t need us. He is a triune God, perfectly content with Himself or else not very perfect at all.

3. It’s really not about me. Chandler doesn’t take a break from before diving into man’s place in the universe. Chandler says:

This is the story of the Bible, not you or me. It is God and God alone, God’s name and namesake alone. The point of everything is God’s glory alone so that to God alone will be the glory. It is God who is deep in riches, God who is deep in wisdom, God who is deep in lovingkindness, and God who is deep in glory. Not us. This is the message of the Bible.

God’ glory is what drives the universe; it is why everything exists. This world is not present, spinning and sailing in the universe, so that you and I might be saved or lost but so that God might be glorified in his infinite perfections. (bolded mine)

That’s as far as I’ve gotten, but there will be more to come!

7 Reasons Why Christians and Non-Christians Should See Blue Like Jazz

Blue Like Jazz is beginning to premiere in select cities. Yes, it is made by Christians. But, it doesn’t condemn or tear anyone apart; it brings understanding to all sides.

Here are 7 reasons why everyone should see it:

1. It is legitimately entertaining. I cannot think of any movie with any serious religious themes that is not a piece of crap (Sorry Fireproof, Left Behind, etc). It is not cheesy, looks like a big-budget film, and really belongs outside the class of “Christian” movies. It is made very well. And it’s funny! The script sounds like words real people would actually say. Not cheesy, preachy lines. And, did I mention it’s entertaining?

For Non-Christians:

2. You will NOT be preached to. This is not a sermon. This is Don’s story. There is beer, pot, “shits and damns”, lesbians and agnostics (oh my!). Fear not, they aren’t going to spring anything on you.

3. You will understand your Christian friends better. The things that Don goes through are pretty common. Consider this a view from the other side.

4. You will be apologized to. Can’t say too much about this one, as it’s the climax of the movie. But you need to hear what Don has to say.

For Christians:

5. You won’t hear the gospel, but it’s there. Somewhere.

6. You’ll support Steve and Don and may lead the way for “Christian” movies that don’t suck. Not to mention IJM, Blood:Water, The Mentoring Project, and more.

7. You may see how you and Don are alike in being ashamed of being a Christian. Don had to go to Reed College to figure this out, but it’s true for many. I definitely came away with a lot to consider.

Final Thought

The reason why I write this and why I encourage everyone to see the movie is as follows. This movie closes a gap between Christians and non-Christians. We don’t understand each other very well, and sometimes we don’t try all that hard to do so. This movie is great because non-Christians get a peek into why Christians do what they do, while Christians hear through Don’s friends about the problems and life issues of a non-Christian. Each side gets to understand the other better through Don’s experiences. It doesn’t condemn anyone, perhaps with the exception of Christians themselves. It shows how we Christians have been (and continue to be) wrong, but how we are all so similar. It shows we do not have to be enemies.

And really, it’s entertaining! I mean, Southern Baptist Don is pushed into Reed College – that’s gonna be funny! Watch the trailer below, then go see the movie.

[Edit] Links to Other Reviews

Paste Magazine

Donald’s struggle results in a kind of dual apology—a public one for the negative actions of the church machine, and a private one to the purest part of his faith for turning his back on it.

Huffington Post

“We wanted to show that movies about the faith struggle that millions of Americans deal with don’t have to be cheesy,”

USA Today

Jazz distinguishes itself by creating a young protagonist filled with doubts — that he’s willing to act on.

The Lent Scorecard

Have you noticed a lack of interesting and funny tweets lately? Aren’t you wondering what great bands are coming through Dallas? Well, fear no more, this black hole will soon be filled because the Lent social media fast is over!

But first, we need to talk about Lent. On paper, it went great. I wanted to fast from social media, and I did! I hid away my Twitter and Facebook apps on my internet browsers. I turned off all my notifications. I said goodbye to Reddit.

And surprisingly, I really did enjoy the time I wasn’t spending staring at my phone. Seriously. But, this good feeling of being ‘off the grid’ lasted only a few days. I soon found myself obsessing over other things that I was allowed to view. I became devoted to reading blogs on Google Reader, catching up on news on CNN, and getting every achievement in Temple Run (only three left!). But after a few weeks, I probably wasted just as much time as I had before.

But I did learn some things.

The Good
Social Media doesn’t have the control it used to. I don’t need to view every single updated post anymore. It is a tool which has its uses just like any other tool. That’s the only good news.

The Bad:
Social Media isn’t the problem. I am. I’ve been waiting and waiting to write that epic post about why we should all abandon social media. It’s so tempting to blame things on technology. But the problem is social media is not the problem. We are the problem. I am the problem.

The Ugly:
I am lazy. Incredibly. Selfishly. LAZY. No one likes to hear this, but it was something God revealed to me during Lent. I wanted to read so many books, write so many posts, serve so many people – but I didn’t. It gets worse though…

The root of laziness is pride. Laziness says that work is not important. What is important is me and my time and what I want to do (even if that is getting ‘The Spartan’ achievement on Temple Run). My laziness and pride were revealed.

So, Lent didn’t go very well. Or did it?

During one of my longer Google Reader binges, I came across a great blog called Internet Monk. They were posting every day about Lent, and comparing it to the wilderness (in the biblical sense). You know what happens in the wilderness? God works people over there (see the Israelites). The temperature gets turned up (see David and Saul). Things get tough (see Joseph). He makes them come to fully rely on Him (see Jesus). And He reveals Himself to people (see John).

Well, that is what happened during Lent. God showed me some big flaws I have. And that’s really the point right?

So, I’d say my Lent went very well indeed.