A blog by Adam W. Christman

Tag: For Your Consideration

  • For Your Consideration: Two Online Resources for Studying Paul’s Missionary Journeys

    The book of Acts records a highly detailed account of the apostle Paul’s missionary journeys. We can read about every town or city he visited, and in what order. Luke did not record some other mundane details, however, including the costs of the trips, exactly how long it would take to get from one place to another, that sort of thing. Well, OpenBible.info has given interested historians that data by way of Stanford University’s ORBIS.

    Stephen Smith of OpenBible.info provides some interesting numbers on distance traveled, duration of each journey, and cost per person in denarii. For your consideration: statistics on Paul’s missionary journeys, including his trip to Rome for trial.

    The second link I want to share is an even more detailed look at Paul’s missionary journeys written by Dale Bargmann of Hosanna Lutheran Church in Houston, TX. Bargmann provides a detailed look at each step along the way. He provides historical context, discussing relevant cultural, geographical, and religious issues. He also provides a variety of photographs of these locations, to give the reader an idea of what Paul was looking at when he came through town or stood up to preach.

    For your consideration: a detailed historical and visual look at Paul’s missionary journeys.

    Could you find this kind of data in good Bible dictionaries and atlases? Sure! But these are online resources that you can access for free right through your phone, tablet, or laptop. I suggest you give these a look.

  • For Your Consideration: Elevation Church and a Cheap Trick (no, not the band)

    I would like to introduce what will be a regular feature of my blog: For Your Consideration. Each ‘FYC’ post will be a link to a piece by somebody else that I think is worth your time. It will include at least one paragraph by me, summarizing and responding to the article, poll, study, essay, etc., then it will include the link at the bottom for you to follow up, read, and be able to think about on your own.

    The first entry For Your Consideration is about a Southern Baptist church in Charlotte, North Carolina that calls itself “Elevation Church.” In the article, local journalist Stuart Watson investigates Elevation’s published strategy for increasing church membership titled “Spontaneous Baptism How-To Guide.”

    Let the title sink in for a minute.

    If you haven’t punched a hole through your computer or phone yet for that oxymoron, please read on. In the guide, emotionally manipulative tactics are detailed in how to get more baptisms through what is, essentially, a mixture of peer pressure, crowd mentality, and Disney-level marketing. That’s right. You are supposed to plant actors in the crowd who will come up to get baptized first, taking the longest and most highly visible path to get there. This little bit of theater, combined, no doubt, with emotionally manipulative song selection and the lure of a willing speaker (“pastor” just doesn’t seem the right word to use for someone utilizing these tactics) will bring about the desired results of getting a bunch of people wet so you can pad numbers.

    Speculation aside, one thing is clear. This is a misunderstanding of the doctrine of the church. Church is not a building padded to the rafters with people you got wet. The church is the Bride of Christ, filled with people who intentionally follow Jesus because he has made a change in their lives, saving them from their sins by his death on the cross. This is what I believe as a Christian and a member of the Southern Baptist Convention. I am ashamed that a church in my denomination is manipulating the people of the Charlotte, N.C. area.

    For your consideration, “How Elevation Church, Pastor Furtick produce ‘spontaneous baptisms’” by Stuart Watson.