8 Keys to Understanding Today's Hobby Lobby Ruling

My legal mind really enjoyed reading the Hobby Lobby case today. Here are 8 keys to understanding the ruling, it actually makes a ton of sense.

1. Hobby Lobby already provided 16 of the 20 contraceptives mandated by the Affordable Care Act. They only objected to IUDs and morning after pills that may prevent implantation of a fertilized egg, thereby violating their religious beliefs that life begins at conception and should be protected.

2. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) was an act passed by a Democratic Congress in 1993 (and signed by Clinton) that reiterated religious protection of all "persons" by requiring that any law, even if applying to the general public, must not "substantially burden" one's religious convictions without being for a "compelling government interest" and using the "least restrictive means."

The Systematic Injustice of Bad Church Leadership

Our Rejection of the Five-Fold Gifts of Ephesians 4 Has Created A Crisis in Church Leadership

When it comes to the Ephesians 4 model of church leadership I have laid out in previous posts, my understanding is relatively impercise. I am not going so far as to argue for the exact details and systematic structure of a local church, or greater church denomination, ought to implement. In fact, that is actually more of what the spiritual gift of managing described in 1 Corinthians 12 is for. I am arguing that whatever structure is built, it must have different people in high ranking leadership with all of these gifts or else the leadership will suffer tremendously, as history bears out.

Why "Head Pastor" but not "Head Prophet?"

Why do we only focus on pastor and teacher? The answer is found in church history, bad theology, and fear.

In my last post, I introduced the Ephesians 4 model for church leadership and the 5 spiritual gifts: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher. Clearly these are all Biblical terms and gifts that compliment each other well in church leadership. Clearly, we can see many of these gifts and characteristics in ourselves and others around us. So why is the apostle, prophet, and evangelist so uncommon in the local church? Why do we drive by churches that advertise their "Head Pastor" but not their "Head Evangelist?" I would love to see an ad in the church bulletin looking for a "Youth Prophet." The answer is found in the history and development of the church.

The Amputated Body of Christ: The 5 Spiritual Gifts of Ephesians 4

How Ephesians 4 Changes How We See The Church

Several weeks ago, I went on all-too-common twitter rant, lamenting the pain and suffering in the world and wondering if I'm not wasting my time leading worship or working on a college campus.  A mentor saw the rant and pointed me in the direction of a sermon series over the Ephesians 4 model for church leadership and, in particular, the role of the prophet. I am not much of one for "personality tests" and whatnot, but I was floored by how well this biblical model described me and, as I have researched and thought about it more, how our ignorance of this model has led so many problems the church is experiencing today.  My research inspired me to write a lot over this topic. I argue that the church's historical disregard for the Ephesians 4 model of leadership has led to a crisis in Church leadership, a systematic injustice which amputates the Body of Christ  and handicaps the Church's ability to fully and properly function as the Hands and Feet of Jesus.

InterVarsity on Today's Front Page of the New York Times

Battles Over Religious Expression Continue To Get IV Kicked Off Campus

The campus ministry I work for, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, was featured by the New York Times today at the center of the clash between colleges and christian groups over the freedom of association. All over the country InterVarsity is getting kicked off of campuses and refused official recognition because they refuse to allow non-Christians into leadership positions.  

"Here I am. Send Me." A cool infographic on my vision for Central and William Penn.

After being inspired by Eric Rafferty and spending basically an entire day on the awesome piktograph.com, I completed this infographic for the vision God has given me for the next two years at Central and William Penn and my need for partners.  I'm really proud of it!

May Update: Leaving A Legacy and Launching Into The Future

        So... May really flew by! Two weeks of finishing up at Drake, two weeks at a conference in Missouri, and all of a sudden it's June!  I'm excited to share with you some of the great experiences I had with the grace of God and His people this month!

Leaving A Legacy
        During the first two weeks of May, I ended my semester working at Drake as a volunteer staff.  I briefly mentioned in my last update that I had finished June leading worship for the last time at Drake.  It was a bittersweet moment, playing for the last time with two other seniors on the worship team, but finishing with a really fun night of worship and celebration.