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In my early twenties, I was told I couldn’t defend what I believed. My faith was challenged. I was asked some difficult questions. My defensive response was proof that this person was right. I couldn’t correctly defend my Christian beliefs. I could barely define certain core principles of my faith. One of the reasons was I had never questioned my beliefs. I was thankful for the spiritual heritage that I was given, but I failed to make it my own. But at the root of it all, I was defensive when challenged because I had not properly studied the Word of God.

Over time, I began to seek the answers to my questions and measure everything against the standard of God’s Word. I even tried to question the things I really didn’t doubt. Like, why did I feel an assurance of my salvation? Why am I confident in my identity in Christ?

Taking the time to properly evaluate my faith and spending time in the Bible was just about me and God. I didn’t look to outside sources because the one thing I did know was where I could find those answers. At times, Scripture led me to different conclusions on theology. I even had to unlearn things that were not biblically based but denominationally driven. Many times, it led me to ask God’s forgiveness and repent for ways I didn’t love as Jesus taught. And repeatedly, Scripture reminded me what a gift the gospel is to me and why I can confidently say I am a follower of Jesus Christ.

Eventually, I came to a place of assurance in my salvation. There was no need to become defensive because profound confidence came from digging deeper and contemplating my doubts and questions with God alone. He met me with every question and doubt. He still meets me with my questions. And I am still learning and growing in Him daily.

Today, there are many walking away or deconstructing their faith. Most deconstruct from the point of hurt or bitterness from the church. I feel for them. Church hurt cuts deep. It feels like the ultimate betrayal next to marriage betrayal. Others deconstruct because they see the Bible and Christianity as irrelevant to living in today’s culture. Others see Christianity as a standard that they feel they can never measure up to. Ultimately, everyone has a different reason for walking away.

I understand all those reasons. But all those doubts and questions are starting points to construct your faith or perhaps, like me, reevaluate and measure based on Scripture. In their book The Deconstruction of Christianity, Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett get to the root of this new deconstruction movement. In many ways, it’s a new term but an ancient idea. 

Deconstructed beliefs nearly always begin with questions. It’s not that questions are bad. Questions can be good. Jesus himself asked over three hundred of them in the Gospels alone. But not all questions are honest questions. When it comes to faith, some questions seek answers, and some questions seek exits. There are questions that seek after truth, but other questions seek to avoid truth.

Looking back, I wonder if that person who challenged me about my beliefs wanted me to take the exit route. Regardless, I am grateful that he called me out to seek after the truth.

Do we give enough space in the church to ask our questions and bring our doubts? Do we challenge each other in discipleship to define and defend our biblical worldview? There is no fear in questioning if we genuinely pursue the One who provides those answers. Understanding what I believed became a confidence—I know “my God, in whom I trust” (Psalm 91:2).  

I came out on the other side with more assurance of my faith but with much more empathy for the doubters and those stuck in all the hurt. I am drawn to the people in the deconstruction movement, which is why I read Childer’s and Barnett’s book. I’ve seen my fair share of hypocrisy in the church. I’ve witnessed spiritual manipulation and spiritual pride. I have seen loved ones hurt by church leaders. But if I attempt to elevate myself above all those whom I reject because they don’t represent my “brand” of Christianity, that’s pride and puts my faith (or non-faith) in a category that looks nothing like righteousness.

The apostle Paul talks about our unrighteousness (Romans 3), but at the same time he shows how valuable we are in the sight of God. So valuable that God offered up His Son on the cross to forgive our sins. Why would I want to take the exit off that redemption path? When Christians or the church let me down, I go back to the Source that connects me to my faith. Every time God meets me. Following Christ is dying to self; part of that is laying down our hurt and bitterness and forgiving those who have hurt us. When you experience that letting go, it’s incredible how much freedom in Christ you gain.

The Deconstruction of Christianity is an important book for the church today. I think every Christian should read it to know how to respond to those who are walking away. But sometimes, a book can trigger a memory. It reminded me of the person who led me to question my beliefs and find the answer: the gift of my salvation. But the book also calls me to be a disciple maker of Jesus Christ and to love those who have been hurt by the church and those who have done the hurting.  

I leave you with Tim Barnett’s message of hope that resonates with me:

I still have lots of questions. Christianity isn’t tidy, and neither is the church. As long as there is a church, there will be church hurt. As long as there is cursed creation, there will be suffering. As long as there is mystery, there will be unanswered questions. But as long as there is a risen Savior, there is hope.

I am so thankful for that hope in my life!

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Have you ever blamed the church?

I have.

It used to be my go-to response to the ills of society. Abortion, drug addiction, poverty, pornography…no matter the issue, my response was, “If only pastors addressed these topics from the pulpit. If only churches had ministries to help those hurting and in need. If there’s a problem, then the church must fix it.”

I was wrong.

It took a gentle conviction by the Holy Spirit to whisper in my ear, “Julie, you are my church. Do your part.”

Ouch, that hurt. But that nudge gave me the right perspective I needed.

I was so busy blaming the church as a whole that I failed to realize I was doing very little myself to be the light of Christ to those around me. Matthew 5:14 says, “You [me!] are the light of the world.”

I preface this for this last part of this blog series. Susan has let us into her family’s struggle with her daughter’s transgender identity. If you are reading this for the first time, you can read from the beginning here, here, and here.

I have asked Susan how we, as Christians and the church, should respond to the transgender issue. I encourage you—the reader— not to take a critical reaction to “the church” or your place of worship. But to see yourself as the body of Christ in how to respond and be a light in an increasingly dark world. Sometimes all it takes is one person to magnify that light and to embolden a church community to respond biblically and compassionately to a family or person in need.

From your perspective, where is the church on this issue regarding transgenderism?

The LGBTQ issues that society is dealing with today are usually handled in two different ways in the church community. Either they attack it with anger and fury from behind the pulpit, or it is taboo and not spoken of. Neither of these is a healthy balance. Many behind the pulpit preach anger because they feel out of control or uncomfortable with the subject. Of course, there are probably churches with a balanced approach, but I haven’t found them.

The heart of the struggle for us was that we felt so totally isolated and alone. Although it may not be that way for some people, as Christian parents, we knew the only way for us to approach this issue with our daughter was according to God’s will. We are no longer part of an organized church but are involved with a small group of believers that meet together several times a week. We opened up to our small group only because we knew them well enough to trust them with our situation. We share this heartache and pray for one another.

But to be quite honest, none of the people or church leadership from any of our former organized churches knows anything about what we are dealing with, and I am quite happy to keep it that way. My “mama bear” comes out even thinking about the possibility of Grace having to deal with the trauma of rejection by the church.  I truly believe that most people dealing with any of the issues surrounding the LGBTQ lifestyle live their life daily EXPECTING to be attacked by the church, not loved as Jesus would love. “Just cast the demons out of them; they will be fine” seems to be the motto of those we once worshipped with.

How should the church respond in a balanced way?

Churches can’t take a strong, forceful approach in dealing with the LGBTQ because that is what they are expecting those in the church to do.  If we kick them out or shun them, start looking over the obituaries because you’ll probably see some familiar faces that have passed through your doors. I’ve been there, done that.  It hurts, and it still stings when I hear of others experiencing the same thing. Where is God in this equation? It seems they are doing all the work for the Holy Spirit and leaving very little room for genuine conviction and repentance.

Yes, the Bible tells us it is a sin. But it doesn’t tell us this in a hateful way. So many people are being wounded with the bullets that come out from behind the pulpits and platforms. If we preach to the congregation as if EVERYONE was wounded and personally dealing with that particular issue, it might be dealt with in love and compassion.

Please understand, I don’t condone this lifestyle, and I can only speak from our personal experience. But quite honestly, our personal experience and way of dealing with this is difficult, but there is progress. Grace expects rejection, and she will walk away from rejection. She will turn to where she is celebrated. We couldn’t blast her with things like her lifestyle is taking her to hell or that she is out of God’s will, etc. She knows we don’t approve and that we will never compromise our faith and beliefs. However, we have finally won her trust, and she listens. She has begun to bend. She is acknowledging that she is worthy of God’s unconditional love. And He is showing her in HUGE ways that He loves her.

But when you have to deal with it first hand in your family, with your child, perspective changes drastically. God told us, “With love and gentleness, she will be won over.” The hardest thing was to let go and let God. He knows Grace better than anyone on this earth. He knows her innermost thoughts and torments and knows exactly how and when to deal with them. How much better would it be if the church would follow this instead of rushing in trying to fix everything because it’s an embarrassment and a smear on the face of God.

Grace isn’t an embarrassment to God. She doesn’t make Him look bad. God doesn’t need our help defending His reputation. He chooses the foolish to confound the wise. But as long as we cater to the “wise” (or rich, influential, or famous), we can’t heal the wounded. The wounded are our greatest warriors. And that’s what we’ve been doing with Grace, showing her the value of her life, God’s love, and allowing the Holy Spirit to do the work.

I’ve made some mistakes along the way, especially when we first began to deal with Grace’s problems a few years ago. These mistakes cost us trust, respect, and open communication with her. She is still fearful that we may make those mistakes again, but I had to apologize many times over to her and gain her trust. She is still the walking wounded from many situations. But she is more open in her communication with us and has made such progress.  However, I had to admit that I made those mistakes and regret the hurt and fear I caused her. Maybe this is what we need in the church?

What is your advice to a parent or the Christian community to understand how to minister to someone struggling with transgender identity?

It can only be approached with true agape love. I don’t think I could have helped anyone dealing with this because I didn’t have the experience of loving a beautiful soul like Grace as intensely as I do. Seeing her pain and confusion broke my heart. God is near to those with a broken and contrite heart. I didn’t know where to turn at the beginning of this journey. We kept it to ourselves for over a year. There was no help available, so we had to create our own support… to cry out to God for guidance. It took many late nights praying and quite a bit of pen to paper writing notes and things God would tell me. There are still times when the sting of reality hurts, but these are the key points we gained:

  • Love her unconditionally
  • God is in control and resist the temptation to “fix” things (be still and know He is God)
  • With love and gentleness, she will be redeemed from this
  • Respond, never react
  • Listen to the Holy Spirit, speak when He says speak, and be quiet when He says to be quiet
  • Give Him all the glory for even the small victories

Giving God the control was the biggest struggle for me personally. And to be quite honest, at first, I was ashamed that this was in our family. After all, how could “this” happen to our family?  We were the Norman Rockwell family that was in church every time the doors were open. I wanted to fix it fast, sweep it away and put it under the rug. It took Grace’s two suicide attempts to realize that it wasn’t going to go away and that we could lose our daughter permanently if we didn’t change our way of thinking.  I think it’s a big thing with most parents dealing with this too. They want to bypass faith and trust in the Lord and get their child fixed and fixed quickly. But God’s timing isn’t our timing.  And I truly feel that as parents, we need to submit to God’s process to mature ourselves and become more like Him with our love.

I’d also say to the church community and to people who are NOT dealing personally with this issue in their child, don’t ever think it won’t happen to you. But if a friend comes to you in confidence with this issue, listen first. Then pray for wisdom, peace, and guidance. Honestly, it just helps us to unload this HUGE burden somewhere safe.  And I emphasize the word “safe.” Please don’t take it to other friends, your pastor, and your extended family members who might know how to help. When we first go to someone because we need to talk, it’s because we see you as someone we can trust with the biggest, scariest secret we have ever had to deal with. The easiest way to destroy someone’s life is to break confidence. When we first talked about our situation with Grace, we didn’t want advice. We just couldn’t take the burden any longer. And they listened, prayed, and cried with us. And we felt much better afterward. That’s when things began to change.

For the parents who are dealing with it? Love them unconditionally. Trust God. Pray for Him to bring you someone with whom you can share your burdens. Very important—guard your child’s mental health. The torment their minds go through is unbelievable, and the online community just adds fuel to this fire. The LBGTQ goes where they find acceptance and approval. They have been fed a lie that if you don’t approve or accept their lifestyle, you just can’t love them. Be prepared to hear some hard things from your child, but don’t react. Just respond. Ask them if they just want to unload and talk or if they want your input. Be gentle. Be kind. You want your child to come to you, not to the online community. They have to trust you, just like you need to have someone you trust and confide in.

Lastly, I just want to encourage parents going through this that God knows your heartache over your child. He knows their torment. God trusted you to parent your child’s beautiful soul. He knew you were strong enough to believe HE could change their heart. Trust Him! He is all that matters: His love, His purpose, His glory!

Thanks for listening,

Susan

 

 

 

 

 

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In advance of the election, many faith leaders weighed in with their opinions about the presidential candidates. Abortion was a focus of many articles, tweets, and videos. As Christians who embrace the sanctity of life of the unborn, we were faced with two candidates with opposing abortion beliefs: protecting life in the womb or expanding elective abortion up to 40 weeks of pregnancy and even infanticide. The choice seemed clear, yet many faith leaders added their nuanced positions regarding the candidates.

What is the church to do with or think about these diverse opinions from prominent pastors and faith leaders, many of whom we trust for their spiritual counsel?

Although, at times, we do need biblical guidance from pastors and Christian leaders, what is often neglected are the perspectives of those who have experienced the pain of abortion, who have worked in abortion clinics, and those on the frontlines in pregnancy centers who counsel women and men, daily, facing the crisis of an unplanned pregnancy.

Are faith leaders willing to step down from their pulpits and open space on their platforms to highlight these voices?

Kelly Lester’s Voice

Kelly was a freshman in high school when she snuck out in the middle of the night to attend a party with friends. After years of being bullied and teased in school, Kelly was finally finding acceptance in certain social circles. It was her first party. But, by the end of that night, she was raped by one of the most popular guys in school.

The next day was Sunday. Kelly got up and attended church with her family. She needed to confide to someone the tragic events of the night before. Her youth pastor was someone she felt she could trust. “See, if you had never snuck out, gone to that party, and gotten drunk, that would never have happened,” her youth leader coldly responded. That comment cut Kelly so deep with shame and condemnation that, at that moment, she questioned how God could ever love her. From that day forward, the church was not a place to fail or make a mistake, and it was not a safe place for Kelly Lester.

Freely giving away what was taken from her, Kelly then found herself pregnant at fifteen. Her boyfriend’s mother drove her to an abortion clinic, placed a wad of cash in her hand, and sent her into the clinic alone.

“That day changed my life,” Kelly remembers. “They say pregnancy can ruin your life, but that day—in the abortion clinic—ruined my life.”

During the next fifteen years, Kelly would spiral into the deepest pit of her life: drug and alcohol addiction, anorexia, suicide attempts, feeding the depths of her pain with men and sex, and regretfully three more abortions.

Lost Moments

On that Sunday, when the youth leader condemned Kelly rather than biblically counseling and loving her through her trauma, it was a lost moment for that church and pastor. “Many of the decisions I made after that day was my search for a safe place,” Kelly admits. “Looking for that guy who would protect me. Working at an abortion clinic wanting to help women find a safe place to help them with what I had experienced. People in crisis form their own safety nets no matter if it is a net that surrounds them in sin and dysfunction.”

For fifteen years, Kelly believed that the church was not a place of safety. According to a Pew Research study, in 2019, only 4% of sermons shared online on U.S. church websites discussed abortion. And if they did address the topic, it was rarely mentioned again. It’s a sad commentary on the state of the evangelical pulpit when it’s estimated that two out of every five abortions happen to women who attend church.

The influx of Christian voices regarding the election only seemed to heighten the tensions around the political issue of abortion. On a post-election podcast, “Veggie Tales” creator Phil Vischer stated the following:

But Kelly Lester disagrees with Vischer, “If Biden wins, the church needs to vocally advocate for the unborn, religious liberty, the immigrant, the refugee, the poor, civility, and honesty. If Trump wins, the church needs to vocally advocate for the unborn, religious liberty, the immigrant, the refugee, the poor, civility, and honesty. The common denominator is: The church needs to stop expecting the government to be the church.”

Elections are important, and as Christians, we should vote our biblical values that protect the sanctity of life in the womb, but at the end of the day, it is your community and church that makes the most difference.

David French recently wrote about the importance of local engagement and how we often put more importance on national politics within the pro-life community: “We’re most passionate about the president. Yet too many of us are less interested in the crisis pregnancy center down the street. Without forsaking national politics, we can reverse that intensity, and if we reverse that intensity through loving, intentional outreach, we will reinforce the very decision the data and our experience tells us a woman wants to make.”

Are we losing critical moments because too many faith leaders add their voices to national politics without highlighting the role of the local church and pregnancy resource centers?  Are we losing young women from our congregations because the church does not talk about abortion or provide a safety net in crisis?

It’s Time to Wash Feet

“It’s easy for people to make a hypothesis regarding abortion. But when you have lived it, you don’t have to hypothesize about these things,” Kelly acknowledges. “It’s not a political issue or a moral issue, but a real woman’s life, where she is trying to figure out how she is going to make it to the next day. When you understand that, it changes your perspective.”

God has given many prominent faith leaders public platforms to share biblical wisdom over political and moral issues. But what if they shared their pulpits to highlight testimonies like Kelly Lester’s that speak directly about abortion from personal experience.

Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortions, uses words on their website like ‘safe,’ ‘safety net,’ ‘care,’ and ‘support’ because women in crisis are searching for that safe place. As followers of Christ, we can be that place of refuge through our words, the care we provide, and by sharing the gospel that brings life.

“Being a safe place does not mean we allow people to stay in their sin. That’s not safe either,” admits Kelly. “Sin brings death and destruction, but the gospel of Jesus Christ brings about a heart change. If the church is not a refuge for those in crisis, the thousands in our pews won’t feel safe sharing their dark secret of abortion that has haunted many of them for decades. Some of these men and women sing in our choirs and even preach in our pulpits. Shame has kept them silent for too long. If the enemy can’t have your life, he will try and steal your identity in shame.”

Today, Kelly Lester walks in freedom from addiction and her past abortions because she chose to walk into the safe arms of her Savior, Jesus Christ. She is a wife and mother of six beautiful children. God redeemed that lost moment in her life, and she embraces Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

In this post-election season, Kelly’s voice is a message of hope, “Church, it is time to stop pointing fingers and start washing feet. As Christ-followers, we are called to fill in the missing gaps that no election result will fill. Because those gaps are in people’s hearts, and they can only be filled with the hope of Jesus Christ.”

The presidential election may bring further challenges for the pro-life community, but our mission to protect life does not change. Your church, community, and local pregnancy resource center is where the safety net resides. Let’s highlight the voices who can speak life into our friends, neighbors, and our congregations.

 

To book Kelly Lester for a speaking event contact media@prolove.com and follow her on Facebook @kellylesterforlife.

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While reading Alisa Childers’ book, Another Gospel? A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity I had a Jerry Maguire ‘you-had-me-at-hello’ moment in the first chapter.

“Maybe you’re a Christian who feels alone in your beliefs,” she wrote.

I wanted to raise my hand high as if I were a student in her classroom. That’s me! Here I am! I feel alone right now in my beliefs among Christians.

I read on.

Twitter War

My loneliness started a few years ago on Twitter. I was following a Christian author I respected both for her bold viewpoints and her writing. One day she posted something about racism in the church, and I commented. My remarks were taken out of context, but instead of engaging me to clarify, she replied in opposition and retweeted my comment to her ten thousand plus followers.

Throughout the day, I heard the ping of another reply. Her followers were staging a Twitter coup against me. Instead of responding to explain, I decided to let it go. It would eventually die down.

When the comments began to claim I was a racist, I fought back. I went right to the source and called the respected author out for her reactionary retweet. “If you disagreed with me, why did you feel the need to notify all your followers?” I asked. She stumbled a bit in her reply. I tried to clarify my position, but the damage was done. I felt embarrassed, not for my original comment, but for how she publicly called me out. To her credit, she removed the tweet and we moved on. But it still stung.

What I didn’t understand then, was that I was facing a growing ideology in the progressive Christian world called critical race theory. My comment pointed toward the historical Christian definition of sin when dealing with racism. But the progressive view leans toward systemic oppression in the church. As Childers points out, “According to historic Christianity, sin against a holy God is what’s wrong with the world. According to critical theory, oppression is what’s wrong… fixed by activism, raised awareness, and the overthrow of oppressive systems and their power.”

I suddenly came face-to-face with the reality that the Cross was not enough in dealing with the sin of racism for some Christ-followers. And I felt like a social outcast in a Christian community.

Books, Bible Studies, and Personalities

For some time, I was feeling this shift in Christendom, but it was difficult to articulate. I would read or listen to something that didn’t align with Scripture from a favorite Christian leader and suddenly feel a lump in my throat. Then a Holy Spirit tug. Search the scriptures, Julie. Know what you believe and why. Seek me through the questions and doubts.

The Christian community was separating from me. It wasn’t a physical disconnect, but spiritually, I found myself at odds with some very mainstream Christian pastors, writers, and speakers. The Christian books that were becoming bestsellers read like a false gospel to me.

I know that to be a Christ-follower is about the words of Jesus to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24, NIV) But I read books that seemed to compel Christian women to embrace a type of ‘God girl-power’ that made Christianity into some sort of infomercial. Just tap into the God who will make all your dreams come true.

Even my favorite Bible Study leaders seemed to be drifting toward activism instead of discipleship. Women who encouraged me to seek the scriptures and fall more in love with Jesus were using their platforms to fight the church’s evils but ignoring the very words of the Bible that instruct on church discipline and how to navigate restoration of fallen leaders properly. I began watching a shift encouraging disciples of #metoo and #churchtoo movements instead of disciples of Jesus.

It’s what Childers refers to in her book as a cult of personality:

“Without most of us even realizing it, much of the current evangelical church has become a cult of personality. As human beings, we tend to put people on pedestals…especially pastors. We love strength. We are drawn to power. We innately want to follow the guy [or woman] who will stand up for the truth and say what needs to be said, no matter the cost.”

I get why people are attracted to bold personalities. We want someone to stand up for the little guy: the oppressed, the weak, or the ones hurt by the church. But the problem is, sometimes we fail to see the unbiblical reactionary response of these leaders. Too often, they go ahead of Scripture or try to add to it instead of letting the Bible guide them. Regretfully, this leads their followers to hold on to their every word instead of God’s Word.

Shaped by Worldview

Alisa Childers details her journey of being confronted with another gospel known as progressive Christianity. While she describes how God led her through the big questions of her faith, I began to realize the source of my own spiritual conflict. My faith was increasingly clashing with other Christians’ beliefs, and I felt like a stranger in my own community.

The feeling of not fitting in always brings me back to my high school years. I wouldn’t call myself a social outcast, but I certainly felt lonely in my junior and senior years. I was a new student who didn’t party because I was a Christian. I had a different worldview, so my values and moral codes didn’t align with those around me. I had to choose: my faith or friends.

I remember a discussion with the guy in my Chemistry class. He called himself an agnostic, which I had no idea what that meant at the time. He wore a Grateful Dead t-shirt almost every day and bragged about his pot-smoking binges on the weekends. “Your views on sex and marriage are outdated. Good luck with that,” he teased. Thirty years later, I laugh at his statement. My views on sex and marriage are still outdated, but I have a better defense of them from the gospel on which they stand.

Those were probably the loneliest years of my life, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Those pivotal years brought me closer to God. It turned out that denying myself and following Christ was worth it. It made my faith stronger. Was it difficult? Yes. But I found the joy of my salvation and a friend through Jesus Christ “who sticks closer than a brother [or sister].” (Proverbs 18:24)

In many ways, I feel like the Christian world today is much like my high school years all over again. There’s a secular worldview that is still in conflict with my faith.  But now progressive Christianity is pushing the margins of that worldview and questioning obedience to Scripture.

Alisa Childers writes: “Through the ages, Christians have encountered unbiblical worldviews and philosophies that have competed for their obedience and loyalty. These ideologies produce the values, beliefs, and moral codes that shape culture, and their adherents almost always present them as being morally superior to Christianity. To disobey or deny these tenets can make us social outcasts.”

There is nothing easy about the world we live in. Our culture is shaping everything and everyone around us. As Christians, choosing to adhere to biblical authority often means loneliness. It means denying ourselves. And it means holding our beliefs and those Christian leaders we follow accountable to the historical truth of God’s Word.

Not Alone

After reading Alisa’s book, I decided to reread Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. His words poured encouragement into my soul about the Christian community. I realized even though I have been discouraged with leaders, authors, and ministers who are embracing progressive Christianity, at what seems an ever-increasing rate, that all is not lost.

I began to get that lump in my throat, and tug of the Holy Spirit again. I know that experiencing these lonely feelings within the Christian community is not necessarily about me. In fact, I have become more mindful of how unrighteous and unworthy I am in a community of Christ-followers. I feel desperate for how God is working inside of me and making me more aware of what Bonhoeffer describes as an “alien righteousness, a righteousness that comes from outside of us.”

“The Christian lives wholly by the truth of God’s Word in Jesus Christ. If somebody asks him, Where is your salvation, your righteousness? He can never point to himself. He points to the Word of God in Jesus Christ, which assures him salvation and righteousness.”

What I realized after reading both books is that I am not alone in the Christian community. Yes, I have growing concerns about progressive Christianity. I believe it is hurting the church and leading those in Christendom away from the true gospel. You cannot call yourself a disciple of Jesus Christ if you are more rooted in a theory, movement, or ideology that does not see Christ’s death and resurrection and God’s atonement at its center. The Cross is enough, and it always will be.

Alisa Childers’ book is a wake-up call to Christians. Her struggles with the big questions of her faith are what we need to encourage in our brothers and sisters in Christ. Know what you believe and why. Search the scriptures. Our doubts and struggles are all answered in the pages of the Bible. We don’t need to add or take anything from it. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.” (Hebrews 13:8-9)

So, while I have felt alone in my beliefs, I can now articulate why with a new sense of hope for the Christian community. As Bonhoeffer encourages, “The Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth.”

We need more present-day truth-tellers like Alisa Childers. Writers who are willing to speak the hard truths and bring Christ-followers back to the historical definition of Christianity our Savior mapped out for His disciples over 2000 years ago.

And the best part about reading Another Gospel? is that as I closed the pages of her book, I immediately wanted to dig into the pages of the true Gospel more deeply than ever before.

“It is not the experience of Christian community, but firm and certain faith within Christian community that holds us together.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

 

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For weeks, God has been speaking to my heart four words. Every time I say them, I feel broken before God.

Lay. Down. Your. Stone

What are you saying to me, Lord? Why do those words bring me to tears every time I speak them?

Lay. Down. Your. Stone

Is it me? What stones do you want me to lay down?

Each time I am brought back to John 8:1-11(NIV):

 1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

 

I have read these scripture verses many times. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were trying to test Jesus. Could they accuse the man they call the Messiah of violating Moses’ law? Those caught in adultery were supposed to be stoned for their sin. But this time, while reading these verses, I began to put myself into this scene.

How could the crowd of teachers and Pharisees be so blind? They had the son of God, Jesus Christ, standing before the woman who was guilty of her sin. He was the only one who had the power to condemn and forgive her sins, but all they could do was think about the stone that was supposed to be thrown her way.

How many times have I been like that crowd?

How many times do I want justice more than the One who is justice?

How many times do I want to throw God’s law in someone’s face, more than I want to remind them of the power higher than the law?

 

Modern-Day Stone Throwing

I can’t help but compare our world today to this scene in John chapter 8. The pandemic, riots, disputes over COVID-19 regulations, racism, and our country’s upcoming presidential election.

I have watched the Christian community react to all of these events. And with every news article, tweet, Facebook post, podcast…God has been quietly speaking to my heart.

Lay. Down. Your. Stone

Then news reports surface of another disgraced Christian evangelical leader who seems to have made a mockery out of God’s commandments leading me right back to picking up a stone.

That stone has words like hypocrite, sinner, and fraud written on it, and I feel ready to strike.

And then, quietly, I feel the brokenness again toward my sin. It’s that ever-present pull of the Holy Spirit calling me out. Instead of Jesus writing on the ground in front of the teachers and Pharisees, he writes it on my heart.

Lay. Down. Your. Stone

I feel broken over those words because I don’t want to walk with the crowd of accusers. I have been in that crowd. I have held stones with my writing, my tweets, my posts, and my voice.

I feel broken inside because I have followed Christian leaders who throw stones, not pointing to Jesus or recognizing their sinfulness.

I feel broken inside because I rarely see sin exposed with compassion and a broken heart toward repentance.

In our modern-day world of communication, I see condemning headlines, angry posts, and a media in the business of stone-throwing.

If I put myself in that scene in John 8, I want nothing to do with that crowd or the modern-day one. I want the measure of my life to point to the saving power of Jesus Christ.

Laying down stones doesn’t mean I forget the commandments of God. It doesn’t mean I look the other way when a brother or sister in Christ sins. It means I drop my stone, remember my sinfulness, and then point to Jesus. He’s there in the midst of it all.

As followers of Christ, how we respond to sin is so important, and the world is watching.

We know the world throws stones—literally! With the violence, protesting, and destroying of property, the world is full of accusers and stone-throwers. Crowds want justice more than the One who is merciful and just.

But as writers, pastors, leaders, teachers— or anyone who is a follower of Jesus Christ— we are to lay down our stones and point to Jesus. Everything we say and do should communicate His truth. He’s the only one that can turn condemnation to redemption.

 

My Prayer

So here I am, Lord, with those four little words you have spoken to my heart.

Lay. Down. Your. Stone

Please teach me how to separate myself from the stone-throwers. I want to be on the receiving end of your mercy and walk in the call of the gospel.

Help me to point to Jesus with my words and my life.

I am called to hold the hand of that adulterous woman after she feels the sting and shame of her sinfulness, and to teach her how to walk in your forgiveness and grace.

And Father God, heal the brokenness in our land. Let a crowd rise up where the gospel of Jesus Christ is the measure of their lives. A people ready to lay down their stones: their sin, their hurt, their pain, their need for justice, and control. And teach us love, compassion, and mercy for the most sinful among us.

Jesus, you laid down your life for me. The least I can do is lay down my stone.

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Book: Hard Sayings: Reconciling the Cost of Discipleship and the American Dream

Author: Joshua West

Publisher: Ambassador International

 

 

There’s been a lot of conversation about the need for revival in our world—especially in America. But perhaps, we need to reevaluate our church methods and preaching before God can issue in a revival?

Joshua West’s book, Hard Sayings: Reconciling the Cost of Discipleship and the American Dream is a warning message to followers of Christ. The church must remain Biblically sound in a culture that veers so far from the truth of God’s Word.

As someone who grew up in the shadows of ministry that, at times, overemphasized repentance without grace, Pastor West lays out that it is about the balance of both. And how do you balance the message of repentance with the message of grace? The answer is through studying the whole counsel of Scripture that teaches the fear of the Lord, along with His overwhelming love and forgiveness. You can’t trade one or the other, or it will have devastating effects on discipleship in the body of Christ.

What I appreciate about this book is that Pastor West writes with a humble heart while tackling the hard, uncompromising truth of the gospel. You can feel the passion and conviction behind his words to awaken and challenge all of us toward a right relationship with Jesus Christ.

Hard Sayings is a wake-up call for the American church!

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

“The message of self-esteem, self-love and self-empowerment are not compatible with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Scripture doesn’t tell us to empower ourselves; the Scripture calls us to deny ourselves.”  

 

“The American church has been rocked to sleep in the arms of cultural relevance and tolerance.” 

 

“True Christianity is found on a hard and narrow path, filled with self-denial that leads only one way— to a blood-stained cross.”

 

 

For more information about Hard Sayings: Reconciling the Cost of Discipleship and the American Dream and Joshua West go to www.joshuawest.net

 

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There’s this saying, “You only know what you know, until you know better.” This statement accurately describes my journey of understanding abortion and the pro-life movement.

Seven years ago, when I felt God calling me to be active in the pro-life mission, I had no idea where my calling would lead me. All I knew was that I was to be obedient and try to understand as much as I could about the pro-life movement and information surrounding abortion.

It’s humbling to realize you know so little about something you may be very passionate about. I might have been a bit naïve at first. Ha! But seven years later, I can now say I know so much more about the abortion issue and the pro-life movement. And yet, sometimes, it feels like I have so much more to learn.

Here’s one thing I do know. Saying you’re pro-life is also committing to educating yourself about the overall movement. It’s about relationships and realizing many individuals and organizations have the same mission with a different focus.

As a pro-life Christian, it has been encouraging to witness more church leaders and prominent Christian voices take a stand for life. They are speaking the truth about abortion but with a compassionate, Christ-like response—that holds the life of the mother with equal compassion as the life of her unborn baby.

But I am also concerned about how some of these prominent Christian voices portray the pro-life movement. They often talk about loud, angry voices at abortion clinic sidewalks or hateful signs at Life Marches. An angry mob who doesn’t care about the women and men who face unplanned pregnancies, but only the unborn baby in the womb. That’s not the pro-life community I have come to know.

And then I learn these same Christian leaders have not educated themselves about the pro-life movement. They haven’t joined the thousands and thousands of mostly young marchers at a recent March for Life, and haven’t formed relationships within the community. They don’t know all they could— and they need to know better.

In my seven-year pro-life educational journey, I am always amazed at the compassionate response to abortion:

  • The sidewalk counselors who pray quietly for the women who will enter an abortion clinic that day. Or those who gently approach the mothers and fathers asking if they may talk with them about another alternative to abortion.
  • The pregnancy center employees and volunteers who have face-to-face conversations with abortion-vulnerable women and men. They witness tragic circumstances with crisis pregnancies but are determined to offer a compassionate, loving response no matter the outcome.
  • The numerous pro-life organizations that donate thousands and thousands of needed baby supplies to mothers who choose life and are in desperate need.
  • The church groups who make handmade baby quilts for their local pregnancy center or who donate diapers and formula.
  • The prayer warriors who stand outside government buildings and seek the throne of God over ongoing abortion legislation. Their prayers are silent in voice but passionate in their prayer-focused mission.
  • The ministries who walk through the healing process with post-abortive women and men, offering them freedom and forgiveness through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The list goes on, and I am humbled and encouraged by those who stand together in this movement called pro-life. It has profoundly affected my faith as a follower of Jesus Christ. I understand more about the grace of God because of the relationships I have formed within the pro-life community.

Are there facets of the movement who lack a Christ-like response? Yes, absolutely, but they are a small segment, and they do not represent the pro-life movement as a whole.

So here’s my challenge to pastors, leaders, and prominent Christian voices who are willing to stand openly with the message of life. Educate yourself about the pro-life movement and mission. Don’t set yourself apart before you have all the facts in front of you. Venture outside the walls of your church and denomination to build relationships with pro-life ministries. Join us in January for the March for Life, and witness the overwhelmingly compassionate, Christ-like response to abortion. Please don’t take a self-righteous posture toward the pro-life community. We need unity because even though our focus may differ, our mission is the same. And let’s all agree to keep learning and growing so we know better how to be genuinely pro-life, or Pro Abundant Life (Matthew 28:18-20) as Christ calls us to be!

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“Would you like to go pray with me outside Planned Parenthood?” my friend asked.

“Sure,” I responded.

We scheduled a day and time and put it on our calendars.

Now, this is not a regular event for me. I have never prayed outside an abortion clinic even though I support organizations and individuals who do make prayer vigils a part of their mission in reaching women, men, and the unborn.

I was a little hesitant, but I never told my friend. There are many events I have taken part in with my pro-life stance, but prayer on the “frontlines” didn’t seem like my thing.

A Sidewalk View

We arrived at Planned Parenthood and found a young woman handing out pamphlets to those driving into the clinic and quietly praying over each individual as they entered the building. We greeted her on the sidewalk and exchanged names. In our conversation, we find out this twenty-one year old has been praying on the frontlines—in the various states, she has lived in— since she was eight years old.  Wow, I wanted to reach out and hug her with pride, all while bowing my head in shame. It’s taken me forty-some years to stand alongside her.

While all three of us were talking, a woman got out of an Uber car heading toward Planned Parenthood. She was walking past us, and our new friend started to engage her in conversation. The woman was friendly and engaging. We find out she is a local university student, pregnant, and unsure of what she is going to do about her baby. She knows it is a baby. The saved photos on her cell phone reveal she’s been wondering—dreaming—about what her child might look like. She’s black, and the father is white. All four of us react with joy and awe over the beautiful faces of racially mixed babies on her phone.

She wants an ultrasound to find out how far along she is. The price of that ultrasound is an expense above what she can afford. She relays her financial struggles and her history— a refugee orphan, saved from a worn-torn African nation, no family to speak of, English is her second language.

“I have no one!” she repeats several times throughout our conversation.

This woman’s story becomes so much more than that baby inside of her. We are now silently praying for that soul within a soul.

“Do you know,” I interrupt, “that you can get an ultrasound at a pregnancy center for free?”

“For free?” she questions. “No, where is this place?”

We direct her to an address and phone number. She dials the number.

The three of us give her some space as she makes the call, and we begin to pray…

There we were—all four of us—outside Planned Parenthood. One was calling the local pregnancy center; the other three were calling on heaven to open this opportunity of rescue for this woman and her child.

An afternoon appointment was confirmed.

“Do you need a ride?” our young friend asks the student. “I am about to leave and can drive you to the pregnancy center.”

“Yes, please!” the pregnant woman responds with a French accent from her native language.

“May we pray for you?” I boldly get the nerve to ask.

She agrees, and I hold her hand.

I don’t recall the exact words, but I wanted her to know that through our prayers, God sees her. He knows her and understands her doubts, fears, and struggles. We ask God to help this woman and her baby. Her life is valued. She was born into tragic circumstances, yet God has made a way for her. She’ll graduate from a major university with a degree in a couple of months. How’s that for a refugee story!

“God, help this woman to see the hope in her life as the same hope for her baby! Amen.”

The Church’s Mission

We said our goodbyes. My friend and I walked to my car and headed home.

Our young prayer partner drove the woman to her pregnancy center appointment. I have a feeling that sidewalk conversation continued in her car, and a friendship formed. Perhaps, contact numbers were exchanged.

“I have no one,” became I have someone!

Do I think she can graduate and be a mother too? Absolutely!

However, she’s going to need a lot of help and support. Her future is uncertain, and she knows that. And honestly, we know that too.

But the three of us also know the power of the gospel. We see her life, and the life of her child through the hope of Christ. She doesn’t. All she knows is the practical steps she needs to take to afford a living for herself. Can she do it with a baby?

She will get support from the pregnancy center. They do what they do best for women with unplanned pregnancies. But they cannot do it alone.

When I got home, I continued to pray for that woman we encountered outside Planned Parenthood. She did not walk into the doors of that abortion clinic that day. For that, God be the glory!

But what now?

We shared the gospel with her on that sidewalk, but how far does it go?

Does it end at the pregnancy center?

Will the body of Christ—the church— continue the witness of that gospel in her life?

In the pro-life mission, there’s the sidewalk prayers and conversations on the frontlines, the haven of pregnancy centers, and then there’s the church. All three must work together. All three must hold each other accountable to be a witness for the gospel we preach, and the pro-life message we stand upon.

Does the church see itself as an extension of that life mission? An extension of our sidewalk conversation and the pregnancy center’s care of that woman and her baby?

Are we willing to do what we need to do so that a woman will not have to say, “I have no one. I have no choice!”

I am wrecked

I accepted a friend’s invite, and it gave me a sidewalk view. Thank you to all those who continually pray on the frontlines. For all the ways many (and there are many) in the pro-life movement bring a loving, compassionate response to women and men who arrive at an abortion clinic. You are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. A reminder that the true gospel is lived out on the frontlines.

But I am now wrecked with a burden. What has taken me so long, and why am I not there more often?

It is my prayer that more of my brothers and sisters in Christ will venture outside of their church walls on this mission. Maybe not to the sidewalk outside of an abortion clinic, but to be an extension of support and a witness of the gospel that rescues those in need. To not only offer hope in life’s unplanned situations but to provide the eternal hope of abundant life.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. – John 10:10

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Book: No Limits: Embracing the Miraculous  

Author: Donna Sparks

Publisher: Bridge-Logos

 

Does God still perform miracles today?

My friend Donna Sparks answers this question in her new book, No Limits: Embracing the Miraculous. It is an uplifting narrative to encourage Christians that the same God— of the miraculous signs and wonders of Scripture— is alive and well through the work of the Holy Spirit today!

Through the pages of her book, Donna shares personal stories of how God is still performing miracles in the lives of others. She reveals that we serve a limitless God who brings hope to what may seem like a hopeless situation. God still heals the sick. He still restores broken relationships. And God even makes a way when there seems no way for us to go.

What I appreciate most about Donna is her ability to express the Holy Spirit’s role in performing miracles but without the fanaticism that often comes when people talk about God working supernaturally. Her sincere approach is refreshing and needed for those who are still praying for their own miracle.

No Limits will not only encourage your heart, but it will remind you that we still serve a miracle-working God!

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

“God is not just unlimited in His power, He is also unlimited when it comes to time. Time limits us, but it doesn’t limit God.”

 

“Our Lord is extremely creative. He often performs miracles in ways that cannot be attributed to anyone’s assistance or to any force on earth. But He also can demonstrate His miraculous nature and work through people by equipping and using them to bring to others the miracles they need.”

 

“The Holy Spirit is not a dull or silent guide. He desires interaction with us.”

 

 

 

 

For more information about No Limits: Embracing the Miraculous and Donna Sparks go to www.donnasparks.com 

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As a Christian blogger, I made a commitment.  I decided that if I felt I needed to share something that I would first commit it to prayer. And secondly, I’d have a grace standard with the words I write.

But this post has been a struggle for me.

How do I write words that bend towards grace but need to hit a mark that points out a negative aspect of human or sin nature?

Then I realized this post is really about the conflict in me, and I’ll share it for what it’s worth to others.

I’ve had a concern about Christian ministry. In particular, women’s Christian ministry. There is an aspect that I have witnessed that is self-serving. But let me back up a little.

With the achievement of women in society, there is also the influence of women in ministry. Well-known female Bible teachers, leaders, missionaries, pastors, have made a mark in the 21st century. I am grateful for their voices.

God has led many women to platforms that can reach a broad audience to point them to the gospel of Jesus Christ. These leaders share their powerful testimonies that resonate with women in a unique way that cannot be adequately addressed in the same manner by men. There is redeeming value in women’s ministry.

But I have also watched Christian women leaders get caught up in self-promotion. Their platform and their calling started to shift elevating themselves.

As an author, I understand the conflict. Our jobs require self-promotion. But as women of God—called to a higher purpose—we must hold ourselves to the gospel standard.

We do not espouse the same mantra of women’s rights in secular society. Perhaps, we can credit it to the advancement of more females behind the pulpit and the increase in women’s ministries, but we cannot abandon scripture.

John the Baptist said, “He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30) John’s words demonstrated incredible humility while serving out his ministry and purpose for the kingdom of God.

Ladies, it is so easy to get wrapped up in the seduction of this world. Platforms, attention, success, a social media following: it can get overwhelming. And let’s face it, as females, we tend to gravitate towards our outward appearance in the process of promotion.

But let me share a personal testimony. The more I grow in Christ, the more I value being placed in the background. Because my worth, my confidence, my calling is all wrapped up in putting Him and the gospel message at the center. There is joy and contentment when I am walking in the confidence of Christ alone; outside the need for attention from others.

And isn’t that the purpose-driven message we want to convey as Christian women leaders to other women?

It is not about us. It is about Him!

Now, if I do get an opportunity to be placed on any platform, I make sure to pray that I walk it out— front and center— with humility.

Is it a struggle? Yes! “The heart [my heart] is deceitful above all things…” (Jeremiah 17:9)

Is there a balance to self-promotion and the message God has given to women? Always!

But publicity must always point to the message God has given over the messenger. When you fade to the background, the light of Christ will shine through your ministry.

The redeeming value of Christian women in ministry is that we point to the “One in us, who is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) As women of God, we live with a different viewpoint and calling than the world around us. We seek to serve others above ourselves.

The best way to sum this up is by quoting another blogger:

“…God asks us to remain in Him. He asks us to chase His heart. He asks us to know His Word deeply and to abide in that. Out of that union, that closeness, real fruit will grow, real impact will occur, but even then, it’s all Him. It’s still not about us. There is never a point at which it is ok to raise our own name. We raise His name, like a banner. We are to be after His glory, not our own. We call people to follow Christ, not ourselves.”

Walk it out ladies with balance—and an abundance of grace and humility. We are grateful for God’s calling on your life!

And let’s remember, sisters in Christ, to lift our women leaders in prayer. Walking out that balance is challenging and be ready to offer them a measure of grace as the standard.