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Is Youth Ministry Biblical?

This is a question that frequently comes up on youth pastor facebook groups. Perhaps that’s a surprise to non-youth pastors, but it’s a question most youth pastors have asked, at some point or another. Sometimes it’s prompted by critics who accuse us of usurping parents’ primary role in passing on the faith to the next generation; other times it’s an honest inquiry into the validity of their own vocation.

My book, A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry, was initially named “Is Youth Ministry Biblical?” since that’s the driving question behind it. That also means it’s a bigger question than a blog post. In this article, I’ll attempt to capture the biggest arguments from the chapters on Youth Ministry in the Old and New Testaments. For more, you’ll want to just buy the book and savor every delicious word of it.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Deuteronomy 6 is the most-shared text to highlight parents’ primary role as disciple-makers of the next generation. This is an undeniable biblical truth that youth workers should wholeheartedly affirm without feeling threatened in the slightest. Moses’ words about family discipleship are given within his address to all Israel. Nuclear families (mom, dad, and their kids) are foreign to the biblical context. Instead, families lived in an intergenerational family compound. And those family compounds were located within their clan’s territory. Raising children is the primary duty of parents, but it was never meant to be a parent’s duty in isolation from the intergenerational network of their clan. Parents who interpret Deuteronomy 6 to point to the parents’ sole authority are completely missing the context of this passage. Students need a bigger family than their nuclear family.

Judges 24:14-15 & Joshua 2:7-10

Deuteronomy 6 and Judges 24 both take place during covenant renewal ceremonies. While Moses’ generation was faithful in passing the faith to the next generation, Joshua’s wasn’t. The commitment Joshua’s generation made in Judges 24 was not kept, “and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10). Israel’s failure to evangelize and disciple the next generation is portrayed as a clear warning against future generations about what happens when they neglect their duty to pass the faith from generation to generation.

Psalm 78

The Jewish liturgy of worship, in many ways, was built with a conviction to pass their faith from generation to generation. Even when children were not overtly mentioned, they were frequently in mind. This is especially clear through Psalm 78:1-8, which introduces a thorough account of the LORD’s saving work in Israel’s history. In some ways, this psalm could be considered as a “children’s sermon,” condensing all of the Historical Books into one song that children could learn and recite. This Psalm was constructed by Asaph, one of David’s chief musicians who oversaw Israel’s worship during David’s reign. Teaching children was not relegated as something for parents to do at home, but was a high calling that was worthy of celebration and emphasis in the gathered assembly.

Nehemiah 8:2

The biblical witness overwhelmingly favors the inclusion of children and adolescents in the gathered worship of the people of God. This, however, doesn’t mean that nurseries and various types of children’s ministries are unbiblical. For example, during Ezra’s reading of the Torah all the people “who are able to understand” are gathered together to hear the Word of God. That implies that children who couldn’t understand were excluded from this highly important gathering. Considerations for how wide of an age-range this involves is too much to include in this brief post, but it sets the precedent that some form of “children’s ministry” was practiced in Jewish worship.

Jesus and the Disciples

It is an overstatement to say Jesus was a youth pastor… but only slightly. The ages of the apostles at the time when he first called them to follow him likely ranged between 13-30 years old, with most of them being late-teenagers to in their early twenties. When Jesus paid the Temple Tax in Matthew 17:24-27, he only paid it for himself and peter – which implies that they were the only two present from the group of apostles over the age of 20 accountable to pay it. Of course, we cannot know for sure how old each apostle was, but John is widely regarded as the youngest of the apostles (and as Jesus’ cousin, it was more reasonable for him to be entrusted into Jesus’ care at such a young age). If John wrote the book of Revelation during Emperor Domitian’s persecution of Christians between 95-96 A.D., sixty-five years after Jesus called the apostles to follow him, then he would have been around eighty years old when he died in exile on Patmos – and that’s with him as a thirteen year old when he began following Jesus! My book explores the rabbinic practices of calling disciples, how old those disciples usually be, and other evidences we have for the apostles’ age.

Matthew 28:16-20

The Great Commission calls all Jesus’ disciples to “go make disciples of all peoples.” This is the primary mission of the Church. Certainly, teenagers should be numbered among “all peoples.” In our increasingly post-Christian culture, teenagers are largely growing up with zero Christian background. Passing youth ministry off entirely to parents leaves the majority of teenagers unengaged by Christian ministry without a non-family member taking initiative to evangelize and disciple. Youth ministry is a Great Commission ministry of the church where Christian men and women proclaim the gospel to teenagers and disciple them in order that they would honor Christ for the remainder of their lives. How is this anything short of a biblical picture of the mission of the Church?

Ephesians 6:1 & Colossians 3:20

These are instructions Paul wrote for children. Remember, his letters were read during the public gathering of those churches. This means he expected families to be gathered for worship, so fathers, mothers, and children would all be hearing the letter at the same time – which is why he addresses each of them in his letters. This continues the Jewish commitment to including and valuing children’s participating in corporate worship once they are old enough to understand.

Other Foundations for Youth Ministry

There are various other theological and historical foundations for youth ministry explored in the book that I cannot capture in this one blog post. It is enough, for now, to say that a good theology of the church, the family, and the gospel all affirm the primary spiritual influence of parents while also affirming that all kids in the church belong to the members of the church. The Church is called the “family of God.” Many pastors emphasize “we are family” to the congregation. If this is true, then they should put their money where their mouth is and support ministries to children and teenagers without making it a “junior ministry” for people to cut their teeth before graduating into real ministry. After all, can you think of anything more difficult than teaching the Trinity to a room full of middle school boys – and yet, this is the very thing we are called to do! Youth and children’s ministries need godly, mature, knowledgeable men and women to invest themselves for the sake of the next generation rather than always assuming their gifts are better utilized with adults.

Many of our pastoral/theological heroes (Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Whitefield, Wesley, Edwards, Bonhoeffer) spent time with the “church kids” to discuss their sermons. They did not view their ministry as something exclusive to the adults, but demonstrated the importance of the church’s ministry to the next generation. There are areas of modern youth ministry that greatly concern me, but this doesn’t make “youth ministry” inherently unbiblical any more than preaching is unbiblical because there are forms of modern preaching that stray from biblical norms.

God’s people have always been passionate about raising up the next generation of Christians. This has been the case since Adam and Eve left the garden. It remains true today.

Biblical Essentials for Youth Ministry

These bullet are points from the conclusion of the book. For more elaboration and application, please read the book since I’m only offering these bullets for sake of brevity.

  • Parents First
  • Worship Together
  • The Church Must Commit to Discipleship
  • Gospel Always

This is all to say: Yes, youth ministry has biblical foundations. Not every youth ministry is built off those foundations, just as many churches today overlook biblical foundations for their church. I wrote A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry: Teenagers in the Life of the Church to encourage youth workers to build on a biblical foundation rather than merely copying whatever they experienced as teenagers (or what they see others doing to draw students today). There is so much guidance for us in the Scriptures and in the broader Christian Tradition – may those truths guide youth workers in the coming era of modern youth ministry.

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Lessons on Christian Liberty and Jerry Falwell Jr

Many words have already been spilled surrounding the downfall of Jerry Falwell Jr from his leadership at Liberty University. Rather than dealing with all the details of what happened and why, I want to take a few minutes to reflect on how Christians respond to situations like this.

No Christian Liberty Without Confession

The words “liberty” and “freedom” are synonyms. The gospel is a message that proclaims liberty and adoption for sinners who are enslaved by their sin. Through faith in Jesus Christ – who is he, what he has done, and what promises he will keep – sinners are set free from the slave-master of sin and adopted as children of God, heirs of God’s promise.

Confession of sin is central to the Christian’s profession of faith. This is a statement every Christian needs to confess in order to be a Christian, “I am a sinner. Here are some ways I know I’ve sinned. I cannot overpower sin on my own, and I cannot justify myself. There is no excuse. Before God I deserve nothing but judgment for the ways I have dishonored him as the Holy God who created me and is worthy of my unwavering trust and obedience. But thanks be to God, who gave his son, Jesus Christ, as the perfect substitute who took my judgment in order that my sin would be more than overlooked – it was paid for. I have no need to hide my sin, because it’s all been covered by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. Therefore, I can walk in newfound freedom and peace, because I have been set free from the slave-master of sin and I’ve been adopted as a dearly loved son/daughter of God.”

If this is the foundational confession of Christianity, we should not be surprised by the depravity of sinful men and women. Jerry has professed to be a Christian – and this is why so many are deeply troubled by what has come to light.

[update: David Nasser, LU’s Campus Pastor, spoke in chapel today, saying, “I am sorry. In my opinion, you as a Liberty student deserve better. And the embarrassment that’s been brought upon you as a Liberty student, and more importantly brought upon the name of Christ, is wrong.” Following Nasser’s chapel session, Falwell contacted Nasser to ask where he had sinned. For more about Nasser’s message, click the link above.]

Accountability is Key

Christian leaders are called to lead with integrity as servant-leaders towards those who follow them. NonChristian leadership books are increasingly saying the same thing – this is simply a mark of good leadership. People want to follow leaders they can trust. Although leaders who drive and dominate their teams might “get things done,” their followers are merely cogs in the machine that make the organization grow. But integrity and a posture of servanthood bestow dignity while assuring teammates that the leader isn’t about his own self-glory, but about blessing those who benefit from their corporate mission.

This type of leadership requires accountability. Being surrounded by “yes-men” who will agree with and affirm whatever the leader says is deadly. If a leader never hears disagreement, they have either surrounded themselves with these “yes-men” or their leadership style is so domineering that people who disagree remain silent because they’re too afraid to speak up. When people make mistakes or a project doesn’t work out as hoped for, the leader’s response sets an atmosphere of trust or suspicion. Leaders who are harsh towards their followers, demand perfection, and verbally attack people who challenge their ideas have created a toxic atmosphere of suspicion. And yet they themselves demand unwavering trust and obedience – anything less is perceived as insubordination.

Jerry Falwell Jr. would have benefitted from allowing others to challenge his ideas and holding him accountable. Instead, he demonstrated a consistent posture of antagonism towards his critics and pointed to Liberty University’s enrollment and financial growth as proof that he was an effective leader. But in the end, Christian leaders will be accountable for their integrity and servanthood… or for their lack thereof.

Grace for Jerry

No one is “too far gone” to receive the grace of God by confession and faith. While there are many who seem to be delighted by Jerry’s downfall, Christians should not be among them. At a time like this, it’s helpful to remember the prophet Obadiah’s message, rebuking the Edomites when they celebrated over Israel’s destruction and exile. It is not right to celebrate over the failures of men and women you don’t like. Instead, Christians are called to hold out the grace and mercy they themselves have received. Remember that you, too, were a hopeless sinner who was saved by nothing short of the grace of God.

I believe Jared Wilson said it best in his tweet below.

There are some who say, “Shouldn’t we show him grace?” Yes, we should. But leadership (especially Christian leadership) involves accountability. As a representative of Liberty University, but even more-so, as a representative of Jesus Christ – it is good and right for him to step down and lose his position of power because of this hypocrisy. This type of discipline may be the very best thing that could happen for him and his wife, that they might see the depth of their sin and need for genuine repentance.

Yes, we should pray for Jerry and invite him to receive the grace of God. But no, that doesn’t mean that accountability and discipline are wrong. God will hold all people to account for their lives, especially those in places of spiritual leadership – and he has been in such a role, whether he wants to admit it or not. It is better to be chastised now and repent than it is to have his sin remain private and be chastised by the Lord.

A Lesson for All

The lesson we all have to learn is his: sin loves the darkness, but God is the light. What you do in the dark will come to the light… eventually. You can either confess your sin and walk in grace-drenched repentance, or you can hide it from others and pretend to be someone you aren’t. The first option is the way of Christian liberty; the second reflects someone who is still in slavery to sin. While it may be easy to point fingers and cast blame, take this moment to do your own heart-work. Talk with a pastor or mature Christian, confess your sin and ask for help to find freedom in the grace of Jesus Christ. This is the path of Christian liberty.

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Evaluating the “Word According to GenZ” Controversy

The Word According to GenZ is a devotional for teenagers published by LifeWay. It’s written by a ministry named “Sunday Cool,” headed up by Carll Hooper, who is well known for their YouTube videos. “Cool Carll” and his crew are known for their over-the-top depictions of today’s teenagers and often include some form of biblical message intertwined into the video, though some of them are simply intended for comedic relief. Their videos are obviously meant to be caricatures and should be taken as satire.

The book was cancelled by LifeWay only a few days after its release when there were significant complaints about it being irreverent and disrespectful. It seems that many who were in uproar didn’t realize this was a devotional book, not a new bible translation – although I doubt that would have changed their opinions. Further, it was cancelled very shortly after Lifeway Students had concluded a livestream for youth workers that featured a segment with Cool Carll and the Sunday Cool team, discussing this very resource. Needless to say, the response from the youth ministry community felt like a whiplash and they were left confused. It came off like youth pastors were being called into the Senior Pastor’s office after parents started complaining about their ministry based off a partial truth.

As a veteran, theologically-minded youth pastor who’s still in the trenches, I’ve been watching this conversation with interest and am sympathetic to both camps. I don’t actually have a copy of the book. Now that it’s unavailable, it looks like that won’t be possible for quite some time (Sunday Cool seems to be working on its own distribution plan for the book, apart from LifeWay). Here’s my attempt to capture what we can learn from this controversy.

What’s Good About The Word According to GenZ

The devotional was based off the ESV translation and included a devotional message for students. This is a good and helpful way to engage students with Scripture and to guide them into further reflection about the Word of God.

Screenshot from a youth pastor, shared on a Facebook group
(I was unable to locate the original poster, sorry!)

As the image above shows, each day’s devotional included a devotional intended to help a postChristian generation consider the truth of Scripture. There was never any intention to provide an actual “translation” of Scripture. The section headed as “GenZ Translation” is a tongue-in-cheek way to draw students in. As students read the ridiculous “translation,” they need to refer to the actual ESV translation to make sense of the GenZ version, and then read the devotional to understand what the passage means for life.

GenZ is composed of today’s teenagers through early 20-year-olds. They are the least Christian generation in American history, many of whom have very little familiarity with Christian teaching or the contents of Scripture. Gone are the days when pastors and youth workers can assume any biblical foundation off which to build. Statements like, “As you know…” and “You’ve probably heard this verse/story before…” only makes GenZ feel like they don’t belong, because they don’t know and they haven’t heard. A resource like The Word According to GenZ might actually be compelling enough to draw unchurched teenagers to read it.

Cool Carll, and Sunday Cool, understands the worldview of GenZ and is committed to the call of the Great Commission. These should be affirmed and cause Christians to have a posture of graciousness towards their ministry.

What’s Concerning About The Word According to GenZ

Today’s generation of teenagers have a sarcastic and irreverent sense of humor. As someone who tends towards sarcasm, I can easily get drawn down those paths. That also means I know how easy it is for sarcasm and jokiness to overshadow something that’s valuable and meaningful. This is my chief concern here. The form may be overshadowing the function.

Even if we give The Word According to GenZ the benefit of the doubt and view the “GenZ translation” as a type of teaching-hook or introduction into the actual content, I’m skeptical that students would remember that content. More realistically, I think they’d read through the GenZ translations, laugh about it, then close the book. And then what are we left with other than turning the words of the Bible into a joke?

This is where I can sympathize with the critics. I think it’s a stretch to say this devotional is blatantly disrespectful to Scripture, especially when you consider the intended audience and purpose. Indeed, the very purpose is to point students to the timeless truth God’s Word, rather than to try and re-create it to be palatable to a new generation.

And this reaches my primary concern. Much about youth ministry over the years has been very well-intentioned, but the actual ministry didn’t measure up with the mission because it has been so clothed in the culture that the gospel has been overshadowed. Consider students who attend a high-energy evangelistic event with lots of giveaways and food where the materialism of the night actually counteracts the treasure-in-heaven that was proclaimed. God can (and does!) use any opportunity where the gospel is proclaimed to transform lives, but that doesn’t mean it was the best vehicle for evangelism.

Consider the video below. Although I do think it’s funny and entertaining, I’m also somewhat uncomfortable with that. Not uncomfortable because I feel the need to impress anyone or be accepted by the “serious people,” but because it actually does make the Bible into a punchline. Although it’s funny, it’s the type of funny joke that slowly erodes the foundations of what is good and true and beautiful.

Devotionals are good and helpful resources for those of us who are committed to passing the faith on from generation to generation. This is especially true when discipling students who didn’t grow up attending church and have little (or no) biblical background. But, despite Cool Carll’s good intentions, I have a hard time seeing this as the best resource for the job. Students who would actually read the devotional portions would be better served by other resources, while students who won’t read the devotionals are merely laughing at the GenZ translations.

All this said, I do not believe The Word According to GenZ deserves the hate and criticism it’s receiving. There are many books that actually mislead readers, teach false doctrine, and should be cancelled immediately for teaching heresy. This is not one of those books. While I don’t plan on using the devotional with my students, I am thankful for Sunday Cool’s ministry. I merely believe they’ve missed the mark on this particular project because the form has overshadowed the function.

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Why “Thanos to Theos”

Thanos to Theos is the name of a new podcast I’m cohosting with my friends Kevin Yi and Clark Fobes. It’s been an idea we’ve batted around for nearly a year, and we finally pulled it together and started recording episodes around the time quarantine began.

The vision for Thanos to Theos is to talk look into the world of comic books (hence, Thanos) through the lens of the gospel to better understand our own world (that’s the Theos… Greek for “God”). There are enough podcasts about theology and culture and youth ministry, so we’re bringing them together through our own shared love for comics.

Some episodes will lean more towards the “Thanos” side of things and be comics heavy, while others will be more “Theos” oriented and will focus more on theology and culture. All of this is offered for youth workers to help you think biblically about our world and about student ministry.

As a medium, comic books are generally seen as something you should outgrow by the time you’re in high school. But we’ve found that’s just not true. There are solid and meaty insights into the human condition written into those stories, and they’re worth considering. Afterall, if Narnia and the Shire and Hogwarts can teach us something about life in the real world, why can’t Marvel and DC do the same?

So tune in and subscribe through your preferred podcasting app. I’m confident that you’ll find the conversation entertaining and interesting, even if you’ve never been a comic book person.

Finally, a huge thanks is owed to the Rooted Ministry for hosting us and making this dream happen. Rooted is an incredible ministry promoting gospel-centered youth ministry and has recently launched the Rooted Podcast Network, including Ask Alice, All About Boys, Thanos to Theos, and the Rooted Podcast. Learn more on their website and give these other excellent podcasts a subscribe while you’re at it.

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Four Ways to Read Your Bible

“Read your Bible.” It’s common advice to hear in church. Let’s pretend that you’re a new Christian hearing this advice, so on Monday morning you wake up half an hour early to do it. As you sit at the kitchen counter and set your english muffin and coffee down, you grab your Bible to wonder… “Ok, what now?” 

This raises a very practical question that I’m concerned we often overlook in church. Maybe we’ve told people what they’re supposed to do, and maybe we’ve even persuaded them to want to do it… but have we equipped them to know how to actually do it? In a previous post I covered a few basic ideas about How to Read Your Bible, but in this article I want to give four different methods that can help you realistically start reading your Bible. For other options, check out this post from my friends at LeaderTreks, How to Teach Students to Study the Bible.

Four Important Questions

These are four helpful questions to ask when studying the Bible. Usually, it is most effective to use these questions with a journal at-hand so you can write down some basic thoughts and reflections along the way. 

  1. What? Understand the original meaning. This involves working through basic “Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?” types of questions. Resist the urge to jump into application until after you’re sure you know what this Scripture passage actually means. 
  2. So What? Next, uncover the teaching of the passage. Do this by asking questions like, “What was the author trying to say to the original readers?” and “Of all the things that could be included in Scripture, why is this in here?” 
  3. Where’s the Gospel? Since all Scripture is about Jesus (Luke 24:25-27), any understanding of a passage that overlooks its relationship with Jesus is an incomplete understanding. Does this passage foreshadow the type of salvation God would offer, or display people’s failure to save themselves, or highlight our sinful depravity and need for salvation? For more on this, see Bryan Chapell’s article 4 Ways Your Whole Bible Points to Jesus or The Bible Project’s ebook The Scarlet Thread Through the Bible.
  4. Now What? Now it’s time for explore what the passage means for you. Based off the first three questions, what can you learn about God, yourself, the world, and the Christian life? Consider both general and specific ways this passage should shape your head/thoughts, heart/emotions, and hands/actions.

Read Until You Hit The Next Lightpost 

When non-runners want to become runners, one of the common methods they employ is to run the distance between a lightposts, then walk to the next light post, then keep repeating until they’re able to run the distance between two lightposts, then three, etc. When people start reading the Bible, it’s helpful to follow a similar approach. Instead of starting off with an in-depth approach, simply read until you reach something worth chewing on. Keep a journal to write down some notes. Turn your reflections and meditations on that keyword or idea into a prayer.

Bible Journaling

Find a fresh journal, a comfortable pen to write with, and your Bible. After reading a passage through, probably two or three times, write out a key verse or phrase that stands out to you. In your journal, write about why it catches your attention. More importantly, write about what that verse or phrase actually means in the text, not just about how it makes you feel. One of the benefits of journaling is it can guide us into deeper reflection, even if our mind tends to wander from time to time – once you get back on track, simply resume where you left off. 

It may also be a helpful practice to write out your prayers. Using the pages at the end of your journal, you can create a list of prayer requests others have shared with you, along with the date when you entered it. Then, during your Bible reading time you can journal about the Bible passage on the front of a page, and then write out your prayer (with the prayer requests in the back to remind you who to cycle through in your prayer-list) on the back-side of that same page. Remember, you aren’t writing a book, so don’t feel pressure to write significant amounts or use perfect grammar. The chances of anyone else reading what you write is very very slim – so resist the temptation to write as if you’re writing the next “My Utmost for His Highest” or anything like that. Simply read your Bible, write out your meditations, and pray. 

Study a Book of the Bible

If you are interested in studying a book of the Bible or a portion of Scripture (like the Sermon on the Mount) over the course of a month, this may be a helpful method to consider. 

  1. Read it in large sections quickly. If possible, set aside time to read it through in one sitting, potentially two days in a row. This will help you see the big picture.
  2. Read it in medium-sized sections. Slow down the reading by reading through chapters or other medium-sized sections of the passage in order to dig into the different emphases throughout the book. 
  3. Read small portions very slowly. By slowing down to read just a few verses at a time, you’ll pay careful attention to key words that stand out. At this level it is especially helpful to pay attention to conjunctions (if, therefore, because, but), because they connect the various sections together. 

Whichever method you choose, reading the Bible consistently over a long period of time will be of immense benefit to your soul.

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When Your Professed & Actual Theology Aren’t the Same

In my last post, Living My Theology, I made a distinction between our professed theology and our actual theology. Professed theology is composed of those theological truths we make, saying, “This is what I believe.” While “actual theology” consists of those theological truths that actually shape our daily living. The previous post give more examples of what this looks like. This post reflects on why there’s a difference at all. 

We want to live with our faith in Christ integrated into every sphere of life. The reality is, we don’t. At least, not perfectly. Sometimes there’s a wide chasm between the two because we’ve relegated faith to only “spiritual” things, and other times there’s a gap because we simply aren’t fully sanctified and indwelling sin keeps us from living perfectly aligned with our faith. In this post, I want to reflect on these two reasons why there’s a difference between our professed and actual theology. 

Fragmented Faith: Where the Difference is Unhealthy

When self-professed Christians live in a way that their faith has little impact on their daily life, what they’ve actually done is lock Jesus in the basement. People don’t live in the basement, they usually use it for storage when needed. It’s where we keep our “extra’s.” When they need something “spiritual,” they go down to the basement to get it, then continue with their lives in the places where real life happens.

Some Christians, especially from an older generation, view their faith as something so private they will not talk about it with others. Instead, they prefer to “live their faith.” But what this actually does is turn faith into a religion of good works. It takes all the intimacy and spirituality out of faith in exchange for external behavior changes that don’t require conversations about the amazing love of God.

Others call themselves Christians but have never understood how their faith connects with real life. So they sleep with their boyfriend/girlfriend, give little attention to personal holiness, and rarely worship with the family of Christ. Their faith is a fragment of their life, not integrated into the whole.

Growing into it: Where the Difference is Healthy

Some Christians will take the challenge to evaluate their professed and actual theology only to conclude they are in good alignment. The rest of us are able to recognize areas where we aren’t. 

faith is like receiving your father’s favorite pair of shoes that you just don’t fit into. You can step into them, and you can walk around in them, but they’re simply too big. But over time, you grow into them.

In this sense, faith is like receiving your father’s favorite pair of shoes that you just don’t fit into. You can step into them, and you can walk around in them, but they’re simply too big. But over time, you grow into them. Obviously, this isn’t a perfect example. It breaks down in many ways. But in this sense, I find it helpful: saving faith requires us to profess certain things that we simply haven’t “grown into” yet. 

I am not yet holy, and yet I have received the holiness of Jesus Christ. I have been saved from my sin, and yet I continue to battle temptation – sometimes in victory, other times not so much. I am a man of faith, and yet I sometimes pray, “Lord, I do believe. Help my unbelief.” I’m still growing into my faith. And you are too. We’ll be in those “too big” shoes until we graduate into glory. 

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Living My Theology

The last two years have been a whirlwind. It’s been 20 months since my last blog post on this site, and life looks remarkably different. Some of it’s been good (published one book with another currently undergoing the editing process before its release in 2021, a new ministry at an incredible church), and some of it not so great (a painful and sudden ending to a 14-year ministry, living through a global pandemic).

Here’s something I can say I’ve learned: I really do believe my theology.

During the lowest points, my faith in the sovereign goodness of God held my life together. I’m no perfect exemplar of faith, but I have experienced the power of having good theology. It holds you up when you feel like everything else is crumbling. And when your thoughts and heart stray, your own theology rebukes you and calls you back to faith. Over the course of these last 20 months, the Lord has graciously sustained my faith to help me live my theology.

Professed vs Actual Theology

For many of us, our professed theology and our actual theology aren’t the same. By “professed theology,” I’m talking about those theological truths that we affirm with our minds. These are statements about God, the world, humanity, and salvation that we hold up and say, “This is what I believe.” But our “actual theology” consists of those theological truths that guide our daily lives. For instance, if someone who knows you well was asked to write what you truly believe about prayer, God’s goodness, the power of grace, the importance of biblical authority, etc. – would their descriptions of your actual theology align with your professed theology?

For many of us, our professed theology and our actual theology aren’t the same.

One of the greatest areas where I’ve seen this disagreement take place is around the authority of Scripture. Many Christians who profess faith in the authority of the Bible (“it is the Word of God and all truths must be measured according to Scripture”) actually marginalize the Bible in their evangelism. This happens when Christians believe their nonbelieving friends aren’t ready for the Bible yet because it’s over their heads. So instead, they look for more relevant or engaging books. This is a functional denial of the person’s professed theology. If the Bible is the inspired and authoritative Word of God, why would it ever be a good idea to withhold God’s Word from someone who is spiritually dead? Good, clear books about the gospel and evidences for Christianity are helpful to give nonbelievers; but not as a replacement of the Bible.

For pastors, the question is a risky one: If someone evaluated your ministry in order to determine what your core theological convictions are, would they match your stated theology? I suspect, many self-proclaimed Calvinists would be described as functional Arminians, but that’s a topic for another post. Realigning one’s ministry to match their theology could cost them their job.

Trials Reveal Our Theology

These past two years have shown me how much I need to trust in the sovereign goodness of the Lord. Life can change so quickly. It’s good (and wise!) to plan and be prepared for the days to come. But remember that your control is much less than you realize. This is one of the central tenets of Reformed Theology: God is sovereign over all things and he is full of grace for towards his children. I have preached, spoken, and written extensively about this message. This year I’ve experienced this message’s comforting truthfulness.

The trials and victories of life reveal so much about who we really are. Where do we turn for comfort and hope? Is prayer a treasured response, or a last resort? Do I believe God owes me his blessing, or can I praise him from the valley of the shadow of death? These are real-life issues that lift the cover of our faith.

When moments of clarity strike that reveal the differences between your professed and actual theology, don’t avoid them because it’s uncomfortable. Lean in, and grapple with the question, “What do I really believe?” Pray, repent, and believe the power of God’s grace to sanctify you. Then, live your theology.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!”
Psalm 139:23-24

 

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What Calvinism Isn’t

The first time I heard the name of John Calvin was in my high school Social Studies textbook, and it wasn’t a positive introduction. It said something about his belief that people were fundamentally bad and that God chose to love some but not others. Maybe it said more than that, but I don’t remember. What I do know, is I immediately disliked him and wondered how anyone could like this Calvin fellow.

Calvinism is a dirty word in many circles. Even among Calvinists, being called a “Calvinist” can seem like something of a slur. I have already explored some of the path that led me to embrace Calvinism, so I won’t do that here. I also don’t want to write in order to try persuading others to change their doctrinal positions. This article addresses some stereotypes of Calvinists and focuses on what Calvinism isn’t while next week’s article will highlight what Calvinism is.

john calvin Continue reading “What Calvinism Isn’t” →

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Was Jesus Born in a Barn, Cave, or House?

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Update 12/5/21: This post has been slightly edited and republished on my new website… you can read it here on Youth Pastor Theologian

The question “Where was Jesus born?” is surprisingly tricky. The easy answer is, “In Bethlehem.” Yes, but where? The typical nativity scene features the holy family in a stable that looks like a barn, separate from the Inn, where there was no room. But is this accurate? Most historians and scholars say, “Not so much.”

This is a question that I’ve seen pop up more frequently on social media this year than in previous years, so I figured I’d take some time to lay out the facts and present some of the more popular theories.

What We Know
We know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, there was no room “in the inn,” and that he was wrapped in swaddling cloths and laid in a manger.

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:4-7 (ESV)

Aside from these basics, there’s a lot of detail left open: Why were they turned away from “the inn?” Why was there a manger, does that mean they were in the barn with the animals? Where did people in ancient Bethlehem keep the animals? These types of questions have led to a few different theories about where Jesus was actually born, which are briefly summarized below. Continue reading “Was Jesus Born in a Barn, Cave, or House?” →

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