On the Edge of Extinction
Thank you for the important, insightful, and pertinent article by Philip Jenkins. “On the Edge of Extinction” is a call to take the long view yet to examine present persecution seriously.
However, I was dismayed by the timeline that put the Crusades on the same line as the US military and government. Radical Islamists believe that the West/United States/Christians are out to destroy Islam and to retake the Middle East in a replay of the Crusades. The timeline also seems to say that the US military is a Christian army.
We must remember that our ultimate Commander in Chief would have responded to 9/11 with, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Let us not implicate the Lord in the actions or agenda of the US military and government.
Patricia M. Lelvis Gig Harbor, Washington
As one deeply grieved over the decline of Christian populations in the Middle East (where I spent 30 years of my life), I appreciate Jenkins’s article.
He is right: Christians in Arab countries understand how this could happen quickly. But the disappearance of Jews is not a strong example. The establishment of the state of Israel, accompanied by a flood of Palestinians into other Arab countries, created a double pressure on the Jews of the Middle East. The animosity against Israel in these countries easily translated into animosity toward local Jews, and the presence of Israel as an inviting option created a pull in that direction.
I have never heard that Jews were expelled by militias or beheaded if they refused to convert. Their exodus from Lebanon was not complete until the violence of Lebanon’s long civil war, which also created an exodus of Lebanon’s diverse population to safer places to study and/or raise families.
Danger should not lead us to despair, so I like Jenkins’s conclusion that we must be cautious about claims to understand the goals or directions of history. One thing Christians of the Middle East for sure understand: “When I am weak, then I am strong.” Their faith gives them a long view and patience.
Frances Fuller Author, In Borrowed Houses Georgetown, California
Can Worship Leaders and Musicians Avoid the Temptation to ‘Perform’?
The Open Question on worship leaders may be the most balanced, intelligent, and scripturally on-target commentary that I’ve read on this subject in a long time. Church music is often spoken of from an imbalanced, biased, and scripturally off-base position. Thanks for publishing these three responses.
Rocco Dapice Westchester County, New York
All worship leading involves some level of performance. If I go out there and worship unselfconsciously, God would enjoy it but you probably wouldn’t. Additionally, it would be self-indulgent, ignoring the needs of the congregation. The key is to take the attention a worship platform brings, stay as authentic as possible in the process, and take the attention you get and focus it on God (as opposed to yourself).
Dave Gipson Facebook
Guided By the Great Cloud
In regards to the Global Gospel Project essay on reading Scripture with the church fathers: Evangelicals are often guilty of reinventing the wheel and claiming unique insight into original Christianity, unobstructed by millennia of tradition. Let us avoid this common error into which many throughout church history have fallen.
Louis A. Melendez Facebook
We’re So Vain
The book review of Vainglory is timely, as vanity is a struggle in our media-saturated culture. I’m not so sure, though, that it’s an “obscure” vice for those who use social media. The desirable freedom that author Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung describes is challenging to achieve: “giving up the mirrors, the artificial lighting, and the careful poses and instead resting in the knowledge that we are . . . beloved in God’s sight.”
Ellie Dyk Facebook
My Own French Revolution
As one who has given his life to evangelism and apologetics, I felt doubly encouraged by the powerful testimony of Guillaume Bignon. What a thrill to hear how the Holy Spirit worked through people and circumstances to tenaciously seek and save a man who was running in the other direction. And in terms of apologetics, there’s nothing better than an atheist-to-missionary story—particularly in hearing how God used an evangelical pastor in Paris (of all places) to fulfill 1 Peter 3:15 in order to “give an answer” to Guillaume’s many questions—all of which helped pave the way to the cross of Christ and to salvation.
Mark Mittelberg Coauthor, Becoming a Contagious Christian Denver
The Unlikely Innovator
“The Unlikely Innovator” [October] contained what we believe is a fabricated account of a March 2004 visit by my father, Jerry Falwell Sr., to a University of Phoenix call center in Phoenix. The story also gives the false impression that Liberty University got the inspiration for growing its online educational program from the visit and discussions with Michael Clifford. Neither is true.
My father’s calendar and documented travel schedule, as well as discussions with his then-secretary, establish that he did not travel to Phoenix to meet with Clifford or representatives of the University of Phoenix in 2004 (or 2003, as asserted on Clifford’s website). Four Liberty University representatives, led by Ronald Godwin, visited the University of Phoenix for the first time in 2006. My dad was not present.
The Liberty representatives agreed to meet with Clifford in Phoenix about a potential purchase of Grand Canyon University, but only on condition that he introduce them to a certain University of Phoenix executive. The Liberty delegation briefly walked through a small portion of a call center and met with the University of Phoenix official in a nearby conference room. The visit was not as described in the article. Neither Clifford nor the University of Phoenix official was ever a consultant for Liberty.
Like all online educators, Liberty’s online operation has been influenced, to some extent, by what we know about the practices of the University of Phoenix, but Liberty’s operational plans for online growth are unique and homegrown strategies.
We appreciate Christianity Today rewriting the article for its website.
Jerry Falwell Jr. President, Liberty University
Editor’s Note: Upon further investigation, our sources refused to reconfirm the story in question. The updated version can be found at ChristianityToday.com.
Net Gain
“Seems to me that there is a lot of wisdom in this. It will allow restoration to happen at a much deeper level than any impersonal mea culpa from a centralized location ever could.” Todd Crawford, Facebook. Gleanings: “Goodbye, Mars Hill: Mark Driscoll’s Multisite Empire Will Sell Properties and Dissolve,” by Morgan Lee.
“God is a worthy repository of our deepest heart-stories. If we ran to him first and believed fiercely that his ear was sufficient, what would that do to our need to ‘share’ with the general public?” Michele Morin, CT online comment. Her.meneutics: “Not All Vulnerability Is Brave,” by Katelyn Beaty.
“My discreet idolatry exposed: ‘Our problem is often not selfishness. It’s our enslavement to convenience.’” Eddie Hilburn @EddieHilburn Third Culture: “No Such Thing as Convenient Christianity,” by Peter W. Chin.
“Refreshing read. So happy to be part of a church that believes in God’s radical grace.” Stephen Mizesko @Stevomizesko “Pioneers of Grace,” interview of Philip Yancey by Amy Julia Becker.
“Another reason for the vitality involved in the experience of a Spirit-filled life: There is a surrender that must take place consciously when one asks to speak in tongues. Thank you for opening the discussion while closing it to arguments about the validity of Pentecostalism, etc. You’ve done the body of Christ a huge service!” Robin Swieringa, CT online comment. Exchange: “Why Do These Pentecostals Keep Growing?” by Ed Stetzer.
