Letters to the Editor - October to December 2005

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Letters to the Editor - October to December 2005

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For all letters responding to the October 2 "Stolen Sermons" issue, click here.

RESPONSE TO DECEMBER 25 ISSUE

Excellent Column
(posted 12-22-05)
I just read the “From The Editor” column for the December 25 issue—“The Truth About Christmas.” I plan on using it for my Communion meditation on Christmas Day.

Quite often I find an article or commentary and use the ideas as a starting point for my Communion meditation, but have to make some changes because as my wife says, “It doesn’t sound like Mike.” I don’t think I need or want to change a word. Thanks.
—Mike Bumpus
West Union, Illinois

RESPONSE TO DECEMBER 18 ISSUE

Hospital Is Creating Labyrinth
(posted 12-29-05)
To Naomi Kouns, regarding “A Labyrinth Leading to God” in the December 18 CHRISTIAN STANDARD: What a great article you had in the Christian Standard. I’m working with the administrator of a small Catholic hospital; he has recently dedicated space on our campus for a labyrinth to use as a reflection tool for patients, families, staff and community.

We’re currently working with an architect who is creating the setting—something that will take time to “mellow” of course, when using plants.

We’re anticipating an opportunity for awareness—perhaps even a “user’s guide” in which we help those less familiar to see the value of taking the time to walk and reflect.

My thanks to you for creating this thought-provoking piece—particularly at this special time of year.
—Name withheld upon request

RESPONSE TO DECEMBER 11 ISSUE

A Wise Approach
(posted 12-14-05)
Thanks for the e-version of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. Your copy addressing the advantage of providing coaches for ministers (December 11) addresses a wise approach to improving our ministries. Fresh eyes from the outside can quickly see things to which we have grown accustomed. Thanks for the insight.
—Dennis Thomas
Brighton, Colorado

Is It Just a Fad?
(posted 12-12-05)
I just read your December 11 issue on coaching. I thought it was interesting that the subject is finally trickling down into the church. As I read the articles, I was struck by the thought, “Is it just a fad?”

I believe the answer depends on how you define coaching. Coaching is not new, but it is becoming popular. Everywhere you look you see a different definition for coaching. Many of the definitions contradict each other, and create confusion. The same questions always come up—how is it different from counseling? Mentoring? Consulting?

I believe that coaching will be a fad everywhere including the church if it is left in the realm of short-term performance and results. I have no doubt that coaching is valuable in bringing about success, and desired results. I have experienced its value. However, coaching is not about a successful church plant, or successful church leadership, or about a successful business. Coaching is about a successful life.

As a Christian my success is not judged by my desires for my life. My success is determined by God’s desires for my life; from how I treat my wife to how I spend my free time.

If you want to build a successful ministry, find a mentor and hire a consultant. If you truly want to discover who God made you to be and what role he wants you to play in his kingdom, find several mentors and get connected with a coach who will help you discover God’s purpose as you walk through the journey together.

The kingdom does not need more successful ministers. The kingdom needs more men and women who are devoted to trusting God, and daily living God’s will in every area of their lives. I believe that a good coach can make this journey truly successful.
—Mark Bryant
Anacortes, Washington

READERS' REACTIONS TO DECEMBER 4 ISSUE

Thankful for Female Preachers
(posted 12-14-05)
Bob Strimboulis raises interesting questions in his letter “Surprised There Are Female Chaplains” (see below). First, he questions “are we not the brotherhood against the ordination of females?” Not exactly, “we” are a brotherhood of independent churches whose individual policies and beliefs are outlined by that congregation. Consequently, “we” aren’t for (or against) anything officially.

Second, his question “There aren’t any female preachers amongst us, are there?” bears the answer, yes, yes, and yes. We must be thankful for the female preachers who came before us and those coming behind us. Otherwise, Christianity might have died out generations ago!
—George Timm
Bradenton, Florida

Surprised There Are Female Chaplains
(posted 12-8-05)
Brother, I was surprised to find the testimony of a female chaplain. Are not we who are of the brotherhood against the ordination of females? There aren’t any female preachers amongst us, are there?
—Bob Strimboulis
Trout Run, Pennsylvania

Many Chaplaincy Opportunities at Prisons
(posted 12-1-05)
Thank you for highlighting the chaplaincy in your December 4 issue. Though often an unheralded ministry, chaplaincy certainly touches many lives in unique ways, not often seen in located “church” ministry.

I would encourage future articles to highlight prison ministry. Having served as a clinical chaplain for the North Carolina Department of Correction, I can attest to the many opportunities that exist to touch the lives of inmates, their families, and community volunteers who come into the prison to conduct services. Tremendous opportunities exist to minister to the prison staff and their families as well.

Prison ministry certainly was on Jesus’ mind as he spoke of being in prison “and you came to me” (cf. Matthew 25:36-45), and the Hebrews writer as well, “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners” (Hebrews 13:3).

Other religions, from Islam to Wicca, have found a foothold in the prisons. New Testament Christianity needs a faithful witness behind the razor wire and bars as well.
—Blair Yager
Chesapeake, Virginia

Another Type of Chaplaincy
(posted 11-30-05)
I appreciated your issue (December 4) that dealt with chaplains, both in the U.S. and abroad. I serve in a unique atmosphere myself. My full-time calling is youth pastor in Marion, Iowa, but I also serve on a volunteer basis as a track chaplain in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It’s interesting to compare and contrast the different types of chaplaincy and the needs of each particular group that is ministered to. I encourage you to research and share with your readers how organizations such as Motor Racing Outreach are ministering to those in various types of racing communities and reaching the lost, and how they can get involved and help serve in these areas of ministry.
—Rob Lee
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

READERS' REACTIONS TO NOVEMBER 27 ISSUE

Occasionally Something Gets Through
(posted 12-29-05)
CHRISTIAN STANDARD is truly a ministry worthy of support and the writers and staff do a great job producing the nearly flawless publication each week, but occasionally something gets through. Just a comment about items excerpted from other sources and published in “Seen & Heard” or elsewhere in the Christian Standard. In the November 27 issue, a citation says that the average debt for seminary graduates in 2001 was $25,018. However, it also states that the percentage of those borrowing over $20,000 was only 33 percent. How can the average be over $25,000 when 67 percent borrowed less than $20,000? Do not trust the original publisher to have gotten it right.
—Mark A. McClanahan
Atlanta, Georgia

A Puzzling Clause
(posted 11-23-05)
The article by Kent E. Fillinger in the November 27 issue (“Ministerial Pay—What Besides Pay?”) was both timely and excellent—except for one rather baffling clause regarding sabbatical and study breaks. Mr. Fillinger writes, “For senior ministers especially, it is normal to have an additional one to four weeks of time away every year to prepare spiritually, emotionally, and physically for the upcoming ministry season.”

It’s that first phrase that has me puzzled. I’m curious as to why a senior minister would require “especially” more time to rejuvenate than an associate or youth minister? In my experience as an associate, I spent just as much time in study as did the excellent senior minister on our staff. Associates may be responsible for up to four lessons a week (Sunday AM, PM, Wednesday PM, and weekly Bible study), and sometimes a sermon in addition to those! And youth ministers who are worth their salt are not just planning fun and games; they are working on in-depth, frontline issues and lessons that influence the spiritual lives of students for 60 years or more, plus they have to deal hands-on with the most traumatic period in the life of a human being (adolescence).

I don’t have any problems with treating ministry staff members differently. Sometimes they have differing needs. But receiving time off for spiritual, emotional, and physical rejuvenation is definitely necessary for ALL staff members—and probably on an equal basis.
—Nathan Hannum
Nelsonville, Ohio

READERS' REACTIONS TO NOVEMBER 20 ISSUE

'Is Grace Really Law After All?'
(posted 11-21-05)
“Based on Law” by Donald A. Nash in the CHRISTIAN STANDARD for November 20 suggests that we’re under law, just not the law of Moses. Many eagerly call us to obey the commandments given by Jesus Christ. It is to be hoped that we all are eager to do whatever we understand Jesus wants us to do and that we are equally eager to avoid what he wants us to not do. But if we’re under a code of law, what a favor would be done for us by someone who would spell out exactly what the code says. What specifically must we do? What must we not do? Where do we find the New Covenant’s book of Leviticus? Is grace really law after all? Or are we saved by grace through faith by keeping laws? Isn’t that what the article is saying?
—Ray Downen
Joplin Missouri

'Freed from the Clutches of Law'
(posted 11-15-05)
“Missing on Flannelgraph” by Charlie Crowe (November 20) beautifully captured the spirit of grace lacking in those who are obsessed with law and terrified of freedom in Christ. The Old Testament law was an object lesson that vividly showed its adherents (as well as us today) the dire consequences of being lawbreakers before a holy God and our need for a Savior. This was God’s ingenious plan and purpose for the law (Galatians 3:23-25). And as is so richly illustrated in this article, the Old Testament still holds invaluable lessons for New Testament believers living under grace.

The most joyful, fulfilled, and effective Christians I know are those who have embraced God’s grace and have been freed from the clutches of law as the focus of their Christian lives and as a means of being in right relationship with God. By his grace may we all escape, no matter how well-meaning, those who would cause us to desert “the one who called [us] by the grace of Christ and [would turn us] to a different gospel” (Galatians 1:6).
—Brian J. Waldrop
Mount Healthy, Ohio

READERS' REACTIONS TO NOVEMBER 13 ISSUE

'An Incredible Reminder"
(posted 11-16-05)
Alan Ahlgrim’s article “Dealing with Distractions” (November 13) was an incredible reminder and encouragement to me to keep the main thing the main thing. Hopefully this article will help me avoid another session with my senior minister on “How to Say No!”
—James Fruits
Centralia, Illinois

'A Laser-Light of Truth'
(posted 11-11-05)
Leroy Lawson’s Communion meditation “Just Another Primate?” (November 13) was a laser-light of truth piercing the darkened thinking of our muddleheaded culture. Thank God for thinking men like brother Lawson who are so adept at getting to the point in eight short paragraphs. Let an ape try to do that! His final line, “But let our God-breathed souls be released and we can take our seats at the Lord’s table, where places are reserved for his friends. Not his pets,” is a jewel. Thanks Leroy and CHRISTIAN STANDARD.
—Steve Jones
Oviedo, Florida

READERS' REACTIONS TO NOVEMBER 6 ISSUE

Series Provided Wonderful Explanation
(posted 11-8-05)
The three articles (by Clint Gill, October 23, 30, and Nov. 6) written on the Declaration and Address principles of the church being essentially, intentionally, and constitutionally one were a wonderful explanation of a subject most Restoration Movement/4C churchgoers just do, but don't really think about. What God wants, what God intends, and what God demands of his followers is unity of purpose by him, in him, for him.
—Alan Kirkpatrick
Via e-mail

A Strict Constructionist
(posted 11-03-05)
I breathed a sigh of relief as I finished part three of Clint Gill’s series “The Church Is One” (November 6). I was relieved by what brother Gill did not write. An often repeated non sequitur in similar series on unity is that church people need not agree on “everything” in order to have it. That’s fair enough. But then the writer will go on to state that among the “things” we need not agree on is baptism. In my opinion, that doesn’t necessarily follow. Thank you, Clint Gill, for reminding us that the church is “constitutionally” one and for being a strict constitutional constructionist.
—Steve Jones
Oviedo, Florida

READERS' REACTIONS TO OCTOBER 30 ISSUE

Nice Balance
(posted 10-31-05)
From start to finish, your October 30 issue of CHRISTIAN STANDARD was one of your best. A very nice balance between a dedication to biblical truth and an outstretched concern for others. Keep up the good work.
—David Dowd
Grayson, Kentucky

An Exhilarating Issue
(posted 10-28-05)
Kudos to Brent Foulke and Bert Crabbe for their complimentary “Into A Movement” articles. Brent Foulke combines the passion for unity of Barton W. Stone with the encouraging/recruiting gifts of the New Testament Barnabas. Bert Crabbe reveals a humility of spirit and colorful flair which hint at the qualities suggesting he’d make a great church planter. These two articles, combined with Clint Gill’s “The Church is Intentionally One” series, give one the feeling that the Restoration Movement is alive and well in 21st century America. What an exhilarating issue of the CHRISTIAN STANDARD. Thank you!
—Steve Jones
Oviedo, Florida

You Provide Much Encouragement
(posted 10-21-05)
I often go to your [Paul Williams’] column first, or occasionally, second—having been detoured by a gripping graphic on the cover. I am rarely disappointed. Please be encouraged, for you provide much encouragement to others. Your column in the October 30 Standard (“At What Price?”) was truly outstanding: personal, powerful, poignant, and redemptive. Thank you. May our great Lord and only Savior continue RICHLY to bless you and your service to him through your service to us.
—M. Stephen Gerton
Via e-mail

READERS' REACTIONS TO OCTOBER 23 ISSUE

We've Fallen Into a Trap
(posted 10-31-05)
I think Clint Gill has the right idea about the church. His first article on October 23 (“The Church Is Essentially One” [part one of three]), has put forth my thoughts about the church. We, who believe we have all the truth, have fallen into the same trap as all other churches. This trap is making the church a physical organization and not a spiritual one. When we try to restore the church, all we look at is the building and what happens there. The church is ONE with many different congregations. And we do not have to believe everything the same. Our focus should be on Jesus ALONE! We, of the Restoration Movement, need more men like Clint to teach us how to be a real Christian in the world.
—Bill Parker
Oakland, Oregon

READERS' REACTIONS TO OCTOBER 16 ISSUE

We Would All Do Well to Remember
(posted 10-14-05)
I loved Paul Williams’s “An Evening Not So Long Ago” (October 16)! Often we do worry so much about making a good impression that we end up getting in the way of what God is trying to do. It is something all of us preachers would do well to remember. Thank you Mr. Williams, for you candor. It is refreshing!
—Jerry Langley
Danville, Virginia

Struck By the Contrast
(posted 10-12-05)
I just read Howard Brammer’s 2005 NACC President’s Message, “Journey to the Presence” (October 16).

I was struck by the contrast between the author’s emphasis on an experiential encounter with God, termed the “Presence,” and Ken Read’s article “Is This the End of the Worship Fad?” (October 9).

Read wrote, “Experiential-based faith, shored up by emotion-based worship, is destined to fall. I mean, how many times can you sing to an invisible being the words, ‘I see you, I long to touch you, I feel you near to me,’ and not have it start to sound hollow after a while? An indisputable supernatural encounter never actually happened.”

I confess to falling into Read’s camp of “non-experiencers.” I’ve been a worshiping Christian (and preacher) for decades and, while I’ve experienced genuine emotion in my worship, I can’t say with any certainty that I’ve experienced the “Presence” that Brammer alludes to. Is there something deficient in me? Has there been a deficiency in my worship? Are there Christians who “can” and some who “can’t”? Am I missing out on something? Is it dependent upon one’s personality—whether you’re sanguine, melancholy, or phlegmatic?

If the “Presence” is a real phenomenon, and the Bible teaches us to expect it, then I’d like to have it. If not, maybe it’s a case of simple mislabeling.

I will proceed with caution. My study of church history indicates that an emphasis on subjectively experiencing God sometimes comes at the expense of objective doctrine. Note the response of interviewees quoted in brother Brammer’s article:

“I’ve tried church, but it’s not my thing. I like the Bible, but the Koran has some good teaching also.” But he said he has never talked to anyone who said, “I’ve experienced the Presence of God, but no thanks I don’t want it.”

That’s a pretty good example of a subjective over objective mind-set. The problem is that people might be getting that “experience” in a mosque, temple, or seance. What those people actually NEED is the truth and the truth is back there in the church that wasn’t “their thing” and the Bible as opposed to the Koran. In other words, I wonder if that which differentiates our worship is not that it is experiential, the worship of all the competing religions is also experiential. That which differentiates our worship is that it is TRUE.

I have accepted that my walk with God is by faith, not sight. I trust that I am saved because God’s word says I am, not because I always feel saved. And I trust that God is meeting me in worship for the same reason—God’s Word says he is—whether I feel his “Presence” or not.
—Steve Jones
Oviedo, Florida

READERS' REACTIONS TO OCTOBER 9 ISSUE

'Propesied in Great Detail'
(posted 2-23-06)
“Is This the End of the Worship Fad?” by Ken Read, in the October 9 CHRISTIAN STANDARD. Good material. As a noninstrumentalist I have been thrown into schizophrenia by all of the hype about music and worship. The discord sets in when I read the Bible and discover that ekklesia is synagogue which means school of the Bible. Romans 14 defines some of those personal diversities which are not subject to dialog or dispuations. Paul then jumps right into Romans 15 and defines away what most of both “wings” do as they do worship. We know that the synagogue that existed as “the church in the wilderness” was for instructions only and loud instruments and “loud rejoicing” (the Alarm or Triumph over Judas would try on Jesus) was forbidden. The Bible and contemporanous literature proves that music is a bypass into the emotions and actually creates spiritual anxiety which is the laded burden Jesus died to remove. You are describing the spiritual exhaustion that sets in when the “worship leader” tells them that the feeling is spiritual. People long to rest and the ekklesia defines speaking that which is written using one mind and one mouth as a way to edify or educate, glorify God and keep the peace. In the Greek literature “speaking in the ekklesia” is defined as “a whisper or conversational tone.” Well, that gets the preacher in trouble. Music has a place but is always seen in the literature as abrading as the word psallo demands. I hope you put the pressure on everyone and probably the so called a cappellas (the popes castratos) are more destructive having honed complex harmony to a nerve-shattering edge. I have collected perhaps the best set of documents beginning with Babylonian tablets and Nimrod at the Towers of Babylon knew that you could hurt people with sound. As an electronics engineer with a career in acoustics I know that if osha wasn’t afraid of religion most churches would be in trouble for physical and emotional abuse. It is a historical fact that not even singing was added as an act of worship until the year 373 when they also began to compose their own “scripture” for singing. What you are seeing is prophesied in great detail.
—Kenneth Sublett
Hohenwald, Tennessee

Our Most Powerful Service Each Year
(posted 10-28-05)
Thanks to Ken Read for his article (“Is This the End of the Worship Fad?” October 9) on the future of our “assemblies” (which has become synonymous with “worship”). Our congregation would be described by most as contemporary. However, our most powerful service each year is the Good Friday service. As people walk into a dark auditorium they face a candle-lit platform and the cross. The ritual of the service rivals most “high” church experiences. Scriptures are read; prayers are prepared; Communion is a sacred moment. There is definitely a place in this gen-X minister’s heart for the ancient-future style that Ken predicts.
—Matt Johnson
Levittown, Pennsylvania

Pronouncement Seems Premature
(posted 10-21-05)
Professor Read’s (“Is This the End of the Worship Fad?” October 9) obituary for contemporary services—with all due deference to Mark Twain—seems premature. Aside from the orientation of youth events, the existing contemporary services have been around long enough that they can now partake of the typical institutional conservatism for which religious practices are well known. In other words, for all those who have grown up with nothing else, they will undoubtedly cling to these services much as country churches still sing such historical favorites as “Church in the Wildwood” or “In the Garden.”

His piece, not unlike the views of a growing number of seminary professors, seems to romanticize—indeed even glamorize—the liturgy as a centuries-old repository of profundities. It seems more logical to this observer, who is not a fan of contemporary services, that the appeal he talks about is not so much a reaction to contemporary music as in fact an extension of it.

I respectfully suggest that the issue is not between scripted profundity and superficial spontaneity but rather differing degrees and cycles of repetition. Even the most profound thoughts, repeated 5 to 50 times—if not more—during a service, tend to reduce that profundity and depth. For anyone who has sat through a Greek Orthodox or other liturgical “high” wedding, the frequent repetition of the same or similar phrases seems to be what most resembles many contemporary choruses.

In addition, while the lines of influence for contemporary songs can often be easily traced to contemporary secular music, the situation of the liturgy, while obviously much more removed in time, is not exactly exempt from pagan influences, especially in its early centuries.
—C. J. Dull
Moberly, Missouri

Kudos and Dittos
(posted 10-19-05)
In reference to Ken Read’s article concerning the “worship fad” (October 9).

KUDOS to the STANDARD for printing the heartfelt article of Mr. Read.

DITTOS from many from inside the church.
—Dave Miller
Lexington, Kentucky

Headed Toward Extinction?
(posted 10-13-05)
Given that Ken Read (“Is This the End of the Worship Fad?” October 9) is advocating moving to a worship style that involves none of the skills traditionally associated with worship ministers, I have to ask, why is he a professor of worship?
—Mandy Reed
Corunna, Michigan

Not the First to Make This Mistake
(posted 10-13-05)
I’m discouraged with the lack of respect for churches and church leaders displayed by Ken Read in his [October 9] Reflections article, “Is This the End of the Worship Fad?” His use of words and phrases like “fad” and “Sunday Morning Show” is what leads some church leaders to accuse college personnel of being disconnected from the reality of modern ministry.

He makes the terrible mistake of misjudging the desire of worshipers for authenticity as the rejection of a style. He is not the first to do so. Many people who embraced the use of more contemporary instruments and sounds in worship over the past 20 years were also guilty of “throwing the baby out with the bathwater.” In both instances, the discerning participant can see that the changes that took place had to do with the rejection of form without function, not to form alone. Are there some places that have inauthentic, formulaic worship that leaves people wanting; slick worship leaders who use trite expressions? I am sure. But is that a rejection of style or substance? Any place that has a “Sunday Morning Show” will ultimately leave people wanting. But for Mr. Read to throw a multitude of churches into that category is an opinion that is far too shallow to pass for an educated opinion.

Mr. Read says that he is noticing “many students using prayer beads.” Really? How many is “many”? Five hundred? One thousand? Are we really to think that a return to the Common Book of Prayer and the attendance at Mass is the next trend? If Mr. Read is suggesting that up-and-coming generations do not have the disdain for Christian symbols and traditions that baby boomers displayed, I would agree. But to accentuate the return to liturgy is much too broad a conclusion for the anecdotal evidence to which he refers.

I realize that in some ways this article is intended to move church leaders away from a slickly scheduled, showlike atmosphere in corporate worship. We should know instinctively that such worship will please neither God nor man. But instead of a needed warning against shallow worship and an encouragement toward authentic worship, Mr. Read presupposes slick, inauthentic leaders in churches across the board. I reject such a view of our churches. The context of ministry for our varied churches is so great, it precludes the stereotypes applied by Mr. Read.

Will the content of worship services change to reflect the worshipers in the coming years? Absolutely. But I’m not sure anyone really was questioning that fact. That’s why many churches, from the start of initiating change in worship, talk about being relevant . . . because circumstances change. Culture changes. And worship is to be culturally authentic—people worshiping God in ways natural to their lives. If Mr. Read is trying to call us to a church culture committed to the value of change, his counterparts in the practical ministry field beat him to the punch more than 20 years ago, in ways much easier to interpret. Dr. Joe Ellis has been preaching the sermon of a commitment to change in the church, in the same institution as Mr. Read, for a long time.

Mr. Read concludes his article by saying, “It’s not about the meeting, but about the presence.” At face value, I have no question. However, the Scriptures remind us that it is often in the meeting where the presence moves in the most powerful ways.
—Joe Wilson
Baltimore, Maryland

Respectfully Disagree
(posted 10-12-05)
I must respectfully disagree with Ken Read’s article in the Reflections section (“Is This the End of the Worship Fad?” October 9). I was Catholic. I found no counsel or deepness of spirit in beads or The Book of Common Prayer. I and many others who came out of the Catholic Church found no comfort from all of the legalistic protocol to worship the Lord. If Mr. Read is right as far as it goes with the upcoming generation, we as the Christian church have much work to do to dispell the position of beads, books, and icons (which you will see more of Mary, which is idolatry). I have to be concerned for my children and children who follow. Not once have I seen a “Sunday Morning Show” with the exception of our own megachurches, and the megachurches of other denominations. I think we need to consider the mysticism and dismantle it forthwith. … Please, Mr. Read, don’t present your observation as the norm for all Christian churches.
—Ray Wilson
Via e-mail

Been Thinking the Same Thing
(posted 10-11-05)
Just wanted to give an opinion of Mr. Read’s article “Is This the End of the Worship Fad?” in the October 9 Christian Standard . . .

Mr. Read put into words what I have been thinking for some time now—that most of the services seem to be about putting on a show instead of worshiping. It is time to get back to “the heart of worship,” which should be expressing our love for the Lord, and for each other.

The attitude now seems to be that we have to put on the most entertaining show possible to bring new families in—and I simply don’t feel that is what most people are searching for—they are searching for a deeper spiritual relationship with God and with fellow Christians.
—Jamie Roberts
Ashland, Kentucky

Insulting and Judgmental
(posted 10-7-05)
I was personally disturbed by that attitude of Ken Read in his article that will appear in Sunday’s Christian Standard (“Is This the End of the Worship Fad?” October 9). To call worship “The Sunday Morning Show” is both insulting and judgmental. We have watched people finally move out of the cold, sterile, auto pilot church services of the 1970s and ’80s into an expressive show of love and real emotion to our heavenly Father. To want to do that with excellence is not being part of a “fad.” It is giving our best to the master.

Ken could have simply suggested we consider including more prayer and Scripture reading in our services as an expression of worship to God, rather than insult and trivialize the sincere and heartfelt worship of the past 20 years. And by the way, who is carrying prayer beads and the Book of Common Prayer to our services? And does he really want us to implement a liturgy form of worship? And what exactly is he suggesting with the phrase “by means of icons?”

Ken seems to have an agenda, and quite frankly, I am surprised that the Christian Standard would give him the chance to promote such an insulting, negative agenda. He continually refers to the “many” who he believes want and are calling for the things he promotes in his article. I question just how in touch Ken is with what people really want. Quite frankly, here in the progressive and mostly Catholic Northeast, I know of no one who desires to replace heartfelt, emotion-filled worship with prayer beads, the Book of Common Prayer, and icons.
—Michael Cassara
Ronkonkoma, New York

In Our Assembly, It's Genuine
(posted 10-6-05)
Regarding “Is This the End of the Worship Fad?” by Ken Read:

At Valley Christian Church we “worship” (sing songs of praise and adoration, an occasional hymn, pray, read Scripture, share testimonies, etc.) for 20 to 30 minutes. We praise and sing to God, and he often is very present in my personal experience, and in that of others. I’m sure there are some who are merely singing, perhaps even bored, but they are mostly peripheral in other areas of discipleship, as well.

We can no doubt worship God in hundreds of ways. One of my favorites is congregational “worship,” with many or a very few people. It may be a fad for your author, but it’s genuine in our assembly.

Praise the Lord!
—Chuck McKinney
Concord, California

Seen a Lot of Changes
(posted 10-6-05)
I so appreciate your weekly eNewsletter and the brief summaries it contains. They are so well done.

Got a real kick out of the article by Ken Read regarding “Worship Theatre, etc.”

In my fourth score of years, it’s been so intriguing to watch “what is hot and what’s not” change time and time again.The hardest part is being patient and gracious while each new generation “of know it alls” is replace by the next innovative group who will be replaced by the next.

My only hope that God’s Holy Spirit might lead us in the “more excellent way”—HIS WAY.
—R. Dean Hickerson
Kansas City

Just What We Were Looking For
(posted 10-5-05)
Ken Read’s article ("Is This the End of the Worship Fad?") was just what we have been looking for. We are planning a service to complement our traditional Sunday morning service. What a great guide! So many times in services I have attended prayers, the Scripture, and in some cases Communion were just a “necessary evils.” Beginning with this week we are also changing our traditional morning service to include sincere prayer as well as more Scripture without commentary. God bless Ken as well as all of you for your great work for our Lord.
—Jim Robinson, pastor
Simpsonville Christian Church DOC

READERS' REACTIONS TO "Online Extra: Bush Nominates Miers to Serve on Supreme Court" (posted October 3)

"Has He Earned Enough of Our Trust?"
(posted 10-7-05)
Does anyone else feel that President Bush is once again demonstrating his disregard for anyone but his personal friends? How could anyone feel comfortable with his nomination of Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court, or view it as anything but cronyism? As Christians, are we not called to a higher standard? If she has those “solid qualifications,” why can he not make sure that everyone sees them? It seems little enough to ask. Why would he not want the Senate to have the information they need to do their job? Has he truly earned enough of our trust to believe him about something this important? I remember Mike Brown’s appointment to FEMA—and Bush’s declaration that he was doing a great job—and I feel I have to answer “no.”
—Laura Read
Cincinnati, Ohio

An Unorthodox Selection
(posted 10-6-05)
The public ought to know more about Harriet Miers than the White House is willing to tell. It is interesting that twice in a row Bush has picked Supreme Court nominees who are very mysterious and ambiguous on their values. Picking someone who has never served on a lower court is very unorthodox and does not take into consideration the need for experience on the highest court in the land. Will Miers turn out to be like another certain Bush-appointed official who stepped down from his leadership post at FEMA recently?
—Jordan Smith
Columbus, Ohio
Via e-mail

The Irony in Miers's Nomination
(posted 10-5-05)
There seems to be much stirring about a member of one of our churches being appointed to the Supreme Court. I suspect many hope that she might carry the values that our churches teach into the public square, especially on issues such as abortion. Many seem to hope that she will be an instrument of God's will in shaping American culture.

This is a bold hope, of course. The ironic thing, though, is that in the vast majority of our congregations, this woman whom so many hope God will use to fight such things as abortion would not be considered fit to lead as an elder simply because of her gender. What do we communicate to the world when we trust a woman to lead the nation in interpreting its Constitution, especially with regards to the protection of unborn children, and yet at the same time refuse to trust her to lead a congregation in the interpretation of the Scriptures and Gospel of our Lord?

By way of disclosure, it was, of course, my wife who pointed out this irony to me.

Regardless of our views on Harriet Miers’ judicial record and potential, as many of our congregations gather around to pray and hope that it is God’s call on her life to be confirmed, let us all examine the ways in which women in our congregations might be called to other forms of leadership based not on gender but character.
—Micah Weedman
Indianapolis, Indiana

Consider Competency and Christianity
(posted 10-5-05)
Regarding the Web-only reprinting of “Inside the Real West Wing” by Jack Straus Jr. (November 4, 2001, CHRISTIAN STANDARD):

I am excited by the prospect that we could have someone like Harriet Miers on the Supreme Court. As far as her moral character goes, I am very satisfied as well as enthused.

In regard to her qualifications, however, I am very uncertain. She obviously has a great deal of legal and political experience, but should she be on the nation’s highest court without any real judicial experience?

As a Christian and a citizen of the U.S., I would like to hear someone from a faith background addressing questions like this, especially since I am largely ignorant in regard to the inner workings of the judiciary. I would like to be able to know that she is not only a deeply committed Christian, but also that she would be competent in the job. I’m not sure that the former is enough to eliminate the need to also consider the latter. (And, I understand that CS might not be the proper forum to conduct such a discussion, but I would like to see Christians consider more than just work in the church before supporting someone’s appointment to the Supreme Court.) Please have one of your writers do a follow-up article addressing this very important issue.

Having said all of that, if Ms. Miers is a woman of integrity, and if she is competent for this most demanding assignment, I pray that she will be confirmed and that she will be an instrument of God’s blessing for the United States.
—DJ
Atlanta, Georgia

READERS' REACTIONS TO OCTOBER 2 ISSUE
(For all letters responding to the October 2 "Stolen Sermons" issue, click here.)

We Started a Program That Same Day
(posted 10-6-05)
I was reading “From the Editor” in the October 2 issue of the STANDARD—interestingly enough, we started a new program that same Sunday evening. You asked for feedback so here it is . . .

We started having small groups in lead family’s homes and having two other families from our church meet with the lead families. The groups will meet in a different home for the first three Sundays out of the month. The fourth Sunday we will have a special service at the church. The host family is responsible for bringing a non-churched family to the group for dinner or a snack, a one-minute devotion, prayer requests, and a time of answering questions in the group about where they were born, a favorite childhood memory, etc.

Every month the families will be assigned a new lead family and will get to know a different group of families. Our purpose is to connect unchurched families to families in the church and to get to know each other as our church grows. One of the church’s purposes is to fellowship as well as hear a sermon three or four times a week and we felt like we fell short on the fellowship and getting to know each other. Outreach and fellowship is a much better way to spend our time rather than trying to come up with a third sermon or lesson for Sunday night that only a handful of people will come and listen to.
—Mark Messmer
Jasonville, Indiana

Methods Are Subject to Reevaluation
(posted 10-03-05)
Regarding the editorial of October 2, “The Problems with Original Preaching”—During my pulpit ministry of 1988-90, I was called to fulfill the traditional roles of providing Sunday morning sermons, Sunday school lessons, Sunday night sermons, and Wednesday night lessons. It didn’t take me long to realize that something would have to give, lest I continually “run on empty.” So I asked myself the same question the editorial asks: “What needs does a second preaching service every week really meet?” This question led me to zero in on the Sunday night sermon.

I began by asking around. “How can you possibly prepare two good sermons per week?” was my question to my fellow pulpit ministers. I recall one candid admission: “My Sunday night messages aren’t that great. I merely whip up a few points and hang some illustrations on them.”

So I wasn’t the only preacher who had only one good sermon in him per week! Thus I set out to change the Sunday night traditional worship service or at least try to. We met at the same time as before (very small church—only about 20 attended Sunday night), but we went with a variety of formats. These included outside speakers, video presentations, etc. But the complaints began to roll in. “It doesn’t feel like real church!” (It wasn’t supposed to.) “What about the people who can’t come on Sunday morning? They need a worship service too!” (We had exactly one person in that situation.)

The problem, as I look back a decade and a half hence, was just what the editorial says: the pressures are heavier than most laymen understand. But an even deeper problem was my inability to generate clarity in this regard. Every time I tried, the response would be to compare me with Brother So-and-so who preached twice a week just fine.

Lord’s Day worship is biblical. The traditional Sunday evening worship service is a potentially useful method by which we may meet God’s desires in this regard. But methods are subject to reevaluation. Is preparing a second sermon each week really the best use of the preacher’s time? Recognizing the validity of that question is half the battle.
—Ronald L. Nickelson
Fairfield, Ohio

For all letters responding to the October 2 "Stolen Sermons" issue, click here.

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It's Not the Only Thing Vanishing
(posted 9-29-05)
The article “House Calls: A Vanishing Form of Ministry” (by Scott Dalgarno, October 2) is not the only thing vanishing from today’s church. In thinking of the “contemporary movement” something occurred to me. While many people think it is all about the music, there is an unnoticed factor involved as well.

Along with the contemporary music is also contemporary preaching. What is missing in most of the modern messages is “consequence.” Everything is so geared to the positive mental attitude of achieving anything you want, that the subject most taught by Jesus is never mentioned. You see there is no way to give a positive description of Hell. Hell is a negative; therefore it has no place in modern preaching.

It is no big surprise, though, as our society has made major strides in taking away accountability for personal actions. Unfortunately society creeps into our congregations little by little and before you realize it—and some never do—there is no visible difference between the church and the world.
—Jeff Maynard
Huntington, West Virginia

MISCELLANEOUS LETTERS

Being the Church at Christmas
(posted 12-29-05)
Thanks for your positive reporting of how church families handled Christmas morning services (CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s eNewsletter for December 25). Christ’s Church at Cobb (Kennesaw, Georgia) is a great example of options. Also, members of Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, were encouraged by pastor Jon Weece to go be the church—in lieu of going to church—and show the love of Jesus to the community. There are dozens of stories of how families put aside their own traditions and went to serve, give, and feed others. Some did extreme home makeovers for less fortunate families, putting those families into hotels with gifts of pajamas, toiletries, etc., while they did the makeover. Others baked and took food to fireman, policeman, and others who were working on Christmas. The church was also encouraged to leave outrageous tips to servers in restaurants that were open; the list became endless of how to go be the church.

As for my family’s Christmas Sunday, some of us ate breakfast at Waffle House and had a blast leaving a great tip for the waitress. We also had a “spree” at Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve buying toys for children, toddlers, and infants and delivering them on Sunday to the University of Kentucky’s Children’s Hospital. We had gift cards for the families there, as well as Bath and Body Works lotions for the nurses with a thank you from Jesus and our family for working on that day. We all went; my wife and children with their husbands, our grandchildren, and my mother-in-law. What a break of tradition for us who normally spent Christmas Day with 30 to 50 friends and relatives (we still did that) to go share God’s love with someone else.

Being the church, wow . . . thanks God, it changed us!
—Ron Hargett

It's Strange to Close Churches on Christmas
(posted 12-8-05)
Recent news (Dec. 6) on msn.com made me shake my head in disbelief and dismay. Megachurches plan to close their doors on Sunday Dec. 25th because it is Christmas Day. Followed to its logical end, the misguided approach by some megachurches to market the gospel makes for ridiculous headlines. In this case, the customer-first approach is “bad business” for the Lord. (Customer was formerly “seeker,” more formally “sinner”).

The spokeswoman, Cally Parkinson for Willow Creek, says the purpose of the church is reaching the “unchurched,” those who “don’t go to church.” She and the megachurch ad team are clearly confusing the purpose of the Church of Christ and the purpose of worship. The purpose of corporate worship (no pun intended) is for the Christians to celebrate and worship the resurrected Christ Jesus. The purpose of the church in general (specificially each individual saint) is to reach the “unchurched.”

By the way, if megachurches don’t think the “unchurched” will go to church on Christmas, what makes them think they will go any other Sunday? That is where we got the term “C & E Christians” in the first place!

The super-sized churches like Southland are setting a bad example with this bent logic. The media will only report on the megachurches, so most non-Christians will assume this is the trend that most churches will follow. Also, many churches are influenced by the wake of the big churches, like it or not.

U.S. churches must wake up and realize that the Lord, not the “unchurched” or the marketing department, calls the shots. Let’s open the church doors on Christmas Day and every Lord’s Day (even snowy days) to show the world our priority is Jesus and no one, no inclement weather, and no cultural trends will stand in the way of our celebrating “the Way, the Truth and the Life.”
—Robert F. Herbert
The Mountain Movers, Japan Christian Mission
Sapporo, Japan

Grateful for Online Version
(posted 12-14-05)
Isn’t modern technology wonderful . . . at least most of the time! I am so grateful to be able to view the CHRISTIAN STANDARD online. It is a tremendous tool to use as I am able to share articles that appear in the STANDARD with associates and contacts I have who do not receive this great periodical. It’s a great resource that I hope will be available for a long time.
—David Terriaco
Kernersville, North Carolina

Don't Forget Our Missionaries
(posted 11-3-05)
I serve as a campus minister—an American missionary, of sorts. Missionaries feel the fluctuations of the economic situation in people’s lives. Recently our nation witnessed the great devastation of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. The hurricanes destroyed the lives of many, and damaged the souls of some. It has been great to witness the response of the church in helping those who are in great need (why it takes such a great disaster to get some to respond, I don’t know). Through churches like Journey Christian Church in New Orleans, we are effectively reaching those who have been gravely affected by the destruction. It seems all of us are involved in the recovery effort in some way.

One of the main ways we are helping hurricane victims is through financial giving. Churches have even collected special offerings to help the victims. I am so glad people are seeing the need and contributing to the help efforts. But with all of our goodness and desire to help, some churches and people have forgotten a group that is in constant need . . . missionaries.

Our organization has received several notes and phone calls all with the same message, “Our congregation has decided to give to the hurricane victims this month.” We find oursleves in a strange emotional situation. We want people to help out the hurricane victims, but we also need to pay our bills.

Some of you may be thinking, Well, you are in a faith ministry, so have more faith. True. We are finding more faith, but here is what is wrong with this picture—special offering vs. tithe. The tithe is the amount that you have already set apart to give to God. It is the portion of your finances that you have predetermined to give toward kingdom work. The biblical amount is 10 percent, of course. . . . The amount beyond your tithe—or the amount you typically give—should be referred to as your special offering. This means you shouldn’t take from one to give to the other. I know this is tough for many people, but the special offering is to be a special sacrifice. If we take from one to give to the other, then the one who we have taken from will feel the loss.

I am asking that you remember the church and our missionaries are always at work and are able to continue to do so only because of your steady, dependable year-round giving. When a time comes during the year that we see people in need—as with the hurricanes—we need to go beyond ourselves. We need to sacrifice a portion of our finances that we have kept for ourselves to help meet the needs of others. If we desire to be the church that we see in Acts, then we need to remember to read Acts (specifically 4:32-35). Remember that our financial sacrifice is the least that most of us can give.
—Tony Bedora
State College, Pennsylvania

Teen Plans Own Baptism Party
(posted 10-10-05)
Imagine, a 14-year-old student planning his own baptism party! It happened here in Tamarack, Minnesota!

Josh Peterson lives in Long Lake, near the twin cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. He had the privilege of staying with both his Northland grandmas for the entire summer. During that time, while visiting the Tamarack Church of Christ, Josh decided to change the course of his life and follow in the steps of Jesus. He set the date, August 27, 2005, and called his dad back home to see if he could make it then.

Grandma Marilyn Peterson lives on a lake and having the baptism celebration at her place would be the climax of a special summer for her. Grandma Marilyn, however, was unexpectedly hospitalized the week preceding and couldn’t make it. Young Josh, however, didn’t hesitate to keep his appointment with Jesus. He called church and family members, asking us to bring “a favorite dish.” He assured us he’d bake the cake and Grandma Marilyn and Grandma Sally Philips would provide the hamburgers and brats.

Leland, my husband, took Josh’s confession of faith and baptized him in the same waters other family members surrendered to. Applause and hugs followed, then a meal together. Josh said all his favorite foods were present! The rest of us marveled more at his initative under conviction and the assertive role Josh took in becoming “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

We also shared our joy with Josh’s younger sister, Jamie, who was baptized at camp earlier in the summer.

Josh’s strong family ties are a testimony to the lives of his father, Mark, his grandparents, and to cousins, aunts, and uncles. We sent Josh back to the Twin Cities with mixed blessings. We will miss the shy and humble young man who planned one of the best events of the season! To God be the glory!
—Marilyn Tippett
Via e-mail

Where Is the Response to Issue of Racism?
(posted 10-6-05)
I have appreciated your coverage of the recent hurricanes that have demolished our beloved Southern Gulf Coast. I have appreciated seeing the involvement, nationwide, of many churches in the relief effort. (Click here to view ongoing coverage.)

What I have not seen, however (which I have noticed from the conservative/liberal commentators/Presbyterians to the Unitarians/and everyone in-between) is the response of the church to the issue of racism that has so plagued/clogged the coverage of the aftermath of the two hurricanes.

Are we a church that is bent on self service and praise or does our faith speak, in any way, to the needs of the day?

I was just wondering. . .

An aside—my wife Barbara, who is 38, and is now attending undergraduate school here in Dallas (she is training to be a teacher after being a full-time mom for nearly a decade) was given an assignment by her history professor to look at a series of articles in order to determine whether or not the response to Katrina was an issue of race or ineptitude on the part of the administration that governs our land. They are talking about it everywhere, but it seems the CC is silent on the matter. Does our faith have a response to the questions of culture or are we to remain in what Charles Swindoll calls “the holy huddle?”
—Kurt I. Johanson
Dallas, Texas

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