Another Rick Warren Wake-Up Call

Rick Warren is exercising courageous leadership. This message is a necessary wake-up call for churches with spiritually lethargic members. While we may not always agree with Rick Warren's way of growing churches, in this case, I admire his brave approach to trim his flock. Unfortunately, if these 'fake Christians' do find another Church, God help that other Church. For that, I feel that Warren's approach is still flawed. Perhaps, his wake-up call is mere rhetoric?

The article in full is reproduced below for 'ministerial or educational purposes only' as permitted by the Christian Post Copyright policy here.

conrade

======================================
[Article Credit: Christian Post, May 24th 2010 - permalink]

Rick Warren Tells Passive, Fake Christians to Find Another Church

During his weekend sermon, Warren laid out a plan for Saddleback's next "Decade of Destiny" in which he's anticipating exponential growth. And the plan has no room for fake Christians, he indicated.

Mon, May. 24, 2010 Posted: 08:14 PM EDT

---

Pastor Rick Warren has a message for the some 20,000 people who attend Saddleback Church: If you want to remain a passive Christian, find another church.

During his weekend sermon, Warren laid out a plan for Saddleback's next "Decade of Destiny" in which he's anticipating exponential growth. And the plan has no room for fake Christians, he indicated.

"Let me just be honest with you as somebody who loves you. If you passively just want to sit around in the next 10 years and just waste your life on things that won't last, you probably want to find another church because you're not going to really feel comfortable here. Because if you're in this church, I'm coming after you to be mobilized," said the renowned southern California pastor.

Saddleback celebrated its 30th anniversary last month and in preparation for the megachurch's next decade, Warren took the congregation back to the first church in the New Testament for a look at what "real Christianity" is all about.

"There are a lot of things done in the name of Christianity in the church that Jesus Christ would disavow," he lamented. "There's fake Christianity, there's phony Christianity, there's pseudo-Christianity.
"I want us to look at the real deal. What does it mean to really be a follower of Jesus Christ?"
Preaching on Pentecost Sunday – the anniversary or birthday of the first church – Warren said that just as a child is born with its entire DNA, all the DNA was in the body of Christ when it was birthed more than 2,000 years ago.

Unfortunately, the churches and Christians he sees today in the 21st century are a far cry from how they were in the first century, he noted.

Aligning Saddleback with the DNA of the original church – which grew from 120 believers to dominating the Roman Empire within 300 years – Warren directed the congregation to adopt and strengthen eight characteristics of real Christianity as found in the book of Acts.
They include: supernatural power through prayer, using everybody's language and every communication channel for mission, mobilizing everybody from kids to seniors, life-changing truth, loving support or fellowship, joyful worship, generous sacrifices and exponential growth.

"Real Christianity uses everyone's gifts," said Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, as he rejected passive and consumer Christians.

"Everybody's a minister," he stressed. In the original church, there were no audiences. Rather, everyone was a contributor and participator which led to the tremendous growth of Christianity.

Over the next 10 years, the megachurch will be launching Saddleback worship services in every city in Orange County and in other cities across the country and the world. The Lake Forest, Calif., church also plans to become the first church in history to send someone to every nation in the world to share the Good News.

"We're going to sing until the whole world knows" is the theme song for the next decade, Warren said.

"If we went back to New Testament real Christianity, not the fake stuff ... do you think we could reach more people for Jesus?" he posed.

"Without a doubt. We'd reach more people in the next 10 years than the 30 years combined."

Lillian Kwon
Christian Post Reporter 

=========================

On Doctorates

One of the benefits of a Regent-College education is the high academic standing and requirements expected of students. As a top-tier theological institution, Regent-College adheres to the accredition standards of theological colleges and seminaries under the ATS (Association of Theological Schools in USA and Canada). Regent-College's accredition status is available here. Earned doctorates (different from honorary ones) nowadays include PhDs, DMins, DPhil, DTheo, DMiss, etc.

Many Regent students and alumnus have at some point considered a higher degree after graduating with the Masters. Many have moved on to do doctorates of various theological disciplines. I have read several tips for those who are pursuing a doctorate. Here is a list of resources for you to read, before attempting a doctorate level education.

• Dr John Stackhouse's "Thinking about a PhD?" (good advice from Regent's own Professor)
• John Roxborough's Postgraduate research criteria; (very clearly written, and easy to understand)
• American vs British PhD Programs: Three Doctoral Students reflect...
• Tips for PhD Students. (Lots of links for PhD students).

Remember that going for a doctorate is not for the faint-hearted. It does not guarantee a better status or a higher salary, or even a job! In today's environment, having a doctorate can sometimes repel prospective employers. It is a calling. 

conrade

NT Wright on Blogging

Thanks to our blogger Regent Alum, Matt Jones, I learn about this little quote from NT Wright about physical anger and habits being transferred to the blogsphere. I find his writeup insightful. Thanks Matt for spotting this. Do check out his website for other great blog articles.

I checked out the book and found more of Wright's perceptive words.

"Everything is interconnected, and when people feel the floor shaking and the furniture wobbling, they get scared. Test this out. Go to the blogsites, if you dare. It really is high time we developed a Christian ethic of blogging. Bad temper is bad temper even in the apparent privacy of your own hard drive, and harsh and unjust words, when released into the wild, rampage around and do real damage. And as for the practice of saying mean and untrue things while hiding behind a pseudonym - well, if I get a letter like that it goes straight in the bin. But the cyberspace equivalents of road rage doesn’t happen by accident. People who type vicious, angry, slanderous and inaccurate accusations do so because they feel their worldview to be under attack. Yes, I have pastoral concern for such people. (And, for that matter, a pastoral concern for anyone who spends more than a few minutes a day taking part in blogsite discussion, especially when they all use code names: was it for this that the creator God made human beings?) But sometimes worldviews have to be shaken. They may become idolatrous and self-serving. And I fear that the has happened, and continues to happen, even in well-regulated, shiny Christian contexts - including, of course, my own." (NT Wright, Justification: God's Plan and Paul's Vision, Downers Grove,IL: IVP, 2009, p26-7)

Of course, the context of Wright's argument here is that what is considered a 'new perspective of Paul' is not exactly a new rocket-science idea. What the blogging platform has provided is to transfer (not transform) an old perspective from the offline terrain to the online domain. In other words, some things have not changed. Describing his 35 years of writing on the subject of Paul, his experience with detractors has NOT been 'disagreement' but failing to meet his opponents' expectations and 'wants' (20). Moreover, Wright claims that those who disagree with him often did not listen in the first place.

Wright is precisely right. As I reflect, blogging does not change the person. It is simply a change of platforms. What was previously paper is now electronic. Self-publishing is overtaking conventional publishing. Distribution by hand is replaced by distribution by wire (and wireless!) In other words, the content may be the same but the medium is different. Whether the medium has changed or not, people has not changed. Didn't they say that a leopard does not change its spots?

At the end of the day, we need to remember that for all views whether online or offline, God is watching.

conrade

Inspiring Speech "Be the One"

This monologue by Amena Brown opens the recent ChickFila Leadercast event. It is highly inspiring. Entitled "Be the One," Brown encourages conference attendees to be the leader God has called them to be. The way she ends the exhortation is superb. I am moved. Let me share the closing words:

"But one snowflake can cause an avalanche and a single seed can birth a tree. See the phrase 'Change begins with me.' It's more than a cliche. It's a mantra. Let's make it a reality. So what will you do? Who will you become? Imagine the change you could see in the world, if only you would be one. "

May we as Regent alums, be used by God to be the One God calls us, in our respective neighbourhoods of ministry.



conrade

"Be Interesting" vs "Being Interested"

This post is first published at Yapdates.

---

Title: "Be Interesting" vs "Being Interested"
Written by Conrade Yap
Date: 13 May 2010
Main Idea: There is a difference between 'interesting' and 'being interested.'

I remember back in Regent-College where I encounter how people use the word 'interesting.' After each lecture, classroom discussion, or any impromptu chats, the word 'interesting' appears to be a suitable one-size-fits-all answer to any question. In fact, after talks from the esteemed and popular Dr James Packer, to the lesser known adjunct professors with their newly minted PhDs, the word 'interesting' can be fitted in like a standard three-pin plug in any electricity outlet. New students can say it with confidence without becoming embarrassed by any lack of theological jargon. Older students use this word to politely disagree, or to appear brilliant, while carefully preparing one of their brainy counter-points to the propositions concerned. 'Interesting' is a word likened to a T-shirt, clothing that reveals a little bit, and hides the rest.

"Most Christians Called to Social Action"

Kudos to our Regent alum, Dr Lai-Yong TAN!

Having won many awards by governments in China and Singapore, Dr Tan, a medical doctor from Singapore  continues to bring inspiration to many Christians both at home and abroad. This article, called "Most Christians Called to Social Action: Award-Winning Doctor," was published by Christian Post on May 4th, 2010. With a calling that is in line with the ethos of Regent-College, Dr Tan argues compellingly that the default position for 'most Christians' is toward the poor and the needy. Here's a short quote:

"Speaking to some 140 Christians from over 70 churches and organisations at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Dr Tan urged skilled Christians to enter the overseas mission field. It is not to become fulltime missionaries, but to use their skills to help the poor and needy. This is God’s calling for most of them, he said.

Addressing a concern of many Christians, the 49-year-old doctor likened cross-cultural mission work to driving. Most people do not have a calling to be a driver. Still they get a driving license. 

This is because they regard it as a necessity and skill, he pointed out. Churches need to help people understand that overseas mission work “is like driving,” Dr Tan added. “You got to pick it up.”

You can read the article in its entirety here.

conrade

A Review of the NET Bible

A Regent Alum Reviews The Freely Available NET Bible


Here is a nice informative review of the NET Bible, the first English translation to be freely made available to the public on the Internet. Tze-Ming QUEK is a Regent Alum currently a PhD Candidate with Cambridge University (UK). He is currently a lecturer (New Testament and Hermeneutics) with Biblical Graduate School of Theology in Singapore.

You can download the NET Bible here, or simply read it online here. Another nice feature is that the NETBible is available in many different formats, including Kindle and MS Word.

You can read more of Tze-Ming's review by clicking here.





conrade
(Regent MDiv, 2008)

Chick-Fil-A Leadercast Seminar (May 7th 2010)

This is a 1-day seminar on leadership. It brings together a remarkable group of people, like John Maxwell, Ben Carson, Jim Collins, Tony Blair etc. What is interesting is that you do not need be physically in Atlanta, Georgia in order to attend the conference. There is a webcast to a host of different cities around the world. It may very well be in your local church or in a church where you live. Check it here for locations.

If you are unable to attend, some of the past downloadable messages are worth listening to. Check it out here or some of the speakers bio here. You can gain some tips on leadership.

conrade