Reaching 'unsaved Christians': the Bible Belt article
- What are good starting points for a spiritual conversation with a cultural Christian?
The hosts work through the Christianity Today article 'to reach unsaved Christians, first help them get lost': a pastor's parking-lot epiphany that the Bible Belt — where people think they are Christian but grasp nothing of sin, repentance, or grace — is the hardest place in America to pastor, contrasted with California's clear believer/unbeliever line. They cite the rise of the religiously unaffiliated (16 to 23 percent, 2007-2014) and argue nominal Christianity is a refinement, not bleeding. Ministry experiences follow: one host on Bible Belt faith as a club of dos and don'ts, another on church kids taught to act Christian without knowing Christ, the case for loving one-on-one confrontation, and mission trips to the developing world as the most reliable faith-shaker. They close with the article's tips: use the Bible as authority, ask frustrating questions, walk through the Ten Commandments, and ask why Jesus died if good people go to heaven — plus whether church ministries give ritualistic attendees a place to get 'caught.'
More on Discipleship
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Should following Jesus feel more comfortable as time goes on?
- Should following Jesus feel more comfortable as time goes on?
A host asks whether following Jesus should feel more comfortable as time goes on — noting the low-level tension many feel around am-I-doing-enough and the stigma that contentment equals laziness.
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Confetti and lasers: what should God's people be known for?
- Do we want to be known as the confetti and lasers people?
- What should God's people be known for?
Ben redirects to the docket's denomination question: when someone hears Silas's church described as 'the confetti and lasers people,' should that sting?
From No. 598 · Emphasis | Accountability, Worship and Praying with Strangers
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Recovery ministries, charismatic experience, and sustainable faith
- Can recovery ministries replace a chemical high with a spiritual high, and is that sustainable?
A long pastoral discussion starting from recovery ministries, which tend to come from charismatic backgrounds: the risk of trading a chemical high for event-driven spiritual highs.
From No. 555 · The Aslan Wears Prada
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What does it mean to make disciples
- What does it mean to make disciples — is it just giving information, or does it involve accountability and structure?
The hosts take up the third topic: two extremes of disciple-making. On one side, being only an information provider and leaving everything to the Spirit; on the other, running…
From No. 545 · By Invitation Only