The National Post, a newspaper based in Toronto, Ontario, that is circulated throughout Canada, ran a story May 31 with this headline: “Bold and Evangelical; Toronto Seminary Aims to Vastly Increase Its Enrollment – and Influence.” In the story, the Post quoted Tyndale University College and Seminary President Brian Stiller as seeing the lessons of the September 11 terrorist attacks as follows: “When you exclude faith from the discipline of the mind and the cultivation of character, you almost incubate faith into fanaticism or cynicism.”

The ongoing debate of whether or not true faith breeds fanaticism rears its head. I don’t know how many letters to the editor were received by the Post on that story, but only one got printed in the issue that I saw. The writer expressed how distressing Stiller’s thought was. In the letter writer’s opinion, 9/11 was indeed planned and executed by people whose minds and actions were formed by a faith in which they believed at least as fervently as, presumably, Mr. Stiller believes his own faith. And presto, the prevailing conclusion is that 9/11 was an act of fanaticism that resulted from an overabundance of faith, not from a lack of it. Perhaps the inference or lesson that the letter writer (along with many others I’m sure) would have us believe is that we really need fewer religious educational institutions, not more, and definitely fewer places of worship, especially if both the institutions and the places of worship were indeed, Christian. Explore with me four questions:

1. Should church leaders respond to such a conclusion drawn by those we are trying to reach with the Gospel?
2. For church leaders that do or have reacted, what do they say?
3. How should our staff and we be reacting?
4. How can we prepare our congregations to handle such issues?

Here’s my attempt at the answers:

1. I believe that Scripture implores us to react to such false conclusions. In II Timothy 2:15 we read, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” 
2. My limited personal observation is that most often we do not have a persuasive response to offer. Instead, we end up arguing something along the lines of, “A loving God does not call us to behave in unloving ways,” or “All who claim they are Christians are not necessarily true Christians.” We could also say, “If you look closely enough at those that did such a thing, you will find out that they really were not obeying and living a life of a close and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” All of these are good responses but not necessarily satisfying to the person who believes that fanatical Christians, in the name of Christ, murdered thousands during the holy wars of rape and conquest – known as the Crusades.
3. I believe that in situations like this, we would be wise not to commence our reaction with a defense. We need to begin our discourse searching to identify our common ground – things we both believe in. In the case of the issue of the Crusades as an example, we may want to establish that we agree on the fact that Christianity and Islam existed before the so-called Crusades. We may also seek agreement on the fact that prior to the Crusades the Christian Church was involved in activity of one sort or another and the same was true of Islam. We would get the other side to agree that there are historical sources that give us an understanding of what these different activities may have been. Finally, we may want to get agreement that in order to deal with this issue, it may be wise to get what we normally refer to as “both sides of the story” and to do so we would need to pay attention to historians (secular in nature) that collectively gave us both sides. Then we would study them together and see if in fact it made sense for one of us to move on his/her thinking. On the issue of the causal relationship between faith and fanaticism, I would attempt to show the narrowness and pure folly of the tenet. To say that faith causes fanaticism is akin to arguing that water causes drowning. One could argue that if one stayed away from water, one would never drown. True, but one may never really quench his thirst, enjoy a swim, float on a sloop watching the beautiful sunset, get clean or catch fish to eat. Drowning is not caused by water but rather the improper intake of water or the inappropriate preparation to handle the water.
4. I am convinced that church leaders have, for the most part, focused on helping their congregations answer the question, “How shall I live as a Christian?” This is an honorable objective. Yet, as I look at Christ’s life in Scripture, I notice He not only told people how to live but also spent time answering the objections that were posed to Him and defending (not in the sense of shielding or protecting, but rather in clearing up misconceptions) His Father, purpose and mission. I believe the average North American Christian greatly needs to learn how to do just that. Many pastors are often asked in private, “What do you say to ... ?” I think we as church leaders should provide answers to these types of questions from the pulpit. If we don’t, Christians still will want to keep their light under a candle because they’re not as equipped as Paul, who exhorted Timothy in the verse I quoted above.

But then again, that’s my take. What’s yours?

Until next time,

Ken Godevenos

(Read Ken’s most recent monthly column.)

(Read Ken’s Layman’s Devotional Commentary.)

As I travel through the United States and Canada, I come across more and more instances where the economy – and in particular, the price of fuel – are affecting church and mission organization ministries. Here are some recent examples:

• Individuals that live a considerable distance from the church are deciding that the trip to mid-week services can no longer be afforded. I wonder what the cost of fuel will need to rise to before a similar attitude is taken with respect to weekend worship services. Perhaps as Christians we are starting to consider being part of one’s nearest Bible-believing congregation rather than traveling to our megachurch of choice many miles away.

• Short-term mission (STM) trips that involve commercial travel or driving expenses have slowed considerably with fewer people able to afford them.

• A pastor I recently met with is struggling with the cost-benefit analysis of sending his people on STM trips these days versus having them just donate some or all the equivalent funds directly to the ministry involved.

• Volunteers that work for either the church or missions are pulling back their services because they can no longer afford the travel expenses.

• Because our churches are not filled primarily with those who are “total Biblically-defined tithers”, there is no doubt that the economy and the cost of fuel will impact the giving levels of our congregation. That, unless somehow offset with other initiatives, will affect our ability to provide the programming levels we have, if it’s not already.

I’m sure you can add to the list. This is not just a Christian phenomenon. As I listened to the news this morning, I heard that a major, world-renowned, annual event held in my city is suffering with lower attendance and greatly reduced hotel bookings this year. People here are clearly being impacted by what we’re experiencing worldwide. Major airlines are cutting back many of their unprofitable routes, making certain travel routes next to impossible.

I wish I had the answers and solutions to these challenges, especially for the Church. I don’t. My only advice is that we need to take the time to think this through, share our thoughts and perhaps establish a forum where we can address the issue on a larger more formal level. This is a potential major “risk” that needs to be planned for in your church. Church leaders need to be made aware of it and contingency plans need to be developed. I invite you to comment on what your experiences have been to date, what you anticipate will happen in the near future, and any actions or initiatives you are planning to offset these impacts.

Having said that, I also cannot close this blog today without reference to Isaiah 22. The leaders of Jerusalem were faced with a challenge: the city was about to be attacked and they had to do everything humanly possible to defend it. The prophet clearly commends them for doing all they can until he gets down to verse 11 where he utters these words: “But you did not depend on Him who made it, Nor did you take into consideration Him who planned it long ago.” God is fully aware of what is happening. He has not aborted His Mission for mankind. His resources are still infinite. The challenge is really “about us” – for the development of our faith! But then again that’s my take. I invite you to help others by sharing yours.

Until next time,

Ken Godevenos

(Read Ken's most recent monthly column.)

(Read Ken's Layman's Devotional Commentary.)

I hope by now no one still needs to be convinced that the world is anti-Christian – certainly against what they know of Christianity and what they see through the lives of Christians. But just in case, I present you with yet another decision by a Human Rights Commission in Ontario, Canada, recently in which Christian Horizons (an evangelical organization that provides assistance to the severely disabled) was told to pay damages to a former employee who no longer lived by the “lifestyle and morality” statement she had signed. The HRC also told the group to stop making employees sign the statement.

The nature of the differences between the parties is not the issue. What is at issue here, as well as in the United States, where similar cases are popping up, is a major battle between the state’s view of individual rights and the rights of religious organizations, including churches. Here’s the key words: Those “who work in the public sphere” (italicize) have the right to set their own standards.

The impact of this trend has tremendous consequences. For example, according to Charles Lewis of the National Post (May 24, 2008), Catholic charities in Boston withdrew a few years ago from their adoption business; in Colorado, religious leaders threatened to trim dramatically their charitable work after the government proposed a bill that would prohibit them from hiring and firing on faith-based reasons.

We know that individuals have religious freedoms. But what happens when several individuals form a group based on their faith? Does the group lose its religious freedom? The current thinking seems to be, “No, it doesn’t, as long as the group only serves its own kind.” If it serves the general public, then it does. Wow. Think about that. Most Christian organizations and churches have as one of their key objectives to carry out the Great Commission. That means reaching the general (global) public. With the current thinking, if a church or religious organization attempts to do that through exhibiting acts of kindness or service – anything from having staff that serve the homeless, provide shelter for abused people, assist unmarried young ladies that are expecting, run addiction programs, provide senior care, deal with calamities (famine, hurricanes, war, etc.) or anything else – they can no longer count on being able to meet these needs with Christ-following staff.

The matter is further complicated when a particular program for such service outreach is receives public funds, although most of us are smart enough to stay away from such “gifts” bearing conditions. Christian Horizons did not lose its case because it received public funds, but rather because it extended its “services” to people of other faiths.

In conclusion, here are a few questions to consider:

1. What is your risk down the road in the outreach programs and services you offer?

2. Will this trend continue to erode the character of Christian entities and take away their original motivation for wanting to serve in the community?

3. How will you and your church be impacted by the trend we see unfolding?

From where I sit, the consequences for the Gospel of Christ being shared are significant, yet I know He has the ability to overcome this as well. That’s my view, what’s yours? Please comment.

Until next time,

Ken Godevenos

(Read Ken's Most Recent Monthly Column.)

(Read Ken's Layman's Devotional Commentary.)