An even more challenging missionary endeavor..

Living Among the Dead

A mission of mercy ... that's what Madre Antonia calls her work in Tijuana, Mexico. Known affectionately as "Madre" or "Mother," she lives where guards fear to tread ... the Tiajuana Penitentiary.

Yes, lives. Voluntarily.

"Home is where the heart is... even in prison" highlights her labors of love. Warning: it's convicting.

As a Christian, and one who makes a living pursuing criminal justice reform, I am challenged by her approach. Dwell among them. Now there is certainly a novel idea. So many times we look to government, to policies, to others to make the difference, but we should be challenged to begin first and foremost with ourselves. Hypothetical: If permitted, how many of us would clamor to be the first to freely take up residence in prison? And yet, in essence, isn't that what we are called to do?

"Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest." ~ John 4:35

Have you considered this a mission field? Amy, could it be that your desire to study at Oxford is from God?..

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Reconvert Europe to Christianity

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Posted: February 27, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

The U.S. State Department has another great idea.

The problem in Europe, say the professional diplomats, is that European Muslims just aren't assimilating the way they should.

So the geniuses at State have hired Farah Pandith from the National Security Council to head up a new effort to help European Muslims better integrate into European society.

Let me tell you something – they hired the wrong Farah for the wrong job.

Listen to the way these knuckleheads at State talk about this problem.

Daniel Fried, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, said the growing Muslim presence in Europe is "a fascinating issue and one that the American government is just now trying to get its mind around. It's a huge problem, we are thinking about it seriously, and we've tried to do some intellectual framing-up."

What does he propose?

He says Europe is to blame.

"You have a weird nativist surge in Western Europe, and a kind of odd panic: Aliens are here, they don't accept our values, they are a threat to our way of life and turn to radicalism," says Fried.

So State is going to bring American Muslims to Europe to meet with their counterparts in an effort to "break down stereotypes" and help them end their "self-isolation."

In other words, psychobabble.

This isn't about stereotypes and self-isolation. It's about conflicting worldviews. It's about an evil ideology that seeks to destroy Europe and the U.S. and conquer the world.

On one point, however, I think the eggheads at the State Department are right. The key to the outcome of this global conflict is in Europe.

Do you want to know how to win the fight against the global jihadists?

I'm going to tell you how, and I'm serious.

Re-Christianize the continent.

That's what we need to do.

We need to re-evangelize Europe.

Europe is ripe for this experience.

It has experimented now with socialism for longer than the Soviet Union existed.

It has experimented with secular humanism as a religion.

And it has faced out-of-control immigration from Muslim lands. These new immigrants are happy to exploit the benefits of the welfare state, but they have no use for secular humanism.

If Europe is ever going to be re-evangelized, the time is now, while there is still a vestige of freedom left. Once Europe becomes Eurabia, evangelism, as we know it in the U.S., will carry with it the death penalty.

Europe is going to go one of two ways in the near future:
It's going to become Eurabia;
It's going to rediscover Christianity in a way that will give its people – native Europeans and transplants from Muslim countries alike – something else they can believe in.

Islamists are counting on Europe falling into their hands. Most Americans are simply awaiting the inevitable. But it doesn't have to be this way. We can do something about it. We can save Europe for the third time in 100 years – this time without firing a shot.

This can be done and must be done. Americans need to help – not just by becoming missionaries to Europe but especially by supporting the indigenous evangelists already at work there.

You often hear, these days, that Islam is the fastest-growing religion on the planet. I'm not sure from where these statistics come – probably from Saudi Arabia. The truth is that Christianity is the fastest-growing religion on the planet, with lots of Muslims converting all over the world.

No, I don't think sending American Muslims to Europe is a good idea. I think sending American Christians there would make much more sense.

We don't have to "invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity," as my friend Ann Coulter once suggested about our Islamo-fascist enemies. In Europe, all we have to do is convert them to Christianity – peacefully, voluntarily, non-coercively, lovingly.

It's time to reintroduce Europe to Christianity.

It is a continent much in need of salvation.

It is a continent filled with people who are lost.

It's time they had a real choice – not just between secular humanism and Islam, but also the choice of Christianity, the faith that made Europe great.

This guy has done some cool things with Open Source Software. But he has been tough to get info out of. I keep an eye out on his blog in case he ever leaks anything valuable. At least this was a good post.

On this thought, I would hope you guys are growing in passion. For what you might do for a living, and for what you might do to please God if you don't end up being pastors or missionaries.

Academic Rigor: A Rough Cut
I'm intrigued by a the discussion of academic rigor, and I think our experience homeschooling our oldest daughter might shed some light on this subject. This is a draft of my thinking:

The dialog around academic rigor often feels as if it is based on the two opposing, but exclusive, viewpoints, between which we are asked to choose: 1) the environment which emphasizes passion, or 2) the environment that focuses on rigor. (The former being seen as "loose," and the latter often being the rationale for high-stakes testing.)

And just stopping here, I think there are many that would agree that the two should not be mutually exclusive. But even then, there is still an inherent assumption to the discussion that I want to challenge: either or both are almost always presented in the structure of our traditional school system--that is, where education is something that adults impose upon children.

Now, before you write me off as being flaky or weird, here is the alternative assumption: that education is essential to the health and well-being of ourselves as individuals, and when we are rigorously engaged in our own life learning, we can generatively mentor students by communicating the value of being both passionate and rigorous, and expecting both. And it is amazing to find that when education is treated this holistically, students can accomplish incredible things. We're all aware of students who have done this, we just don't see it as the norm (which is part of the problem).

In the homeschool program our daughter was in, it was believed and communicated that a student by the age of 14 - 16 should be so self-engaged in their education, that they have chosen challenging fields of interest to immerse themselves in, and are studying deeply 10+ hours a day. They are becoming scholars. They are reading the great books, interacting with challenging the brightest minds of their culture.

Do we believe in rigor and passion in our own educations? It's a hard message, but if our free time is filled with unchallenging and mindless entertainment, and if when we talk about our school days we speak of something that is behind us that "we got through," then our children will not know any better. When our major method for accomplishing something is enforcement (which is really what the culture of school is now), we give the implicit message that it is not something that is going to be enjoyed, no matter how much we say otherwise. Want to help your child become a better learner? Let them see you studying math or reading a classic...

All of the best stories of education come from instances where the students became so engaged and passionate that they sought rigor themselves.

After seeing the movie over the weekend, and affirming that Wilberforce's efforts predate Lincoln's by 30 years, I am thoroughly amazed at this accomplishment. And especially that it was done without warfare and bloodshed.

So seek the Lord, find out what He would have you accomplish with your life, and live a great and worthwhile life.

Go on in the Name of God
The Perseverance of Wilberforce

February 23, 2007

In a poignant scene in the new film Amazing Grace, an exhausted William Wilberforce collapses into the arms of his wife. The British MP is heartbroken over his failure to stop the slave trade. After years of struggle—of enduring political tricks, treachery, and deceit—he is ready to give up; the campaign seems utterly hopeless.

But then a letter from an old friend reminds him that for the Christian who is fighting a great social evil, quitting is not an option.

The year was 1789—the year of the French Revolution. The mob and the guillotine ruled France, loosing a tide of bloodshed.

Across the Channel, the British feared a similar revolt. Any type of public protest was linked to the revolutionaries who had ignited France's Reign of Terror.

This had a damaging effect on abolition. As my former colleague Eric Metaxas writes in his new book, Amazing Grace, the ugly events in France "had created a backlash in the British political class. There was no question that they were now" developing a "distaste for reform and for abolition."

Sensing the shift in the public mood, the House of Commons rejected another motion to abolish the slave trade.

Weary with frustration, Wilberforce considered quitting his campaign. One night as he sat reading his Bible, a letter he had received years earlier, but which he had saved, fluttered from between its pages. It was from the great preacher John Wesley. Wilberforce re-read the familiar words.

"Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils," Wesley wrote. "But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? Oh, be not weary of well-doing."

"Go on in the name of God," Wesley urged, "and in the power of His might."

I have kept a copy of that same letter in my Bible for thirty years.

The words galvanized Wilberforce. Over the next two decades he fought tenaciously until the slave trade was finally outlawed. And then he fought for another twenty-five years, despite failing health, for the emancipation of all slaves in 1833.

The battle had taken forty-six years.

Forty-six years! Today, we are tempted to throw up our hands and go home if we lose a single election. In our campaigns against modern moral evils, we are too easily discouraged; we have forgotten how to persevere.

Of course we will have fierce opposition; sometimes the opponents will play dirty, as they did with Wilberforce. But that is no excuse to give up. Who do we think we are working for?

I love the way my friend Richard John Neuhaus puts it. His words are hanging on my wall: "We have enlisted for the duration in bearing witness to the truth."

"The duration" could be twenty years or fifty. In our own era, the campaign to eliminate the killing of unborn children has already taken thirty-four years.

And that is just one battle: Christians are fighting as well modern slavery, embryo-destructive research, and the attack on marriage. We had better take a lesson from Wilberforce (and Wesley) and roll up our sleeves—permanently, if necessary.

Like Wilberforce, we must work to change the hearts of our fellow citizens. And like Wilberforce, we must never give up, but "go on in the name of God," persevering until the battle is won.

When you gather to party (and it seems to be happening every day this week..), think about this article and what could possibly change your fellowship. And what you can do to preserve this fellowship, if it is worth keeping..

The Spirit of Collaboration
Wilberforce and Clapham

February 21, 2007

With this week's upcoming release of the movie Amazing Grace, William Wilberforce has been getting a lot of attention lately. I am not so sure he would be that happy about that. This English statesman who helped abolish the slave trade in Britain wrote at length about the dangers of loving worldly praise and applause. "It tends," Wilberforce wrote, "to exalt and aggrandize ourselves . . . to assume credit and merit for our own qualities. . . . instead of ascribing all honor and glory where they are due."

Perhaps it was this clear understanding that enabled Wilberforce to do something that not many Christians succeed in doing well: effectively collaborating to bring a biblical worldview to bear on culture. Wilberforce was not a glory hog. He was not looking to be the Man of the Year. His eye was set fiercely on a better prize, a heavenly one. And so to bring about the end of the great evil of the slave trade, he eagerly collaborated with like-minded Christians in a way that truly demonstrated the beauty of the body of Christ working together—First Corinthians 12-style.

I find it fascinating how God orchestrated such a marvelous symphony of talents to end the slave trade in Britain. Hannah More, a gifted playwright and poet, offered her writing skills and her great popularity with the people. Josiah Wedgewood applied his talent for creating beautiful pottery to make an anti-slavery brooch that soon became all the rage in England. John Newton and William Cowper wrote hymns and poems. And then there were others of the Clapham Circle, among them a former ambassador, a publisher, two Anglican priests, and a parliamentarian, who all lent their particular skills to the cause.

The Clapham Circle—or Clapham Saints, as they were called by their detractors—lived in the village of Clapham, four miles from London. They embodied the Acts 2:42 lifestyle, meeting together for prayer, sharing meals together, living in community. Wilberforce and Henry Thorton began the Clapham Circle with intentionality. According to Wilberforce biographer, Kevin Belmonte, "Years later [Wilberforce] would insist that this network of support had been indispensable in enabling him to serve effectively in politics. Others might dismiss such a seemingly trivial notion, but Wilberforce knew that his friendships were one of the most important parts of his life."

Sometimes we glimpse this spirit of collaboration today, with Christians joining together to help in Katrina's aftermath, or the forty-some organizations that work together with Prison Fellowship to take the Gospel into every prison in America through Operation Starting Line.

But what if we saw this kind of collaborative spirit become the norm? What if Christians cultivated Clapham-style communities in our towns and cities? What if we embraced the spirit of Clapham in our spheres of influence? What kind of societal giants could we topple if we locked arms with like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ with no concern for credit or recognition?

It's worth dreaming about. And while Wilberforce would not have wanted personal praise for this kind of community that he and Thorton created, I think he would be eager to see the Clapham Circle inspire Christians of our day to even greater works of God-honoring collaboration.

The movie, which opens this week, beautifully portrays what can happen when we do pull together.

This is an appropriate article for our discussion today. Disclaimer: Keep in mind that there can be some pretty useless information in sites like this. And sometimes, the info presented is used for unholy ends. So view with some discretion.

But, if you open yourself to new encounters, you never know what role you might play in the salvation process.

How to Start a Conversation when You Have Nothing to Talk About

Whether you are a host or a guest, there are many social situations that will call for interaction, even when you are stumped for some way to get it going. For example, you might want to help a friend's new "significant other" feel comfortable. Or, you might see a stranger across a crowded room, and realize that this is your only chance to impress Mr. or Miss Wonderful. Then, you realize that you're not sure what to say.

Steps

1. 

   

   mingle at a party
   Start with a "hello," and simply tell the new person your name. Offer your hand to shake, upon his or her responding to you. If you already know the person, skip this step and proceed to step 2.
2. Look around. See if there is anything worth pointing out. Sure, talking about the weather is a cliche, but if there's something unusual about it--bam!--you've got a great topic of conversation.
3. Offer a compliment. Don't lie and say you love someone's hair when you think it's revolting, but if you like his or her shoes, or a handbag, say so. A sincere compliment is a wonderful way to get someone to warm up to you. But be careful not to say something so personal that you scare the person off or make him or her feel uncomfortable. It is best not to compliment a person's looks or body.
4. 
   Ask questions! People love to talk about themselves --- get them going. "What classes are you taking this year?" "Have you seen (Insert-Movie-Here)? What did you think of it?" Again, keep the questions light and not invasive. Do not ask too many questions if he or she is not responsive to them.
5. And another thing, do not ask any question about yourself, because that will most likely make the conversation about you, and people don't like that either.
6. Jump on any conversation-starters he or she might offer; take something he or she has said and run with it. Agree, disagree, ask a question about it, or offer an opinion, just don't let it go by without notice.
7. Look your newfound friend in the eye, it engenders trust (but don't stare). If the conversation goes on, you can possibly touch (lightly, don't claw) his or her hand, elbow or shoulder. Also, use the person's name a time or two during the conversation; it will help you remember the name, and will draw the person's attention to what you are talking about.
8. "Situational starters" are the best to initiate a conversation. Perceive what's going on around you, and talk about it in an interesting way.
9. Half of an effective conversation is the way you non-verbally communicate, and not necessarily what you say. Practice better non-verbal skills that are friendly and confident.

Tips

• Just relax. Chances are that whatever small-talk you're making isn't going to stick out in anyone's mind a few months from now. Just say whatever comes into your head, so long as it's not offensive or really weird. (Unless, of course, the person you're attempting to converse with is into weird stuff.)
• It will help if you watch some TV, listen to radio shows, and/or read a lot -- newspapers, magazines, and/or at least a blog or two. You need to have some idea of what is going on in the world. If you are shy, it will be helpful to have thought about a topic or two that you could talk about.
• Follow the lead that your listener is expressing. If he or she appears interested, then continue. If her or she is looking at a clock or watch, or worse, looking for an escape strategy, then you have been going on for too long.
• Interesting and funny quotes or facts can lighten things up, & make way for things to talk about. ;-)

This contains a beautiful quote. Very appropriate and timely. So, are you focused on the right things, or are you just floating through life unaware of the critical issues of your generation?

Make You Look
Wilberforce and Awareness

February 20, 2007

Note: This commentary was delivered by Prison Fellowship President Mark Earley.

For years on "BreakPoint," we have talked about the plight of the oppressed—from persecuted Christians to the victims of the sexual trafficking. Raising awareness is not easy, because let's face it, most Americans probably cannot even find places like North Korea, Sudan, or Burma on a map—much less tell you about their human rights records.

This lack of familiarity with the larger world is not new. William Wilberforce was all-too-aware of the numbing effect of "out of sight, out of mind." He knew that before he could persuade his countrymen about the evils of the slave trade, some education was in order. It is yet another lesson Wilberforce has to teach us.

Two hundred years after Wilberforce, most people are still unaware of how brutal the slave trade was: men chained together for up to five months to save space; and diseases such as amoebic dysentery, scurvy, smallpox, and measles spreading in this human Petri dish. Little wonder that of the 13 million Africans who were compelled to make the infamous "middle passage," 3 million died on the way.

Then, of course, there was the often-inhumane treatment of those "fortunate" enough to survive the journey.

Obviously, those profiting from the slave trade did not tell the British people the truth about slavery. "Out of sight, out of mind" was the order-of-the-day.

As Eric Metaxas writes in his book on Wilberforce, it was the slave trade's "invisibility" that made this brutal business-as-usual possible. The average British subject did not have the "slightest hint" of the human cost associated with the sugar and molasses in their homes.

That's why an essential part of Wilberforce's campaign against the slave trade was to make the British public aware of the cost. He used everything from pamphlets to poetry to pottery to bring the plight of slaves to the public's attention.

As a result, he was able to tell Parliament that "the nature and all the circumstances of this Trade are now laid open to us. We can no longer plead ignorance . . . We may spurn it . . . but we cannot turn aside so as to avoid seeing it."

Once the British people stopped looking away, it became easier to do the right thing.

In this Information Age, our problem today is not the kind of "invisibility" Wilberforce combated—people who care about human dignity can easily find out what they need to know. The trick is getting them to care in the first place.

It's making our voices and concerns heard above what many call the "clutter" of the Information Age. When thousands of things, most of them worthless, compete for people's attention, we need to help people focus on the right things. We need to remind them that there are things more deserving of their attention than who entered rehab and who fathered whose baby.

Just as Wilberforce became the conscience of his age, we must become the conscience of the Information Age. It will not make us popular, any more than Wilberforce's persistence endeared him to his peers.

But if we do not try to get people to look at the larger world, then today's victims of brutality might as well be invisible.

This is a very interesting read. One that has direct implications for you if you have any aspirations for the pulpit. This is likely worthy of a discussion in the group..

Amazing Grace behind Bars
Why Your Next Pastor May Be an Ex-Prisoner

February 15, 2007

Mark Earley and I recently visited a large prison, located in an arid, dusty part of southern California. Entering the prison yard, I stopped, stared at the drab surroundings, and was struck by a question: Why, in this, the richest nation on Earth, do we cast 2.3 million citizens in holes like this? It's madness.

So is this prison's approach to drug rehabilitation. The chaplain told me inmates may talk about a "higher power," but not God and certainly not Jesus. "Do these programs work?" I asked. He shook his head: "Maybe 20 percent of the time."

So we're giving addicts a combination of therapy and watered-down spirituality and putting them back on the streets. No wonder two-thirds end up back in prison.

These thoughts gnawed at me when I spoke to several hundred excited inmates, many apparently serious believers. On impulse, I asked them, "You fellows are the experts. Why is it that we as a nation are packing millions of you into places like this? What's wrong?"

Several shouted out one word: "Sin!"

I was stunned. Most experts would blame poverty, race, or a dysfunctional childhood. But these men know the truth. They know the reality of evil and human sin, and they accept responsibility for their actions because Christ has convicted them.

Their attitude—and that of prisoners like them all over America—is why I believe so strongly in the vision Mark Earley has cast for Prison Fellowship: to raise up people from the prisons to become the Church's next generation of leaders.

Seem unlikely? No. These inmates really understand what amazing grace is. Whenever that hymn is sung behind bars, the inmates stand, tears flowing down their cheeks. They know the depths of sin, but they also know that grace abounds all the more. Locked in a prison cell, they are truly broken, truly helpless—and that's when they can put full trust in God.

A famous pastor once said that nobody is fit for the pulpit who has not been broken badly in life. He's right: Only when you have been broken can you empathize with others; and only then do you recognize that only God can put you back together. Understanding costly grace, prisoners make great leaders.

Our Centurions program has a parallel purpose—raising up worldview teachers who can think Christianly about all of life. We have graduated three classes of one hundred Centurions from our year-long program—and they in turn are spreading the message. Among them: John Nunnikhoven. He's teaching worldview to Vermont legislators and also volunteering for Prison Fellowship, bringing inmates to live in his own home. John embodies the twin goals of Prison Fellowship—to defend the truth and then demonstrate the truth as we live out the Gospel behind bars.

These two goals—equipping people to contend against the false values of our culture and to make the invisible kingdom visible—is exactly what will renew the Church. I have a passion to see this vision realized, which is why I am devoting every waking moment to this ministry. And that's why we have no reason to despair about America's future. I see men and women who will step forward as the leaders of a new and revitalized Church.

Use the talents God has given you. And impact your world. We have talked about movies like 'Facing the Giants'. 'The Gospel' is another good example. If you have talent in the arts, be creative, and tell a good story.. Just like the stories in real life. Not like the stories on TV currently.

The Theology of the Couch Potato

There's an interesting study over at the Parents Television Council on the depiction of faith on television. Here are a few of the more salient factoids from the study:

• "CBS was the network with the highest percentage of pro-religious incidents, with 47% of its treatments of religion being positive. WB followed with 41.3% positive treatments and ABC with 37.7%. NBC (27.8%) and Fox (27.2%) nearly tied, while UPN (19.3%) had the lowest percentage of positive religious portrayals.
• "Fox had the highest percentage of anti-religious depictions, with 1 of every 2 depictions of religion – almost exactly half (49.7%) – being negative. NBC closely followed, with 39.3% of their depictions of religion being negative, while 35.4% of UPN depictions were negative. 30% of ABC’s portrayals were negative, followed by 29% of CBS’ and 21% of WB’s.
• "Program format was a heavy determinant of the portrayal which religion received. Of all negative treatments of religion, 95.5% occurred on scripted drama and comedy programs. Only 4.5% of such negative treatments occurred on reality programs. Furthermore, 57.8% of positive treatments of religion also occurred on reality programs, while only 42.2% of positive portrayals occurred on scripted programs. "

Tagging onto the last bullet point, it is interesting to see in their study how many positive depictions of faith came out in the unscripted shows, particularly reality shows like Extreme Home Makeover, Dancing with the Stars, and Amazing Race. It seems when you get Americans unscripted, you are more likely to get positive depictions of faith than when you have a scripted program.

If you want to get your ire up, read some of the negative depictions of faith. But I think we fail if we just get angry about culture. We have a creative mandate. Television is such a steady part of most Americans' diet, information like this makes me really hungry to see more Christians using their gifts to write, produce, and direct drama that is a quality, not over-sentimentalized depiction of real faith. That should make information like this a goad and a spur for us.