Reader’s Theatre for Easter

Here is the reader’s theater I wrote for our Good-Friday Service. I hope somebody else can use it!

It’s super easy and can be pulled off with virtually no practice. A great way to get people involved!

(It is the Passion Narrative, from the Gospel of Mark. During practice, it was about 35 minutes, with the songs)

NOTE: I wrote the five parts to five different people. Choose your readers carefully!

Reader One: Narrator – good voice, able to read LOTS

Reader Two: Disciples and misc. voices – minimal reading

Reader Three: This is Jesus. Choose carefully.

Reader Four: Almost no reading. Very easy part.

Reader Five: Very little reading. Easy part.

ACT ONE: Introduction

Reader 1: Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

Reader 2: who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Reader 3: but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Reader 1: Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Reader 4: For when we were still helpless, Christ died for us.

Reader 5: It is a difficult thing for someone to die for a righteous person. It may even be that someone might dare to die for a good person.

Reader 4: But God has shown us how much he loves us—it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!

SONG: Above All

ACT TWO: The Last Supper

Reader One: It was now two days before the Festival of Passover and Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the teachers of the Law were looking for a way to arrest Jesus secretly and put him to death.

Reader Five: “We must not do it during the festival,”

Reader One: they said,

Reader Five: “or the people might riot.”

Reader One: Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon, a man who had suffered from a dreaded skin disease. While Jesus was eating, a woman came in with an alabaster jar full of a very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head. Some of the people there became angry and said to one another,

Reader Four: “What was the use of wasting the perfume? It could have been sold for more than three hundred silver coins and the money given to the poor!”

Reader One: And they criticized her harshly. But Jesus said,

Reader Three: “Leave her alone! Why are you bothering her? She has done a fine and beautiful thing for me. You will always have poor people with you, but you will not always have me. She did what she could; she poured perfume on my body to prepare it ahead of time for burial.

Reader One: Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Jesus to them. They were pleased to hear what he had to say, and promised to give him money. So Judas started looking for a good chance to hand Jesus over to them.

Reader One: On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the day the lambs for the Passover meal were killed, Jesus’ disciples asked him,

Reader Two: “Where do you want us to go and get the Passover meal ready for you?”

Reader One: Then Jesus sent two of them with these instructions:

Reader Three: “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house he enters. He will show you a large upstairs room, fixed up and furnished, where you will get everything ready for us.”

Reader One: The disciples left, went to the city, and found everything just as Jesus had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal. When it was evening, Jesus came with the twelve disciples. While they were at the table eating, Jesus said,

Reader Three: “I tell you that one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”

Reader One: The disciples were upset and began to ask him, one after the other,

Reader Two: “Surely you don’t mean me, do you?”

Reader One: Jesus answered,

Reader Three: “It will be one of you twelve, one who dips his bread in the dish with me. The Son of Man will die as the Scriptures say he will; but how terrible for that man who will betray the Son of Man! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born!”

Reader One: While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples.

Reader Three: “Take it,”

Reader One: he said,

Reader Three: “this is my body.”

Reader One: Then he took a cup, gave thanks to God, and handed it to them; and they all drank from it. Jesus said,

Reader Three: “This is my blood which is poured out for many, my blood which seals God’s covenant. I tell you, I will never again drink this wine until the day I drink the new wine in the Kingdom of God.”

Reader One: Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

Song: All Who Are Thirsty
ACT THREE: Gethsemane

Reader One: Jesus said to them,

Reader Three: “All of you will run away and leave me, for the scripture says, ‘God will kill the shepherd, and the sheep will all be scattered.’ But after I am raised to life, I will go to Galilee ahead of you.”

Reader One: Peter answered,

Reader Five: “I will never leave you, even though all the rest do!”

Reader One: Jesus said to Peter,

Reader Three: “I tell you that before the rooster crows two times tonight, you will say three times that you do not know me.”

Reader One: Peter answered even more strongly,

Reader Five: “I will never say that, even if I have to die with you!”

Reader One: And all the other disciples said the same thing. They came to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples,

Reader Three: “Sit here while I pray.”

Reader One: He took Peter, James, and John with him. Distress and anguish came over him, and he said to them,

Reader Three: “The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me. Stay here and keep watch.”

Reader One: He went a little farther on, threw himself on the ground, and prayed that, if possible, he might not have to go through that time of suffering.

Reader Three: “Father,”

Reader One: he prayed,

Reader Three: “my Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want.”

Reader One: Then he returned and found the three disciples asleep. He said to Peter,

Reader Three: “Simon, are you asleep? Weren’t you able to stay awake for even one hour?”

Reader One: And he said to them,

Reader Three: “Keep watch, and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Reader One: He went away once more and prayed, saying the same words.

Reader One: Then he came back to the disciples and found them asleep; they could not keep their eyes open. And they did not know what to say to him. When he came back the third time, he said to them,

Reader Three: “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come! Look, the Son of Man is now being handed over to the power of sinners. Get up, let us go. Look, here is the man who is betraying me!”

Reader One: Jesus was still speaking when Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs and sent by the chief priests, the teachers of the Law, and the elders. The traitor had given the crowd a signal:

Reader Two: “The man I kiss is the one you want. Arrest him and take him away under guard.”

Reader One: As soon as Judas arrived, he went up to Jesus and said,

Reader Two: “Teacher!”

Reader One: and kissed him. So they arrested Jesus and held him tight. But one of those standing there drew his sword and struck at the High Priest’s slave, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus spoke up and said to them,

Reader Three: “Did you have to come with swords and clubs to capture me, as though I were an outlaw? Day after day I was with you teaching in the Temple, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must come true.”

Reader One: Then all the disciples left him and ran away. Then Jesus was taken to the High Priest’s house, where all the chief priests, the elders, and the teachers of the Law were gathering. Peter followed from a distance and went into the courtyard of the High Priest’s house. There he sat down with the guards, keeping himself warm by the fire. The chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some evidence against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they could not find any. Many witnesses told lies against Jesus, but their stories did not agree. Then some men stood up and told this lie against Jesus:

Reader Four: “We heard him say, ‘I will tear down this Temple which men have made, and after three days I will build one that is not made by men.’ “

Reader One: Not even they, however, could make their stories agree. The High Priest stood up in front of them all and questioned Jesus,

Reader Five: “Have you no answer to the accusation they bring against you?”

Reader One: But Jesus kept quiet and would not say a word. Again the High Priest questioned him,

Reader Five: “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed God?”

Reader Three: “I am,”

Reader One: answered Jesus,

Reader Three: “and you will all see the Son of Man seated at the right side of the Almighty and coming with the clouds of heaven!”

Reader One: The High Priest tore his robes and said,

Reader Five: “We don’t need any more witnesses! You heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?”

Reader One: They all voted against him: he was guilty and should be put to death. Some of them began to spit on Jesus, and they blindfolded him and hit him.

Reader Four: “Guess who hit you!”

Reader One: they said. And the guards took him and slapped him. Peter was still down in the courtyard when one of the High Priest’s servant women came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked straight at him and said,

Reader Four: “You, too, were with Jesus of Nazareth.”

Reader One: But he denied it.

Reader Two: “I don’t know…I don’t understand what you are talking about,”

Reader One: he answered, and went out into the passageway. Just then a rooster crowed. The servant woman saw him there and began to repeat to the bystanders,

Reader Four: “He is one of them!”

Reader One: But Peter denied it again. A little while later the bystanders accused Peter again,

Reader Four: “You can’t deny that you are one of them, because you, too, are from Galilee.”

Reader One: Then Peter said,

Reader Two: “I swear that I am telling the truth! May God punish me if I am not! I do not know the man you are talking about!”

Reader One: Just then a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows two times, you will say three times that you do not know me.” And he broke down and cried.

Song: For Those Tears I Died
ACT FOUR: Trial

Reader One: Early in the morning the chief priests met hurriedly with the elders, the teachers of the Law, and the whole Council, and made their plans. They put Jesus in chains, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate questioned him,

Reader Five: “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Reader One: Jesus answered,

Reader Three: “So you say.”

Reader One: The chief priests were accusing Jesus of many things, so Pilate questioned him again,

Reader Five: “Aren’t you going to answer? Listen to all their accusations!”

Reader One: Again Jesus refused to say a word, and Pilate was amazed. At every Passover Festival Pilate was in the habit of setting free any one prisoner the people asked for. At that time a man named Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder in the riot. When the crowd gathered and began to ask Pilate for the usual favor, he asked them,

Reader Five: “Do you want me to set free for you the king of the Jews?”

Reader One: He knew very well that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask, instead, that Pilate set Barabbas free for them. Pilate spoke again to the crowd,

Reader Five: “What, then, do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?”

Reader One: They shouted back,

Reader’s Two and Four Together: “Crucify him!”

Reader Five: “But what crime has he committed?”

Reader One: Pilate asked. They shouted all the louder,

Reader’s Two and Four Together: “Crucify him!”

Reader One: Pilate wanted to please the crowd, so he set Barabbas free for them. Then he had Jesus whipped and handed him over to be crucified.

Song: The Old Rugged Cross
ACT FIVE: Crucifixion

Reader One: The soldiers took Jesus inside to the courtyard of the governor’s palace and called together the rest of the company. They put a purple robe on Jesus, made a crown out of thorny branches, and put it on his head. Then they began to salute him:

Reader Five: “Long live the King of the Jews!”

Reader One: They beat him over the head with a stick, spat on him, fell on their knees, and bowed down to him. When they had finished making fun of him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. On the way they met a man named Simon, who was coming into the city from the country, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. They took Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means “The Place of the Skull.” There they tried to give him wine mixed with a drug called myrrh, but Jesus would not drink it. Then they crucified him and divided his clothes among themselves, throwing dice to see who would get which piece of clothing. It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. The notice of the accusation against him said: “The King of the Jews.” They also crucified two bandits with Jesus, one on his right and the other on his left. OMITTED TEXT People passing by shook their heads and hurled insults at Jesus:

Reader Four: “Aha! You were going to tear down the Temple and build it back up in three days! Now come down from the cross and save yourself !”

Reader One: In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the Law made fun of Jesus, saying to one another,

Reader Five: “He saved others, but he cannot save himself ! Let us see the Messiah, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him!”

Reader One: And the two who were crucified with Jesus insulted him also. At noon the whole country was covered with darkness, which lasted for three hours. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud shout,

Reader Three: “My God, my God, why did you abandon me?”

Reader One: Some of the people there heard him and said,

Reader Two: “Listen, he is calling for Elijah!”

Reader One: One of them ran up with a sponge, soaked it in cheap wine, and put it on the end of a stick. Then he held it up to Jesus’ lips and said,

Reader Two: “Wait! Let us see if Elijah is coming to bring him down from the cross!”

Reader One: With a loud cry Jesus died. The curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. When the army officer who was standing there in front of the cross saw how Jesus had died he said,

Reader Five: “This man was really the Son of God!”

CLOSING

Song: Once Again

Closing Prayer

Closing Song: When I Survey

 

Preach the Gospel, If Necessary Use….Wait…When is it NOT Necessary to Use Words?!

I was thinking about that oh-so-popular saying, “Preach the gospel – if necessary use words.” I started a little dialogue in my mind between “Evangelical,” “Liberal,” “Deist” and “Normal Pewsitter.” Before I new it, I had a full-blown conversation between “Suzy Spiritual” and “Evan Gellico” going on…I made a little fake facebook conversation to illustrate the tensions inherent within this phrase, to test out what I think are some common threads of thought on contemporary issues, and to get people thinking about the true nature of the gospel.

You can read it here (can’t seem to copy it)

Not sure whether it was a good use of time, but it was kind of fun. Let me know if you enjoy it enough for me to do something like this again!

 

Enya or Jesus: “Spiritual” or “Christian”

I know the genre of post that you think this is falling into. I just got a new CD, and now I am horrified to find that the lyrics are not completely Biblically accurate. So I will write a flaming, angry post denouncing the author and inviting all those who read these words to rush out in a mad frenzy and join me at a mass burning of said author’s works.

I am sorry to disappoint: I am not going to do that.

One of the first things I did when I cracked open this new-to-me CD from Enya (“A Day Without Rain,”) was to check out her Wikipedia article. Apparently, she considers herself Catholic in a broad sort of way, and “spiritual.” Interesting. However, as I listened to her enchanting melodies, I began to pick out some very non-Christian sounding lyrics. They seemed to be emanating from the theology-laden song Pilgrim. Fascinated, I whipped out the lyrics pamphlet and began to read. Without even meaning to, I also flipped open my Bible, and began to compare.

Now, without denunciations or anger, I would just like to share with you the points of similarity and discontinuity between the concepts and ideas of Enya, and those of Christ. I will leave it to the reader to decide whether there can be any final harmony between Enya’s “Spirituality” and Jesus’ religion, called “Christianity.”

Enya:
Pilgrim how you journey, on the road you chose…

Jesus:
Come, follow me…

Enya:
to find out why the winds die, and where the stories go.
All days come from one day, that must you must know

Jesus:
I am the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. (Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13)

Enya:
One way leads to diamonds, one way leads to gold…

Jesus:
The way is narrow which leads to life, and there are few who find it
The way is broad which leads to death, and many there are who go there (Mat. 7:13-14)

Enya:
One way leads you only, to everything you’re told
(Note: the line, “the road that leads to nowhere” – below – seems to refer to this way, which is based “only” on information which you are told)

Jesus:
The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life (John 6:63): blessed are your eyes which see, and your ears which hear (Mat. 13:16). Go, therefore, and make disciples (students/followers) from all the nations, teaching them to obey everything I commanded you… (Mat. 28:19-20)

Enya:
In your heart you wonder, which of these is true?
The road that leads to nowhere, the road which leads to you?

Jesus:
I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me (John 14:6).
(See also Proverbs 14:12: “There is a way which seems right to a man/woman, but the end of that path is death”)

Enya:
Pilgrim on your journey, you may travel far,
For pilgrim it’s a long way, to find out who you are.

Jesus:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Mat. 11:28-30) He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (3:36).

In my foolish, “Emergent” phase, I was deceived enough to think that so long as a person self-identified as “Spiritual,” I should welcome that individual as a fellow seeker of truth. I did not realize that the primary opposition to Christianity is not atheism, but non-Christianity. Atheist and Buddhist, skeptic and new-age, all the other belief systems worship either self or a false god. In worship of a false God, the attempt is made to gain things for self: so ultimately, all non-Christian worship is worship of self. It is believing the Devil’s lie “you shall be as gods,” (Gen. 3:5).

It really comes down to two options: will you serve the true God, the God who made you? Will you turn from yourself to listen to the God who has come in the flesh, who has revealed Himself? Will you leave your petty ambitions and fetishes and follow Him? Will you trust Him? Will you walk the narrow road of suffering which He has carved out for us? And will you seek to enter by that narrow gate which leads to life?

If you will do so, be assured that your walk will be decidedly counter-cultural. More than that, you will find yourself made disconcertingly vulnerable and dependent. God came in the flesh just once. His words were spoken to just a few people. These words were recorded faithfully and passed on in what we have received as just one book. This Bible is stewarded by just one community of faith. You must come. You must listen. You must read. You must submit, you must obey. You must identify yourself with the faithful, and suffer along with them – even if the only suffering you endure is boredom, and the irksomeness of putting up with other sinful human beings.

For Christ did not reveal many ways, but one – Himself. He did not endorse all human religious strivings, but condemned them all and mandated that all come only to Him. He has left His Spirit, His Church and His Word to guide the seeker along the path to Himself.

The “seeker” or “spiritual person” who does not walk this path, but wanders aimlessly listening to the ghosts whispering on the air, wandering down paths of autumn mists and wading in tides of swirling seductions with the ultimate quest of “finding one’s self” will eventually, unfortunately, find what they are seeking for. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened,” (Mat. 7:8). In finding their heart, they will discover finally that it is ”more deceitful than anything else and desperately sick, beyond comprehension,” (Jer. 17:9). Submitting to none but self, they will have none but self to call upon in the day of judgment: they will not stand on that day, but will be swept away like chaff (Psalm 1:5). Before the throne of God, human righteousness is like a filthy garment: those who rely on it for salvation will wither like a leaf in the blazing heat of His Majesty: their iniquities, like the wind, will blow them away from the one, only source of life (Isaiah 64:6).

So, now, my dear friends, consider carefully. Hear God as He makes His appeal through me (2 Cor. 5:20): “See, I have set before you life and death: therefore, choose life!” (Deut. 30:15). Read the Bible, recognize God’s standards. Submit to His authority and judgment over your life: recognize that by God’s standards you are a sinner. You can do nothing to better yourself, nothing to earn your salvation, nothing to repay your debt. Like a peasant before a king, with a billion-dollar debt on your head, your one, your only recourse is to beg for mercy.

“Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom,” (Jas. 4:9). Although you cannot earn your salvation even through tears, this is the one logical thing to do, it is the only sacrifice which a wretched sinner can offer to God (Psalm 51:16). He does not have to save you – but if He does not, know that you are completely lost, and completely deserving of your fate. For He is fully holy and just, and you are sinful and deserving of His wrath (Rom. 9:29).

But in this very moment of crisis, in this desperation of the hour, when you feel the heat of God’s presence weighting down on your sins, hear the crackle of Hell’s flames in your ears – in this very moment that you cry out for mercy, and for grace, you will find a shock, a surprise, an infinite delight. For this very God who has demanded justice has also worked it on your behalf!

When you were still God’s enemy, Christ died for you! The just for the unjust! making a way of salvation, of peace towards God! (Rom. 5:1-10). In the very moment you repent of your sins and turn to God, you will find Him not only willing, but over-abunding in love and grace, ready even to adopt you as His child (Rom. 8:14-17) and give you a gift of life which can never be taken away (Rom. 8:38-39)!

All that you must do is choose to follow! All you must do is walk in the delight of this new life!

Like the unfaithful bride, who has left her true husband to run after other men, we have all left God and wandered far and wide. What recourse does God have? He allows us to go our own way – even though this means absolute and devastating death to us, for He is the one source of all life (Col. 1:15-18). Lavishly, lovingly, without claim and without merit, God has made a way for us to return to Him. Return to the only one, true, pure, holy Divine Being. To do so, we must first turn from and renounce our former loves (other religions, other priorities, other loves, all other ambitions and dreams – all things and ways in which we sought to serve ourselves by seeking our own good). We must turn away from “the world” and all that is in it, and turn towards Jesus, trusting that He alone was the words of life. He alone is God, who can give life. In so doing, we will find the Salvation which He died and rose again to give us, and which is at the center of the Christian religion.

….but in wandering the endless path which Enya speaks of, we will only wander further and further from God, and cut ourselves off from the grace which He so freely gives!

Choose, my reader. Choose. Think carefully, and choose! On this choice, heaven and hell hang in the balance. Self or God? Which one will it be?

“Choose you this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will sever the Lord!”

 

Basic Beliefs (Youth Study Plan)

I wrote this lesson for a night when we had quite a large and very hyper group. I wanted to just go through the basics of the gospel, in a way which invited participation but was not too lengthy.

My lesson consisted of handing out the following sheets and assigning groups of youth to each set of questions. (Download in PDF Handout: Gospel Overview, or see bottom of post) Try to select groups with at least one person who is churched, or is able to navigate through Scriptures well.

After giving the youth about ten minutes to circle the appropriate answers, I regathered the group and we watched the following video:

After the video, I said, “This video has talked about a set of beliefs. Beliefs are important! They dictate the way that we live. We are just going to take a few minutes to see what beliefs the Bible presents to us, on some of the major issues of life.”

I then invited each group to read their verse, then I asked them, “so, what does the Bible say about…?”

When we actually did this lesson, it went far too quickly and my assistant-leader took the opportunity afterward to recap the gospel, and do a small sermonette. I think it tied it off quite nicely.

BASIC BELIEFS HANDOUT

GROUP ONE: HUMANITY

1. Humanity (Ecclesiastes 7:29):

a) Was created good, and remains good

b) Was created upright, but turned away

c) Was created bad, but evolved towards goodness

2. How many people are good? (Psalm 14:3)

a) No one is good.

b) Some people are good, some are bad.

c) I am good: everybody else is bad!

GROUP TWO: THE AFTERLIFE

1. What happens after death? (Hebrews 9:27)

a) We are reincarnated many times

b) We die once, then we are judged for our lives

c) We die and that is just “it.” There is no afterlife.

2. What can we do to pay for our sins? (Isaiah 64:6)

a) We can do less bad things, and more good things.

b) We can give lots of money to charity, and not swear.

c) Our righteousness is worthless, so we’re hooped.

GROUP THREE: JESUS

1. What has Jesus done for us? (Romans 5:6)

a) He did nothing for us

b) He lived perfectly, to make us feel bad.

c) He died in our place.

2. Why does this matter? (Isaiah 53:6)

a) Because God put our sins upon Him.

b) Because otherwise we wouldn’t have Easter!

c) I have no idea.

GROUP FOUR: SALVATION

1. Are there many ways to be saved? (John 14:6)

a) All religions have a valid path of salvation

b) Jesus is the only way to be saved

c) No religions save: you must look inside for help

2. What must I do to be saved? (Romans 9:9-10)

a) Believe that Jesus died and rose for you

b) Confess that He is Lord (or “the boss”) of your life

c) All of the above

 

The Die is Cast

I will not bow or bend or break
The world is lost, and all’s at stake!

The die is cast, decision made
Here on this mount I’ll fix my flag

One holy Rock, our refuge only
One narrow Gate, our entrance lowly
One holy Church, expanding slowly
One hateful World, disdaining coldly

Lord give me strength to follow through
And ever always to be true!

www.coldmoon.com

 

What is the Gospel? A Response to Liberalism and the Emergent Church

After a difficult ministry experience, I spent about a year listening to Relevant Podcast, the Emergent Village, researching postmodernism, questioning institutional church, and calling myself “Emergent.”

Eventually, however, I began to see some flaws in Emergent, and I eventually realized that Emergent was not for me. Since then, I have been on a journey to understand the Emergent church (see posts on Emergent here). Things began to come clear for me when I heard Mark Driscoll divide the Emergent Church into four categories, with the latter category associated with “Liberalism” (more details here). I then began a year-long study to understand Liberalism, which is summed up (with many hyper-links to other posts) in the post What is (Christian) Liberalism? For the more academically minded, my findings are best represented in the research papers Modernity and the Roots of Christian Liberalism and J. Gresham Machen: The Man Who Wrote ‘Christianity and Liberalism’ 2010. I also put a lot of work into a review and critique of Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis and Brian MacLaren’s A New Kind of Christian. My thoughts on Modernity and Postmodernity are best summarized in the post “The Myth of Postmodernity.”

As you will see, when I introduce this sermon with the phrase “I have been working on this sermon, in a lot of ways, for over two and a half years,” I am not joking! This sermon represents my mature thoughts, after many agonizing months of study on these topics.

I must apologize for the fact that this is a VERY long sermon, into which I have tried to pack all that I learned in these long and difficult years. I would encourage you: take a break if you have to, but come back and complete this sermon. I poured my heart and soul into it, and I pray it will bring clarity and purpose to your own quest, as we seek after Jesus together!

(You can also read my sermon notes – which I don’t follow precisely – HERE)