Random Thoughts and Ramblings

Category: Random Thoughts and Ramblings

  • Hello, Americus Parish (Pleasant Hill UMC and Salem UMC in George County)!

    Me and my wife Jessica

    Greetings, Saints of Pleasant Hill UMC and Salem UMC!

    I’m Jonathan Tullos and I’m thrilled that I’ve been appointed to serve the Americus Parish beginning in June. My wife, Jessica, and I are eager to meet you all and to start getting to know you. Currently, I serve the Druid Hills-Lost Gap Charge in Meridian. Lost Gap is located in rural Lauderdale County and Druid Hills is in a residential area of Meridian.

    My spiritual journey is not unlike many others in that the road has had many twists and turns. I was not always the best disciple. There was a time in my life where one could describe me as a “hot mess.” But Jesus truly saved me from some very deep sin. My spiritual awakening began when I was working at a radio station in Fort Wayne, Indiana when I was lying in bed, unable to sleep, and thinking of the bad choices I had been making lately. A voice called out to me and said, “You can’t keep doing this.” I knew it was God letting me know that I was on a path to my own destruction and I asked His forgiveness. Many bumps on the road came about after that but God always revealed His love to me. Along the way I received my call to ministry but fought it as hard as I could. Obviously, in the end, God won the wrestling match.

    I was commissioned as a Provisional Elder in the Mississippi Annual Conference in 2018. As for my education, I’m a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary where I earned a Master of Divinity degree. Prior to that, I earned degrees from Liberty University (B.S. – Religion), East Central Community College (A.A.S. – Paramedic Science), and Meridian Community College (A.A.S. – Broadcast Communications). My previous careers include a time as a radio DJ and music programmer. I was also a paramedic for several years. I grew up in Philadelphia, Mississippi where most of my family still lives. Jessica and I have been married for nearly 12 years. She is a high school science teacher and holds degrees from Southern Miss and Mississippi State. We have a daughter, Hannah, who was born in 2014 but died soon after she was born. Jessica and I are also licensed foster parents.

    My ministry experience has mostly been in rural contexts. My first appointment was to Oak Grove UMC just outside of Meridian, a small congregation in the Clarkdale community. While studying at Asbury, I served Shiloh UMC in Stanton, Kentucky. Stanton is a small town in Eastern Kentucky in the Appalachian Mountains, an area devastated by job loss and poverty resulting from the reduction of coal mining. I’m excited to be back in “the country!”

    We’ll get to know each other better soon. As we prepare to make the transition, my prayers are with you all and with Brother David as he prepares to retire. We’re looking forward to being with you all soon. Meanwhile, please feel free to reach out on social media. I’m always glad to have more Facebook friends!

    We’ll see you soon!

    In Christ,
    Brother Jonathan & Jessica Tullos

  • We're Not Called to be Selfish

    True disciples of Jesus are not selfish people; we are called to be selfless

    Yesterday, I ran across an account of a priest in Italy who was stricken with COVID-19 and on a ventilator. USA Today ran an article about him and his sacrifice.

    Don Giuseppe Berardelli, 72, was the archpriest of Casnigo, a town in northern Italy about 50 miles northeast of Milan.

    According to Italian news site Prima Bergamo, Berardelli died sometime between March 15 and 16 and was being treated at a hospital in nearby Lovere, as his condition worsened.

    A health care worker at the hospital told the Italian online news outlet Araberara that Berardelli was given a ventilator but the priest refused it so someone who was younger than him could use it.

    USA Today https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/03/24/covid-19-italian-priest-who-donated-his-ventilator-has-reportedly-died/2906351001/

    This is who I want to be when I grow up.

    We’re not all called to give up a life-saving machine for the sake of another but Christians are called to show sacrificial love to our neighbors. After all, sacrificial love is the example that Jesus gave during His ministry in this world and at the cross. This is love in action, proving that love is not a mere emotion. To draw inspiration from prominent theologians Toby Mac and dc Talk: “Love (I can’t misspell it like they did, sorry) is a verb.”

    COVID-19 has revealed a lot about the world. As for whether these things have been good or bad, I believe we can agree that the result has been a bit of both. We have seen so many people coming together for the common good, doing whatever they can to make sure children continue to have food and that other vulnerable persons are taken care of. Unfortunately, we have also seen another side: Jacking up prices on essential items in light of a crisis. And, perhaps even worse, we have seen people hoarding items such as bottled water, frozen food, and even toilet paper out of fear of the items running out. I have found myself at a major loss in light of these events. The term I used just today in response to Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick saying that our grandparents should be willing to be sacrificed for the good our economy was, “I’m out of evens. Completely out.”

    Last week, I took to Facebook Live to encourage my friends not to respond to our current crisis with fear but out of a place of love. I used the account out of Exodus 16 to illustrate how God had always provided for our needs and always would. But God something something else: He instructed the people to to take only what they needed for the day and no more. If they gathered more than they actually needed…

    Then Moses told them, ‘Do not keep any of it until morning.’ But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.

    Exodus 16:19-20 (NLT)

    God gave them the instructions to only gather what they actually needed for a reason: He was always going to supply the manna (bread) and the quail that they needed and would never forget to feed them. If they gathered more than they needed – that is, if they hoarded – then the leftover would rot and no one would be able to benefit from it. Later, Jesus said to His disciples (yes, that includes those of us who want to be His disciples today), “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19 NLT)

    Friends, disciples don’t hoard. We are people of faith, not fear. We know that God is always going to look out for us and that he will never forget to feed us, clothe us, or to give us implements for the cleanliness of our tush.

    We are called to share, to give sacrificially. I encourage you to please only take what you need so that others can benefit. God could be using you to enable the provision for one of your neighbors. We are not creatures of fear, we are creatures of hope and love. This is the example that our Lord gives us.

    Let us go and do likewise.

  • To Pastors and Churches Having Online Worship Today

    “O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!” Psalm 95:6 (NLT)

    Dear Pastors Leading Worship Online Today:

    I see you. More importantly, God sees you. I’m in this boat with you so I’m experiencing this “new normal” with you. And, like you, I will get the experience of leading prayer, proclaiming scripture, and preaching a sermon in an empty worship space (minus two musicians and our worship leader) to only my cell phone and whomever watches on Facebook Live and our website. Like you, I’m having to fumble my way through and figure things out. Like you, I’m nervous, yet excited at what God is going to do through our efforts today.

    It’s going to be weird. It’s going to be different. It’s also going to be OK.

    God sees you as you have had to make difficult decisions, often while receiving flack from your congregation and other clergy. Claims of your “lack of faith” sting but hopefully ring hollow. God knows better. He knows that your first concern is for the safety of your flock, the flock that He entrusted you with when you were called or appointed. Calling off in-person worship today and for however long is necessary does not make you a poor pastor, nor does it mean you lack faith. Making these tough decisions means that you are being a good shepherd. Not exposing your people to a disease that could kill them means you love them. You’re not reckless with your flock. Instead, this is how you love them. If some in your congregation don’t realize this now, they will. And they will be grateful.

    While online worship is not a replacement for in-person community, it will have to do for now. Thanks be to God for modern technology that He can use to keep people connected to Him and to lead them in worship. My prayer for you – for all of us – is that we remember that God can be glorified anywhere and in so many more ways other than sitting in a pew or on a chair. Like you, I long for the day when we can return to our worship spaces but for now I will lead in the best way that I can. My encouragement to you is to seek to do the same. God is with you. God is with your people. And God will be worshipped and glorified today and for however long this is our “normal.”

    Press on. Be bold for the Kingdom. Preach the word just as strongly as you would in front of a congregation. The truth is, you still are preaching to a congregation, only for now they are disbursed. Try to ignore the criticism and outright shaming. God is proud of you for pressing on in spite of what the world is enduring right now. God is using you.

    Most of all, God loves you.

    Offered to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by a fellow preacher in the trenches…

  • Got a Smartphone? You Can Stream Your Service

    If you have a smartphone, you have everything you need to stream your service.

    With COVID-19 causing many congregations to shut their doors to the public, there has been a lot of discussion of streaming worship. There have been articles about everything it takes in order to stream, several of which includes a laundry list of expensive equipment to buy. I’ve been streaming my sermons since 2015 and when it comes to needing an expensive set up in order to stream effectively, I only have this to say: Bullbutter.

    If you have a smartphone, you have everything you need in order to stream your worship service.

    Typically, I go with a very basic set up using my phone. Here, I will lay out what I typically use and give some tips. I will also talk briefly about copyright issues.

    A note: I’m not a “guru” or some other expert. I’m just a pastor who has been doing this for a bit and can offer some tips. I will also list the equipment that I employ and provide links for you to look at these for yourself but know that this is only for information – I receive no compensation at all so feel free to buy or not buy what you wish.

    “Why Should I Stream?”

    Some believe that streaming the service will keep people from attending in person but the opposite is actually true. Streaming the service is a way in which new people can find us in order to connect in community. Online worship is not a replacement for physical community. Unless someone has a reason that they simply can not attend worship physically – such as frequent travel or health issues – most people will use a streamed service as a “first look” at a congregation they are interesting in visiting. Putting a stream online can reach new people and act as an invitation to join the community in person (after the pandemic is over, of course).

    Equipment

    Again I emphasize that you do not need a fancy set up to stream. As I stated above: If you have a smartphone, then you have everything you need in order to stream. Seriously. Typically, I use my Apple iPhone X on a small tripod made for smartphones placed on the pulpit (here is one similar to the one I use). This works since all I have been typically streaming is the sermon. You will want something adjustable so that you can make sure your shot is level and steady. If you plan to stream more than just the sermon, I would recommend a bigger tripod such as this one so that you can make sure to include shots of worship leaders and the choir.

    Another important thing on using your phone: Turn your orientation lock off and turn your phone to landscape (sideways). Doing this will provide a wide shot which will make the video look better on many kinds of screens. You want your video to give the best possible presentation for you and your congregation. Taking this step will go a long way in improving your quality.

    When it comes to sound, if you’re only streaming the sermon you can likely use your phone’s built-in microphone and be just fine. However, if you want better sound quality or if you plan to stream more than just the sermon, you will want to invest in a better microphone. The one I use and have found to be of amazing quality is the Shure Mv88 iOS Stereo Microphone. This microphone plugs directly into your lightning port and provides excellent sound quality. If you choose to use audio recording for podcasting – something else you can do straight from your phone – you can use the Shure app to adjust the settings on the microphone and to capture audio. For Android phones, there are several options that will plug into your USB port. I can’t speak to these so I encourage you to consult an audio professional for guidance. My personal recommendation would be either a local music supply store or the amazing folks at Sweetwater.

    EDIT: I’ve since exchanged emails with a sales engineer at Sweetwater who has educated me on feeding sound directly from a mixer/soundboard to your device. The audio interface he recommended is the PreSonus AudioBox iTwo and even included a tutorial on how this works. I am going to look into this and will provide a follow up should I work this out.

    Internet?

    With most cell phone plans having unlimited data, this should not be a major hurdle. I use my carrier’s LTE signal and this works just fine for streaming. If your church has any kind of wifi that reaches your worship space, you should also have enough bandwidth. The more bandwidth you have available – that is, the faster the connection – the better quality of video you can stream. If you have no cellular signal or wifi available at your church, don’t let this stop you from putting your worship service online. You can use your smartphone’s video recording feature to record the service and then upload it afterward.

    Which Streaming Platform?

    If you search Google for streaming services, you will be overwhelmed with the sheer number of services out there that cater to churches. Many have their advantages and disadvantages and if you hope to grow your streaming later on these services may be worth investigating. But if you’re only wanting to get through the pandemic or do something very basic, you need not worry about this. If you didn’t know, you don’t have to pay for a streaming provider because you can access Facebook Live or YouTube for free. If your church has a Facebook page, I would highly recommend streaming via Facebook Live from the church page. YouTube may be nice if you want to reach a different audience but Facebook is where I would start. All you need is the Facebook mobile app and you can go live on your church page from your smartphone.

    Edit: I have since found out about a service offered by Outreach.com that allows churches streaming their services on Facebook Live or YouTube to provide a stream to their church website. The best part: It’s free! Click here to check it out.

    Staying Legal

    If you’re only streaming the sermon along with other spoken parts, you will be fine and won’t have to purchase any sort of license. However, if you plan to stream any music, you will probably need to purchase a streaming license in order to be covered. Copyright is a tricky thing and I won’t discuss all of the ins and outs of the laws here. Unless all of the music you use in your church is in the public domain – and I can almost guarantee must of it is not – then you will need to ensure that copyright is protected and you make sure that royalties are paid.

    There are several options to be in compliance and, thankfully, this is not overly complicated. If your church already has a CCLI license, you can add on a streaming license for a small additional fee based on your average worship attendance. One License is another organization that you can also utilize in order to be compliant. One License is also offering a free month of stream licensing in the wake of COVID-19. The license is good until April 15, 2020. Click here for more information.

    “Wrap, Wrap, Wrap”

    To wrap up, I hope you see that streaming your worship service is not as scary as you may think it is. In all likelihood, you already have most if not all of the things you need to stream well. If you have other questions, fee free to reach out in a comment or by my social media and I will gladly give any help I can. Engaging with the world through social media is vital to ministry in the 21st century. Streaming our services is an important way to connect.

    One More Time: “Why Should My Church Stream?”

    “The world is my parish.” – John Wesley

  • Pastoring in a Pandemic

    This has got to the most challenging time for ministry so far, at least in my short career. When I began candidacy and seminary, I never imagined that I would find myself ministering in the midst of a global pandemic. There were no classes offered on how to manage a congregation in the midst of a true global crisis. And yet, like so many other clergy, here I am learning as I go. Trial by fire has been a constant in my life so why not now? I’m here, do the best I can, making mistakes, but trying to learn from them. It helps to know that I’m not alone.

    And as a reminder: Neither are you. You are not alone.

    So, at least for this season, this is our new normal. I’m having to get use to doing nearly all of my pastoral care by phone since I can not go visit any of my parishioners right now. I’m having to navigate coordinating an online worship service and making sure we do things like stay in compliance with copyright and have the best sound possible on a shoestring (thankfully, I believe we’ve figured this out). I’m resigning myself to the fact that, for the first time in my career, Sunday I will be preaching to only the musicians and to my phone while people watch on our Facebook page. It’s absolutely different but it’s also the best we can offer to our folks, all things considered.

    I’ve come across some people who have said that online worship streaming is invalid. To them I say: Save it. Streaming is not meant to be a permanent replacement for a community of faith but also it’s simply not safe to gather as a body at this time. In the early church, the body was disbursed and had to meet in small groups in houses. They used what they had available to them to continue worshipping in the face of persecution. In this situation, we must do the same but, thanks be to God, we now have modern technology whereby God can work in ways we never imagined. The awesome part about that is, he is using everyday people to do this. I have long been a proponent of using streaming technology for worship and we are now at a place where this can truly become mainstream.

    I have no sage advice to offer from a ministry standpoint. Like everyone else, I’m fumbling my way through this and learning how to do ministry in the face of a pandemic. But I will say this: I am a former healthcare worker and, while I was no doctor (I was a paramedic), I learned a few things in school and educated myself on many topics that school did not cover. I’m no epidemiologist by any means but I can say this: COVID-19, and diseases like it, is no joke. This is highly contagious. The numbers are honestly frightening. Reuters did a great graphic that illustrates how COVID-19 spread in South Korea. One person attending worship ended up infecting over 1,000 people. You can see the data for yourself here. If this happened in your congregation, how many would that impact? How many outside of your congregation could it impact? How many people could die as a result?

    Shut it down.

    Please, take the warnings seriously. Do your part to flatten the curve. Swap to online worship and discipleship with the knowledge that this is not permanent. Reach out to your parishioners and make sure they’re cared for. Do visits by phone and FaceTime. Is all of this different? Absolutely. But it’s also necessary.

    “And the best of all is, God is with us.” – John Wesley

  • The Clergy-Laity Disconnect

    “The witness of the laity, their Christ-like examples of everyday living as well as the sharing of their own faith experiences of the gospel, is the primary evangelistic ministry through which all people will come to know Christ and The United Methodist Church will fulfill its mission.” – 2016 Book of Discipline, ¶ 127, “The Ministry of the Laity” 

    When Methodism was getting on its feet in the 18th Century, the movement was largely one spread by… wait for it… the laity! That’s right, it wasn’t ordained or licensed pastors who were out beating the bushes with the good news of the gospel for all people who the church either couldn’t or wouldn’t reach – it was lay persons who were trained in Wesley’s teachings and on how to preach. Laity were the class leaders and the primary leaders within their societies and congregations. The pastors were there to be the spiritual leaders whose primary job was to equip the laity for ministry. The laity were expected to make most of the major decisions and to be the movers and shakers within the church.

    Read that again: It was the laity, not the pastors, who were charged with the responsibility of doing ministry. These were not the prominent people of their day, rather they were the marginalized of British society – the poor.

    There were first of all the itinerating lay preachers, assigned in pairs to circuits throughout the British Isles, and eventually sent in pairs to America. There were also the non-itinerating local ministers and the stewards who oversaw the various societies. Most important were the leaders of classes, who provided spiritual oversight for those under their care.

    What Wesley did is open the door for hundreds of men and women to become leaders in the vast missionary endeavor of spreading scriptural holiness across the nation. Since most of these were not from the upper classes, British society did not provide avenues of leadership. Indeed some evangelical pastors criticized Wesley for disrespecting the class distinctions they believed God had established. But Wesley recognized their gifts and commitment, and enlisted them into God’s service.

    “Wesley and Lay Leadership” – Dr. Henry H. Knight, III – St. Paul School of Theology https://www.catalystresources.org/consider-wesley-51/

    At some point this began to change. Dr. Knight points to the merger that created the United Methodist Church in 1968 as a major turning point where the laity became passive consumers – largely due to their lack of education on our doctrine and theology – and the clergy were highly educated providers of religious services for the congregation, specialists in the same vein as lawyers and doctors. As Dr. Knight states, “This was hardly a recipe for vibrant outreach into their communities.”

    That perception has only increased as the years have passed. Today, the UMC is hardly the movement where the laity are the primary leaders and the clergy are the equippers and providers of guidance and teaching. Today the pastors are expected to be the CEOs and to make most of the decisions. In the typical UMC congregation, the laity are not involved beyond roles such as Sunday School teacher or the lay leadership roles mandated by the Book of Discipline (which, let’s be real, are often only on paper in many congregations). This is a major problem for many reasons, but the main reason is because the widening gulf between the clergy and laity is yet another way in which we have forgotten who we are.

    It’s time for Methodists to get back to our roots.

    I was reminded of the width of this gulf is yesterday when I published my proposed re-write of WCA’s proposed church clergy deployment plan. I want to digress for a moment and express my appreciation for most of the feedback given being constructive and helpful. As the comments on social media continued, I realized that the tone and type of the feedback differed between clergy and laity. The reason is because we have different points of view on what is most needed in our churches and how to meet those needs. As I mentioned to someone yesterday, the answer probably lies somewhere in the middle. I believe clergy and laity ought to come together and to hear one another. You know, like John Wesley and the early Methodists did.

    We need to get back to our roots.

    In the United Methodist Church, we say that we believe in the priesthood of all believers – but do we really? Our Book of Discipline affirms the ministry of the laity but as I read the paragraph that contains this affirmation, I can’t help but question how we actually practice this aspect of ministry.

    “The witness of the laity, their Christ-like examples of everyday living as well as the sharing of their own faith experiences of the gospel, is the primary evangelistic ministry through which all people will come to know Christ and The United Methodist Church will fulfill its mission.”

    2016 Book of Discipline, ¶ 127, “The Ministry of the Laity” 

    Spoiler alert: We suck at this.

    There is plenty of blame to go around for how we got here. Part of it is societal norms changing where worship attendance is now largely seen as optional, therefore so is becoming involved in the ministry and leadership of the church. The clergy also have been afraid of feeling less important and have failed to equip their laity for ministry in addition to other failures to teach the doctrine of the church that would not be popular with many within their congregations. I could go on but you get the point.

    Pastors, you may not like what I’m about to say but I’m going to say it anyway: We need to give the laity their church back. What I mean by that is, we need to reclaim our roles as the spiritual leaders and the equippers of the laity to conduct the ministry of the church. We need to allow our people to take the lead and we need to let go of some of the control that we have claimed. This is more than a great thing that Wesley taught; allowing the laity to lead is a biblical mandate.

    “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.”

    Ephesians 4:11-12 (NLT)

    I realize that this is not the case in all congregations. I’m thankful to be able to say that I know of many churches that are doing great work because the laity took ownership of the ministry of their church. But when it comes to the majority of congregations, we still have a major disconnect and we need to address it quickly. We, the clergy, certainly have our place but so do the laity. It’s time we set aside our pride and our ambitions, took a step back, and started equipping the saints again.

    Sports teams are made up of individuals with different responsibilities but with the same goal in mind: To win. On scoreboards, teams are shown as winning or losing, just one individual on the team. The same goes for the church: We all have different jobs but we are on the same team and we ought to have the same goal: To win souls for God’s kingdom. Our job is to minister to the people with the gospel but also by being the hands and feet of Christ. By being doers of the word, we allow God to use us in this endeavor. If the church is failing, it’s because we have failed to carry out this mission. We have all become power hungry or consumers. It’s time for this to change.

    It’s time to get back to our roots.

  • Women, Preach! A Response to John MacArthur

    Women, Preach!

    A Response to John MacArtur

    John MacArthur telling Beth Moore that she and other women who preach ought to “go home” has been well documented. He further insisted, “There is no case that can be made biblically for a woman preacher. Period. Paragraph. End of discussion” (something I believe is a load of bunk). Except with those whom also espouse this hermeneutic, MacArthur has been decried and challenged in his views across the board. Many people would simply back down and acknowledge that not everyone agrees with them and move along, but MacArthur apparently is not content to go quietly about women preachers. Much like certain elected officials, MacArthur chose to double down on his remarks during a recent sermon.

    “Women are to maintain submission to men in all churches in all times. Women pastors and women preachers are the most obvious evidence of churches rebelling against the Bible … Women who pastor and women who preach in the church are a disgrace and openly reflect opposition to the clear command of the Word of God. This is flagrant disobedience.”

    Oh, is it now? Are you sure about that? You might think that “God said it, I believe it, that settles it” is the way one should read the Bible but this is where you’re wrong. This attitude underscores the danger and outright ignorance that ensues when this hermeneutic is employed (I’ve written/preached about this before). Let’s remember that all scripture was certainly divinely inspired but, at the end of the day, this collection of stories, songs, letters, and biographies was written and compiled by human authors. These authors were often writing to specific people or groups. They were also writing in specific contexts with specific issues that they were addressing. This is not to say that the larger truth contained in them is not timeless but the circumstances described were often constrained to a moment in time. The sort of cherry picking and proof texting that MacArthur and his ilk engage in and claim authority under is nothing short of a disservice to scripture and to their pastoral office.

    MacArthur invoked 1 Corinthians 14:34 as a proof text for his assertion that women should be silent in church. According to the article linked above, MacArthur stated, “You don’t say anything,” he stressed, later adding: “Women need to get themselves under control and realize they are not to speak in a church.” For a highly educated man, he certainly does not employ much intellect. If he knew anything about historical context and how to apply it to interpretation, he would know that Paul was not issuing a blanket ban on women speaking in church, rather he was addressing the fact that women who preached in the pagan temples of Corinth wished to preach in the newly established Christian churches. Paul was simply telling them to become educated in the gospel before undertaking this task. That’s it. Dr. Ben Witherington III, the Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary, has written an excellent commentary on the Pauline letters, including this about 1 Corinthians 14:34:

    Those asking questions were not yet educated enough in the school of Christ to know what was and was not appropriate in Christian worship. Paul affirms their right to learn, but suggests another context. In any case, Paul is correcting an abuse of a privilege, not taking back a woman’s right to speak in the assembly, which he has already granted in ch. 11

    Witherington, B., III. (1995). Conflict and Community in Corinth: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians (p. 287). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

    Let’s not fool ourselves though. MacArthur can claim biblical authority all he wants to but this is about something else entirely: Good old fashioned sexism.

    “When women take over a culture, men become weak; when men become weak, they can be conquered. When all the men have been slaughtered, you [women] can sit there with all your jewelry and junk. You’ve been conquered, because you overpowered your protectors.”

    There you have it: John MacArthur is afraid of women taking over the world. He feels threatened by women having any sort of power, including the authority of the pulpit and sees this as a threat upon his power. This sort of rhetoric is much more than an old man spouting off outdated cultural norms. This is a man who sees women as inferior, or at least wants to give that appearance, and who will demean any woman who dares to speak up or to take authority.

    There is no valid excuse for this kind of sexist, bigoted, weak-minded thinking.

    MacArthur’s views are completely unbiblical. The first one to witness the risen Lord was a woman who was told to go and tell the other men. Yes, a woman – often maligned as a prostitute in an attempt to downplay her contribution to the gospel story – was the first one to preach resurrection when she burst into a room where the men had been hiding and shouted, “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18) In Romans 16, Paul specifically sends greetings to several woman, including Priscilla and Aquila who he refers to as “co-workers” in the gospel, and to Junia who was respected among the apostles. The original Greek of these instances indicates that these women were on equal footing with Paul and any other man who was in the trenches of pastoral ministry.

    One might be quick to say that MacArthur’s view is a simple difference in interpretation of scripture but I disagree. I believe this is something much more malicious. The fact that MacArthur refuses to employ interpretation beyond “God said it, I believe it” aside, MacArthur’s demeaning comments about women in general reveal that he sees women as beneath him and as unequal in God’s kingdom. His point of view has no place in the church and the sooner this sort of attitude is eradicated, the better. This is more than “an old man being an old man.” This is evil. Pure and simple. This is a man who feels threatened by a woman holding power, even going so far as to say that empowering women weakens men. As we say in the south: MacArthur needs to go and sit down somewhere and be quiet.

    The only weak man I see in this situation is John MacArthur.

  • My Tribute to Dani Workman

    Dani Workman, my favorite purveyor of alien conspiracies

    To be honest, this week has been a pretty tough one for me. The biggest reason is due to the loss of a very good friend of mine. Her name is Dani and I’ve known her for nearly ten years. However, I’ve never actually met her. Dani and I met online but we became among the best friends for each other. Dani leaves behind her husband, son, and plethora of friends all over the world. I don’t believe that I will have the proper words to really do her justice. With Dani’s untimely passing on to the next life, this world is now a little dimmer.

    I first met Dani around the time I first became an EMT. We were both active on #EMS Twitter and also had EMS blogs. We also were active on a forum called EMTLife. I don’t remember what the dispute was about but someone took exception to something she said and actually made a post on their blog to bully and try to discredit Dani. I challenged this person and defended her. It was around that time that we became friends.

    Dani and I got to where we talked almost everyday. In getting to know her, we discovered that we both struggled with mental health issues and we forged a strong bond over that. Mental health struggles are really difficult for many people to understand simply because they have not had to deal with things like chronic anxiety and clinical depression. Dani was bipolar and understand all of that extremely well. We would frequently check in with each other to make sure that we both took our meds, and especially on our bad days, made sure we both did things like eat, brush teeth, and shower. Dani encouraged my advocacy on mental health issues and I encouraged hers. One of the things I’m most proud of for Dani is that she wrote a book called Beautiful Bipolar, which is a raw and real look into what her struggles have been like. Through this book, she has helped to shed light on darkness and to take away some of the stigma of mental health struggles. Dani’s refusal to allow bipolar to stop her from achieving her goals was one of the things I found most inspiring about her.

    Like me, Dani appreciated humor and memes. Memes have a way of acting as a distraction for me when I need a break from life for a few minutes and they did for Dani as well. This was so much the case that she created a group chat in which we could exchange memes and talk to one another about life in general. In bringing this rag-tag bunch of people from literally all over the world together, she un-intentionally created an online family that has thrived and become an important part of the lives of the members. Daily, I have the opportunity to interact with people who I never would have met otherwise. I have gained perspective and even been able to do some Facebook pastoral care. Dani always had a way of bringing people together. I believe this is something she actually enjoyed… in addition to talking about some of the crazy alien conspiracy theories she would come across.

    My favorite thing about Dani is how fiercely she loved her family and her friends. As far as she was concerned, her husband Jeremy and son Brayden hung the moon. So often I would send Dani a message to see how she was doing and she would tell me that she was at one of Brayden’s soccer games. Some of my favorite messages from Dani were stories of the shenanigans her grandmother “Oma” would be pulling. As Dani’s story has been told by those who knew her best, I found out that Dani once met someone at a convention and when her new friend became sick, Dani dropped everything and spent most of the rest of the day at the hospital with her to make sure she was alright. This is just who Dani Workman was and always will be to those of us who were blessed to call her a friend.

    Of course, I can’t talk about Dani and not bring up one of the other bonds we shared: Grey’s Anatomy. Every week, we made a point to discuss each week’s episode. We both agreed that the show should have ended years ago but that we are all-in since we have watched Grey’s from the very beginning and must see it through. She even created a Grey’s group chat where we all received nicknames based on characters from Grey’s (She was Meredith and I’m George because, as she put it, “You’re just George. You can’t be anyone else.”). Our discussions of Grey’s are among my favorite memories of Dani.

    I could go on about Dani and what she meant to me and others for a long time. As I mentioned near the top of this post, Dani leaving this world leaves it a bit dimmer. Dani made everyday better for every person she met and befriended. While Dani struggled, her fierce love and huge heart made her one of the best people I have ever known. If I needed to vent, she was glad to listen (or read as the case was). When I needed support, she gave it. If I needed to be called out, she was all too glad to call me out (and let’s be honest, I need to be called out from time to time). We sometimes disagreed. We once went over a month without talking because we had a disagreement and neither of us wanted to admit we were wrong (we did eventually reconcile). But Dani was an amazing person who overcame many obstacles that life threw at her. She had a way of bringing out the best in whomever she met. I see this in the group chat that she was instrumental in starting and that remains. The world is now a big darker but Dani’s memory inspires me and so many others to shine brighter as she would have encouraged us to do.

    Until we meet again, friend.

  • Christian Hero Worship and Kanye West

    Christian Hero Worship and Kanye West

    The latest headlines in the Christian news arena have revolved around one person: Kanye West. His profession of faith in Jesus has been well-documented and rehashing it is therefore pointless. First, I want to say a couple of things on that: I give glory to God for anyone, no matter who they are, giving their lives over to Christ. I rejoice. But I also can’t help but be a bit suspicious about this one (something I hope I’m completely wrong about). I’ve caught a lot of grief over that but I also believe that, at least, in this case, his conversion ought to be taken with a large grain of salt. While I get that his faith is young, the fruit of it thus far has been very questionable in my mind. Further, our treatment of Kanye and other famous people who have claimed faith in Christ is also somewhat disturbing. So, at the risk of seeming judgmental based on someone’s past, I want us to slow our roll and take a good look at this situation.

    One of the reasons I have had my suspicions raised about Kanye is due to his history. I’m not qualified to diagnose anyone with any sort of mental health issue but he does display narcissistic tendencies. Everything Kanye says and does has historically been all about himself. One example that comes to mind is when he interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 VMAs. He just happened to have an album coming out. Fast forward to more recent history when Kanye makes a public profession of faith. He just happened to drop an album right after that. I can’t help but be wary of the timing of his profession due to the record coming out.

    The fact that Kanye is seemingly professing prosperity theology as the basis of his faith is also eye raising. Recently he was part of a segment of Carpool Karaoke with James Corden where he said his receiving a large tax refund was “God showing off.” Yesterday, Lakewood Church, the arena where Joel Osteen preaches, announced that Kanye would be making an appearance on Sunday. Here’s my issue there: Prosperity theology is false doctrine. The theology professed in prosperity churches is all about power, privilege, and wealth, a doctrine that looks nothing like the teachings of a homeless Jewish rabbi. Prosperity theology has caused real harm to people. You can read more of my thoughts on prosperity theology here. While anyone proclaiming Christ is a good thing, we also must be concerned with what version of Christ – be it the real Jesus or their own version of him – they are professing.

    Concerns about Kanye himself aside, I have another big reason for raising my eyebrows here: Christian hero worship. Christians seem to go ape when any famous person professes Jesus. Other famous people such as Tim Tebow, Kirk Cameron, Selina Gomez, and Justin Bieber have also professed faith and the same thing happened as has happened with Kanye: Tributes, articles, and “look at this” statements aplenty. My question is this: Why do we celebrate these people and, if at all, hardly acknowledge people in our own lives and within the churches we are part of finding Jesus? Why do we assign hero status to famous people just because they’re famous? Such is dangerously close to idolatry and I’ve seen and heard statements that cross that line. As Christians, we cannot and should not assign special status to celebrities simply because they are famous. We should celebrate a homeless person coming to Christ as much as we do a famous musician. If we don’t then what is it we are actually celebrating?

    We must be careful with what we celebrate. We further should question the motives of people when their words and their actions don’t seem to line up with what we know is true. Is someone professing Christ in a public way doing so for God’s glory or their own? Only time will tell but their fruit will speak loud and clear. Until then, we should encourage them and pray for them but also not believe they are on the same plane as Jesus himself.

  • “Offer Them Christ” (A Response to the Recent Pew Research Report)

    revjktullosheader1I remember when I was taking classes to become a lay speaker before I went into the ministry. In the initial class, I will never forget that our instructor said that the best thing we could do when we preach is to do what John Wesley instructed his early preachers to do: “Offer them Christ.” This instruction meant when we spoke we should give the hope of Jesus Christ to the congregation. As years passed and I studied more of John Wesley’s teachings and theology after I entered pastoral ministry, I began to realize that Wesley’s instruction could actually be summed up in another way: “Offer them Christ and nothing else.”

    I find the fact that the church in the US has long forgotten its mission to be very sad and, honestly, pathetic. I often hear and read people lament about the “good old days when everyone went to church” being gone but, let’s be honest: Many people looked at church attendance as a means to an end that had nothing to do with glorifying God. There was a time when going to or not going to the “right church” could cost someone a job, standing in the community, or a customer at their own place of business. Church attendance was looked at as a social norm because it was expected. Often, one attended a church without really being a Christian. They were Christian in name only but their private lives reflected anything but discipleship. This is the epitome of cultural Christianity in the United States.

    After the 1950s, this began to change and Christianity in America began to decline (so says the experts). So, every so often, a group like Pew Research will conduct a survey to find that there are fewer people who identify as Christian. Next thing you know, preachers are screaming from their pulpits about “the world getting to our kids” or blaming the decline on some group that they personally oppose. Church growth “gurus” will start coming up with books they can sell and programs they can pitch to stave off the decline. Bloggers will blog (yes, I realize the irony of my own actions here). Pearls will be clutched and hands will be wrung with worries about, “What if the church dies.”

    Well, what if it does? I’ll tell you what will happen: God will still be on the throne and the kingdom will continue. That’s what if.

    When we look at the state of the American church versus the early church and the church in the so-called third world, it’s no wonder that Christianity in the US is “dying.” Years ago, the American church took a faith based on a middle eastern Jewish divine man and turned it into something that could be used for personal gain and political clout. A prime example of this is the rise of the so-called “Religious Right” through Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority. Christianity became equated with politics and parishioners and preachers were just fine allowing this to happen because this meant they had power too. If you want to look at where the decline began, it was around that time after the 1950s and 1960s where people became disillusioned with this junk and began to turn away from the church and from God altogether.

    I can’t blame them.

    If I believed that God merely wanted me to be the head of a social club that endorsed certain brands of politics and helped people achieve wealth, I would turn away too. I would never have entered the ministry and likely would have never been a Christian in the first place. The gospel is about Jesus’ work resulting in the reconciliation of us to God and to one another and for the hope of all things being made new and set right. God does not care how we vote, he only cares that we love him with all of our being because he first loved us. He further wants us to love one another as we love ourselves.

    Our mission is not to go forth and make sure only certain politicians and parties win elections, our mission is to go forth and make disciples of Jesus Christ. Our mission has nothing to do with prosperity and everything to do with preaching and practicing grace. But, yet, the church forgot this. We let ambition take over our pulpits which impacted the pews. A lot of people got tired of it, left, and have not returned.

    In other words, we did this ourselves. May God forgive us.

    The way this situation changes is not what many would like to hear. It’s not going to be another program, a multi-campus church plant, or even by having a pastor that wears the right clothes and looks a certain way. The only way to stop the decline and to win people back to Christ is to do what John Wesley taught his early preachers. Offer them Christ and nothing else. Forget the ambition, Forget the politics, Forget the prosperity. Just preach, teach, and live the teachings of Christ. Stop alienating one another and blaming other groups for the church declining. Reconcile.

    We need to practice what we claim to preach. We need to get back to our roots.

    Pew Research Report on US Christianity
    An excellent article from Rev. Sky McCracken in response to the Pew report.