The 3 - March 5, 2011

On this week's edition of "The 3", my week-in-review feature, I unpack a recent Supreme Court decision that aims to protect free speech, even a brand that might be considered offensive. Also, Michigan pastor Rob Bell has stirred the pot with a pre-release video related to his new book on heaven, hell, and the love of God. And, Christian broadcasters assembled in Nashville recently to be motivated, instructed, and challenged.

3 - U.S. Supreme Court upholds free speech rights of Westboro Baptist Church

In a decision that had been met with quite a bit of expectation, the U.S. Supreme Court, by an 8-1 margin, ruled in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church, which is best known for its protests at military funerals, contending that soldiers are dying for a nation that is being judged by God because of its support of homosexuality.

While a variety of groups, including evangelical Christians, find the activities of the Westboro group offensive, the issue at hand was whether or not they had the free speech rights to carry out their protests. A decision against Westboro could have had a chilling effect on the rights of other groups to demonstrate publicly in support of their beliefs. But, the one dissenter on the high court, Samuel Alito, said that the First Amendment did not permit Westboro to engage in their offensive displays, and that the Matthew Snyder, whose father was the plaintiff in the case, deserved to be buried in peace.

Christian and pro-family groups lauded the high court's latest decision. Liberty Counsel had filed a "friend of the court" brief on behalf of Westboro, and issued this press release. This paragraph from that press release is notable:

The First Amendment does not grant to anyone a veto right over another
person’s speech, simply because it might be offensive. Free speech needs
breathing room. It is better to tolerate a person’s offensive speech than be
silenced by the force of law.

Free speech is a cornerstone principle of the history of this country. Even when we as Christians find another person or group's words or actions to be offensive, we have to keep in mind that they have the right to speak, just as we do. A huge question would deal with who actually has the right to determine what is offensive - if Westboro's words are deemed to be offensive today, could the words of preachers proclaiming Biblical truth be considered offensive tomorrow (because we know that there are many that find the speech of Christians offensive
and would like to silence our voices!)? Wisely, in this case, the U.S. Supreme Court did not open a door that could have proven troublesome to Christians in the future.

2 - Heaven, hell, and Rob Bell

Is it a declaration of belief or a provocative marketing campaign, simply raising questions in advance of a book release? This is the heart of the controversy surrounding Michigan pastor Rob Bell, who has endeared himself to thousands through his creative NOOMA videos and books such as Velvet Elvis. Now, the online discussion is raging surrounding the video trailer for his forthcoming book, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, where Rob Bell asks a series of questions related to the afterlife and the nature of God.

View it for yourself:


So, what did you think? Is he merely asking a few questions from the perspective of someone that is attempting to gain a greater understanding of God and matters of eternal judgment?

Jesus rescuing us from God? Really?

But, does Rob ever state what HE believes on these questions?

Well, the video - combined with the statement from the publisher - combined with some excerpts of the book have led some to question Bell's theology. The controversy really accelerated when blogger Justin Taylor of The Gospel Coalition and Vice-President at Crossway Books questioned whether or not Bell is a "universalist", in other words, embracing a theology that allows people other than Christians to go to heaven and avoid hell. Before you know it, leading theologians like John Piper, Albert Mohler, and to a lesser extent, Rick Warren, were chiming in. Christianity Today has a delightful recap of the way the situation has developed. Even The New York Times has covered the brouhaha.

In the meantime, the book release date has been pushed from March 29th to March 15th.

I can see where Scot McKnight is coming from when he says:

Rob is tapping into what I think is the biggest issue facing evangelicalism today, and this fury shows that it just might be that big of an issue.

As someone who believes that Jesus is the one way to heaven - the way, the truth, and the life - the only way to the Father, and therefore the way to eternal life - I have to admit, I'm a bit skeptical about where Rob Bell may be going with this new book. Perhaps we do need to reframe the argument and place it in a different context, with a less dogmatic approach, if that's possible. My understanding is that the book concentrates less on heaven and hell than on the love of God, who desires for everyone to be saved. So, I'm willing to cut Bell some slack and wait on the book to actually be released. But, one has to be very careful when you're treading on the area of theology dealing with one's personal salvation - a little latitude and you can lose the essence of the gospel. The good news is that God is not sending people to hell, but through Christ, He provides a way out of the judgment we deserve as a result of our sin.

1 - Christian broadcasters assemble for annual convention

Recently, I had the chance to attend the annual National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville, Tennessee. This is a gathering of representatives of various forms of Christian media, including radio, television, Internet, and even church-based media. Various general sessions featured high-profile speakers such as Chuck Swindoll, Ravi Zacharias, Voddie Baucham, Jay Sekulow, and James MacDonald. Special workshops were tailored to the variety of forms of media that were present, with a major concentration on the use of social media to share the gospel message.

Faith Radio and The Meeting House had a booth in the exhibit hall again this year, and I was privileged to interview dozens of speakers, authors, and musicians, such as: Dr. Tony Evans, Kay Arthur, Dr. Frank Wright, Joni Eareckson Tada, Thelma Wells, Nicole C. Mullen, Phil Keaggy, and Bethany Hamilton (profiled in the forthcoming movie, "Soul Surfer"). I also had the chance to feature Thomas Nelson's 400th Anniversary Celebration of the King James Version of the Bible, which was highlighted in a special exhibit at NRB this year.

It was a pleasure to meet and interview these and many other notable guests. To gain a sense of this year's convention, you can visit www.nrbconvention.org.

Honorable Mention:

Pakistani Cabinet minister, a Christian, slain

Boehner says House will defend DOMA

The 3 - January 2, 2011

This edition of "The 3", my week-in-review feature in which I highlight 3 stories of relevance to the Christian community includes another chapter in the continuing story of the Manhattan Declaration's effort to be reinstated to the Apple iPhone, the opening of the very popular Passion conference in Atlanta, and the bright promise of a new year, as Christians turn the page on 2010.

3 - Apple rejects Manhattan Declaration app...again

One of the stories I've been following over the past few months has been the relationship of Apple, the makers of the iPhone, and the Manhattan Declaration, a strong affirmation of Biblically-based morality that upholds the sanctity of life, sanctity of marriage, and religious liberty.

This document has been signed by around half a million people, including an impressive cadre of Christian leaders. However, a group far smaller by comparison decided that the Declaration fostered an atmosphere of intolerance and was offensive to those people - subsequently, Apple pulled its Manhattan Declaration app just weeks after approving it with flying colors.

The leadership at the Declaration, including Chuck Colson and others, decided to resubmit the app, eliminating a "quiz" that they thought might be causing some of the problem. This week, it was announced that the Apple braintrust had rejected the app again.

Here is an excellent, thorough piece at Baptist Press which covers the latest rejection and the history of the controversy.

But the Declaration leaders are not sitting still, announcing plans to go before a review board and continuing to gather thousands of petition "signatures" to reinstate the app - you can go to www.manhattandeclaration.org to sign on.

2 - Passion opens in ATL

It's become a movement among college students and young adults, and has developed into a yearly gathering that represents an opportunity to reevaluate, recharge, and recommit their lives to Jesus Christ. Under the leadership of founder Louie Giglio and supported by speakers such as Andy Stanley, Beth Moore, and John Piper and worship leaders Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, the David Crowder Band, and others, Passion events have offered students to take another step in their walk with God.

The Christian Post offers this summary of the latest event, which opened New Year's Day in downtown Atlanta at the Philips Arena and Georgia World Congress Center and continues through Tuesday.

Through the work of Passion in America and internationally, students and young adults have been energized for the mission to which God has called them. This time of spiritual encouragement has been motivational for so many over the years since the first Passion took place in Austin, Texas in 1997.

1 - Christians prepare for new year with prayer, fasting, Bible study

The new year has begun for many Christians on their knees, as many believers are taking stock of their lives and maybe hitting a "reset" button for the year to come. The new year represents a time to put into place new initiatives and perhaps to set spiritual goals.

The Awakening America Alliance is one of those organizations calling for concentrated prayer and fasting during 21 days in January. Here is the website where you can find more information. According to The Christian Post, churches representing over a million members have committed to this effort.

Furthermore, Christians are setting Bible reading goals for the new year. I have been using The One-Year Bible and found its reading plan to be efficient in keeping me on track. There are a number of individuals and churches in my area who are using the E-100 Challenge, developed by Scripture Union in association with the American Bible Society, which involves reading the essential 100 storylines in the Old and New Testament. Both these plans have downloadable outlines available. Also, these are just 2 of a host of plans available through the app available for iPhone and Android called YouVersion - find out more by going to www.youversion.com.

Also, I have found an excellent audio version of the Bible, which just surpassed the one million download milestone - it's found at www.bible.is, and it's even available in a number of different languages!

2011 has the potential to be a dynamic year of spiritual growth. Making God's word a priority in your life is a key element in growing in Christ.