this strange story

How can this strange story of God made flesh, of a crucified Savior, of resurrection and new creation become credible for those whose entire mental training has conditioned them to believe that the real world is the world which can be satisfactorily explained and managed without the hypotheses of god? I know of only one clue to the answering of that question, only one real hermeneutic of the gospel: a congregation which believes it….God’s presence is promised and granted in the midst of the believing, worshipping, celebrating, caring congregation. There is no other hermeneutic of the gospel [emphases mine].

Lesslie Newbigen, “Evangelism in the City,” published 1987 in The Reformed Review and reprinted in 2006’s Lesslie Newbigin: Missionary Theologian, complied and introduced by Paul Weston (p. 144).

two ways to live (for children)

Matthias Media’s wonderful evangelism tool Two Ways to Live is also available for children: Who will be King?

Ask God to show how you can share this tool with a child in your life.

Gospel Coalition foundational documents

Click here to get started on some essential reading from The Gospel Coalition that will shape Redeemer City Church not only theologically but also methodologically.

(NOTE: After you read this one page Preamble, also read the Confessional Statement, followed by the Theological Vision for Ministry, found on the icon “FOUNDATION DOCUMENTS” on the left of the page.)

new Gospel Coalition website!

Check out the significantly retooled Gospel Coalition website here.

the church as starbucks, mcdonalds, walmart

A disturbing article in The Wall Street Journal about franchising church. (Don’t these people read Os Guinness, David Wells, or [dare I say it]… the Bible?)

did you know?

Probably not. But you should….   (Note: There is a 30 second delay after you hit play)

traditionalism

I posted John Frame’s thoughts on traditionalism before, but thought it appropriate to re-post it on the heels of the previous post regarding denominationalism and Redeemer City Church.

denominationalism

Must new churches be affiliated with a preexisting denomination to be legit? No. Are such partnerships often helpful in a variety of ways? They certainly can be. As Redeemer City Church goes public, the denominational issue can be a hot button topic.

But it need not be.

Denominations exist to lend support and potential credence to a new church. Many new churches go solo, intentionally distancing themselves from anything that smells of denominationalism.

But here is a critical distinction: It’s one thing to be infected with denominationalism (i.e. denominationally driven) versus denominationally affiliated. I cringe at the former and see much wisdom in the latter.

Which is why Redeemer City Church, along with partnering with The Gospel Coalition Network and Redeemer CityNet (an upcoming ministry of Redeemer Church in Manhattan), have officially been welcomed into the Baptist General Conference (BGC), now known as Converge. (Yes, you read that correctly!) We are also considering a partnership with the Southern Baptist Convention, which would make us dually affiliated.

More strategic partnerships are in the works, including Acts 29, so stay tuned.

“One” way? No way!

New study findings were published today, with the following troubling conclusion:

57 percent of evangelical church attenders said they believe many religions can lead to eternal life, in conflict with traditional evangelical teaching.

Read the brief article here.

The God Delusion

Here’s a worthwhile interview on a BBC news show with Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion. Whether or not you’ve read the book (and considering its considerable success, as well as its topic in our cultural milieu, a Christian desirous to enter into the questions and doubts of unbelieving friends and family indeed should read it!) it’s worthy of nine minutes of your time.