Thank God For a Messy Church

It’s is God’s grace to you if your church is messy. I heard those words come out of my mouth yesterday as I was guest-preaching at a church close to home. I said them, and I believe them. At least, I believe them most of the time.

I love my church. I love the people I gather with week-by-week. They are fun and safe and easy to be with. But who said church should be safe and easy?

Yesterday, when I was at that church, I preached on the parable of The Lost Sheep, which is actually a parable about a kind and loving shepherd (see Luke 15). Like so many of Jesus’ parables, this one was told in the presence of two groups of people—people who were convinced of their own badness and people who were convinced of their own goodness. And in this case Jesus was speaking primarily to those good and religious people. Read more

What Does “coram Deo” Mean?

I remember Mama standing in front of me, her hands poised on her hips, her eyes glaring with hot coals of fire and saying in stentorian tones, “Just what is the big idea, young man?”

Instinctively I knew my mother was not asking me an abstract question about theory. Her question was not a question at all—it was a thinly veiled accusation. Her words were easily translated to mean, “Why are you doing what you are doing?” She was challenging me to justify my behavior with a valid idea. I had none.

Recently a friend asked me in all earnestness the same question. He asked, “What’s the big idea of the Christian life?” He was interested in the overarching, ultimate goal of the Christian life.

To answer his question, I fell back on the theologian’s prerogative and gave him a Latin term. I said, “The big idea of the Christian life is coram Deo. Coram Deo captures the essence of the Christian life.”

This phrase literally refers to something that takes place in the presence of, or before the face of, God. To live coram Deo is to live one’s entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God. Read more

See also
You Need the Power of the Holy Spirit!

5 Ways to Display Self-Control

Samson’s life proves that he didn’t have a good handle on his emotions. He could have benefitted from the wise words of the apostle Paul, who talked about laying aside the “old self” and putting on a “new self” in Jesus (Ephesians 4). While it’s too late for Samson, it’s not too late for us to display godly self-control in the face of difficult times and circumstances. Paul’s insight into overcoming anger is priceless for those of us who struggle in this area. Let’s be honest: We all do at some point. Read more

Photo: americangallery.wordpress.com

7 Conditions for Confrontation

I have found myself intrigued by a new book by Chris Bruno and Matt Dirks titled Churches Partnering Together. I guess the title says it all—it is about developing bonds between churches so different congregations, and their leaders, can be on mission together. In one chapter the authors discuss the inevitability of confrontation and I appreciate their counsel on positive confrontation. They begin with Galatians 6:1-2: “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” And then they provide seven conditions for confrontation which apply not only to conflicts between church leaders, but between all Christians.... Read more

Archaeologists Have Made An Incredible Discovery At Stonehenge

Using powerful ground-penetrating radar, investigators working around Stonehenge have detected a trove of previously unknown burial mounds, chapels, shrines, pits — and most remarkable of all — a massive megalithic monument made up of more than 50 giant stones buried along a 1,082-foot-long c-shaped enclosure.

This news is unreal — and it's resetting virtually everything we thought we knew about Stonehenge. Just a week after finding out that Stonehenge was once a complete circle, archaeologists from Birmingham and Bradford universities, and from the Ludwig Boltzman Institute in Vienna, have shattered the image of Stonehenge as a desolate and lonely place.

After four years of painstaking effort, and by using a magnetometer, a ground-penetrating radar (GPR), and a 3D laser scanner, archaeologists have shown that Stonehenge was once a sprawling complex that extended for miles. Read more

See also
Massive 5,000-Year-Old Stone Monument Revealed in Israel

ReNew: united, confessing, missional

Is the Commitment signed on Tuesday by delegates at the ReNew conference a manifesto for schism? In a word, no. The document begins with a promise to pray and work for a broad vision: “a nation of healthy, local Anglican churches”. This of course implies that there are not enough churches in the nation; many of them are not “healthy” in the sense of being Christ-centred, bible-based and Spirit-filled, growing and influencing society around them. The number one answer to the crisis of spiritual decline in England is seen by the ReNew movement as the development and strengthening of local congregations based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This could be seen as a congregational ecclesiology if it stopped there, but there is a recognition of the importance of episcopacy providing oversight and facilitating the work of mission at the local level.

The partnership of Church Society with Reform means that there remains a strong commitment to working within the existing structures of the Church of England. There is a real desire to take Archbishop Welby at his word, that as Conservative Evangelicals are considered to be part of authentic Anglicanism and encouraged to “flourish” (according to the July statement on Women Bishops), so churches in this tradition should be encouraged to grow and multiply. However while there is appreciation for those called to sit on Synods and be engaged in C of E politics, there will be no attempt to try to gain control of the structures; rather to grow a movement of like minded Anglican churches across the country. The strategy is to secure a good future for those churches which are currently strong and vibrant; to establish an evangelical ministry in many churches which are currently middle of the road and Gospel-lite; and to plant new congregations. Often these new ministries can be carried out successfully as part of a plan by the local Deanery and approved by the Bishop.

The controversial part of the commitment is the recognition that there will be times when pioneering new congregations will on occasion mean operating without Diocesan approval, and the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE) is the mechanism to enable this. As we heard in various case studies during the day and a half together, there are various scenarios where new congregations have emerged wanting to be Anglican, or where growing parishes have felt the need to establish another presence, a daughter congregation, in a large area of population where the existing parish church is of a totally different churchmanship and is making little impression. Rather than welcome such fresh expressions of Christian life and growth, and eagerly own it as part of the Diocese, many in the official leadership structures block such moves, often through prejudice against conservative evangelical theology. It was emphasised at the conference that in such cases, the aim is not to be “gung-ho” and deliberately rebellious, but rather, after respectful negotiation sometimes over many months, if it becomes impossible to reach agreement, the furtherance of the Gospel must take precedence over niceties of protocol. Such new congregations wanting to maintain an Anglican identity can do so with oversight from AMiE, their panel of Bishops, and their oversight from the GAFCON Primates. Read more

Tim Keller's church launches New York Bible college

The church led by American pastor and author Tim Keller is launching a new seminary in its hometown of New York, in partnership with a conservative Bible College, to prepare church leaders for ministry in cities around the world.

Redeemer Presbyterian Church, which Keller founded in 2001, is joining with the Reformed Theological Seminary to offer a campus in New York. The new course will launch next year.

Bible colleges in the US are struggling with reduced revenues following the financial crisis, but the RTS, which started in Jackson, Mississippi, is expanding across America in various locations, as well as offering a 'virtual campus' online.

Keller's church has been involved in planting more than 300 churches in 45 cities, including Scotland, Liverpool and London. It is now part of the 'Redeemer City to City' umbrella group. Read more

Episcopal Church’s Katharine Jefferts Schori will not seek re-election

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, the first woman elected to head a national branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, announced Tuesday (Sept. 23) that she will not seek a second nine-year term in office.

Her departure will likely set off debates over her legacy and the future of the 2 million-member denomination. Read more

See also
Statement from the Presiding Bishop announcing she will not seek a second term

While I am not expecting this to happen, it would be an interesting development if TEC chose a moderate presiding bishop and made a course correction. It would in effect rob the Anglican Church in North America of its reason for existence.

Will Presiding Bishop Schori's successor continue her policy of litigation is the question on the minds of TEC watchers. Or will her successor adopt a more conciliatory policy toward dioceses and congregations that have broken away from TEC?

'Third way' church disfellowshipped from SBC

Acting on behalf of the Southern Baptist Convention, its Executive Committee has withdrawn fellowship from a California church where some members, including the pastor, believe that "same-sex marriage can be blessed by God."

Without opposition, the EC voted Tuesday (Sept. 23) to declare that New Heart Community Church in La Mirada, Calif., "does not presently meet the definition of a cooperating church under Article III [of the SBC Constitution], and that messengers from the church should not be seated until such time as the Convention determines that the church has unambiguously demonstrated its friendly cooperation with the Convention as defined in the Convention's constitution."

Article III of the SBC Constitution states, "Among churches not in cooperation with the Convention are churches which act to affirm, approve, or endorse homosexual behavior." Read more

Poll: Support for Gay Marriage May Be Leveling Off

A survey released Monday from the Pew Research Center indicates American support for same-sex marriage could be leveling off after several years of dramatic growth in acceptance of equal rights for gays and lesbians.

The study's authors caution it's too soon to draw any definitive conclusions. But the new poll released Monday found a 5 percentage point drop since February, from 54 percent to 49 percent, in Americans who want legal recognition for same-sex relationships. The percentage of those opposed increased during that same period, from 39 percent in February to 41 percent last month.

The poll of 2,002 adults, conducted Sept. 2-9, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. Read more

See also
Half of Americans Believe Gay Sex Is a Sin

Viewpoint: Christianity will live on in Iraq

Weeks before its first horrendous beheading of an American journalist, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria gave Christians in Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, a stark one week choice: Convert or face execution. Christian houses were marked with a black "N" — for Nazarene, a reference to Jesus.

Those who fled were, as a refugee named Raad Ghanem put it, "stripped of everything. Money, wallets, jewelry, ID, passports, watches, everything." For the first time in 16 centuries, there are no Catholic masses in Mosul on worship day.

This persecution has reached well beyond Mosul. As recently as 2003, roughly 1.4 million Christians lived in Iraq. After more than 60 church bombings and ISIL's recent campaign to exterminate religious minorities, the numbers have dwindled. Syrian Christians are under equally serious assault, as are Coptic Christians in Egypt.

But history offers a glimmer of hope in the midst of this darkness. It is not just that refugees from persecution often find a home in new countries where their beliefs can flourish, as Catholics and Jews did in 19th century America, and Protestants did before that. The more profound truth is that violence rarely has the final word, even in the country from which a religious minority has been excluded. Read more

Global War on Terror Enters New Phase

Terrorist organizations like ISIL/ISIS, al-Nusra, and the Khorasan group are not going to vanish after two days of air strikes. The indications are that twenty-first century will see the expansion of radical Islamist militancy across the face of the planet. Christians in Europe, United States, and elsewhere need to be as fully informed about such organizations as possible. They also need to be prepared to deal with the effects of this militancy upon their lives and the lives of others. Beginning with a series of articles on ISIL/ISIS, al-Nusra, and the Khorasan group, I have gathered more articles on these terrorist organizations and related developments with the foregoing purposes in mind.

New: Defeating ISIS: You can't bomb an ideology out of existence
ISIL, ISIS, Islamic State, Daesh: What's The Difference?

What ISIL/ISIS is called does make a difference. In referring to ISIL/ISIS as "the Islamic State" the media is playing into the hands of ISIL/ISIS, which wants to be seen as representing Islam. For this reason it claims to have re-established the Caliphate with a successor of the Prophet Muhammad as Caliph. It wants Muslims to view an attack upon ISIL/ISIS as an attack upon Islam. It hopes to use this misperception to rally the support of Muslims around the world, to recruit more foreign fighters, and to widen the conflict to other countries. This is also why it seeks to provoke the US to send troops to Iraq and Syria.

The anatomy of ISIS: How the 'Islamic State' is run, from oil to beheadings
This Is How ISIS Makes $3 Million A Day
EXCLUSIVE-U.S., France propose U.N. sanctions on foreign Islamist fighters

Why ISIL/ISIS wants the US to commit ground troops to the battlefield
Islamic State message shows desire for US boots on the ground
ISIS Propaganda Videos Keep Encouraging US Ground Troops In Iraq And Syria

Why the US targeted the Khorosan group
What's the difference between ISIS, al-Nusra and the Khorasan Group?
Admin: Strikes on Khorasan group aimed to avert imminent threat
Airstrikes target shadowy new terror group led by Osama insider
US may have gone after Khorasan group even without IS attacks
Khorasan leader a skilled al Qaeda fighter, fundraiser

Australia
Australian police shoot suspected terrorist dead

Germany
German Police Raid Flats, Mosque Over Suspected Ties With IS Militants

Iraq
Islamic State attack on Iraqi base leaves hundreds missing, shows army weaknesses

Syria
Finding the 'right' rebels in Syria: One tough job
US-backed rebel group criticises Syria strikes

Turkey
Turkey’s ISIL crisis is worse than you think

United States
Pentagon: ISIL war could last ‘years’
Why Drones Don’t Cut It in Syria
Will ISIS try Australian-style plot in America?
Muslim groups denounce anti-Islam ads on NYC buses

12 Reasons Why Churches Don’t Address Decline

I have never met a church leader who said to me, “I really want my church to die. I’m not that concerned that we haven’t grown in years.” At the same time, though, most churches in North America are plateaued or in decline. Many of those churches have been in that state for years, if not decades—sometimes under the same leadership.

Why do churches wait so long to address decline? Here are twelve reasons I’ve seen in my church consulting work. Read more

The Growing Disconnect Between Spiritual Hunger and Church Attendance

Doing church together is an essential aspect of what it means to be a Christian.

But church attendance rates keep dropping in most of the developed world.

Why?

I often hear it’s because people aren’t as spiritually-minded as they used to be. After all, if it’s not their fault, then some of it might be our fault. And that can’t be.

But the evidence doesn’t support that. In fact, it suggests that people’s spiritual hunger may be growing, not shrinking. Spiritually-themed books, movies, TV shows and blogs are having a major resurgence. Alternative spirituality is booming.

Spiritual hunger isn’t a cultural thing. That God-shaped hole is hard-wired into every one of us.

Church attendance isn’t down because people have stopped caring about spiritual things. It’s because we haven’t done such a great job at showing them how church attendance will help them answer that longing. Read more

Photo: Irving Underhill, March 23, 1909

6 Ways to Build a Loyal Team and Become a Better Leader

1. If you want a loyal team, help them see their future.

One of the quickest ways to endear yourself to your team is to ask them questions about their goals and aspirations. This can’t be just lip service; you actually have to want to see them develop and be willing to invest yourself in the process as well, even if it means you will have to replace them. In fact, if you’re good, they may even replace you. Put your money where your mouth is and be sure you have the necessary dollars set aside for training and development, but be sure both of you have a destination in mind. There are far too many churches and organizations out there that put money aside for development but don’t have a clear plan in place for their people. Have a clear development pathway for your staff and key volunteer roles. Without a destination in mind, many are on a “Cruise to Nowhere.”

2. Celebrate effort even if the results are less than expected.

I am not talking about creating an environment where everyone gets a trophy and has their turn as employee of the month. There are extenuating circumstances that can thwart the best-laid plans even when they were executed flawlessly. Nothing reveals character like how a leader loses. If they went down swinging, don’t treat them like a loser. They have just shown you what they are made of and learned a valuable lesson or three along the way. Coach them up and process it with them, but celebrate the effort privately and publicly. Read more

Four Incredible Things To Teach Your Congregation About Generosity

You know you’ve been there—you show up for church one morning, and when it’s time for the sermon, the pastor sheepishly announces he’ll be talking about giving.

There’s an internal groan from the audience because everyone knows how those talks feel. They feel like being hit up for something. Worst case scenario, they feel sleazy. Everyone’s sitting in their chairs trying to remember what kind of car the pastor drives and how many offering plates it took to buy it.

But the thing about God’s Church is we’re supposed to give.

It’s a mandate in scripture and the generosity of the church body is the only way the pastor will have a car at all.

But still, it’s a tricky subject and nobody likes talking about it.

What if there was a way to teach about generosity that didn’t have to do with the church’s bottom line? Yes, we know the offering plates are what keep the lights on in the church, but what if we could talk about it in a different way, a way that didn’t feel quite so logistical or quite so sleazy?

Here are four things I find to be incredible about generosity, things that could change the conversation on giving altogether. Read more

ISIS and Islam: Four Views

Does ISIS Represent True Islam?

The gruesome and tragic reports of persecution—against Christians, moderate Muslims, and others—carried out by the terror group ISIS continue to dominate the headlines. A coalition of nations is now ready to take significant military action to stop the genocide in places like Iraq and Syria, including authorization of the U.S. military to arm and train Syrian rebels. Not since the aftermath of 9/11 has such a broad array of countries appeared so intent on joining together to combat the human rights abuses of ideologically driven extremists.

But do the ideologies of ISIS and similar groups reflect a traditionally accepted interpretation of the Qur'an, or are their tactics a modern perversion of true Islam? Read more

The Way Ahead

In this essay, Tony Blair sets out seven principles of understanding that he believes should underpin a comprehensive strategy to counter religious extremism.... Read more

What Went Wrong? - Why History Has Left Islam Behind

On a lazy afternoon this summer in a rented house near Bridgehampton, I picked up a book written by Princeton professor Bernard Lewis. After reading the opening chapters, I realized that I had read it before. But it was just as good the second time as the first. It's title was: What Went Wrong? The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East.

Many books on Islam either demonize it, or idolize it. Some portray Islam as a religion of violence (Mohammed had swords), as vicious (stonings. beheadings and amputations are acceptable punishments), and as backward and intolerant.

At the other extreme you find Islam portrayed in academia as peaceful, tolerant, richly artistic, culturally significant, and so on. Of course, the Islamic studies departments in many American universities are splendidly endowed by predominantly Muslim countries. However, this seems to escape critical notice.

Given these contrasting portrayals of Islam, the need for balanced, reputable critiques of Islam is glaringly obvious. Read more

Why Did Obama Say ISIL is Not Islamic? Because He’s not a Fool

In his speech to the American people last night outlining his strategy (finally!) for combating ISIL, President Obama made a statement which has been cited as an example of his stupidity, ignorance, treason, or deceit:

ISIL is not Islamic. No religion condones the killing of innocents, and the vast majority of ISIL’s victims have been Muslim

How can ISIL not be “Islamic” when Islamic is the first word in the acronym? Twitchy gives a short round up of some of the Twitter reactions to this statement, which are overwhelmingly negative. Read more

MUST READ: Not just ISIS: Jihadis’ new ‘take territory’ strategy

After years of internal debate, the Islamist jihadi movement appears to have reached consensus on a global strategy aimed at seizing territory in as many countries as possible.

Although the Islamic State “caliphate” has attracted the most attention, it’s not the only instance of this strategy being put in effect. Read more

US Bombs 'Khorasan' Sites in Syria; Officials Say This Terror Group Is as Big a Threat to US as ISIS

The U.S. military targeted sites of an al-Qaeda-linked Islamist extremist group, the Khorasan, in Syria by airstrikes overnight after intelligence officials warned this group is as big a threat to the U.S. as the ISIS, or Islamic State, and has the ability and inclination to attack Western targets.

The Pentagon said early Tuesday that the U.S. military targeted not only ISIS but also the Khorasan overnight "to disrupt the imminent attack plotting against the United States and Western interests conducted by a network of seasoned al-Qaeda veterans."

The airstrikes on Khorasan were conducted by the U.S. military alone, but five Arab nations that include Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, "participated in or supported" the attacks on ISIS, the Jordanian army said, according to Reuters.

This Khorasan group, which had been lesser known in the West until now, is led by a former al-Qaeda commander who was involved in the 9/11 attacks and has the ability to make bombs. Read more

See also
Group Backing Islamic State Vows to Kill French Citizen
'I'd rather die,' Chibok schoolgirl says
Tombs Bombed as Islamic State Declares War on Ancient Iraq
3 Missing Afghan Soldiers Found At Canadian Border

Viewpoint: Christianity in Iraq is finished

In the part of his Sept. 10 speech on confronting the Islamic State that probably drew the least attention, President Obama mentioned the need to help Christians and other minorities, expelled from cities and villages in northern Iraq, return from where they came. “We cannot allow these communities to be driven from their ancient homeland,” he said.

Obama got that wrong. Christians, of whom around 120,000 have taken refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan, will not be going home even if their tormentors suddenly disappear. Read more

Seven Ways Leaders Lead During a Crisis

Crises come in many forms. But in the midst of these experiences are some common dimensions of leadership that we can identify and examine. Leadership literature often refers to leadership style as reflecting tendencies of leaders in terms of their approaches and characteristics. We also use the term stylistic competency because it reflects not just the manner of a leader but also the need for particular skills.

In our case studies, we discovered that seven stylistic competencies were particularly important to ministry leadership in a time of crisis. Read more

Leadership Matters, but So Does Preaching

God uses pastors in many different ways. He uses them to cast vision. He works through pastors to set the tone in churches and to be examples for others to follow. Unfortunately some churches won’t follow good leaders no matter what. They would rather die than change. And they usually get the former for forsaking the latter.

Still, leadership matters. Leadership is critical. And the most visible aspect of leadership for the pastor takes place in the pulpit. For better or worse, the people in the church are watching and listening. Most of them do not expect the pastor to have the oratory skills of a well-known pastor. They do not expect him to have the exegetical insights of some of the most brilliant preachers in the land.

But they do have expectations. Read more

Drinking from a Fire-Hose: why so many sermons (reprise)

In good churches there tends to be a LOT of preaching. Sometimes it feels a tad overwhelming. Sermons come at you rapid-fire from all directions, like a paintball ambush.

Sunday morning and evening, Tuesday cell groups, Saturday men’s meeting, and now with the advent of MP3 players a barrage of world-class preaching is a screen-touch away. It can be a bit like drinking from a fire-hose.

And how much of this biblical truth is really going in? Am I honestly expected to beware of the 15 symptoms of hypocrisy in Luke 11, as well as the 3 tools God uses to save sinners, and the 6 steps to being a good steward of my money? And if I am supposed to remember this stuff, what about next week, and the week after that?

Is a photographic memory a requirement for being a faithful Christian these days?

We are not the first generation to flounder in information overflow. Read more

10 Components of a Good and Responsible Invitation

I acknowledge that the public invitation, like many spiritual and religious practices, is open to abuse and manipulation. However, the solution is not to kill it but redeem it. We need to extend it in a manner that is biblical, authentic, and Christ-honoring, all to the glory of God. Key concepts in doing it in this manner are motivation and information. In that context, I note 10 components of a good and responsible invitation. Read more

See also
4 Words to Keep in Mind When You Give a Public Invitation

Presiding Bishop of REACH-South Africa Retires

At the REACH-South Africa Annual Synod this past week (2-4th September, 2014), the Presiding Bishop, Desmond Inglesby announced his early retirement due to medical reasons.

This was what he said in his Presiding Bishop’s Charge:

“It is with great sadness that I need to inform you that, for medical reasons, I have decided to retire early. This means that I will be stepping down as Presiding Bishop with effect from the end of September. Unless the Lord had intervened, this decision was inevitable – but it has come sooner than I had hoped or anticipated. It was always my intention, God willing, to complete at least 5 years of my tenure, but that was not to be!!

Over the past few years my physical condition has deteriorated quite rapidly and significantly. I have made my decision on the advice of Medical specialists, and I believe it is the right thing for me to do. The physical demands required for fulfilling my role have become too much for me.

I have thoroughly enjoyed being a local church Minister, an Area Bishop and for the past 4 years, the Presiding Bishop. It has been a great joy and a huge honour and privilege to have served in these roles in REACH – South Africa. Read more

Rise of Islamic schools causes alarm in secular Turkey

When Turkish pupils received their school entry exam results after the end of last term, textile worker and father Halil Ibrahim Beyhan received an unpleasant surprise.

His daughter had been assigned to a religious high school, like thousands of other students under a new system that caught many parents off guard.

Parents, educators and civil society groups have decried the move as another attack on Turkey's secular principles by the Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) co-founded by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accusing the government of imposing religion on students.

"My child will be forced to wear a long skirt. She will be forced to put a headscarf on her head too. It is not mandatory for now, but who knows it won't be one day?" said Beyhan, 49.

"I am a practicing Muslim, I fast, I say my prayers and read the Koran, but I still want my daughter to be educated in a normal school," he said. Read more

MUST READ: The War of the Cross

When ISIS changed its name in June from “the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” (ISIL, or the Arabic acronym ISIS) to simply “the Islamic State”, this was a shift of enormous theological and eschatological significance.

The Caliphate and the Caliph

The Islamic State, or Caliphate (khilafa in Arabic) as the group has proclaimed, denotes the early Islamic state under Muhammad’s first successors, the Caliphs. It is considered by Muslims to be the God-ordained ideal form of Islamic government under which a pious head of state rules the whole Muslim community (umma) under Islamic law (sharia). This is viewed as the golden age of Islam, to be re-created whenever possible. The term is sometimes extended to all Islamic states with caliphs at their heads (the last being the Ottoman Caliphate abolished in 1924). It symbolises the unity of the Muslim umma, even when this does not match reality. All contemporary Islamist movements are dedicated to restoring the Caliphate.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, declared himself Caliph on 29 June 2014, claiming therefore to be the leader of all Muslims on earth. He says he is a sayyid, that is, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, thereby fulfilling one of the original Sunni requirements for the Caliph to be from Muhammad’s tribe.

Religious Motives and Theological Justification

Much of Islamic theology is derived not from the Quran but from traditions (hadith) recording the words and deeds of Muhammad (his sunna), which are seen as a pattern for all Muslims to follow.

A helpful letter by British imams and Muslim leaders appeared in The Independent newspaper yesterday, in which they urged ISIS to release British aid worker Alan Henning and expressed horror and revulsion at the recent murder of another British aid worker, David Haines. They wrote that “the senseless kidnapping, murder and now the despicable threats to Mr Henning at the hands of so-called "Muslims" cannot be justified anywhere in the Quran and the Sunnah (Prophetic traditions).” The Islamic State, however, can quote selected Islamic source texts from the Quran and hadith or sunna to justify what it is doing.

As we have seen, the Islamic State’s main immediate purpose is to establish a radical Islamist Sunni Caliphate across the Middle East. After that its stated targets are Rome and Spain. Rome is apparently used as a symbolic centre of Christianity, while Spain has been “unfinished business” for Muslims ever since they finally lost control of it in the late 15th century. As one hadith says:

Allah's Apostle said, "I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.' And if they say so, pray like our prayers, face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them except legally and their reckoning will be with Allah. – Sahih al-Bukhari (Vol. 1, Book 8, No. 387)

Another hadith states:

the Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded to fight against people so long as they do not declare that there is no god but Allah (Sahih Muslim Book 1, No. 30)

The Islamic State takes these hadiths as meaning that it should wage jihad until everyone on earth makes the Islamic declaration of faith, the shahada: “There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” Read more

Updated: ISIS issues call for Muslims to kill non-Muslims and anti-ISIS Muslims

Beginning with a series of articles on ISIS’ fatwah directing Muslims to kill non-Muslims and anti-ISIS Muslims at every opportunity, I have gathered together more articles about the self-proclaimed "Islamic State" and related developments.

Why is ISIS taunting the West?
ISIS Release Statement Urging Muslims To Kill American, French And Australian Nationals
Islamic State tells followers to attack U.S., French citizens: website
Islamic State recruiting women to 'have kids and cook'
ISIS Reportedly Planning Terror Attack On Pope At Vatican, Security Increased
New: ISIS Announces New Grand Theft Auto-Like Video Game Designed to Inspire Kids to Wage War Against West

Australia
Islamic State: Militant group calls on supporters to kill Australians 'in any possible way'
PM promises jail for returning Australian jihadists

China
Multiple explosions in China's restless Xinjiang kill two, injure 'many': government

Iraq
U.S., Iraqi Militias Join In Uneasy Alliance

Nigeria
Boko Haram 'kill several' as they loot Nigeria market

Syria
Fleeing Islamic State offensive, Syrian refugees stream into Turkey
Syrian Kurds in Turkey recount Islamic State terror

Turkey
Turkey closes some border crossings as 130,000 flee ISIS in Syria
Turkey Says No Ransom Paid For Release Of Hostages Held By Islamic State

United States
Intelligence Officials: Islamist 'Khorasan Group' May Be Bigger Threat Than ISIS
Three Afghan soldiers missing from Massachusetts training exercise

Global South Primates' Show of Support for the ACNA Sends the Wrong Message

By Robin G Jordan

At the heart of the Confessing Anglican movement is the first Global Anglican Future Conference’s call to return to the Scriptures and the classical Anglican formularies. These formularies are more than historic documents. They set out where Anglicanism differs from some forms of Protestantism on one hand and from Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism on the other. They establish for the Anglican Church an identity that is Protestant, reformed, and evangelical.

In North America this call has to a large extent gone unheeded. While some clergy and congregations in the Anglican Church in North America have heeded the call, the ACNA as a denomination has not. This has become increasingly evident from the doctrinal statements that the ACNA has produced to date.

Those on whose shoulders fall the burden of seeing that this call is not ignored, however, flock to the gatherings of the Anglican Church in North America when they should be keeping their distance from a denomination that has shown in these documents that it really does not stand with the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans. It is pursuing its own course, a course that does not involve full adherence to the teaching of Scripture and the doctrine of the formularies.

To make matters worse the ACNA is not content to pursue this course alone. It seeks to dissuade the Confessing Anglican movement from returning to the Scriptures and the classic formularies and to join it on the same course.

In their failure to pull back from supporting the Anglican Church in North America primates like Archbishop Iliud Wabukala are damaging their own credibility. How can they champion the acceptance of the authority of the Thirty-Nine Articles, maintaining that it is constitutive of Anglican identity, and then attend the gatherings of a denomination that does not accept the Articles' authority? They would decline to attend the gatherings of the Episcopal Church on the same grounds. What prevents them from refusing to attend the ACNA’s gatherings for this reason?

See also

GAFCON Chairman’s Participation in ACNA Archbishop's Investiture: What It Implies

Seven Reasons Why We Should Not Give Up on Established Churches

If you truly believe that established churches have no hope, there is no reason to read this post. I am not, however, among those pessimists.

I am an obnoxious optimist about our churches.

Excited about This Book

What motivated me to write this post was a new book by my son, Sam Rainer: Obstacles in the Established Church. All familial prejudice aside, I am greatly heartened to read a work by a 30-something pastor about what we used to call “traditional churches.”

While the title caught my eye, the subtitle gave me hope: How Leaders Overcome Them. It is indeed a book of hope. Read more

How to repair a church in mid-flight

Repairing a damaged church “with the engine running”–that is, in the midst of continuing operations–is much harder than starting afresh with a church plant and building it right and healthy from the ground up. You’re making repairs “in flight,” so to speak.

By “repairing a damaged church,” we refer to any number of situations. Some we have encountered include these.... Read more

Photo: Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmBH Archive

Five Ways Leaders Must Guard Their Minds

Leaders are readers. Leaders are learners. And leaders are definitely thinkers. Your mind is a special gift from God. It’s one of the most important tools in a leader’s arsenal. Your mind can potentially store 100 trillion thoughts, yet the average person only uses 3½ million thoughts a year. We only use about ten percent of our mental (or brain) capacity.

While our minds can be the epicenter of creative and influential leadership, our minds are also battlegrounds that must be guarded. All moral failure begins in the mind. 1 Peter 1:13 says, “Prepare your minds for action. Be self-controlled.” Notice that self-control and mental preparation go together. God says that the self-controlled person is the mentally fit person. We can love God with our minds. We’ve often talked about loving God with our hearts but God says we can love Him with our mind. I believe that God wants you to make the most of your mind. As that commercial says, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”

We battle an old sinful nature that often clouds our thinking. We live in a world that bombards us with false and counterfeit philosophies. And we have an enemy who is constantly on the prowl seeking to devour us. So how do we guard our minds well? Control what you allow in.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” The Bible is very specific in giving us five threats we are to guard our minds against. Share this list with your staff members and the key leaders of your church. Read more

Leading from the Second Chair – Rainer on Leadership #072 [Podcast]

Brad Waggoner returns to the podcast this week to discuss how to lead when you’re not the top leader in an organization. Brad also tackles the question I hear most frequently from church staff: What do you do when you don’t really agree with the pastor’s vision for the church? Read more

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:53 — 21.9MB)

We Need an Additional Way to Credential Pastors

For the sake of Kingdom work and church planting, we may want to consider a new way to credential pastors.

The normal track for credentialing pastors includes college, seminary, and an ordination council. But what about credentialing pastors who take non-traditional routes? Is there space in your denomination for that? Should there be?

Furthermore, is there a biblical way to respect the office of pastor while providing additional paths to pastoral ministry?

I think the obvious answer is yes.

I want to consider an Alternative Credentialing Track (ACT). Read more

Photo: Wikimedia

How Loud the Worship Team?

Over at Christianity Today, John Stackhouse, Jr. expresses his thoughts on the volume of worship teams in an article called, “Memo to Worship Bands.” He gives five reasons why church music teams should tone down the volume.

1. Cranking up the volume is just a cheap trick to add energy to a room.
2. When your intonation is not very good, turning it up only makes it hurt worse.
3. The speakers in most church PA systems cannot take that much energy.
4. Consider that you might be marginalizing older people.
5. Musicians—every one of them, including the singers—are accompanists to the congregation’s praise.

After saying that musicians “should be mixed loudly enough only to do their job of leading and supporting the congregation,” he ends with this.... Read more

Unfortunately only subscribers to Christianity Today now have access to John Stackhouse's article--one of the drawbacks of Christianity Today. It will make an article available for a short period of time and then limit access. 

ISIL/ISIS poses both local and global threat

Beginning with several articles examining the ISIL/ISIS threat in and outside of the Mid-East, I have gathered together a number of articles on the terrorist organization that has shocked the world with its violence and brutality in the name of religion.

Four Reasons ISIS Is a Threat to the American Homeland
How ISIS Works
ISIS' Apocalyptic Magazine Vows to Attack Israel, US Troops as It Conquers Persia, Rome and Arab States
Inside ISIS: Fighters Promised '72 Eternal Virgins in Heaven' While Christian Women Raped as Husbands Beheaded, Says Ex-Member
4 Possible Terrorists May Have Tried to Enter US Through Texas-Mexico Border, Says House National Security Subcommittee Chairman
Muslim Man Says He Killed New Jersey Teen Brendan Tevlin as Payback for US Action Against Muslims in Middle East
Is ISIS Trying to Assassinate Pope Francis?
Does ISIS' latest hostage video mark a change of tactics?

Reactions to President Obama’s proposed strategy for the defeat of ISIL/ISIS
We must tell the truth about ISI because President Obama won't
Obama's $500 Million Price Tag to Arm, Train Syrian Rebels, Raises Concerns
US shouldn't divulge IS combat plans: Saudi prince

Reaction to ISIL/ISIS in Australia
Terror raids: Exposing the hidden players in the conspiracy that cross the globe
Australia terror crackdown sees armed police in parliament

Reaction to ISIL/ISIS in France
France is ditching the ‘Islamic State’ name — and replacing it with a label the group hates
The Islamic State Is Upset With The French Government's New Name For Them
Rise in extremists recruiting French women, girls
France launches first air strikes on IS in Iraq

Reaction to ISIL/ISIS in Germany
From gangsta rapper to Islamist militant

Where does Turkey stand?
ISIS Draws a Steady Stream of Recruits From Turkey
Turkish President’s Allies Increasing Pressure on Times and Reporter
Turkey Takes in ‘Terrorists’ from the Muslim Brotherhood
Turkey may welcome Muslim Brotherhood brass after ouster from Qatar
Turkish hostages freed, jihadists advance in Syria
Turkey secures release of 49 hostages seized in northern Iraq
ME experts: Turkey holds key role in stopping oil smuggle by Islamic State

Situation in Iraq
Islamic State creates police force in northwest Iraq
How an ISIS attempt to free prisoners in Baghdad could spiral into something much worse
Iraq: Girls as young as three sold as sex slaves

Situation in Syria
Syrian Kurds warn of mounting crisis as ISIS advances, takes more villages
Thousands Flee Into Turkey Fearing Imminent ISIS Attack On Kurdish Town Of Kobani
Syrian Rebel Groups Alleged to Have Reached a Ceasefire With ISIS in Damascus

Situation in Nigeria
As Boko Haram tries to capture a capital, how prepared is Nigeria's Army?

Anti-Muslim sentiment on the rise in the United States
Anti-Islam Ads Will Soon Be Plastered On New York City Buses
Oklahoma Muslim leaders concerned after lawmaker calls Islam 'a cancer in our nation'

Call for a Christian safe zone in Iraq
New urgency for an old idea: Nineveh

A reminder
A Warning Against Apathy

GAFCON Chairman’s Participation in ACNA Archbishop's Investiture: What It Implies

By Robin G. Jordan

Has anyone else noted the incongruity of Archbishop Iliud Wabukala, chairman of GAFCON, assisting at the investiture of the ACNA’s new Archbishop Foley Beech? Archbishop Wabukala has on a number of occasions championed the Thirty-Nine Articles as historic Anglicanism’s confession of faith. See the article“Archbishop Wabukala Defends the 39 Articles” and Archbishop Wabukala’s address“The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion: The Church and Its Mission.” Archbishop Wabukala has gone on record as saying “…confessions of faith, whether they are the ancient catholic creeds or later statements such as the Church of England’sThirty-nine articles cannot be seen just as historical documents to be reinterpreted as we wish.”

Archbishop Beech, on the other hand, in a recent interview in a reference to Anglican confessionalism made no mention of the Thirty-Nine Articles, which form the basis of that confessionalism. He has been promoting in his own diocese the use of Texts for Common Prayer whose doctrine conflicts with doctrine of the Thirty-Nine Articles and the two other Anglican formularies that along with the Thirty-Nine Articles constitute Anglicanism’s long-recognized doctrinal standard. Archbishop Beech joined with the other members of the ACNA College of Bishops in enthusiastically endorsing To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism which, where it does not disregard the doctrine of these formularies reinterprets that doctrine as it wishes.

By his actions Archbishop Beech has shown that he does not share Archbishop Wabukala’s views on the Thirty-Nine Articles. Beech heads a denomination that relegates its affirmation of the 2008 GAFCON conference’s Jerusalem Statement to the preface of its constitution where it is purely incidental to the preface’s account of the establishment of the Anglican Church in North America and is not binding upon the denomination’s clergy and congregations. The ACNA’s constitution in its fundamental declarations equivocates in its recognition of the authority of the Thirty-Nine Articles and treats the other Anglican formularies as one of a number of doctrinal standards that the denomination recognizes. Its canons, Texts for Common Prayer, and To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism show that the denomination in practice does not accept the authority of the Anglican formularies at all.

What message is Archbishop Wabukala sending to the Anglican Church in North America and to Anglicans around the world in assisting at Archbishop Beech’s investiture?  What does his presence and the presence of other global South Primates at the investiture say about the depth of their commitment to the fourteen tenets identified as underpinning Anglican orthodoxy in the Jerusalem Declaration and to the values articulated in The Way, the Truth, and the Life: A Pilgrimage to a Global Anglican Future and Being Faithful: The Shape of Historic Anglicanism Today? As my grandmother was wont to remind me, “Actions speak louder than words.”

Loving the Lost: Churches Without the Broken are Broken Churches

It's easy for Christians to love each other, but it's important for believers to love others as well.

It is a natural thing for Christians to want to be around other Christians. Something special happens in the fellowship of believers.

We can worship freely, study deeply, and communicate clearly. Hanging out with like-minded people who (appear to) “have their stuff together” can be a wonderful thing.

But how well are we engaging those who aren’t as spiritually stable as we (think we) are?

I’ve been fascinated by the fact that a lot of Christians don’t seem to like non-Christians—otherwise known as “the lost,” “the unchurched,” or whatever other term you may want to use. They want to keep away from the messy people-- perhaps missing the obvious that we are messy as well. Read more

Transition Without Relocation: 8 Ways to Stay Fresh In a Long-Term Pastorate

Behind every great church, large or small, is at least one pastor who has been there long enough to outlast the bad times and build on the good times.

It is the most common thread for great churches. Pastors who stick around.

But pastoral longevity has its dark side too. The tendency to become stale. Read more

Six Strangleholds That Could Have a Death Grip on Your Ministry

You know that “your ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results you are currently experiencing (Andy Stanley).” You know the well-worn path never arrives at a new destination. You even know Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity: “Doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results.”

You know all these things. And at the same time...you’re hesitant to try a new strategy (or shut down an ineffective one). Why? You probably need to break free of a stranglehold with a death grip on your ministry. Read more

See also
The Perils of a Well-Worn Path

4 Ways to Beat Your Ministry Funk

It’s inevitable. No matter what line of work you’re in or how much you love it. No matter how good you are at what you do. Sooner or later, you’re going to get into a funk.

It happens to everyone. The best authors experience seasons where they hate writing and are lucky to have one good sentence in a hundred pages. The most passionate musicians have days where they don’t even want to pick up their instrument.

While funks are unavoidable, we don’t have to resign ourselves to them. From my own experience, I have identified four responses we can take to combat being victims to these times of low inspiration.

A natural tendency is to think that your funk is permanent. It’s a sign of a major change in performance or motivation that will never correct itself. It’s not. Don’t mistake momentary moods for permanent paradigm shifts. Your funk is only a small part of your story. Just turn the page and start your next chapter. Read more

For those who may be unfamiliar with the term "funk," it refers to a state of paralyzing fear, a depressed state of mind, or a slump.

How An App Revitalized My Prayer Life

I say it without hyperbole: PrayerMate revitalized my prayer life. It has been at least a couple of years since I made the move from organizing my prayers in a book to organizing my prayers in an app, and, at least for now, I don’t ever see myself going back. I know that praying from an app is not for everyone, but for me it has made all the difference. Let me tell you how I use it. Read more

Fasting In the Life of the Pastor

Pastor, when is the last time you practiced a day of fasting? When is the last time you spent a season of fasting for three days, ten days, or longer? Read more

Conservative Anglicans’ emergency plan to escape women bishops

The Anglican Mission in England looks like a support group. But if required, it could turn into rather more than that

Anglicans aren’t the sort of church-goers who set much store by miracles, signs and wonders. Yet their own church is one of the greatest miracles of our society: it has managed to hang together, in spite of raging differences, for centuries.

Since 14 July, that miracle has been under threat. For most, it was a great leap forward when the General Synod finally approved the ordination of women bishops. A delighted Archbishop of Canterbury was ‘grateful to God and to answered prayers’. David Cameron called it a ‘great day for the church and for equality’.

But one section of the church didn’t feel it was a great day. Members of the conservative evangelical movement, represented by a pressure group called Reform, had resisted this change for years. Reform was set up after the Church of England approved the ordination of women as priests in 1993. Before the vote on bishops, they and the remaining Anglo-Catholics had argued there was insufficient provision for those who still believed that the Bible does not permit women to lead in this way. The conservatives feared being forced to submit to a bishop whose authority they disputed. They lost the argument.

Next week Reform will hold a conference for its members to decide what happens next. And what does happen next will surely change the character of the Church of England, for better or worse. Read more

From the tone of this article I gather its author is not sympathetic to conservative evangelicals in the Church of England or to Reform.