Edit note 30/1/09 – Just found out that the Youtube user mentioned below,  “iamannointed” is a fake atheist fraud.  Makes him even more sick then Pat Condell.  Here’s one to due diligence for next time…

I recently posted a provocative and completely sarcastic video on my YouTube channel called “Boycott Israel.” It’s a tongue in cheek video showcasing just how brilliant Jewish people are when it comes to inventions and business. Suffice to say, I had that many people making comments thinking I was anti-Jewish, that I deleted all comments and disabled this feature.

So now I’m copping personal messages and friend request from all sorts of people.  One was from Pat Condell – an atheist who takes it upon himself to slander all religions – and Christianity seems to take the brunt of his verbal diarrhea.

In his “try hard, look at me, I’m trying to be funny at the expense of religion” Video Blog, he focuses on the stereotypical mindsets people have towards religion and tears them down one by one.  Of course, what this results in is death threats from Muslims (makes for vulgar reading so be warned) and mass evangelism efforts from Christians. And of course Condell plays on this and posts more and more video’s to ridicule both tribes.

So what we have here is an articulate man voicing his opinion on religion, and echoing what many stay silent about – especially when political correctness demands us to shut up.  A lot of what he bags Christianity for,  I actually agree with – a lot of what Christianity is “known for” as opposed to “truly practiced,” is truly stupid and simply religiously bizarre.  But his witty comments and body language give him away as a man who truly hates my King and for this I simply cannot stand the man.  Sorry Jesus.

Here is an example of what I’m talking about…

In the other corner are many well meaning Christians who probably pray for Condell”s darkened soul – which is a beautiful thing – especially when compared to what the Muslims would want to do to him.  But this is what gets me.  Enter the weirdo Christian – the likes of which help set the mindset that Condell bags and dissects.

One such character is YouTube user “iamannointed” – check out his cliched and, what seemingly looks like drunk response to what Randell said above.

I’m sure Condell said the “sinners prayer” after watching that response.  And just in case he didn’t, iamannointed follows up with a song he personally wrote, and infused with “the gift of tongues” between versus and at the end of the song as he stairs down the camera for effect the TBN would be proud of…

And finally in case his song was a flop on Condell’s iPod, iamannointed “prays” for him “in the spirit”…

OK, if you’re not a christian and have watched all this, take a chill pill and realise that not all of us are like this.  In fact many Christians would see this as totally bizarre.  To my Pentecostal and Charismatic friends reading this, I am not a cessationalist either – I do believe in the gifts of the Spirit – but I also believe they are to be exercised in the right way.  So what’s my take on this?  My response could probably best be summarised by the following Proverb:

“O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.” Proverbs 8:5

Let’s start with the fool – sorry Condell but the Scriptures you bag actually label you as a fool.  (Ps14:1 et al) Hey, you have your beliefs which apparently make me out to be an ignorant idiot but my beliefs label you as a fool – but enough of the name calling already.  To people such as Condell, scriptures paint as having no sense, wise in their own ways, puffed up, arrogant.  Sure, we should pray for such people but also remember the words of our King when He spoke about them – you know the pearls to swine, walking all over you and attack you bit?  See Mat 7:6 if you don’t know what I mean.  And Condell does just this.

Mat 10:14 even suggests to walk away from people not wanting to listen to what we have to say about them.  By all means, engage.  But if rejected and ridiculed, walk away – there may be others our King wants us to engage.  If God wants Condell saved, He will accomplish it with His Spirit – and not by our antics.

To the simple one -  iamannointed, I’m afraid I’m talking about you (in case you asked, “who’s that?”), Scripture suggests learning prudence which is defined as:

“The exercise of good judgment or common sense in practical matters.”

I appreciate your concern over Condell’s situation, but you seriously lack good judgement or common sense in your dealing with him and, in doing so, make the rest of us look pretty silly.  In addition, you’ve probably just supplied the material for Condell’s next video message bagging those who love Jesus.

When you speak in tongues, the following Scriptures offer great advice.

“Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?” 1 Cor 14:6

“So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air.” 1 Cor 14:9

“If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds?” 1 Cor 14:23

None of the above was shown in your video’s and this is my point.  Christians are seen as strange by an unbelieving world.  But we bring this down on ourselves and we amplify this when we do “religion” and pursue this with a selfish and egotistical “look at me” motive.

This world hates us for what we stand for – and it will find any reason to ridicule.  But let’s stand for what we believe in with our heads held high knowing that we are observing Scripture and seeking God’s glory – seriously – it’s all about His glory and should have nothing to do with us.  That way, the likes of Condell can ridicule all they want – what a waste of a life.

With all the talk these days about Emergent/Missional and Seeker Sensitive Churches plus the discussion around liberal or fundamental Churches and whatever else, I ground myself in Scripture as to what to expect as a reaction to the Gospel being taught.

As Christians, lets not kid ourselves about the message we deliver. We preach Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and the reasons for it. This is the Gospel and this is the message we are asked to spread across the whole earth.

All the different streams of Christianity mentioned above attempt to get this message across in a meaningful way in the hope that people respond to it. But what gets in the way is when we deliver it in a way to maximize acceptance rather then focus on the substance of what we teach.

More and more I am shifting my opinion to focusing on the message instead of focusing on the acceptance of it. And in doing so, scripture says that we will always encounter 3 responses to what we believe:

1. Disbelief and mockery
2. Interest and further discussion
3. Belief and commitment

As anyone following this blog would know, I am a fan of Mark Driscoll and the Church he pastors – Mars Hill Church. Mars Hill gets its name from an interesting passage of scriptures found in Acts 17 when Paul visits Athens. The entire story can be read here.

In a nutshell, Paul visits Athens and is moved by the idolatry found there. Being the center of civilised society, Athens is alive with culture, education and arts. But because of the idols found in the town, Paul is moved to reason with the Jews, devout people, anyone in the market place and philosophers about the Gospel.

Read the passage this way: Paul speaks to everybody and anybody about the Gospel. And in doing so, he comes across Epicurean & Stoic philosophers. The “epics” taught that the pursuit of pleasure, not knowledge, is the meaning of life. The “stoics” taught that wisdom is found in being free from intense emotion, unmoved by joy or grief and a belief that everything in nature is God – aka pantheism.

In many ways, what the “epics” and “stoics” stood for is what we in modern society also hold dear to our hearts.  So perceived as a “babbler,” Paul is asked to address Mars Hill – where all these goonies get together and try to “out-philosophise” each other. There, Paul tells the Gospel in a relevant and missional way – a way their mindset is able to digest.

The result of this?

Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” So Paul went out from their midst.  But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. Acts 17:32-34

Here are our 3 responses:

1. Some mocked
2. Some wanted to know more
3. Some believed

What Paul did was address Mars Hill in a relevant, and yet confrontational way – not shying away from controversial issues and then he hit the topic of resurrection. And this is when “the *@!# hit the fan” at Mars Hill.  Anything in regards to resurrection was a major issue at Mars Hill given their philosophical beliefs – and this is probably why Paul didn’t get to finish his spiel and get to his favorite topic – the resurrection of his Messiah.  And Paul simply left Athens leaving a few members of Mars Hill as believers, some wanted to know more and probably most chasing him out of Athens in mockery.

Fast forward 2000 years and we find ourselves in the ridiculous cycle of which “conversation” or approach is better in getting people to accept the Gospel of Jesus.  I hear and get every perspective:

• To the fundamentals, I get your desire to hold onto truth and prevent the twisting of scripture in order to make the Gospel more “palatable” to the masses.
• To the emergents, I get your desire to present the Gospel in a relevant, new and fresh way – to keep up with the times.

It’s always a good thing to come across quality Christian media.  The three clips below are an example of some of the work coming out from a fellow Aussie’s imagination and God given talent.

The next clip come with a warning for people with epilepsy – mainly due to the rapid changing of pictures.  So if you suffer epilepsy, just go onto the last one.  If not, I hope you enjoy.

And this last one is my favourite.  It’s always a fascinating experience to see how our God uses the weak in life to accomplish his plans and goals.  I hope you watch it and are blessed and humbled by our position and our potential in Jesus.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I believe we need to present the awesome message of Jesus is a way modern culture can relate to.  These video’s are a great example of such work.

If you come across great work, please let me know as I am planning to build a library of video’s here.

Every now and then I come across a ministry  which I seriously like.  What I don’t like are self inflated “look at me” type ministries or personalities with the sole goal of boosting someone’s ego or profile.  And in the ‘Christian” world, there are heaps of these.

In researching for an upcoming sermon on adultery and pornography, I revisited a site I checked out a couple of months back.  xxxchurch.com is a site/ministry which tackles head on, the issues of porn in our society.

What I love most about this ministry is their approach to getting “out there” to the porn industry and tackling head on the issues it creates in society.  Sometimes they get heavily attacked by more conservative Christian groups because, for example, they attend porn conferences and expo’s.

But like Jesus hanging out with prostitutes and tax collectors, these guys, led by Craig Gross, are making an impact.  Have a look at the following documentary “Missionary Positions” for a fascinating and in-depth account of their ministry.

They have a bunch of video’s available on their website and on their YouTube Channel – so be sure to check it out. But two of their clips which I really appreciate and will use in my sermon are below.  The first is about a guy who was once addicted to porn and the effect this had on his life.

The next clip is a music video called ‘Constance’.  A great song about a devastating reality for so many people.  Next time you are tempted to looking at porn, remember that the girl is somebody’s daughter.

xxxchurch.com also provide free accountability software to help you deal with  your issue.  A simple program running in the background monitoring your surfing patterns and emailing your accountability partner every two or four weeks of any dodgy sites you visit. Is it fool proof?  No.  But it’s a great tool to use if you want to change you addiction to porn.  Here is the link.

I strongly suggest you check out xxxchurch.com even if you don’t have an issue with porn.  A simple, yet in your face, approach is used for this whole area of sexual addiction.  For example, on the topic of masturbation, they say:

What is XXXchurch’s stand on masturbation?
We have had literally thousands of emails about this particular issue. We have heard all the scenarios. “Well if I think about fruit while I’m masturbating, then that is not a sin.” Well isn’t that clever. Or…”If I’m giving glory to the Lord while I’m doing it, then that can’t be wrong.” Hmmm. Why don’t we just make that part of our Sunday morning services then? We have heard all the Pro-masturbation Christian arguments and we wonder if these people are really dealing in reality. It’s all very intellectual and quite scholarly, but we still don’t get it. Sorry.

Our stance is simply this: you want to live a life that is honoring to God then start pleasing him and stop pleasing yourself. Stop making excuses and get some control over your life. Yes, it is tough. Yes, we know hormones are raging. However, God is calling us to holiness. Live an extraordinary life. Masturbation will leave you hanging every time!

Gotta love their style.

With all the debate going on these days about "emerging church" and traditional churches etc, sometimes those outside our circles can be left a little confused with us Christ followers. Well being an Aussie, I’m somewhat taken back by the "official" Easter message focus delivered by some in the so called "organised religious institutions" of my country..

Splattered all over my TV over Easter were news articles on "modern Easter messages" delivered by the "nations religious leaders."  Instead of using the one time most people go to church and nailing (excuse the pun) the message of the cross to a largely unbelieving crowd, these guys completely miss the boat and talked about interest rates, the drought and Aboriginal reconciliation.

To those outside the best nation in the world, our newly elected Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, officially apoligised to the "stolen generations" of aboriginal children taken by force by well meaning white people from pathetic life styles in Aboriginal communities.  But they did this in questionable ways – hence the need for an apology.

We are also experiencing a massive rise of interest rates due to an over heated economy as we pump our commodities into China.  This is putting massive inflationary pressure on our economy and, when combined with increased petrol prices and the effects of the drought, the Reserve Bank needs to increase rates to help stop spending.

Sure these issues are important and people are hurting in our country.  But to focus on these messages instead of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus over the Easter period make Brian Mclaren’s attempt of being relevant to society a piss poor effort.

I don’t for a minute put down the need for our culture to address these issues.  But this is Easter for crying out loud.  Put aside the pagan nature of the way Easter is celebrated, and you have a platform where people would go to church more then any other time.  To waste this opportunity on other issues is disappointing.

Instead of connecting to people in their hurt and presenting the hope of Jesus, these leaders decide to dwell in the hurt and offer no hope. To this lay guy, that’s just dumb.

To take dumbness further, consider the views of The Reverend John Evans, the Uniting Church Minister at the Church of All Nations in my home town of Melbourne.  This guy wants to substitute the Good Friday Holiday with a national "reconciliation" holiday to celebrate our recent advances in reversing our travesty with the Aboriginal people.

"We have done a great thing with the national apology but when you look at our public holidays there are no public holidays that recognise the role and place of Aborigines as the first people of this land."

In the newspaper that this quote was taken from, the following response was left by a reader:

Well John Evans is leading with his big mouth in showing why people are turning away from the church in droves. It is increasingly irrelevant in society at all, and when a cleric can call for one of the most holy days on the Christian calendar to be replaced by something that still divides Australian society today, it simply proves just how out of touch the church has become. Perhaps its time the government took a different view of the workings of our churches, such as removing their tax-free status etc. The church has become a blight on modern day Australia, and we could do much better without them.

Sobering thoughts of what our culture thinks of us when we replace what we are called to do with trying to appease man.

Before I get any death threats for the above title, I just ask you to not shoot the messenger. This post is about a Christian Evangelist and the toy pig he has called “Muhammed.” (Yeah I know, he even got the spelling wrong)

Bill Keller, host of LivePrayer – a TV, Radio and email Christian Evangelistic venture, has posted a video on YouTube in response to the case of Gillian Gibbons, who was sentenced to 15 days in a Sudan jail after being convicted of insulting Islam for allowing her student to call a teddy bear “Muhammad.”

Gibbons had been found guilty of inciting religious hatred and showing contempt for religious beliefs, her sentence could have been 40 lashes and up to six months of prison.

Now I could rant all day long at how bizarre Gillian’s case is – especially the fact that Muhammad is such a common name in Muslim countries. My TV was saturated with images of fanatical mobs in Sudan brandishing machete’s calling for Gillian to be executed. Just too pathetic to even dwell on.

But then you get a Christian response to the situation. Bill Keller, with an email subscription of 2.4 million people, posts the following video on YouTube:

For a background on Keller, here is the Wikipedia entry on LivePrayer. Based in Florida, LivePrayer receives 40,000 emails EACH DAY for prayer requests. A team of 700 retired pastors pray over and respond to each request.He wont be a victim of the recent Senate inquiry into the finances of Christian big wigs as he is paid a salary of $50,000 and is against those who “build bigger buildings instead of winning the lost for Christ”. So kudo’s to him for that.

He does however have a bit of a checkered past. Becoming a Christian at the age of 12, he started a computer business while in college and was convicted of insider trading – where he spent almost 3 years in prison. While in prison, he recommitted to his faith and launched LivePrayer in 1999. I don’t hold anything against him – we all have our skeletons.

But to post such a video in the current climate is in poor taste. As a Christian, I, by default, find the teachings of Mohammad to be wrong and see a race of people developing into a very angry and violent group of fellow human beings.

But they still are loved by God and Jesus died for every single one of them. And for a Christian Evangelist to post such a video shows nothing of the love that burns in the heart of our Messiah.

Keller might produce this content in the safety of his Florida studio’s – thousands of miles away from Islamic controlled areas. But he has to remember that there are faithful servants of God in these areas risking their lives to bring the Gospel to these people in a way they can relate to.

One viewing of this video and much of their work with the people is snuffed.

Tags: Islam, Christianity, Muhammad, Bill Keller, LivePrayer, Evangelist, Gillian Gibbons, Sudan