Joe Paterno, Riots, and the Gospel
I’ve been thinking a lot today about the riot in State College, PA last night after the firing of Coach Paterno. Honestly, I’m sad to see him go. I love college football and during my lifetime he has always been the coach at Penn State. It’s surreal to think of the Nittany Lions without Joe Pa on the sideline (or at least up in the booth). That being said the students at Penn State have their priorities all out of whack.
Was Paterno disgraced, sure but by his own actions, not those of the board or trustees. Is it sad that he’s gone, yes. But not near a devastating as what happened to those young boys (up to possibly twenty at this point) who were molested by a man who was under Paterno’s authority. As soon as Paterno heard he should have called the police, no questions asked. It is for this inaction that he was fired, it’s not the media’s fault or the trustees. If, when confronted with this issue nine years ago, he had done the right thing he might still be the head coach at Penn State today.
Now back to the students. When did we become a society that puts football above the lives of children? Even without the underlying circumstances, who in their right mind destroys a downtown because a football coach was fired? Hopefully, one day these kids will look back on this a realize just how outrageous their reaction was. Hopefully they’ll see that is was Joe Pa himself and not the board of trustees that dishonored him.
I hope that these young men and women will get their priorities in order and turn their passion towards something useful. How about making sure that this never happens again? What would happen if the love they showed for Joe Paterno was turned toward Sandusky’s victims, or the rights of the unborn, or poverty? If this kind of passion was let loose on issues like this, the world would be changed.
As I read the articles this morning I couldn’t help but think, where is this type of passion in the church? Do these kids love their football coach more than we love Jesus, more than we love “the least of these?” I look at them and those in the “Occupy Wall Street” movement and I wonder what would happen if this generation were to know Jesus. If that passion and tenacity were turned towards the things of God, how would our society change? It gives me hope. It challenges me. It drives me even more to reach this generation with the Gospel.
I pray that God will use me and others to bring the message of the Kingdom to this generation. And, I hope that the church doesn’t tame them.
If I ask how you know you’re right before God & your first words are ‘because I…’, you’ve missed the Gospel.
Love your wife not because of who she is but because of who Christ is.
Check These Out 7/26/11 (U2 Edition)
Justified, till we die you and I will magnify
Bono on grace, Jesus, and the power of the cross
My understanding of the Scriptures has been made simple by the person of Christ. Christ teaches that God is love. What does that mean? What it means for me: a study of the life of Christ. Love here describes itself as a child born in straw poverty, the most vulnerable situation of all, without honor. I don’t let my religious world get too complicated. I just kind of go: Well, I think I know what God is. God is love, and as much as I respond [sighs] in allowing myself to be transformed by that love and acting in that love, that’s my religion. Where things get complicated for me, is when I try to live this love. Now that’s not so easy.
Check These Out 7/25/11
How Do I Think About Tweeting? - A Response to John Mayer (John Piper)
My experience of publishing three Tweets a day (usually written and scheduled a week or two ahead of time) is different. Mayer said, “I couldn’t have a complete thought anymore.” To me this is almost the opposite of what happens. But that may depend on what we aim to do with Twitter.
Two aims drive my writing of Tweets: One is theological and the other is aesthetic. I aim to say important theological things. And I aim to say them in a compelling way. Whether I succeed is not mine to judge.
When I teach church planting seminars or coach planters I sometimes talk about intentionally choosing your influences.
Obviously if the Bible speaks on a topic, we should follow the Bible. But what about when it doesn’t? I think one of the (many) reasons churches reach church goers (rather than people who don’t like church) is because they look to other churches for their influences. We’ve tried to intentionally find non-church influences for non-theological issues.
What God in Christ Accomplished that Humanity Couldn’t: NT Wright’s 2 Minute Overview of the Bible
Check These Out 7/15/11
Balancing Community With Mission
When you run a Missional Community gathering where people come to grow closer to God, to one another, and pray into their missional context, some ideas to consider include:
- Food – ideally sharing a meal together
- Socializing/ laughing/ having fun
- Breaking bread and sharing Communion
- Story-telling (i.e. testimony), especially of things people are grateful to God for
- Bringing praise and worship to God – this could be done with guitars, but it doesn’t have to be!!
- Offering prayer for healing and prophetic encouragement to anyone who has particular need
- Studying the Scriptures together, especially from what God has been speaking to the leader (or whoever is leading that portion) about during the past week. People are hungry for fresh bread.
- Praying for the wider community that you are seeking to reach, as well as for your witness there
- Planning practicalities for mission activities
Evangelize as Your Edify, Edify as You Evangelize
The greatest thing an unbeliever needs to hear is the gospel. They need to be evangelized with the good news of Jesus Christ. The great thing a believer needs to hear is the gospel. They need to be edified with the good news of Jesus Christ. When there is a robust commitment to preaching Christ from all of Scriptures, unbelievers will be evangelized and believers will be edified.
Is the gospel dangerous? Absolutely. It demands your life, submission to King Jesus instead of submission to self. In fact, it will actually call us to die to ourselves, and for some to even risk their lives. But the logic of the gospel is not denial for denial’s sake. The gospel isn’t ascetic. Rather, the gospel is hedonistic; it offers life in death and security in risk.
Jesus follows his famous cost of discipleship call with a gospel of reward promise: “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Lk 9:24). Lose your life, not just to lose it but also to gain it. Lose your life and you will save it. When we lose our lives for Christ, we gain our lives in Christ. What feels like sacrifice will become service.
The good news of the gospel is that in Christ we are not only delivered rom the curse of the law, but also empowered by God to keep it. Relatively. We remain sinners, and find ourselves unable to loose ourselves from sin’s presence this side of the resurrection, but God is at work in his people to enable us to walk in his ways. You really can live a godly life. One in which you acknowledge and repent of your sin, and submit yourself to will and ways of God through power that comes by the Holy Spirit.
