Thinking Out Loud: Session Uno

Hello everybody out there in the World Wide Web!

My mind is still kinda buzzing about all the different criticisms of my church, but I think I’ve come to the conclusion that it will always be like that no matter if NewSpring is doing it right or wrong. I mean imagine if we cared about what everyone thought. You would go insane. Different cultures have different traditions and subcultures. I would venture to say that there is absolutely no way to make every person on the planet happy. So, I say you just to try live life as best you can to please the Father and try to make the people most important to you happy with who you are(and sometimes that will even be a problem).

I have been following this generic Bible study thing on YouVersion. It’s in Ruth, Isaiah, and Revelation right now. Kind of an odd trio, but there were a number of ideas that hit me while reading them. None of which are in my thoughts after this one, but they were insightful.

What to do about Iran? It’s interesting to see a Middle Eastern nation rebelling against authority. What’s interesting in the U.S. is the use of Twitter to fight the power. It has been the top Trending Topic for a while now. People are changing their profile pictures to a shade of green in solidarity with the Iranian people and are changing there time zone to Iran. It is a unique phenomena/convergence of social networking and geo-political conflict. Best case scenario is that the Iranian leaders just kick Ahmadinejad to the curb and control the state in a different way. Well, that’s not the best case, but it is a solution to appease all sides. The very best would be kicking the nut to the curb and allowing Iran to become more moderate instead of hacking off all the Western world and allying with Venezuela/China/North Korea.

And how about North Korea? They are building long range missiles that could reach Honolulu, but the most likely target being Japan. As someone who has done advanced study into the Korean War, their aggression is not a surprise, but the game has changed in Korea. At the time of the Korean War, South Korea wanted to take over NK as much as North Korea wanted to invade South Korea. If not for the U.S. handicapping former President Rhee’s forces, they would have started the war instead of vice versa. The culture is different now and North Korea is the only one seeking an aggressive war. The wild card is the U.S. as it was 6o years ago. They are testing President Obama, but looking at history, him and Truman are really not far off in their foreign policy strategies. Replace the Cold War with geo-terrorism and you have basically the same guy. I think Obama would strongly consider helping South Korea in the event of a NK invasion, but China once again provides an interesting story. Both the U.S. and NK are dependent on China now. They very well could be calling the shots with any action in Asia.

Maybe I misunderstood, but I thought the economy was supposed to be boosted by now. You know, bailout, that big sinkhole we threw my generation and my kids and their kids’ money(and etc.)  into. It would kinda suck if that didn’t turn out to turn around the economy.

I am a Twitter nerd. I caught myself preaching the gospel of Twitter to a preacher I know at work. I use TweetDeck which is pretty sweet.

College football is way too long away.

School is coming to fast and I need an internship.

Ok, than you for reading and God bless America.

b. rink

(Insert Church Name Here) Exposed!!!

So, YouTube seems to be a great place to see churches exposed. No, no, no, not that way–YouTube has higher standards than that(presumably churches too). No, I am talking about churches being exposed in scathing videos that show the video creator’s disdain for a certain churches way of doing things.

Now, why do I care? Well, once again my church is the center of controversy again. The classic exposed video is from taser-friendly, KJV-only pastor Steven L. Anderson from Faithful Word Baptist in the Arizona desert somewhere. Watch and see NewSpring exposed(but hide the women and children beforehand for safety purposes).

Anderson preaches on the ills of NewSpring using supposedly satanic images and Guitar Hero during their church services. We don’t hear of the message though…it seems he is too overwhelmed by the background and intro music counting down the minutes to the start of the message. The story Anderson tells comes from a friend that went there and you can see that he has not observed NewSpring on his own. Have you been exposed enough to NewSpring’s activities yet? Oh, there’s more folks.

The next couple videos are far better produced and look pretty slick in their exposure of my church…

This one shows the video I had in my prior blog post “Anything Goes?” and the use of an acronym for what is considered pretty nasty French by a lot of people.

I think the “Sexed” intro was a powerful and effective way to reach youth of today. They showed what the world is telling them in their schools and on television and refuted it in the messages delivered by Brad Cooper, the student minister at NewSpring. As for the use of BAMF(definition–wouldn’t let the kids click on this one), it was in poor taste in my opinion. Cooper was stretching the boundaries a bit much to look cool among the kids. It is a delicate balance–for example one, I think they did it right–for example two, they fell short.

More exposure to come, this time with the all-to-popular money angle.

This video is kinda funny to me. I have been on mission trips before and had to raise to thousands of bucks to go too. I can empathize with anyone who is seeking money to go on the Kenya trips, but the points in the video are kinda ridiculous. NewSpring is “charging” $3500 to go to Kenya. Charging? Really? I have a sneaking suspicion, that, I don’t know, maybe that is what it costs. It cost me over a 1,000 to travel 90 miles off the coast of America–I think Kenya could easily be triple that. Now, I am going to ignore the whole budget issue because I really could care less how much of the 800 kusthouzillion in the NewSpring budget could have been used to pay for those people because the original statement is true. Anderson is NewSpring’s mission. South Carolina is NewSpring’s mission. The U.S. and the world is NewSpring’s mission. The money going to support the pastor to keep him preaching God’s Word is missions. The money going to sound guy who made everything in the service go smoothly is missions. The money spent on a kid-friendly ministry area that will see countless kids come to Christ is missions. Missions is a very broad term at NewSpring. There is no lie here–you just have to expand your thinking.

This is just me thinking out loud, but it seems the people making these videos are opening themselves to exposure rather than the subject material. These videos are not 1 Corinthians 13 material. Where is the loving of one another? In the words of renowned theologian Rodney King, “Can’t we all just get along?.” Where does all this in-fighting get us? The author of the last two videos is a pretty cool guy really, but the videos are not his best work in relation to conforming to Scripture.

Yeah, but but but…yes I know that these are supposedly glaring errors that need to broadcast to the world, but where is the Biblical mandate? I love journalism–I want to get into the business one day, but we are not called as Christians to expose, but rather to love. Thoughts?

Baptism Tailgatin’

There is probably only one particular region of the earth where it can be pulled off, but NewSpring is having a tailgate baptism this Saturday from 3-6 or so. It is going to be like a college football Saturday with RVs, tents, grills, golf carts, and plenty of good food to go along with the main attraction of people displaying faith in Christ by baptism. My sister is getting dunked at the festivities and we are going all out with a huge party of people and food(lot’s of food). If you are within a driveable distance of Anderson, SC–I would encourage you to come out because there is nothing like it. Pics of past tailgates:

Newspring’s Worship?

Newspring’s use of certain styles of music in services have gotten some attention out there in cyberspace. There were two particular covers of Christian bands that were controversial over a misunderstanding over the metaphorical lyrics related to dancing of one Family Force 5.

There’s no mistaking it, Newspring bloggers think playing AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” or Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” as illustrations of the sermon are pretty cool. It displays the immense talent that God has bestowed upon our bands to be able to play and sound similar to the bands/singers that are regarded as the best in our culture. It has been questioned as to why these bloggers do not display the regular worship as often. I think there are a few reasons for that, but Newspring is certainly not keeping them under wraps.

The displays of talent in “Highway to Hell” and “Crazy in Love” are helpful for the overall service at Newspring. Very often, the services where songs like these are played with strong presentation of the Gospel–lots of people come into the body of Christ. Thats something to be proud of. People are meeting Jesus because of a move of God through an atypical method for churches. I know it must drive people crazy to think that where “secular” music is being played–the Gospel is being preached and people are being affected, but its happening. You can continue to be skeptical, but what good is it doing?

Anything Goes?

My church is a bit controversial…

We opened a Easter service with AC/DC

Dared to talk about sex to young people in a provocative way

And our pastor can say some odd things

He’s also a “Purpose Driven Hireling“(English please?)

According to one blog, the church leadership has gone vile with the language

If your mind is made up after seeing all that, I would suggest just finding another blog to comfort your interests. It amazes me how convoluted the Christian world has become. We tear down without trying to understand. We have the audacity to think we have the copyright on how to do church.

I have no problem with disagreeing with the methods of my church, but I strongly disagree with those who would say they are absolutely wrong. Newspring does everything they do to carry out God’s Will. Do the pastors have lapses of judgment on exterior things like Twitter and blogs? Yes, but we all do.  The Newspring leaders just have a bigger stage to make those mistakes from and they are pointed out at every occasion. I am not sure what is more trivial, pointing out that pastors make errors or doing a blog on pastors making errors. It’s like reporting that water is wet or Chuck Norris is awesome–we already know this.

The biggest issue I have is “the Newspring follows a ‘ends justifies the means’ philosophy” crowd. It’s ridiculous to think that Newspring believes that anything goes en route to bringing people to Jesus. If Newspring really believed that, why not offer money or open up a strip club outside the auditorium? It is ridiculous and intellectually dishonest to believe that. People that criticize Newspring know exactly how the church can justify what they do–it’s called their interpretation of the Bible. Let’s not be ignorant and not see the elephant in the room. Different denominations interpret the Bible different ways. Newspring can fully justify using the methods they do Biblically. Other denominations can point out flaws in Newspring’s methodology Biblically also. We will all find out someday who is following the Lord’s model, but until then, what’s the use in freaking out about it now? How about we just go and out live in manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ as Paul has called for us to do.

Found A Video Related To My Last Post on Church Blogging

Love the message…

If We Are the Body…

I’m back. Been a while, but school has been taking precedent over my non-sports blog here. Got a different topic on my mind today than the usual…

Casting Crowns came out with a song called “If We Are the Body” and it was a hit(I’d encourage you to listen to it, but skip past it if you just have time for the blog post).

The song talks about the church’s response to outsiders entering their world. These people don’t dress like them, talk like them, or act like them. The message is that if we are the body…why aren’t we reaching these people? A very poignant song that really struck a chord in the hearts of many Christians, but I’m concerned about another trend in the church.

The blogosphere has started to become a haven for criticism of individual churches. This church is doing this. That church is doing that! My brand of church is obviously more holy than yours. Where does it end? Or more importantly, what is its purpose?

It reminds me of the Biblical passage from Mark 9:38-39. There were some people that were ministering to the people in the name of Jesus, but they were not of the disciples. These people were doing it different. Jesus did not go off on how could these people possibly minister without being a part of his kind of church. He said:

³⁸“Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”³⁹“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, ⁴⁰for whoever is not against us is for us. ⁴¹I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.(link)

Now, these blogs who are dedicated to pointing out flaws in another churches will point out that they don’t feel that these churches are against them, but just really screwed up. In their eyes, that is true, but it still does not excuse their posts Biblically. I don’t think when the Golden Rule was established in the Bible by God that he thought people would love to have other people attack their every move while they carry out His will to the best of their abilities.

So in order to try not become like these blogs(and it’s hard I’ll tell ya), I will offer a proposition to better the Christian blogosphere. Here is a test to check whether a blog post is building up the body of Christ(not perfect, but it’s better than nothing):

1. What tone am I taking? Is it satirical? Am I jeering another Christian or trying to help them?(hint: can’t do both)
2. How will this post be accepted by the church I am trying to correct?
3. Is there another medium other than public criticism on a blog to express this opinion about another member of the body of Christ?
4. Am I only criticizing or do I correct with a solution presented?
5. What will non-Christians think about the criticism that I am confronting another church with?(How does Christianity look with a bunch of bickering members to a lost world?)

Those are just my thoughts…I’m more of a sports oriented blogger so I leave these issues to those who write about it all the time. Just felt like I needed to get this off my mind. Thanks for reading.

Bailout Mania!

Dear U.S. ATM…uh, I mean U.S. Congress,

I am a poor college student. I need a bailout. I estimate that I will need atleast $1,000,000 to get me back on my feet. Giving me a million dollars will help stimulate the economy as I will pay off my student loans and spend the rest on a Playstation 3 and games for it. I may even buy a hybrid car with it so the big, bad oil companies get less money from me. If needed to get this to pass, I will tithe 10% to the Dear Leader for campaign funds.

Thanks,

B. Rink

p.s. I will accept a check, but would rather have it deposited into my bank account. Thanks guys!

Hillary Gets in the White House(For the Occasional Visit)

Hillary Clinton could be the United States’ Secretary of State. Can we not just get raptured right now? Hillary Clinton is going to be the face of our foreign policy to the world. Yeah, that one, the lady who was bent on breaking the gender barrier in the Presidency and is most likely bitter as hell about Obama upstaging her. Just a year ago or less, Clinton was the clear-cut candidate for being the Democratic representative and now she finds herself being appeased by the Dear Leader-Elect with a cabinet position. I can understand that, but why Secretary of State? Could we not put her over the EPA or the Education department or some other non-functioning government bureaucracy? We are replacing Colin Powell and Condeleeza Rice with freaking Billary. That is not a change I would ever want to believe in(I bet Bill is gonna love her being gone to the Middle East and China all the time though–good for him).

In other news, the guy with a killer goatee, Bill Richardson, is probably going to re-enter the fun world of government bureaucracy also. I really do not have much of a problem with that.

But I just cannot get over Obama’s first real grievous act of his Presidency putting Billary as our representative to the world. Obviously, he is streamlining her for a run in ‘16 which if she does not screw up too bad, she will be a heavy favorite(mainly because the Republican party is in shambles and I have little faith in their ability to plug the holes in the sinking ship).

Side Issue

Is Religion to Blame for the GOP’s Downfall?

I am one of those pesky evangelical Christians. According to a piece in today’s Greenville News(sorry no link but I found it actually in the print version…I might have to explain what that is to some people), me and my co-horts are the reason why the Republican Party is sucking right now.  I am not surprised that the Christians are to blame for the Republican Party going down. I mean, when all else fails, blame the Christians! They were to blame for the burning of Rome, right? I am not trying to go victim complex on you, but religion is not to blame the absolute suckage of the GOP.

How about the Republicans becoming just like the Democrats in regards to spending? You know, like abandoning the conservative principles the entire party is founded on with economic policies? Religion can be a negative force for a party. The Democratic Party does not have to worry about because they are devoid of any moral compass, but this is a “problem” the Republican Party has to deal with. There will be those whackos like Pat Robertson calling for the heads of foreign dictators, but that is not representative of the entire base. Christians are probably the most loyal of all factions within the Republican Party to a fault really.

The issue could be that the zealous Christians could be alienating the rest of Republicans which is altogether possible because Christians can tend to be abrasive sometimes. Christian issues that fuse into Republican issues like marriage between homosexuals and the right to life can be a problem also. Though even in California, the marriage issue did not really go on party lines because Kaleefornya is a traditionally liberal state(but despite this, it is my favorite state in the union, love every minute of living outside of ‘Frisco). The Republican Party needs to focus on returning to conservatism rather than seperating themselves from religion because without that base, they will never be prominent again and a third party could conceivably be created.

Well thats my ramblings for the day…if you read…then comment please…out

So Politics Have Gotten a Bit Boring Now

I am I the only one feeling a little withdrawal? I really need Jon King to point out some counties in Montana that are traditionally conservative. I need Wolf Blitzer’s soothing voice guiding me through some election results in Massachusetts. I’m waiting on the mail for something disparaging about one candidate or another. I need MSNBC trying to convince me with all their might that Obama is the candidate I should choose, but they have won and now we begin the Obama rear-end kissing for the next 8 years. It was so much more fun President Bush was in power. What exactly is Keith Olbermann going to talk about anymore? Once the Democrats have near absolute majority status in both houses of Congress and a liberal in the Presidency–is he going to start going after Governors and state senates that are controlled by Republicans? This really is going to be the age of the conservative pundit. They will be able to pick away at the Supreme Leader for eight years and attract a following slowly while doing. Will it be enough to take down Hillary in ‘16? Who knows, but I see the next 8 years of Obama as an opportunity for the Republican Party to get a face lift and get a hold of itself. So we wait a little while for the Dear Leader to become President in January, the fun begins after that.