When an earthquake occurs, scientists will talk about the “shifting” of the earth’s plates…the geological strata layers within the earth. These “shifts” force the earth upward to adjust and often cause damage to existing structures and sometimes loss of life.

In the culture where we live, there have been dramatic shifts which forced the Body of Christ to adjust. Sometimes those shifts have been the forces in the religious world as was the case when Martin Luther was inspired to challenge the conventional wisdom of the Catholic Church with his 95 Theses. Sometimes the shift has been the result of multiple factors in political or economic systems, such as the rise of communism and the results of World War II forcing the church underground in the Eastern Bloc of nations.

When the “shift” comes, loose things or ill-prepared things go flying and often are destroyed. Recently, I’ve been thinking about such shifts in culture which are dramatically repositioning the church of Jesus Christ… Read the rest of this entry »

According to Ed Stetzler, in this post,”Thirty-two percent of Americans – almost one in three – said their decision to visit or join a church would be negatively affected if that congregation taught homosexual behavior is sinful.” This means that about a third of the people we are seeking to share the gospel may be unwilling to give our message a chance based on our theological convictions.  THAT’S DRAMATIC!

He goes on to add–”The cultural trajectory is toward greater acceptance of homosexuality. Recent books like unChristian, They Like Jesus but not the Church, and my own forthcoming  Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and Churches that Reach Them have all pointed to this challenge among younger generations. Simply put, the younger you are, the more accepting you are of homosexuality.”

As leaders, we must embrace that this is not our forefather’s America.  This is a pagan mission land which requires new thinking, strategic ministry logic and prayer at levels not previously employed.

What do you think?

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