I wanted to thank Jordan Monson for the article about Katy Barnwell. It was very true to all I know about Katy. She is the one who, 25 years ago, invited me into the work I am doing now, even though my qualifications were probably lacking at that time. I was also in five of the Luke Partnership workshops, and all that he describes about those is very accurate. In fact, when I read the article, I kept thinking, Yep! That’s Katy! That’s what she does! So I wrote to Katy and told her, “When I think over your life and your decades of work and service, and all the people you have trained or inspired or helped, I remember what Nigerian people often say: ‘Well done!’” When I look at people of such tremendous spiritual stature, I consider myself fortunate to be “tall” enough to see their kneecaps—which is about where my stature comes to by comparison. But they would consider themselves ordinary people who were faithful doing the extraordinary things God called them to do. May I be like them—even a little!
We lost our message and our way when politics became more about winning than the actual issues we promote.
@LelandAcker (Twitter)
Good article and a truth that believers better take to heart. Christianization of America will demonstrate that many believers are not students of history. Why did believers leave Europe to come to this land in the first place? They wanted freedom of religion, the right to worship God freely without bowing to a government-controlled church or a government that forced one brand of worship. The Religious Right seemed to be deceived by a nonpracticing Christian whose life reflects a life of sin rather than Christ. Now, believers tell other believers that they are lost if they don’t vote the way they do. Even some preachers are espousing this lie as if they were the judges instead of God. I am praying that we all will repent and meet together in love, not hate.
To externalize the problem by identifying it with a “knowledge crisis” externalizes what is an internal and individual evangelical problem. For generations, evangelicals have been warning evangelicals about the deterioration of the Christian mind. No one has been listening. Now, the deterioration has gone so far that many Christians are incapable of properly evaluating our shared reality. The result is influencers pushing strange doctrines of Christianity, strange epistemologies, conspiracy theories, rage, and lynch-mob tactics—all plastered over with Christian language and motions. “Bearing false witness” is in a key commandment. And reality is what we can bear false witness about.
I’m happy that my church doesn’t do altar calls. I’ve seen altar calls used as a form of manipulation many times.
Lora Kay (Facebook)
Emotions are important. Follow-up is where the failure is. We need more emotional commitment to Christ. A transformed life must involve facts, faith—and feelings.
David Nye (Facebook)
I say no to altar calls. And my reasons are not about emotional appeals. Rather, the practice has no basis in Scripture. Nowhere in the New Testament do we see anyone giving an altar call, nowhere is there a command to give altar calls, nowhere is there an invitation to “come forward” or “repeat this prayer after me” or “raise your hand.” There should be an appeal to receive Christ. But regeneration is not spurred by a physical act; regeneration is an inward act of God the Holy Spirit in the soul. The act leads to false professions of faith and people being deceived into thinking they’re saved because once upon a time they walked an aisle, even though they were never born again of the Spirit. The new birth simply cannot be induced by a walk down a church aisle!
Wyeth Duncan (Facebook)
It doesn’t have be found specifically in Scripture to be of benefit. Electric lights are not found in Scripture. These are arguments from a point of silence and thus are on slippery philosophical ground. Many things we do are not found in Scripture. The issue is, are they done in a harmful way or are they done in a way so as to be a help to people?
Don Fawcett (Facebook)
Jesus made a public appeal when he called each of his disciples. It may not be an altar call, but it was an appeal to step out from the crowd and follow him.
Dr. McKenzie brings a wealth of historical knowledge, plus his mantra of “thinking Christianly,” to our cultural debate. We need people with perspective, and that means people with deep historical understanding to parse the noise and help us not only with the facts but with how we need to think as God’s kingdom on earth. For some years, Tracy was my boss at Wheaton and a dear friend. You can’t do any better than giving him a chance to educate the larger audience of believers.
Jack Scott
Batavia, IL
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