"We're (really meaning YOU) just aren't getting it right. The way you've been doing...pretty much everything...for centuries isn't quite right. We now know what you've been doing wrong, and read our books, buy our DVD's, listen to our podcasts, read our blogs, buy our sermons, and we'll tell you how to get it right."
After reading Emily's blog post for today at http://www.captivechurch.
http://www.christianpost.com/news/francis-chan-christians-not-praying-how-god-intended-64814/
http://www.christianpost.com/news/francis-chan-christians-not-praying-how-god-intended-64814/
"...the former megachurch pastor teamed up with Flannel ( http://store.flannel.org/
("Flannel" is the new marketer for Nooma, Ed's Story [a guy who went from working at Liberty University, to being on the Executive Board of The Moral Majority, to being a pastor in Michigan for 18 years, to living a "Year Like Jesus", to voting for Barack Obama because O "was closer to Jesus's teachings"], and now Chan's new videos, "BASIC").
Chan advises..."Don’t just go and start talking, Chan exhorted. Come silently, come slowly, be careful." So David's flood of emotions so often seen in the Psalms really should have been toned down...more thoughtful, deliberate, "silent" and "slow"...? Poor David. Where was Francis Chan when David needed him? All those, "Help me, God! Help me NOW" prayers...wrong. Who knew? Paul's exhortation to "pray without ceasing" is carried out...how? Or "Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach yo the good and right way" 1 Sam 12:23 How does Chan's formula fit here?
It doesn't. Because prayer is not just an "act"...a good "work". It is an attitude. It takes place when we yield our minds and our hearts to Him, giving place to what should be constant communion with Him. How else can God expect us to "abide in Him"? 1 John 4:13....He abides in us and we in Him because "He has given us of His Spirit". Prayers don't mystically float up to God. He resides within us in the form of His Spirit. Clearly, I don't know the "right" words! So the Holy Spirit graciously and mercifully interprets and intercedes for me! ..."with groanings which cannot be uttered" Rom 8:26.
"Chan admitted to making a lot of mistakes in prayer as well. A lot of times in church, prayer became a “transition thing” used between praise and sermon, or an ending for a service, not a congregation of people coming before the presence of God." sooooo....praying before the offering, or after an opening hymn, or before the last hymn...or wherever...in an organized worship service...is a "mistake" that he actually had to be "forgiven" for?!
Chan is "excited about Christians learning to pray the right way". Really. And, "What if you got together with a group of people and you knew that this group of people they all loved God, they all feared Him and they really were living for God’s kingdom and His mission?” Well, I know a lot of old Christians at my church who DO get together every Wednesday night for a thing still called Prayer Meeting (silly them), DO love God, DO fear Him, and are REALLY living for God's Kingdom and His mission - THEY would be really excited if Chan were to show up and pray their wrong prayers with them. Or, here's a thought...maybe hold weekly prayer meetings at his own church. Oh. Wait. I forgot. You left your church.
On that, listen to him here:
Good grief. So uncertain about everything! So much anguish and hand wringing over...life! "I just don't know..." and "It's really crazy"...and "I'm sensing God wants me to....but...." and "...do something different, but I don't even know what it is..." and "He wants me doin' church in a different way"...
Into wishy-washy? There's plenty more:
C'mon. Lead, follow, or get out of the way. OK...really, just get out of the way.
But here's what's disturbing. Francis Chan is SO not the only one. Erwin McManus, Ed Stetzer (Southern Baptists, both), John Eldredge, Tim Keller, Donald Miller, Mark Driscoll, and *gasp* David Platt (SBC golden child)....on and on. It's actually being called a movement. yeah. The Young, Restless, and Reformed Movement. sigh. Listen to John MacArthur on them:
and this is a great post with some good links:
If it's not the Seeker Friendlies it's the Emergents. If it's not the Emergents it's the Spiritual Formationists. If it's not the Spiritutal Formation crowd, it's the YRR's. Toss in the new Rabid Reformed kids, and you've got a real mess. It's always somethin'...and..."there is nothing new under the sun"...
