Christians are too Agressive

I love to read the Wall Street Journal's free online blog. They generally report things with an irony and tongue in cheek manner that makes you want to both laugh and cry at the same time. Many of their stories quote various media groups like the Associated Press, The New York Times and CBS, NBC or CNN. Each day I am amazed that anyone believes these sources of news any more because their reports are so slanted. OpinionJournal [OpinionJournal@wsj.com]

This blog is headed by a man, Taranto by name, who claims to be Jewish but he regularly and vigorously ferrets out sily, prejudiced and egregious examples of bias against Christians. The following is such a story.

Those Aggressive Christians!

"Between 2002 and 2006, the number of religious-discrimination complaints filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) nationally rose more than 30 percent from the previous five years," Lornet Turnbull reports in the Seattle Times: Not surprisingly, a majority of the complaints have come from Muslims. But the numbers also reflect growing tensions around the Christian faith.

Flora Wilson Bridges, an associate professor at Seattle University, said she believes those tensions are arising in part because conservative Christians have become more provocative--less tolerant of those with whom they disagree and more determined to impose their values on others. As they have become more emboldened, they've also become more inclined to take their battles to court.

So when "conservative Christians" complain of religious discrimination, it's because they are "more provocative," "less tolerant" and "more emboldened." When Muslims do it--and they do it more--their motives don't even need to be investigated. "Not surprisingly" tells you all you need to know.

It seems obvious to us that both Turnbull and Bridges are prejudiced against Christians, or at least against "conservative" ones. It isn't hard to imagine that some employers are, too.

If you are a left wing zealot do not bother reading the blog for you will more than likely find it disturbing to your prejudices. But, in my view, if you like fairness and fun filled irony read on!

Turn the Radio Radio On

Dear Gary,

Your RADIO show is scheduled to air on "Water through the Word" RADIO on Clear Channel 700 WLW on Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 7:30am(EST)!

This is a very strong radio signal, reaching a population of 49 million. Because 700WLW is a secular sports station, we are so encouraged that your message of hope will reach millions who do not yet know Jesus. Our prayer is that many will come to a saving knowledge of Christ through your story of faith!

Remember, EVERYONE outside the listening area (world-wide) can tune into to your show ON-LINE while it is being broadcasted on the radio! They will hear it LIVE by logging onto www.700wlw.com during the scheduled broadcast time listed above.

I will send the March email "Sneak Preview" out to over 3,000 listener subscribers. YOUR show will also be promoted on this E-blast! Please use the "Forward" option at the bottom of the "Sneak Preview", so you can email your family, friends and fans!

May God richly bless you today!


Erin Campbell Host ~ Executive Producer "Water through the Word" MinistriesRADIO Broadcasting ~ Women's Conferences ~ Scripture Medleys 800-274-8951 www.WaterThroughTheWord.com

Knowing How to Minister to Hurting Persons

I have recently been in several meetings where the topic of counseling people about spiritual issues arose. Several of the members were mystified about the topic, as though religion and spirituality were it were a toxic substance that is incompatible with mental health.

I suppose I am stunned by the inability of experienced psychologists and psychiatrists to integrate the basic beliefs and values of clients into the therapy. That seems strange to me because I am committed to listening to and learning from the Beliefs and Convictions of the Seeker.

Only when I truly understand the Seeker's ideas and feelings will I be able to guide them into a healthier direction. If you are confused about how to minister to different kinds of people with effectiveness and joy, read our latest book, shown here. You can get it from us by writing me at gsweeten@lifewaycenters.com or from www.authorhouse.com

It will give you a process to deliver better pastoral care, counseling and discipleship. I guarantee that you will gain insights about change that you never even thought about before.

all ministry is personal

After reading what I wrote in the last post it occur to me that I didn't really say anything personal . In reflecting on our ministry it is obvious that everything they do touches people's lives . I just wrote a report to the Board on what we did it in Russia. I look back over the photographs and began to remember how many of the people I saw there had experienced the power of the Holy Spirit as we talked and prayed.

I remember clearly the night we met with our team and they asked us to teach the more about it the family of origin and healing the family tree. The very first person we helped that night had a a family history that is all too familiar in the former Soviet Union. The young lady who talked about her family shared a history of abuse that is very difficult for us to believe in the United States.

The young lady we will call call Alexia began her story with her great grandparents . They had been wealthy landowners and owned a retail store before the revolution in 1917. Soon after the Revolution a group of soldiers came to their house in the middle of the night, one snowy freezing winter and told the family they had to leave their home .

The father mother and six children all left their home to wander in the snow. Before the ordeal was over only two of the six children had survived. Alexia's grandfather and his older sister lived but the other four children perished in the winter snow. It is hard for us to imagine the depth of pain and emotional devastation suffered by this family and this kind of pain builds from generation to generation.

Before the night was over we placed Alexia in the center of our circle and prayed that God would heal the emotional pain from the past generations. Several of our team experienced the Holy Spirit in a new and powerful way. Two people saw clear pictures of Alexia and her family while others received scripture, insights and words of encouragement .

After our time I mentioned to Galina that almost every family in the Russian had suffered from similar kinds of trauma under the Soviets. Galina mentioned that in the past hundred yearsRussia has suffered through nine wars and two revolutions. It is hard to imagine the depth and extent of devastation suffered by the Russian people during these traumatic times.

That night our team was able to minister to only a few people . The way the Lord touched them was . However, it also told us that we have an awful lot of work yet to do . In fact, if we were the only ones doing this kind of deep inner healing work there would be little hope that Russia could ever balance back from Communism. However, our goal is to raise up hundreds and even thousands of pastors and Spirit filled Christians to carry on this vital ministry .

Please pray for the Lord of the harvest to raise up mature men and women both here and in Russia with gifts of wisdom and healing.

You may send your tax deductible financial support to
Life Way Ministries, Inc
11161 Kenwood Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45242

The History of Our Ministry

If you have been following our work for a long time it is obvious to you that we have had a variety of names and outreaches. We started out as the Teleios Ministry at College Hill Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati. I developed the center after doing my doctorate on integrating psychology and scripture. It was designed as a place to build people up in grace, mercy and truth that kept them healthy and relating better to God and others. It worked.

In 1987 the Elders asked me to oversee the equipping and discipleship focus of CHPC. That gave me more experience in developing overall systems of health and growth for a mega-church. It was very rewarding.

In 1978 we started training Pastors and Lay Leaders from other churches how to set up systems to "Equip the people to do the work of the ministry". The Elders decided that we should actually register our ministry separately from the church and gave us the total freedom to operate it financially and organizationally.

We took over another Para-church organization with which I had been involved and it was called, The Christian Information Committee. We later changed the name to Equipping Ministries International or EMI.

From my dissertation and wrote several training manuals from its content. The first was Apples of Gold after the passage in Proverbs 25:11: A word properly spoken is like apples of gold on a tray of silver. Alice Petersen joined us in 1979 and she led us to integrate cognitive therapy with scripture and we wrote Rational Christian Thinking in 1983.

The Lord opened many doors for us to teach Pastors and Lay Leaders around the USA and even into South Africa and Norway. I had met Jens-Petter Jorgensen in Kenya in a 1983 trip and he immediately asked me to come to teach their leaders how to integrate scripture, psychology, love and healing. Larry Chrouch, Steve Griebling, Hal Schell and I traveled to the North of Europe in 1986 where we ministered to several hundred Leaders. We later gave everything to the Scandinavians who set up Teleios Centers in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

The Lord called me to leave CHPC in 1989. I thought it was to minister full time internationally as a Consultant/ Coach in the area of Pastoral Care and Counseling as well as setting up healthy systems for church growth.

But, the Lord also had a surprise for me. He instructed me to open an in patient psychiatric hospital unit that integrated everything I had ever learned.

We did open such a place and we integrated psychology, psychiatry, prayer, medicine, love, Rational Christian Thinking, family systems and group dynamics. I treated it like a small church because we trained the residents to assist each other as a healing community. Why is every church not a healing community?

It is simple but hard to do and the instructions are in the Bible. If you want to know how, contact me at gsweeten@lifewaycenters.com

Don't Speak Frankly

I have not gotten any comments on this post but a couple of comments on the original blog have said we ought not be asking such questions as these for they undermine the credibility of ministers. From reading this poll I would say it is too late to undermine ministers' credibility. Over 90% of the respondents already think we lie about attendance so that means we are not held in very high esteem now.

I am not convinced that speaking openly about reality is bad for ministers. It seems to me that it is the truth, unveiled reality that sets us free. By failing to openly discuss how people think we can get a better handle on how to minister the truth.

In my many years of church membership and ministry I have found very few pastors who intentionally exaggerate the attendance figures. We might give an occasional "Evangelistic Estimate" but all in all we usually try to tell the truth. So, the fact that some 90% think we lie is a problem to getting people to follow us in Christ's call.

I personally value good statistics but realize that not all stats are reliable and we need to ask how reliable and valid these things really are. I don't think these data are very reliable but they might point out that we have a credibility problem that we need to work on.

We can work on credibility by asking our members what they really think. Open, genuine conversations can heal many mis-perceptions and misunderstandings and help those of us in ministry correct our problems.

Do Preachers Lie?

One of the blogs I regularly read to stay abreast of what is happening in the churches around America is called Monday Morning Insight. I recommend it to your attention.

http://mondaymorninginsight.com/index.php/site/comments/poll_do_pastors_exaggerate_attendance_and_conversion_numbers/

They often print data and perceptions about various issues. The most recent online edition has a poll about whether or not people think Evangelical Pastors exaggerate the attendance numbers. It appears that over 90 percent think we do. I find that this is an amazingly high percentage and wonder where it comes from.

Maybe it is just the result of so many jokes about "Evangelistic estimates" that we tell each other. Or maybe the people have actually heard us inflate our "guesstimates" about the people in the meeting halls. I would appreciate your ideas. If over 90% of our members believe we lie about such a mundane matter what do they think we are doing with the other nine Commandments?

How are we to deal with numbers that are so often associated with our ego? Do we just stop counting? Do we have a neutral group from a local accounting firm do the count and then certify the number at the end of the service as they do at many sporting events?

(Harry Granger from Granger, Evans and Smoot CPA Firm reads the count: There were 83 people in attendance today. Eighty one were members or regular attenders but George and Hazel Goin brought their reprobate neighbor and Patty Hert was able to drag her boyfriend in again. The Pastor wanted to claim 84 attendees but we disallowed Mary Jones' pregnancy because she is only five months along. We have a clear policy about counting any baby under six months in the womb.

One note on being on time. We cannot count anyone who is more than ten minutes late. The Elder Board has discussed this point repeatedly and has decided that it conforms to the policy at our seminary about class attendance so it needs to be uniformly applied to church as well. So, we regrettably had to disallow the Gene and Amy Brown family with all six kids because they just can't seem to make it before the deadline whistle blows. It is a shame too because having eight more would have broken the record for January. However, we did count Asbjorn Anderson who slept through the entire sermon. Being here is the key.)

The Preacher then offers the benediction and an announcement: Come back tonight at our monthly "Pack the Pew" special with popcorn and free soda. We will have door prizes and frequent attender points for those of you trying to win the toaster. BP Oil has agreed to give people with a thousand points a ten percent reduction on gasoline.

Maybe we emphasize attendance too much and it hurts attendance. Trying to motivate the unmotivated causes many people to have less motivation. It certainly seems to convey that we put too much emphasis on numbers and not enough on people.