The Prosperity Gospel in Africa

Christianity Today International, Out of Ur’s publisher, and The Lausanne Movement, a worldwide movement of evangelical Christian leaders, present The Global Conversation: a year-long series of essays, short films, and photo essays about issues facing the church worldwide. These videos highlight topics to be addressed at the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization being held in Cape Town, South Africa, in October 2010.

In November the Global Conversation focuses on the prosperity gospel—the teaching that true Christian faith results in material wealth and physical well-being. While it has its roots in America, it has found fertile soil on other continents as well. To accompany the lead article in Christianity Today by Ghanaian scholar Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, director Nathan Clarke went to Ghana to explore the forms the prosperity gospel takes in that West African nation.

 

Confession: the Prosperity Gospel makes me angry.  As I talk with student after student who have been turned off Christianity by the abuses they see from prosperity preachers in rural Limpopo and the Eastern Cape.  This video is both balanced, fair and yet disturbing.

 

Everyday Life with Gospel Intentionality

Jonathan Dodson has posted some similar thoughts before, but they are just so helpful I thought I would should once again post his latest offering; Equipping for Mission

Don’t Eat Alone. Last time I checked we all eat at least three meals a day. Most Christians eat them alone or with other Christians. What would it look like for you to intentionally share meals with non-Christians. To get to know them over food? 21 meals a week, just start with one meal a week. I challenge you, 1 out of 21. Share it with non-Christians and be intentional. Don’t hide your faith but don’t force it either. Live with gospel intentionality in your meal eating.

Be a Regular. One family in our church are regulars at a coffeeshop where they have gotten to know the staff. As they got to know them, they invited the staff over for pizza and got to connect outside of work. This has continued. This couple hangs out with some of the staff regularly now. One girl drops by their house and just hangs out. Apparently she’s pretty down on the Church, but she’s willing to hang out with a family that shares, shows, and embodies the gospel. They even have spiritual conversations sometimes. Now, this would have never happened if they weren’t regulars. It wouldn’t have happened if they were normal regulars, treating the staff as workers, people who exist to serve the customer. Instead, they treat them as people who have worth outside of work, people who have fears and dreams that only the gospel can sufficiently address. They loved them; not just used them. It’s not just being a regular but a redemptive regular who bring grace into everyday life.

Hobby with the City. Ever notice how churches tend to create their own Christian version of hobbies in their city? If they like to cycle, then instead of joining one of the countless Austin cycling clubs, they create at Christian cycling club! Instead of joining a Run-Tex club, they form a Christian running club. Church League sports. It’s pathetic. Instead of joining a city league, churches create their own leagues so they can play one another! One guy in our church cycles regularly with city club. He participates with the city, shares a common hobby. He hasn’t joined a Christian cycling club; he just hopped into one that already exists. Over the miles they cycle together the talk about life. He gets to share, show, and embody the gospel with them. He’s had some of his cycling buddies over for dinner. Another example. There’s a group of women in our church who hobby with the city by throwing girly parties–Crafts, Bunko, Baby showers. It’s not a Christian party; it’s a good party. All the women bring food, hang out, play games, and share life, stay late. Lots of good conversations and social connections. These women are hobbying with the city.

Be a Good Neighbor. Another person in our church has been very deliberate about getting out of their house. They walk the neighborhood. Walk to the mailbox instead of drive over. Play with their kids in front yard instead of the back, and engage their neighbors in conversation. Over time, the neighbors have warmed to hearing the gospel because they were loved and accepted first. One guy, a committed postmodern, theist, homosexual recently had a crisis. Partner left, his health is in decline, some pretty big issues. Who did he call? That neighbor. Why? Because that neighbor consistently loved him and listened to him. He got to show, share, and embody the gospel over and over again. This neighbor hangs with his family and has come to the Parish. Why? Because he had a good neighbor. Be a good neighbor.

Just one question: please would someone explain this whole driving over to the mailbox phenomenon?

Read the whole thing here

Coffee Break

This is my irregular posting of my “surfing” around the net. So grab a coffee, take a break and see what interests you.

All the audio from the LEAD conference with Tim Chester and Jonathan Dodson is available here. I really enjoyed listening to Tim on Community as Lifestyle.

Thanks to Mike Kendall.for reminding me about the Joshua Project – Unreached People of the World.

Tim Keller talks about his idols of ministry and sacrifice:

“I was using people in order to forge my own self-appreciation. I was looking to my sacrificial ministry to give me the sense of “righteousness before God” that should only come from Jesus Christ. People make idols out of money, power, accomplishment, or moral excellence. They look to these things to “save them” — to give them the sense of purity, value, and acceptability that only Jesus can give. In my case, I was using ministry (and my own people) in this way.”

Jonathan Dodson on Ways Not to be Missional, Part 1 and Part 2.

South Africa has been named as a key emerging market for UK investors

Some myths and urban legends about John Calvin (HT: Challies)

Neil Cole has some hilarious church names (including Little Hope Baptist Church)

The Gospel-Centred Life, the follow up to the Gospel-Centred Church from Steve Timmis and Tim Chester is sure to be good.

Cape Town it seems is not a good place to work if you are black?

Tim Chester has a few more thoughts on fasting

SPORT:

Gibbs and Ntini dropped from Proteas One-Day and 20-20 Squads

And Parerria is back… why oh why?

Germans to wear bullet-proof vests at 2010 World Cup. Don’t worry given the current results, most South Africans would rather shoot our own players before any Germans.

5 good reasons to use public transport

(Picture: borisgorelik)

Recently I have begun to use public transport again and whilst it is often easy to see the negatives (not as convenient, comfortable or quick), there are some real benefits:

1. Cheaper – I confess this is what forced me back onto the bus.

2. Better for the environment – a big value in my life.  And might I say one that is very much in keeping with a biblical understanding of redemption, fall and restoration.

3. Builds a bit of exercise into your life – a definite benefit.  I have grown as a person, in all the wrong ways this year.

4. Time to read - this is definitely one of my top benefits.  Since I stopped using the bus earlier this year, I have definitely read less than in previous years.

5. Time to slow down, think, reflect and enjoy – this is probably the most interesting one!  In our fast paced, cram as much into the day, time-orientated city life, public transport can be a much-needed tonic.  When I take the bus, I cannot get there as quickly or do as much as I would if I had a car.  It forces me to do less, and provides some much-needed time to think, to look around and slow down.  I am really beginning to enjoy this again…

Now this is a book giveaway

Devotional Christian are giving away their “Top 22 Books for Devotional Christians”.  Here’s how to win.

Including:

The Lord and His Prayer by NT Wright

Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller

The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions

Taste and See by John Piper

(HT: Trevin Wax)

Rethinking relationships of economic inequality

Two incidents lately have really challenged my thinking on relationships of economic inequality.

1)  My semi-homeless friend C, has noticed that since we got Nathan our garden is not as well kept as it used to be.  Jo loves her garden and usually loves to work in it and keep it looking beautiful.  As a result C. has insisted that he comes and cleans up our garden.  Not for money but simply because he wants to help us and serve us. 

His offer is a response to our attempts to befriend, help and serve him.  We have tried to treat him with dignity and as a human being and now when he is insisting on acting like a man with dignity, I feel uncomfortable.  I mean really, isn’t it some sick kind of exploitation to let a man who sleeps in the bush clean your garden for free. 

C often is hungry and without money, surely I should not let him do this.  But to insist on paying him will cheapen his act, will demean his gift and will dehumanize a man desperately trying to be human.  He has seen us trying to be Christ to him, and he is trying to respond in the best way he knows how.  As someone who is desperately trying to follow Christ in his poverty, how can I not allow him to serve and love his brother? 

2) We recently has the joy of visiting Mandela Park Community Church in the township of Khayelitsha recently.   I preached on Mark 2 – very similar ideas to this post.  We had a great time of fellowship and encouragement from the community there.

But afterwards while I was enjoying talking to people, I had an envelope put into my hands.  I knew it contained money and so I flat out refused to take it.  But if you have ever tried to refuse the hospitality or gift of an African man – you know it was insisted upon that I take it.  When I got home and opened it up I was amazed to discover that the amount was in fact a very generous gift (more than I have received when preaching at some wealthier white churches I should mention).

As we were actually short of money to make it to the end of the month – it was a great blessing!

But it made me realise that if we are to be a church together we have to learn to give and receive both ways.  Not only the wealthy to the poor, the white to the black, the employed to the unemployed….

In South Africa, today we have to allow each other to serve and bless each other.  Particularly at this time when so many black evangelicals feel sidelined in the church.  And are not convinced that their contribution is equally valid.  When many feel like they are welcome on “our” terms only and feel as though they are not free to contribute.  We must allow ourselves to be served by all our brothers and sisters, no matter what their economic or educational situation is.  Anyone can have community with those who are like them (Matt 5:43-48). 

Giving, service and sacrifice that only flows one way is patronizing, paternalistic and at worst racist (“the poor black people need our help”).

The gospel has broken down barriers and as a result we receive from others out of their poverty (Mark 12:44), not only out of our wealth… that is what it means to be brothers, family, one new humanity, giving and serving, loving and sacrificing to and for one another.

“And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.’ 2 Corinthians 8:1-4

Here are a couple of pics from our time at MPCC:

Jo, Nathan and pastor Phumezo Masango

Kevin, Katleho, me and another brother

I love the pics of Adam and Eve, David and other Bible characters

As a side note, this was the most interesting compliment I have ever had on my preaching, from one of our students:

“Way 2 go man, word around has it tht u killed it yesterday at MPC- Khayelitsa. Good hustlin’ homez, real talk… It means tht da Holy spirit has manifest in u aint it?!”

Free Tim Keller sermons

Redeemer Presbyterian Church have now made 150 Keller sermons available online for FREE.

At that price, I think I’ll take two!

(HT: Resurgence)

Book Review: Grace Notes – Philip Yancey

“A friend of mine once said to me, “The words you write, the books you publish, they’re like your children.  You do the best you can with them, but eventually they go out there and take on a life of their own.  You cannot control where they go or what impact they have.”

So says Philip Yancy in the introduction to Grace Notes: Daily Reading with a Fellow Pilgrim. Philip Yancey’s words have indeed taken on a life of their own in my life, so when I got an e-mail from Zondervan asking if I was interested in reviewing the new Philip Yancey book, I immediately replied in the affirmative.

Now this is a little different from most other Yancey reads (Yancey is one of my all time favourite authors by the way), it is actually a collection of 366 excerpts from previous books, articles and even  a few unpublished pieces.  It took only a few minutes of scanning to realize that most of what appears in this book I have already read.  Some of it more than once.  More than a couple of stories have even appeared in sermons preached by me.

Now does that make this any less of a great book?  Absolutely not!  This is a brilliant gift for either the already a Yancey fan or the soon to become a Yancey fan.

The one thing that I do not enjoy about these “reading for every day of the year” type books though is that I have a sneaking suspicion that some people read the book instead of the Bible.  I would prefer they read both…

I guess I will use this book a bit different – this is what I would call the perfect “toilet book”.  The kind of book you can just pick up and read a few pages at a time while you are otherwise occupied.  Perhaps it could also come in useful in waiting rooms or between appointments.

What do I love about?  Everything that I love about the rest of Yancey’s writings.  Yancey has the ability to look at life and the church from a whole new, refreshing and challenging angle.  He never gives you trite or boxed answers.  If you need to know that someone else has doubts, or does not buy the neat packaged presentation we sometimes pass off as Christianity then Yancey is your man.  He will explore every doubt, every question with integrity, ruthlessness and openness.

But yet there is not a Yancey book that you will finish in which you are not more amazed by the wonder of the gospel, the majesty of God and weakness of human beings.  If you like real stories about real people, sometimes a bit edgy, a bit gritty but always authentic then you will love Yancey.  Yancey is not a professional theologian, he is a journalist – so questions and stories rather than heavy academic -theological debate are his strengths and he plays to these brilliantly.

I admit I have not read it cover to cover (yet!) but I have probably read 95% of this material, in its previous guises already.  And as I browsed around rediscovering some old favourites  and enjoying some new treasures I knew I would have no trouble telling you to buy this and give it away this Christmas, get one for yourself  and everyone you know.

Rating 10/10

Bill Bryson shares some biblical wisdom

I have recently finished reading “The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid” by Bill Bryson (see Reading 2009 for a short review).

Here is some thinking from Bill Bryson.

“By the closing years of the 1950s most people – certainly most middle-class people – had pretty much everything they had ever dreamed of, so increasingly there was nothing much to do with their wealth but buy more and bigger versions of things they didn’t truly require: second cars, lawn tractors, double-width fridges, hi-fis with bigger speakers and more knobs to twiddle, extra phones and television, room intercoms, gas grills, kitchen gadgets, snowblowers, you name it.  Having more things of course also meant having more complexity in one’s life, more running costs, more things to look after, more things to clean, more things to break down.  Women increasingly went out to work to help keep the whole enterprise afloat.  Soon millions of people were caught in a spiral in which they worked harder and harder to buy labour-saving devices that they wouldn’t have needed, if they hadn’t been working so hard in the first place.”

“By the 1960’s the average American was producing twice as much as only fifteen years before.  In theory at least, people could now afford to work a four-hour day, or a two-and-a-half day week, or a six-month year and still maintain a standard of living equivalent to that enjoyed by people in 1950 when life was already pretty good – and arguably, in terms of stress and distraction and sense of urgency, in many respects much better.  Instead and most uniquely among developed nations, Americans took none of the productivity gains in additional leisure.  We decided to work and buy and have instead.” p267-268

And now let the Teacher speak:

Whoever loves money never has money enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
This too is meaningless.

As goods increase,
so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owner
except to feast his eyes on them?

The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether he eats little or much,
but the abundance of a rich man
permits him no sleep.

I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:
wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,

or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when he has a son
there is nothing left for him.

Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb,
and as he comes, so he departs.
He takes nothing from his labor
that he can carry in his hand.

This too is a grievous evil:
As a man comes, so he departs,
and what does he gain,
since he toils for the wind?

All his days he eats in darkness,
with great frustration, affliction and anger.

Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God.  He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.

(Ecclesiastes 5:8-20)

Jonah a Missional Reading

“Scripture is appropriately read and interpreted as the Spirit-empowered testimony that equips God’s people for their mission…”

Darrell Guder: The Continuing Conversion of the Church p x

If Guder’s statement above is correct then all Scripture has a missional goal.  What would this look like in practice?  I am attempting to deliberately think missionally about the Scripture I read.  In order to train myself to see not only the individual, theological, communal implications but the missional dynamic at work in Scripture.

I will ignore some details and other truths that are there in the text not because I do not think they are not important – undoubtedly they are.  But because I want to intentionally train myself to look at Scripture with a missional lens I am allowing myself to be a bit “unbalanced” in my reading.

Jonah – A Missional Reading

1. The INITIATIVE for MISSION begins with God

It is God who sends the prophet to go to Ninevah and call it to repentance.  Mission does not begin in the heart or mind of Jonah, but within the character, compassion and sovereignty of God.

2. The REASON for MISSION is the sovereignty of God

The main protagonist throughout the book is God.  It is the LORD: who sends the prophet (1v1-2), before whom the wickedness of Ninevah comes up before (1v2), who sends the storm (1v4), who directs the casting of the lots (1v7), who increases the strength of the storm (1v11), who calms the sea (1v15), and who provides the great fish to swallow Jonah (1v17) in chapter one.

Even the confession from the disobedient prophet Jonah in verse 9 declares the sovereignty of God;  “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”

In chapter two Jonah’s prayer shows that he saw nothing as beyond the reign of the LORD:

Jonah calls to him – from the grave (2v2), from the depths (2v3), when he is engulfed by the waters (2v5), from the roots of the mountain (2v6), from the pit (2v6) and when his life was ebbing away (2v7).   Even from there Jonah knows his prayer will rise to his holy temple.  There is nowhere that is beyond the reign and nothing that is outside of the kingship of the LORD.

The big idea in chapter 1 & 2(and continued in 3-4) is that God is absolutely sovereign over all the earth all idols and other gods of the nations are impotent and worthless when compared to Him.

2v8-9 sums up the entire first two chapters.  The idols of the pagan nations are proven to be worthless (1v2, 5-6). The Lord ALONE is king and salvation and blessing come from his hand ALONE.  This is the message that Jonah was called on to declare to the pagan city of Ninevah:  “GOD IS KING! THERE IS NO GOD BUT YHWH! TURN FROM WORTHLESS IDOLS TO WORSHIP AND OBEY HIM NOW.”

The uniqueness of the LORD who alone is God (not even the greatest among the gods of the nations.  Or that Israel worship only one God.  There is only one God who rules over all)  and who rules sovereignly over the whole earth is a theme that runs deeply through the OT.  This theme runs throughout the prophetic literature and its presence here puts Jonah firmly in that tradition.

Jonah is sent as a “missionary” to Ninevah because the LORD alone is King over all the earth.

3. The SHAPE of mission is the CHARACTER and COMPASSION of God

This is seen in 3 ways in Jonah:

a) Why does God send Jonah in the 1st place if his intention was to destroy?  The sovereign God of chapter 1&2 does not owe anyone an explanation or a warning.  But yet he sends Jonah with a message – why?

b) The repentance and humbling of the king and all the people before the word of the Lord in the mouth of the prophet, surely was God’s intention from the outset.  Despite the warning of destruction – the humbling of the proud and wicked Ninevites before the sovereign King and their cry for mercy evokes compassion from the LORD.   “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.” (3v10)

c) Chapter 4v2 is probably the key to the entire book of Jonah, Jonah confesses God to be “a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”

These words are from God’s revelation of himself to Moses in Exodus 34:4-7.  These words are said to be the name of the Lord.  The context is that of the giving of the law and the binding of God to Israel as a people.  Who is this God who is binding himself to Israel as the their God?  The one whose name is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love.  This is the God who is both the God of Jonah’s people and the God who has compassion on the pagan Ninevites.

The compassion of God on Ninevah is entirely consistent with the character of God as revealed to his people Israel.