If you had grown up in the Puritan colony of Boston during the days it was a British colony, you would have entered Grammar school between age six and eight, already having learned to read and write English. Grammar school would have added three languages to your skillset in seven years: Latin, Biblical Hebrew, and Biblical (Koine) Greek.

By the time you went to ‘college’ at FOURTEEN or SIXTEEN, you would be proficient in these languages…why? Because those were the languages that the important books were written in! You needed to be able to interact with the scholars of the past and present, much like I would have to learn German and French to pursue a Ph.D. today.

More importantly, you were taught skills to teach yourself, rather than loaded with information to forget later. The same education prepared you to apprentice as a doctor, pastor, or lawyer. If you could think, then you would succeed.

This is not the philosophy of education I feel that I grew up under, how about you?

Recently I completed a book on the history of worship in the church, and I found it to provide a lot of powerful insights for my life and ministry in the future. I wanted to share those major points with you here. I hope you enjoy and provide your reaction to these short comments…

Church, in the form that I know it, is the product of innovation by Methodist and Baptist leaders intended to reach unsaved people living life on the American frontier (hence the name, Frontier tradition). Choirs, hymns, special music, emotionally-compelling sermons, conference-style meetings, unscripted prayers, small groups, and altar calls are largely the product of evangelistic efforts.

The problem of the Frontier churches innovation of worship was the loss of the church’s strong emphasis on the social programs of the church: caring for the sick, reaching out to the hurting, protecting the innocent. In American society, we expect the government to do these things…but historically, the church was unique because it did these things–hence the reason why most hospitals in the U.S. are religious institutions. Without this element of the church, our emphasis on the gospel – an offensive message – has caused us to be characterized as brainwashing our members.

Liturgy plays a HUGE role in the church that I am historically connected to–its the foundation of worship for over 1,000 years…compared to the 200+ years of American traditions. As a leader for the church, I need to understand and experience this element of the church. I should familiarize myself with the Common Book of Prayer.

Worship teaches theology better than sermons. Worship repeats concepts in memorable ways. Most people cannot remember the subject of a sermon after a few weeks, but they can remember the songs they sang! Because of this, our worship needs to teach accurate theology, and it needs to include elements that ground us in the essential elements of our faith.

In our century, the Catholic church and Protestant denominations are drawing near to one another in their worship, paving the way for greater unity between believers than we’ve seen since the Protestant Reformation. Unfortunately, this unity is thwarted by a generation of Protestants who don’t want to be connected to any other church or group of churches (denomination), who don’t see any value in coordinating their efforts outside their local church.

As an avid movie-watcher, sometimes I find movies coming back with new significance. Earlier this week, I heard someone quote a line from that Matrix that got me thinking. After further analysis, I found quite a few interesting parallels in the movie, but none so striking as this short scene where Morpheus discusses the deception of ‘the system’. Sounds to me as if he’s speaking the language of Christians. Read it for yourself, and see what you think. Then, if you get a chance to watch this old movie again, look for the use of Biblically-significant terminology like ‘Zion’.

“The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you’re inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9p8LXD5UDs[/youtube]

A recent article in the DTS magazine, Kindred Spirit (Summer 2009), talks about God’s heart for the Arab people. Due to our long experience in warfare with this part of Europe, it’s natural for us as Americans to look through the lens of our hurt at these people. We’ve even made the mistake of misinterpreting the comments that God makes in the Scriptures about these people…and believe them to be God’s enemies. However, this is truly not the case!

We must choose to open our eyes and see that sending missionaries to the Arab world may very well be the greatest influence we can have on the future. Muslim populations throughout Europe are rapidly becoming the dominant demographic of the land, within a few generations, they will hold majority influence over the policies and resources of nations like Great Britain, France, and Italy. If change will happen, it has to happen now. We have a choice, convince Christian Europeans to have 18 kids each, or start reaching the Muslim/Arab world.

Read my notes below on Reshaping the American view of Ishmael:

The God who chose Abraham and closed Sarah’s womb, blessed Hagar with pregnancy.

Four of Israel’s twelve tribes were born through maidservants.

Hagar is told to return to Abraham’s household to be underneath his instruction (18:19)

Ishmael is named by God – “God listens” reminding Hagar that God hears the cries of the afflicted.

Ishmael is said to become “a wild donkey of a man”

Meaning that he will freely roam in the desert, describing the nomadism that characterized Ishmael and his line. This lifestyle would result in a perpetual struggle with each other and with others, due to their lack of a legal system/social order.

“will dwell in the presence of his brethren”

Having been pushed away from ‘the presence’ of Sarah, Hagar finds her condition is reversed in the promise of a son who will always be inside the Abrahamic circle and will dwell ‘in the presence’ of all his brethren.

A challenge to Isaac’s descendants, reminding them that faith and not mere blood relationship.

The proximity would present a potential within the line of Ishmael to participate in Israel’s blessings.

Job, Agur, Lemuel, and probably the magi are just a few examples of His grace working through Ishmael’s children in biblical history.

~ Isa 60:6-7

Dr. Tony Maalouf – Arabs in the Shadow of Israel: The Unfolding of God’s Prophetic Plan for Ishmael’s Line

Since being here at Dallas Theological Seminary and sitting under the instruction of some great men of God, I’ve realized that many of the things that I have heard preached from the pulpit and in the Sunday School classroom have not been Biblical. They may have been wise sayings…or great stories…or examples of what Joseph did, or Abraham did, or Jesus did…but they are not what the text of the Bible was trying to communicate to us.

I fear for the many things I have said and believed under the flag of “the Bible says”…and for the state of our pulpits today…since I have grown up in conservative congregations most of my life. One-line promises of God come to mind as well: “for I know the plans I have for you…” etc.

The truth is that the clarity of the Word of God is clear…and it can be heard in great pulpits all across the nation…but that it is one of many voices searching for an audience among the increasingly varied perceptions of religion in the USA. Our focus and our concern should not be so much for the politics of our nation, or the leader of our nation, as it is with the state of the church in the world today. We must step up and become the volunteers, the lay leaders, and the pastors that our nations needs in the future. YOU are needed. YOU have a critical role to fill that involves MUCH, MUCH more than being a Sunday morning greeter…

In closing, I want to cite an extremist example of the misuse of Scriptures. This unnamed pastor deserves no more attention that what he receives here and in a previous post…so I won’t even mention his name. But here he is using his limited Biblical knowledge, sincerely trying to use the teachings of “the real Bible” (KJV) to prove his ridiculous point that the NIV Bible is demonic. His is a case of pride, misdirection, and passion for God. I pray that our future is at the other extreme from such a person.

If you would like to read the counter arguments to his video, check out the posts from PaleoBabble & NT blog

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRzWRvHmH4Y[/youtube]