This brand of Christianity is very common in today’s churches, especially those geared towards attracting young people. But instead of attracting them, these churches end up repelling young people.

Read the whole thing here.

The takeaway idea for me is this: I don’t want there to be another man who has a bigger dream for God’s work in my city than me.

Watch it and see what I mean.

1. Am I fully persuaded that a course of action is right?

2. Can I do it as though I were doing it for God?

3. Would following a course of action be a stumbling block to other Christians?

4. Does this course of action promote peace?

5. Does this course of action edify others?

6. Is this course of action profitable?

7. Does this course of action enslave me?

A few gems…

Too often, and for too long, American “Christianity” has been a political agenda in search of a gospel useful enough to accommodate it. There is a liberation theology of the Left, and there is also a liberation theology of the Right, and both are at heart mammon worship. The liberation theology of the Left often wants a Barabbas, to fight off the oppressors as though our ultimate problem were the reign of Rome and not the reign of death. The liberation theology of the Right wants a golden calf, to represent religion and to remind us of all the economic security we had in Egypt. Both want a Caesar or a Pharaoh, not a Messiah…

Where there is no gospel, something else will fill the void: therapy, consumerism, racial or class resentment, utopian politics, crazy conspiracy theories of the left, crazy conspiracy theories of the right; anything will do. The prophet Isaiah warned us of such conspiracies replacing the Word of God centuries ago (Is. 8:12–20). As long as the Serpent’s voice is heard, “You shall not surely die,” the powers are comfortable…

The answer to this scandal isn’t a retreat, as some would have it, to an allegedly apolitical isolation. Such attempts lead us right back here, in spades, to a hyper-political wasteland. If the churches are not forming consciences, consciences will be formed by the status quo, including whatever demagogues can yell the loudest or cry the hardest. The answer isn’t a narrowing sectarianism, retreating further and further into our enclaves. The answer includes local churches that preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and disciple their congregations to know the difference between the kingdom of God and the latest political whim.

It’s sad to see so many Christians confusing Mormon politics or American nationalism with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

There is an ugly and sinful side to this, however, and it affects those of us who plant churches. This attitude is the desire to plant a church to correct all wrongs, excesses, and theological inconsistencies of our prior church experiences. Instead of setting out with a positive vision of a desired future, we end up starting an anti-movement and attracting a bunch of malcontented complainers who are great at diagnosing the problem but are much less motivated to trust God with anything positive and truly transforming.

I’ve been reading A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards and he addresses this problem.

He likens complaining church planters to Absalom. Absalom was King David’s son, and thought he could lead the nation better than his old man. So he sniped off a few people who were dissatisfied with the status quo.

Absalom was attractive and cool (2 Sam 14:25), and his dad was aging, tired, and mired in scandal. He had the hip new ideas and the youthful charisma to carry it out. He didn’t start an insurrection right away, however. He carefully planted seeds of distrust in the existing leadership. He listened quietly to those who had complaints and slowly gained their confidence.

He seemed so humble and unassuming, but in his heart he was basking in the admiring glow of others who shared his discontent.

Church plants can start this way, too. A young, hip leader with all the charisma and cool ideas listens to all the stories of people’s dissatisfaction with their churches. He listens patiently and coolly while hearing about other churches that don’t “get it,” and how other churches have “wounded” them. He slowly builds their trust with his disarmingly mild demeanor.

It all seems so positive and fresh. But it is an insurrection in the making.

Edwards offers this observation:

A man who will lead a rebellion has already proven, no matter how grandiose his words or angelic his ways, that he hs a critical nature, an unprincipled character, and hidden motives in his heart. Frankly, he is a thief. He creates dissatisfaction and tension within the realm, and then either seizes power or siphons off followers. The followers he gets, he uses to found his own dominion… God never honors division in His realm.

Soon enough, however, this hip young man becomes the tired, aged pastor whose ideas don’t seem so fresh anymore. He is not on the cutting edge now. He might have been crafty and talented but there was little depth of character in his heart. The demands of ministry dull his creativity.

But lurking in some small group is another young leader, drinking coffee and listening to others complain about how this once hip church has lost its edge. Now he seems to have all the fresh ideas. When a church is built on complaining about previous churches, its only a matter of time until those complaints are directed towards the new church.

Church planting is kinda cool these days. I wonder how many church splits try to dress up their fissure as a “church plant?” People get angry and divide churches over secondary matters and then give it a positive spin by calling it a “new church plant.”

This is not Kingdom Growth, this is insurrection.

Edwards:

I find it curious that men who feel qualified to split God’s kingdom do not feel capable of going somewhere else, to another land, to raise up a completely new kingdom. No, they must steal from another leader… They seem always to need at least a few pre-packaged followers… Beginning empty-handed and alone frightens the best of men. It also speaks volumes of just how sure they are that God is with them.

People starting new churches (or new ministries of any sort, for that matter) should have a positive vision for what they want God to accomplish.

If we start with a negative vision of wanting to correct the errors of previous church experiences, we only end up being that negative experience for the next church planter.