Stephen King, Starbucks, and American Christianity (Part 3 of 4)

[This is an article that I've chosen to break up into several days due to its length.]
Just this week (Tuesday, February 26), Starbucks closed all 7,100 of their stores across the country for three hours in order to re-train their employees. From the massive publicity generated in the media beforehand by such a move, I assumed that the training had to do primarily with coffee. Yet when I spoke with Starbucks employees here in Clarksville and in Nashville on Wednesday, I discovered that the training was more about connecting with the customer…returning to their roots of being a friendly, neighborhood coffee shop.

Howard D. Schultz was recently appointed (or anointed, whichever way you want to look at it) as the CEO of Starbucks. In February of last year, Schultz wrote a (now well-publicized) memorandum complaining of the Starbucks experience being “water[ed] down” from the company’s former (and smaller) days. The idea behind the unorthodox move on Tuesday was to return to the company’s purpose and passion for the customer. Even though unsuspecting customers complained outside locked doors and to newspaper reporters, I suspect that Starbucks will be glad they did what they did…as will we.

So what?

The “so what” is that maybe that’s what we ought to do. “Close and lock the church doors!?! Keep potential church members on the sidewalks to complain?!?” Not exactly, but certainly we should give some serious thought to the “watering down” in America of the Christian experience…and we should do whatever it takes to return to Christ’s purpose for His church. We must protect the “saltiness” of the church!

Surely we have to take some ownership of the problem when the largest religious shifts in America are away from affiliation with any religion or faith tradition. Whether we like it or not, we are “guilty by association” (in the eyes of outsiders) when Christians, church leaders , or churches dishonor the Lord. Every pedophile priest has an impact on what people think of the Christian faith. Every rogue pastor is a bad advertisement for our faith. Every hypocritical “Christian” paints a picture of Christianity in someone’s understanding.

“But I can’t be responsible for what everyone else does!” And that’s true, but it means that we have to be all the more intentional about demonstrating integrity in our lives consistently.

As to churches and denominations, believe it or not we’re facing struggles these days with “church leaders” (if you can call them that) who’re challenging the idea that a person must be a follower of Jesus Christ to be a member of a local church. I have no doubt that many people sitting on the pews of our churches week after week are unregenerate, but do we really want to openly suggest that conversion is a dispensable part of our faith?!?

Stephen King said, “Organized religion gives me the creeps.” But was he talking about the structures and pillars of authentic faith…or the people who’ve forgotten to practice what they preach? We must possess what Bill Hybels calls “high potency” in our faith! If there’s one trait of my generation (I’m a Gen-Xer) and those coming behind me, we can spot a fake a mile away. Much of what parades itself around as Christianity is a deplorable distortion of biblical faith and hardly “the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 3).

To be continued...

Stephen King, Starbucks, and American Christianity (Part 2 of 4)

[This is an article that I've chosen to break up into several days due to its length.]
Numbers like these should concern us, and rightfully so, but not for the reasons some people might think. Outsiders might accuse someone like me (the pastor of a local Southern Baptist congregation) of fearing that I might lose my audience or, even worse, my financial base. But I must tell you that my concern is far more substantive than that. If almost 8 out of 10 American adults consider themselves Christians while the largest net gains in religious affiliation among American adults were among those who claim no affiliation with any religion or faith tradition, we have bigger issues on our plate than the next Sunday School picnic or stewardship campaign!

Besides the fact that the American Protestant majority—which has been in place since the founding of this nation—is quickly ebbing away, churches are losing their relevance in today’s culture. Some, of course, will argue that this is impossible…but I remind you of the warning Jesus gave in His Sermon on the Mount: “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men” (Matthew 5:13).

Now, if we were being true to our spiritual nature and calling, why did a new study of unchurched Americans (conducted by LifeWay Research, in partnership with the North American Mission Board’s Center for Missional Research) find almost 3 out of 4 adults (72%) said they think the church “is full of hypocrites”? Yet, 64% of the respondents said they think “the Christian religion is a relevant and viable religion for today” and 71% of them said they believe Jesus “makes a positive difference in a person’s life.” Also, 78% said they would “be willing to listen” to someone who wanted to share what they believed about Christianity.

So where’s the problem? It seems that unchurched people have a greater problem with the church than with Jesus. 86% of those surveyed said, “I believe I can have a good relationship with God without being involved in church.” Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay research, said about the survey’s findings, “People on the outside see the church as candles, pews and flowers, rather than people living out their love for God by loving others.”

Don’t get me wrong…I don’t think all hope is lost…nothing even close to such doom and gloom. But I am suggesting that we (Christians, churches and denominations) need to conduct serious self-analysis and ask ourselves if all that we’re about and consumed with is really what Jesus died for.

Come on…what did Jesus tell us to do? “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). This is our mission…but is it what we’re about? I’m afraid we don’t really want to answer that question, but we have to....

To be continued...

Stephen King, Starbucks, and American Christianity (Part 1 of 4)

I know I’m going to shock some of you when I tell you this, but I think Stephen King is an amazingly gifted writer. I don’t like everything he writes, I assure you, but it’s hard to argue with his ability to tell a tale.

He’s known primarily as an author of horror stories (like Carrie, Cujo, Misery, Salem’s Lot, etc.), but he’s written some remarkable works in non-horror genres (like The Green Mile, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, and On Writing [non-fiction]). The pinnacle of his writing accomplishments is a seven book series called The Dark Tower, written across a time period spanning almost 25 years.

Most of my friends, I’m guessing, wouldn’t read a Stephen King novel if it were given to them for free. He’s not my favorite author; Dean Koontz is. I have, however, read the entire Dark Tower series and found it to be the most fascinating work of fiction I’ve ever read.

The reason King is on my mind this morning is because of something he said recently. In the February, 2008, edition of “Citizen,” King is quoted as saying, “I'm not a vampire type, when somebody shows me the cross....But organized religion gives me the creeps.” Not that I was unaware of his aversion to “organized religion”…he discussed it in some detail in his non-fiction work called On Writing, which is slightly autobiographical as well as what he calls “A Memoir of the Craft.”

King’s comment that “organized religion gives [him] the creeps” has me thinking. On the surface, it would be easy to dismiss his comment as sacrilege…blasphemy. But before we go off half-cocked on King, let’s think about what thoughts might be behind his words.

Just this week, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released its “U.S. Religious Landscape Survey” findings. According to the survey, 78.4% of Americans call themselves Christians of some sort. Evangelicals are the largest particular group of Christians (26.3%), while Roman Catholics follow at a close second (23.9%).

One of the most intriguing yet troubling findings of the survey, at least in my opinion, is the number of people who have switched from the faiths (notice my use of the word “faiths” and not “churches”) in which they were raised. More than one out of four American adults are no longer affiliated with the faith in which they were raised, having chosen in favor of either another religion or no religion at all. If switching from one Protestant denomination to another is included, 44% of American adults have switched religious affiliations.

Can you guess, however, where the biggest gains in religious affiliation have taken place? Among those who claim no affiliation with any religion or faith tradition. “Overall, 7.3% of the adult population says they were unaffiliated with any particular religion as a child. Today, however, 16.1% of adults say they are unaffiliated, a net increase of 8.8 percentage points. Sizeable numbers of those raised in all religions—from Catholicism to Protestantism to Judaism—are currently unaffiliated with any particular religion.”

To be continued...

CONFESSION: "I'm addicted!"

Just as the title for this blog indicates, I'm confessing my addiction here, today, for all the world to see. Trust me, I know what most people think when others make such a confession--"Well! I've never!" And that's okay. I've come to accept my addiction as a part of my life. In fact, I have to admit that I don't want to stop!

Merriam-Webster.com defines "addicted" as "to devote or surrender (oneself) to something habitually or obsessively." Yep, that's about right. I'm addicted.

I've gone for weeks without feeding my addiction...but I always come back. And, honestly, I experience awful withdrawals every minute I'm not immersed in my addiction. You can't "help" me...You can't change me...So, don't even try. I'm addicted and I'm not ashamed!

I'm sure there are some who could coach me through withdrawals. They would probably say things like, "I've been where you are, brother. I've felt what you feel. But I broke away...and you can too!" To which I would have to reply, "Why? Why would I want to do that? This is who I am...and this is who I want to be. I don't have a problem--you have a problem! I could walk away at any moment, but I don't want to...and I'm not going to."

Please don't pray for me to be delivered from my addiction. I'm telling you right now, I don't want to be delivered. And (this'll rock your world), I believe God approves of my addiction. Say what you will...be offended if you will...but I believe God wants this addiction to be in my life. I think my addiction makes me better and wiser and stronger, regardless of what anyone else might have to say about the matter.

What? I haven't told you what I'm addicted to? My family, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. "My name is Larry, and I'm addicted to my wife and daughters." There, I said it...but I'm not changing. ;-)

Beth, Morgan, and Rebecca...I love you! It's been so good to come home this weekend. What a shot of Vitamin B12 does for the body, this quick trip home from Canada has done for me in every way. One more week, and then I'm home, home...

I'm coming home for the weekend!

I've been in Canada for almost two weeks, and I'm having such a fulfilling experience...but I've got to tell you, I'm missing my family. I told Beth today in an E-mail, "If absence makes the heart grow fonder, I'm really, really fond of you right now!" But I fly out of Calgary Saturday morning and will be home in the late afternoon! Can't wait to see Beth and the girls!

I've had the privilege to hang out with some great folk since being here. I've eaten in the homes of Aaron (and Alicia) Scofield and Jeremiah (and Mindy) Pierson, both seminary students. I ate lunch today with Paul Johnson, director of evangelism for the Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists (their national convention). I'm eating dinner with Cesar (and Mary) Parra tomorrow night. God's given me the opportunity to forge some relationships that I pray will stay intact for many years to come. I look forward to watching how God uses these folk I've had a chance to serve as Professor.

My trip home allows me to preach the morning and evening services at Hilldale, then I'll fly back to Canada on Monday. I'll finish my third week of teaching and then will come back home. My students, on the other hand, will be busy for a month after the class sessions are over finishing up the assignments I've given them. Of course, now that I think about it, then I'll be the one who'll be mighty busy since I'll have to grade all those assignments! Uh-oh. :-)

I'm rambling, but I wanted to bring you up to speed on how my Canadian Adventure is going. Thank you for praying...please continue to do so!

By the way, we got snow yesterday. It was wonderful!

HP + CP + CC = MI

“Aaaaagggghhhh! Not algebra again! I thought I left that behind in high school!” Maybe that’s what you think when you see a formula like HP + CP + CC = MI…but that’s actually “A Formula for Impacting Your World.”

One of the textbooks that I’m using in my evangelism class here at the seminary is by Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg and entitled, Becoming a Contagious Christian. It’s been around for nearly 15 years but is right on the money when it comes to principles of sharing one’s faith.

At the heart of the book is what Hybels and Mittelberg call “A Formula for Impacting Your World.” HP + CP + CC = MI looks daunting until you break it down…

HP stands for “High Potency.” In other words, Christians have to be the real deal if they’re going to impact people around them for Christ. There’s no substitute for authenticity, and most people can spot a fake a mile away.

CP is short for “Close Proximity,” which means that Christians’ lives have to actually touch lives around them if they’re going to be contagious as Christians. It’s pretty difficult to spread a disease without some human interaction. It’s like that idea regarding being “the salt of the earth”—salt that never gets out of the shaker never makes a difference.

CC represents “Clear Communication.” Christians can be genuine in their faith and in the company of unsaved people continuously; but at some point, Christians have to communicate the good news of Jesus in terms and concepts that irreligious people can understand if they’re going to impact people for Christ.

MI stands for “Maximum Impact.” Impacting people for Christ doesn’t just happen by accident. It’s intentional and is the result of “high potency” Christians being in “close proximity” to lost people and engaging in the “clear communication” of the gospel.

So…if we want to impact our world for the cause of Christ, this is a wonderful and effective formula for doing so: “High Potency” + “Close Proximity” + “Clear Communication” = “Maximum Impact.” Let us make it so!

I went to world-renown Lake Louise and Banff today...

Dr. Kevin Peacock and his wife, Brenda, took me to places today that are difficult to describe in words. As the old saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

When Contextual Clues Fail You

Let me tell you how I embarrassed myself on Monday, my first day on campus. Dr. Kevin Peacock, Acting Academic Dean and Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, found me setting up for class and asked, “Have you met Dr. Blackaby yet?” I said, “No, but I’d love to.” So he took me upstairs where Dr. Blackaby was gathered with students and faculty after having given his State of the Seminary address.

Parenthetical Thought: One of the greatest gifts to the church of this age has been Dr. Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God and too many other titles to mention here. His son Richard Blackaby served as President of the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary from 1993 to 2006. Dr. Rob Blackaby succeeded Dr. Richard Blackaby as President of the seminary last year. Now, back to my story…

Kevin said, “Dr. Blackaby, I want to introduce you to our evangelism professor for the next three weeks, Dr. Larry Robertson.” Wanting to make a good impression, I said, “Dr. Blackaby, it’s an honor to meet you. I spent a week with your dad in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, a few years ago and just fell in love with him.” Dr. Blackaby gave me a puzzled look and then said, “You think Henry Blackaby’s my dad, don’t you?” to which I said, “Uh, yeah?” He laughed and said, “I get that all the time. He’s my uncle and Richard’s my cousin.”

I started backpedaling, trying to explain…but to no avail. I had officially embarrassed myself, no question about it. But in the end, we all just had a good laugh and moved on. Whew! I was glad of that.

Dr. Blackaby and I spent time together Wednesday eating lunch and swapping seminary and ministry stories. I found out a few things about him that I didn’t know. He’s only 41 years old. His Ph.D. is in the study of Christian ethics. And his wife is from Springfield, Tennessee! They were married in First Baptist Church of Greenbrier. Let’s sing it all together: “It’s a small world after all. It’s a small world after all…” He and his wife, Jo Susan, met while both were students at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

God has given this seminary a leader with a fresh vision for his home country…and He’s given me a new friend. I’m grateful for both…

Please continue to pray for me as I prepare, lecture, model and preach. This Sunday morning I’ll be preaching at Cambrian Heights Baptist Church in Calgary. On Sunday evening I’m planning to attend a house church in the area. Real estate is so enormously, incredibly expensive in the Calgary vicinity that churches have had to “rethink church.” They can’t focus on buildings or properties…they have to concentrate on people. Wow! What a concept. ;-)

Canadian Adventure Update

Let me update you on my Canadian adventure.

I've taught two class sessions thus far, and they've been great. I think I've been preaching as much as I've been teaching, though, but hey...! Seriously, I'm getting to know the students. Every member of the seminary faculty has been so gracious to me. It's kind of strange being called "Dr. Robertson" all the time by everybody. Ha! I'm used to (and prefer) being called "Bro. Larry," but this is an academic community...and when in Rome...

I preached in chapel this morning. It went okay, I suppose. But I'm more of a 35-45 minute preacher and to condense my thoughts down to 25 minutes proved a real challenge. Anyone who knows me knows that if I only preach 25 minutes, I must not feel well. Ha! Thank you to those of you who prayed for me as I preached!

On another note, we prayed especially for Tennessee/Union University this morning in chapel regarding the tornadoes that came through Tennessee yesterday and last night. There are several Union connections here at the seminary, including Dr. Steve Booth (the CSBS academic dean) who is missionary-in-residence at Union University this semester. He will be filling the pulpit at Hilldale in my absence this Sunday...I hope! :-)

Please continue to pray for me. I'll be preaching at an area church tonight on the subject of evangelism. Then I'll also be preaching Sunday at an area church. Of course, I'll be teaching my evangelism class along the way, too. Pray that God will give me clarity of thought and speech. I don't know that I've ever been any busier on a mission trip...this is just a different kind of busy...but WOW I'm worn smack out!

Until next time...

How’s it goin’, eh?

In case you don’t know, I’m in Canada for three weeks teaching an “Introduction to Evangelism” class at the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary. Dr. Roy Fish, well-known evangelism professor from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, was scheduled to teach, but he got sick and had to bow out.

I received a call from the acting academic dean two weeks ago from today asking if there was any way that I could pinch hit for Dr. Fish. After talking it over with my wife and my pastoral staff, I decided to take the plunge…er, actually that’s not the right analogy. It’s -16 degrees Celsius right now, which translates into 1 degree Fahrenheit! Brrrr…

Back to the story of my Canadian adventure…I had my first class session today, and it was wonderful. I have 17 students, and I already know that I’m going to enjoy getting to know them.

I covet your prayers as I prepare my lectures and teach my class.

Teaching an evangelism class is as much about inspiration as it is information, even at the graduate level. I told my students today that although we’re studying evangelism in an academic setting, evangelism is not primarily an academic pursuit! Evangelism is a NATURAL activity for every believer…every follower of Jesus Christ! Matthew 4:19—“And [Jesus] said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

I know that I have the privilege of teaching this evangelism course…I’m going to grade the students’ work…I hope somewhere along the way to inspire them toward greater evangelistic endeavors. BUT Jesus is the only One who can make them “fishers of men.”

Thank you for praying…

Super Bowl Weekend!

You know what’s on people’s minds this weekend, right? The Super Bowl! I have to confess, though, that I don’t really care about who wins because none of my teams made it (Titans, Saints, Packers, Cowboys). But if I have to choose one or the other, I’ll choose the Giants because I like those Manning boys.

But regardless of what you think about the New England Patriots, you have to concede that their quarterback Tom Brady is outstanding. During the 2007-2008 NFL regular season, Tom Brady set the record for most touchdown passes in a regular season, paving the way for his winning the MVP award. At the age of 30, he has already won three Super Bowls—an accomplishment that sets him apart as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. His many records and accomplishments are too numerous to list here. He’s reached the dream (several times, I might add) that millions of little boys (and a lot of big ones, too) have as they’re growing up…playing NFL football…making it to the Super Bowl…WINNING the Super Bowl. All of this for Tom Brady by the time he’s 30 years old.

In 2005, however, Brady was interviewed by 60 Minutes journalist Steve Kroft. Despite the fame and career accomplishments he had achieved already, Brady told Kroft that it felt like something was still lacking in his life:

“Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there's something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, ‘Hey man, this is what [it's all about].’ I reached my goal, my dream, my life. Me? I think, ‘It's got to be more than this.’ I mean this isn't—this can't be—all it's cracked up to be.”

Kroft pressed Brady as to what the right answer was, and Brady added:

“What's the answer? I wish I knew… I love playing football, and I love being quarterback for this team. But at the same time, I think there are a lot of other parts about me that I'm trying to find.”

By Tom Brady’s own words, he’s still searching…even after reaching the mountaintop of football! You want to know why? Because there’s a hole in each of our hearts…a God-shaped hole in each of our hearts that only He can fill. And no amount of money…or fame…or Super Bowl rings can fill that void.

I’ve heard all my life that you can’t put a square peg in a round hole. That’s not exactly true. You can put a square peg in a round hole…if the hole is big enough and the peg is small enough. But you have a whole lot of space left over.

I’m reminded of the words of Jesus in John 10:10—“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Jesus gives not only life in quantity (eternal life), but the life He gives to those who trust Him is quality. Another translation of that verse puts it this way: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (New Living Translation). I like that…“a rich and satisfying life.” That’s what I have in Christ, and that’s what Tom Brady can have, too.

Perhaps God will cause Tom Brady’s path to cross with Christians from the Patriots organization or from the Giants organization with whom he can connect and from whom he can hear about Christ. I’ll pray toward that end…