catching up
it's been a couple of weeks since i've written anything, so i figured i'd do some "catching up" tonight. i've been reading mark dever's the deliberate church. in the chapter doing responsible evangelism, dever writes:
many american churches have used entertainment-based methods of evangelism-theotainment, as it has been called by some- in sharing the gospel with both adults and children. with adults, it often takes the form of surveying target audiences and creating an evangelistic service in which everything from music to the sermon is geared toward making them feel comfortable- a "sit back and enjoy the show" approach. with children, it takes the form of youth groups or sunday schools that spend most of their time thinking up fun activites that will sneak the gospel in through the back door...remember-what you win them with is likely what you'll win them to. (pg 54)on the local level and making dever's point, last week, i received a pamplet from a church, inviting me to their easter services. "exciting music and relevant, life-changing teaching from the bible as well as a special guest appearance by six-time world champion kickboxer, denny holzbauer make this a srevice you don't want to miss!" you know, i think i'll pass. i'm having a hard time making the connection between kickboxing and the resurrection of our Lord. the one sunday a year that some people will attend a church service and the one thing they'll probably remember---"man, that guy broke a board with his face!"
the past couple of weeks have been really hectic. meetings at work last week. a three-day sales meeting this coming week, for which i'm in charge of putting together a slide presentation. i'm also in the middle of designing my son's graduation announcements and working on our church's website. oh yeah, i'm also doing some contract programming for a trucking company in town. that should be done in a couple of weeks. graduation (son's) is the middle of may and after that, things should settle down.
4 comments:
Umm, not that Denny needs defending, but your comment about entertainment evangelism is well off the mark.
If you know anything about Denny, it's that he takes whatever worldly fame he might have and leverages it for the sake of the gospel and the glorification of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He spoke at our church just this past Easter and no boards were broken nor martial arts demonstrations performed. He simply spoke about mission trips to our sister church in Guatemala, the need to rebuild homes for some of the members so that raw sewage can be kept from running through their house and the need for Christ in their community.
Denny has a true heart for our Lord and lives and breathes missions which is more than I can say for the vast population of churchgoers in America who label themselves Christian. Most simply like to sit back and opine about all that's wrong with Christianity and the church. And some actually go out and do something about it.
But I guess you'd actually have to heard the man talk to know that.
sho-biz: Since this post is nearly two years old, maybe Denny has seen the light and realized that the preaching and teaching of the Word (1 Cor 1:21; Heb 4:12) has more impact than breaking boards. BTW, this year a local church was giving away $10 gas cards to commemorate our Lord's resurrection!
You stated: "Most simply like to sit back and opine about all that's wrong with Christianity and the church." And some, like yourself, like to anonymously "drive by" and comment.
I guess you told me.
No, I just found your website when googling to look up something about Denny.
I simply find it distasteful that someone would sit back and mock a brother in Christ that you didn't even go out and see and listen for yourself. You really don't have any idea if he did a demonstration at the church from which you received the flyer. All it says is "a special guest appearance".
"Maybe Denny has seen the light". Wow, it just floors me that you have the gall to speak in such a way about a brother in Christ that you've never even met.
And lastly, I'm sorry. I thought folks with a public blog invited such feedback. But I guess my opinions and first hand accounts of the man are not welcome if they go against your pedantic criticisms.
Your post might be two years old, but you still looked...and responded.
Driving on...
sho-biz:
1) I recall that the flyer stated Denny would be doing a "demonstration." I would assume since the flyer was highlighting his physical prowess/kickboxing skills, the "demonstration" would involve those things.
2) "Mock?" Just reporting the facts. I never said he was a Christian. I never called his "heart for the Lord" into question. The original post was simply pointing out some of the silliness that goes on in church for the sake of drawing a crowd. Guess you didn't really read it.
3) Why do I have to meet the man in order to say something about him? How would meeting him change the fact that --in some cases, obviously-- churches feel that the preaching of the Word alone lacks the abililty to draw people. I don't ever recall the Apostle Paul using carnival tricks or "demonstrations" to please the crowd. There are lots of people I have not met-- Hillary Clinton for one. She's a liar. I didn't have to meet her to figure that out. (BTW, I'm NOT calling you or Denny a liar.)
4) You're always welcome to comment. I just find your anonimity quite interesting if you are so passionate about defending certain issues. Why wouldn't you want people to know who you are? Just curious.
5) I receive an email notification EVERY TIME someone posts anywhere on my blog. Of course I looked. And of course, I responded. That's what you wanted, wasn't it?
6) I still stand by the "two year old post."
Thanks for driving by. Come back any time...no speed traps here.
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