The Decline of Christianity

church and culture I got interviewed yesterday by Ken Briggs who is writing a book for Eerdman’s on the connection (or actually, the DISconnection) between the message of the church and the needs and issues of our culture.

He has noticed, as has many others, that although the church is trying harder than ever to get its message heard, fewer and fewer people are listening. Though in the past it has primarily been Mainline churches that were in decline, Southern Baptists are now in decline as well.

Ken Briggs wants to know what the church can do about this… if anything.

He and I met at a Starbucks in East Stroudsburg University and discussed these sorts of questions for about three hours. It was quite an honor to be interviewed by him, since he has also interviewed other writers and theologians around the country, including Stanley Hauerwas, the most widely read and oft-cited theologian of our day.

Ken is conducting research and interviews this year, and the book is scheduled to be out in 2013.

By Jeremy Myers Filed Under Theology Written on April 13, 2012

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Blue Like Jazz – The Movie

Blue Like Jazz, the Movie hits theaters today. I wish I could go see it, but there are no theaters near where I live that are showing it.

Oh well, I’ll get the DVD….

How about you? Are you going to go see it? Why or why not? If you do see it, let me know what you think.

I like Blue Like Jazz – the book, and I briefly wrote about my “conversion” regarding this book here.

By Jeremy Myers Filed Under Jesus Written on April 10, 2012

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What if Jesus did not rise?

This month’s Synchroblog asks a tough question: What if Jesus did not rise from the dead?

I believe the resurrection did, in fact, occur. I believe Jesus truly did rise physically from the grave on the third day after He was crucified and buried. But the question before us is, “What if Jesus did not rise from the dead?”

There are a thousand possible answers to such a question, but let’s just face the music and jump to the hardest and most troublesome answer of all: If Jesus did not rise from the dead, probably most of Christianity is a lie. We could probably hold on to the idea of God, and some of the historical events in the Bible, but beyond that, most of it would probably not be true.

I mean, if the resurrection of Jesus did not happen, then most of the Bible is probably not true because most of the Bible is centered on the idea of the resurrection.

If the resurrection did not happen, the truthfulness of the Bible itself should be doubted.

By Jeremy Myers Filed Under Jesus Written on April 9, 2012

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Jesus Uses Doubters Too

Jesus faith and doubt What does Jesus think about doubt?

It is common in Christian circles today to require faith and certainty before people are allowed to serve. We feel people need to be sure that Jesus was the Messiah, was God in the flesh, died on the cross, and rose again from the dead before we give them an opportunity to follow Jesus into the world.

Until people get this faith and certainty, we often don’t feel they are fully qualified to serve in church. Instead, we recommend they read a book on proofs for the Christian faith, attend a class about the basics of Christianity, or perform some sort of other study so that they can gain the faith and certainty we feel is necessary for followers of Jesus.

It does not appear that Jesus feels the same way.

Throughout His entire ministry He was calling and inviting people to follow Him who knew next to nothing about Him, and were sometimes even antagonistic to who He was and what He stood for. But Jesus knew that if they followed Him, they could learn about Him while they were in the midst of loving and serving others.

One event in the Gospels shows this more than any other.

After Jesus died on the cross, and after He has risen from the dead, and after He has appeared numerous times to His apostles, and after He has eaten with them, talked with them, and let them touch His resurrected body, He appears to them again.

By Jeremy Myers Filed Under Jesus Written on April 8, 2012

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The Most Beautiful Words in the Gospels

Peter wept bitterly What are the most beautiful words in the Gospels?

These two right here:

…and Peter…

These two words are found in Mark 16:7 and I find them to be the most beautiful and moving words in the Gospels. Every single time I read them, they get my heart beating. They give me shivers and chills. Sometimes I even choke up in tears.

…and Peter…

Why?

We all know what Peter did. He was one of the three closest companions that Jesus had. He was the spokesperson for the twelve apostles. He was the one who promised He would never deny Jesus.

And when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter was the only one who tried to defend Jesus.

When Jesus was escorted away to His trial, Peter was the only apostle who followed. The rest scattered into the night and hid.