Usually I don’t post about things like this, but this is something that has caught my attention for a number of reasons – which I will explain in a moment.  But first a little background.

The Elephant Room?

The Elephant Room is a conference brought about in the USA by Pastor James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel.  Two of these conferences have taken place so far.  This is how the Elephant Room (hereafter ER) is described on the official website:

The Elephant Room features blunt conversations between seven influential pastors who take differing approaches to ministry.  No keynotes.  No canned messages.  These are "the conversations you never thought you’d hear."  All conversations are moderated by James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel and Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church

The page goes on to explain that both "fidelity and fruitfulness" are important – fidelity to "the biblical Gospel, right doctrine and practice" but also relationships.  Fruitfulness I believe refers to fruitful ministry – results.

Both conferences generated a lot of discussion, but ER2 was in a class of its own.

Most of the discussion has been about a conversation between Mark Driscoll and T.D. Jakes.

About T.D. Jakes

Jakes is a very well known pastor in the USA.  He was on the cover of TIME Magazine in 2001, with the caption Is this man the next Billy Graham?

But Jakes has been generating a lot of controversy long before 2001, as people have expressed concern about his "prosperity gospel" teaching and his modalist views.

This post isn’t actually about that specifically, but you need the background to understand the rest.  Modalism is a view of God that is not the orthodox historic view of the Trinity.  The idea usually is that God is not eternally co-existant as three persons, but that he manifests himself as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  This is a very important distinction – but that’s a discussion for another post!

Driscoll and Jakes had their conversation at ER2, and just what Jakes said and what he meant are the eye of the storm.

What did he really say?

Some evangelical leaders basically said,"Great!  Jakes is becoming orthodox!  He has finally accepted the biblical view of the Trinity!  Let’s encourage the man for every small step he takes!"

Others said,"Wait a minute – he did nothing of the sort.  He just said what he has said for years.  And by the way – why didn’t anyone mention the fact that he’s a prosperity gospel preacher?  Shouldn’t that be part of our ‘blunt’ conversation?"

Why I started listening…

So why has this caught my attention so far?  Well, I’ve known a little about T.D. Jakes for many years.  Of course, he’s a very public figure.  So I’m interested in his views.

I’m also interested in James MacDonald.  MacDonald is a Canadian in the USA – interesting to me, since I work with some Americans and have a lot of American friends.  I also have friends that have recommended MacDonald’s ministry to me (and this is not intended as a criticism of MacDonald’s ministry).

So when the two came together, it doubly got my attention.  But then came the conversation I actually want to talk about.

Right after ER2, when there was already quite a bit of controversy, MacDonald filmed a conversation with three pastors who had been at the conference.  These happened to be African American pastors – or [insert politically correct term here] pastors.  I wouldn’t even mention that, but as you’ll see it’s important.

So MacDonald got these pastors together to comment on the conference.  On the purpose of ER2, he said "We don’t know people until we talk to them".

What followed was basically a defence of ER2 – often a defence against the criticisms.

You can watch these post-ER2 interviews online – the first one here, and the second part here.  The first part is what I’ll be mainly talking about.

Post ER2 Defence

A couple of exchanges very much concern me.  Let me first say that this is not a criticism in general of the ministry of any of these men – who were James MacDonald, Bryan Loritts, Charles Jenkins, and Eric Mason.  However, in this particular interview, I wonder if they realize how they’re coming across…

Here’s what Bryan Loritts had to say about the concerns that had been expressed about the interview with Jakes:

Some of the strongest reactions of people were African Americans in the blogosphere.  Um – and I’ll just go ahead and say it – who strike me as wanting so bad to be in the white theological world … to take a little bit of a tangent here … and I’ll get back … the loudest voices in the conservative evangelical world in my estimation right now are your older white Reformed voices.  And so that implicitly sends the message that mature Christianity in the conservative evangelical world is older white.  And you’ve got some African Americans who so idolize that – what some people would call white idolization – that they then feel as if they’ve got to be the voice for black culture to speak against people like T.D.Jakes.  So what happens is – you kind of prop them up.  When the truth of the matter is the term black is very complex.

Now we have some interesting observations here.  But here’s the problem.  I didn’t hear these men addressing the actual issues that had been brought up (issues I’m not getting into in this post – it’s long enough as it is!  But they are important issues.).

Instead, Loritts is talking about the motivations of those who are expressing concerns.

He starts with some statements.  Some of the strongest reactions were from African American bloggers.  Then he says that some of the loudest voices in one area of evangelical Christianity today are older white and reformed.  So that sends a bad message, apparently.

First, I suppose it depends on who you listen to.  Christianity is, and has been for a long time – a very global thing.  Today it’s more global than ever.

But to continue… apparently these African Americans who speak out against Jakes are doing it because they want to fit in with those older white reformed folk.

So what’s the message so far?  Please, don’t express concerns about Jakes if you are:

• older
• white
• reformed
• an African American who agrees with Mr. older-white-reformed

Is this sounding a bit strange to you?

Now another reason this conversation interested me is because I’m dealing with different cultures every day.  I work with Americans, and I live in Mexico.

Admittedly, I’m not an expert in the whole US culture (to put it mildly).  And in other parts of these videos, the men do bring up valid points.  There are cultural issues at stake here.  We can’t quickly judge someone of another culture (ie Jakes).  It takes time to really listen and understand.

But when we start silencing people because of their age – their race – their doctrinal views – and perhaps most dangerous of all, their motivations …. that’s starting down a whole new road.  And it takes us a long way from MacDonald’s stated purpose of ER2 – We don’t know people until we talk to them.

They also talked about the importance of relationship.  Naturally, I haven’t read everything – in fact I’ve read very little – that people have said and written on either side of this issue.  But what I’ve heard from the let’s not be so quick to call Jakes orthodox camp has been very respectful.  It’s been seeking to understand the man.  And in many cases it has been concern for Jakes as much as anything else.

Now on to our second exchange, between MacDonald and Eric Mason.

Mason:  This whole thing is real complex and I’ve been trying to wade through it.  Um …Especially after you and I talked and I kind of just read some of the things – I hate blogs but -
MacDonald:  Yeah
Mason:  But I read ‘em…
MacDonald:  Amen
Mason:  …only when they’re necessary
MacDonald:  Right.

So now we can add someone to the list of people not to listen to – and this was kind of insinuated by Loritts – bloggers.

Those evil tinkers bloggers

That’s right – the guy sitting in his mom’s basement, sipping Coke (or maybe something bad – like a Pepsi) and taking pot-shots at people from behind the safety of a keyboard.  You gotta hate those bloggers.

I understand that blogs have their place – since anyone can blog, blog posts go from the sublime to the ridiculous.  I have a certain respect – I think healthy respect – for pastors and others in the thick of ministry, or with a great deal of experience, or those who have taken the time to carefully study an issue.

I would have thought that MacDonald was kind of joking here – but he looked like he was seriously "Amening" Mason’s statement about hating blogs  Really?  Hating blogs is now a virtue?

I just finished reminding the believers here in Ixtapaluca that we are all a part of the royal priesthood.  We are all responsible to study and share God’s Word.  We are all responsible to share Christ’s love, and stand up for the truth.

It concerns me when, instead of addressing the issues, we start talking about who can and can’t be a part of the wider conversation.

You may remember that I recently read a biography of John Bunyan (author of The Pilgrim’s Progress).  You may know that he was a pastor and a preacher, and that he spent most of the prime years of his life in prison.

You may not know that he was a tinker, someone who mended old pots and similar objects.

One of the main reasons (perhaps excuses) that he was thrown into prison was because he was preaching without a license.  In other words, he was just a tinker – and a tinker had no right to speak on spiritual matters.

I’ll bet he would have blogged if he was alive today – he wrote a lot.  They might have said, he was just a blogger – and a blogger had no right to speak on spiritual matters.

I’m all for treating people with respect – listening to what they have to say – not making snap judgements.  But when we start excluding people from speaking because of race, age, denomination, and the way they communicate – are we really practising what we preach?

Incidentally, I follow James MacDonald’s blog – that’s where I found these interviews.

Sure, there are times when people who we don’t know are spouting things off online (or off line) that it’s just better to ignore.  But it might be because of their lack of respectful language (and they don’t seem open to talking), or because we have no relationship with them (and obviously can’t answer every error online) – but surely we shouldn’t ignore them because of race or the type of software they prefer.

I hope these men did not intend to come across the way they did.  But sadly the attitude that certain people should not be allowed to speak at all is common – and won’t be going away any time soon.  I just hope that attitude isn’t becoming common in the Church.

Some of you have kids who are just starting to use Facebook (ours aren’t there yet).  As in every area of life, it’s important to train them to use this for God’s glory – right?

Here are some thoughts on just that, taken from a longer video entitled God’s Technology:

Incidentally, I just heard a sermon by David Murray that also focused on technology, and the "noise" that we so easily let into our lives.  If you’re interested, you can listen to that right here:  Be Still

So you’re with CAM International – is that a new mission?  (Well, newish – long after the apostles…. only about 121 years old….)  And does "CAM" stand for something?  (Well… it used to stand for Central America Mission.  These days it’s just "CAM".)

CAM CAM CAM… for the last 8 years or so, we’ve been "CAMers".  My family has been involved with CAM.  My parents were married by CAM missionaries.  Uncle Cam, founder of Wycliff Bible Translators (Cameron Townsend) started out as a CAM missionary.

We own a CAMera.  CAM missionaries enjoy a lot of CAMaraderie.  In Mexico, CAM is involved in a CAMp.

In the essentials, CAM has never changed all that much – CAMers have always focused on the Spanish speaking parts of the world, and have always been passionate about discipleship.

But … every once in a while … there’s a bit of confusion about the name.  CAM.

So – we’re going to try to make things a little clearer.  Give it a Spanish feel.  Yes, CAM International is going to change its name.

Not yet – not until Spring 2012.

But the announcement has been made… the new name has been chosen… it will be…

Camino Global.

Camino (that’s CAM with an ino) is a Spanish word meaning "way" or "road".  It’s pronounced caw-ME-no.  Sort of.

CAM International and CAM International of Canada have an official announcement up where you can read all the details.  Read about Camino Global here.

To clarify, the name hasn’t changed yet.  But stay tuned for more.

And remember, it’s still all about reaching and sending Spanish speakers – discipleship – and serving the Lord Jesus.  It’s a name change, not a direction change.

There’s another countdown going on… the countdown to Hannah and Nathanael’s birthday party tomorrow!

Why a party?  Well, you know the obvious reason – it’s for Hannah and Nathanael!  Believe it or not, they have to put up with a lot in the life we live.  And we’re happy to make the time to thank God for their lives (as we say here in Mexico) and honour them.

But we like it when things are multipurpose.  Part of the reason we put on parties (as opposed to just having a little family party, for example), is to bring people together.  Believers, non-believers, they can talk and play together.  We can get to know people that we don’t usually see outside of a certain context (for example, parents of Hannah’s classmates).

We also like to find ways to stimulate conversation.  Maybe giving out a colouring page with a verse on it.  Or playing a game based on a Bible story.  Who knows?  (No, I really don’t know … not quite ready for this party yet!)

So we do pray that each party is an opportunity to give to people and to glorify God.  Only a few hours until the party begins!

You’ve probably heard about another countdown – the one from Harold Camping of Family Radio in the USA.  Camping is claiming that the world will come to an end – well, specifically, the rapture will occur and earthquakes will begin at 6pm on the 21st of May… tomorrow.

That’s 6pm whatever time zone you’re in, which means the earthquakes are supposed to occur in sequence around the world as it changes to 6pm in each time zone.

No one really knows how many people are taking Camping seriously.  He has told his followers that churches are ruled by Satan, so they have left the churches (that’s right, if you belong to a local church, you’re under Satan’s rule and are in big trouble tomorrow, according to Camping).  However, he is heard all over the world – a Mexican friend even mentioned him to me the other day.

I’ve seen a few major false date-setting prophecies in my lifetime, but I don’t think anyone has been watched as closely as this one.  Videos on YouTube have featured Camping each day for the last two weeks.  Major news outlets mock him.  And he’s been live on the radio each day, being both mocked and admired.

Some are ready to report on the failure of his prophecy – for example, you can report in your area when it’s 6pm and the rapture has failed to occur.  Or, if you believe in the 21st of May date, you can hire an atheist to look after your pet when you go.

When it is beyond any reasonable doubt tomorrow that Camping is a false prophet, what will happen to his followers?  Some have left their families, sold everything, or have just enough to make it until tomorrow.  Chances are, most won’t find their way to a Bible believing church, but instead will be convinced that all this Bible stuff is nonsense (if they don’t give up on life altogether).

Meanwhile, as usual the world will lump in true believers with people like Camping, who uses very biblical language and mixes in truth with error.  "You don’t believe in the end of the world like that NUT, do you?"  And how will you answer?

It’s sad to see people pushed away from the kingdom by false prophets, but not unexpected.  Remember what Paul said to Timothy (1Tim 4:1-4):

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom:  preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

So remember to pray for those who are deceived, remember to go back to what the Bible says, and be ready to give an answer – whether it be on the street or at a party.

The most recent interns from Canada are now famous!  They are on the CAM International website in the CAM Canada section.

Of course, you know about the team that came to us from Calgary.  But do you know about Kayla’s visit to Honduras?  And how about the teams from Compass Point Bible Church that serve in Guatemala?

Check them out by using the link below:

Many of you have heard about the murder of a missionary here in Mexico on Wednesday.  I thought this would be a good opportunity to briefly share the facts as I know them, and to talk about safety in Mexico.

Sam and Nancy Davis were shot at while travelling in Mexico, and Nancy was fatally wounded.

We don’t know these missionaries, and were not connected with them.  Apparently they were United Methodist missionaries who founded an organization in 1989 with the goal of reaching Mexicans for Christ.  They lived in Texas, but frequently travelled across the border.

Our hearts go out to the friends and families of Nancy, and especially her husband.  This was an evil act, and a tragedy.

Is it dangerous to be a missionary in Mexico?

There are actually many ways to answer that question.  First of all, generally speaking there are dangers, but that very much depends on where you are and what you’re doing.

We, and the Davises, and many of you, are willing to take risks for the Lord.  I pray that, if the time came, we as believers would be willing to give our lives.

I have mentioned before that there is persecution of believers in Mexico – in some areas on a very large scale.  Some people are risking their lives to gather together with other believers.  Others are facing rejection from their families, job loss, and other discrimination.  Following Jesus has never been an easy path.

That being said, we don’t feel like we’re in constant danger, dodging bullets and running from gangsters.

What happened?

It’s helpful to get a little background on what happened to this couple.  They frequently drove in one of the most dangerous parts of Mexico (knowing the risks, I might add).  They were also apparently driving a truck which really stood out in the crowd.

The road they were on was the road from San Fernando to the border town of Reynosa – and area controlled largely by the Los Zetas drug cartel.  This is an extremely dangerous area. (there’s some confusion at the moment about exactly where on the road they were)

They drove up to a road block that had been put up illegally by a drug cartel.  Sam made the decision to race through it.  The criminals opened fire and Nancy was hit.

Sam kept driving, racing to the boarder to find help.  But it was too late for his wife.

From what I heard, this was not a reckless couple.  There were times when they did not travel, because the danger was too great.

Frankly, if we want to reach the world in this day and age, the places that are still without the Gospel are some of the hardest places to reach.  Expensive, closed, and/or dangerous.  Should we then not reach these places?

What about you?

Yes, what about us?  And what about you – many of you have talked about coming to visit – is it safe?

Compared to this region where the Davises worked, one of the most dangerous, our area is actually one of the safest (thankfully).  Also, thankfully, Mexico remains an extremely safe place by and large for foreigners.

I’ve heard from many of you in the USA and Canada – I’ve heard about the news stories you’ve heard.  About foreigners being murdered in Mexico.

But you need to realize the vast number of foreigners that are here.

In 2010, more Canadians visited Mexico than ever in history – over 1.5 million.  And that’s just Canadians.  So you need to imagine that this is like a large city of foreigners.  Are you surprised when someone in Toronto, or Chicago, or Calgary, or Portland, is murdered?  Do you stop visiting those cities?  Did you know many Mexicans are afraid to visit the USA because they hear about the violence there?

They say there is more of a chance you’ll get killed in an airplane accident than get killed in Mexico.  Some have compared it (assuming you’re visiting the safer places in Mexico, and you’re not dealing drugs) to your chances of getting the bubonic plague.

You’ll notice that, when the news stories are talking about deaths in Mexico, they’re usually mentioning names, and mentioning the same names over and over.  That’s because we’re talking about a few isolated cases, not a wholesale slaughter.

Yes, we take precautions, and yes, we appreciate your prayers for our safety.  But thankfully we are living and travelling in safe areas.  And when we ask you, or a team from your church to come, we are confident that we’re bringing you to a safe place.

Could this change?  Of course!  That’s why it’s critical that we use this window of opportunity to reach Mexico with the Gospel.  That’s why we ask you, if you’re thinking about it, to not put it off – come serve the Lord in Mexico while there is still an opportunity and freedom to do so.

We’re happy to answer your questions in more detail.  But please don’t generalize about Mexico and assume it’s not a safe place to go (and obviously many people are seeing through the news stories, since tourism here is on the increase!).

In conclusion

In conclusion, please do pray for the family of Nancy Davis.  Please pray that other believers would rise up and take her place.  Please pray for all those missionaries and other believers around the world who are living in danger.

At the same time, realize that we’re not dodging bullets here.  And although we take ordinary precautions, we’re confident enough to ask you to come and visit us, and join in what God is doing here.

From a distance, a pebble and a fly may look more or less alike.  But the closer you look, the more dissimilar and complex things get.

Here’s another reminder of just how complex and beautiful life is, thanks to the Olympus BioScapes Digital Imagining Competition (put on by the company famous for cameras, Olympus, of course).

At just over a minute and a half long, it’s worth taking a look at:

More pictures at the competition website here.

Yesterday was CAM International‘s 120th birthday!  Yes, it was the 14th of November 1890 when the mission was formed.  This was after a series of prayer meetings, where the founders in the USA asked the Lord how they could reach the overlooked mission field to the south.

The next year the first missionary family was sent.  William and Minnie McConnell and their children arrived in Costa Rica in 1891.

Mrs Laura Dillon One of the first CAM missionaries to die on the field.

Within a few years several other families and singles had joined the team.  In 1893, 26 year old Clarence Wilbur was on an exploratory trip to Nicaragua (he was a missionary in Costa Rica as well).  He became violently ill within a few weeks, and died of yellow fever.  A lady who had been caring for him, fellow missionary Mrs Laura Dillon, caught the fever and died a few days later.

At the side of Mr Wilbur’s grave, William McConnell said,"Let us ask God to raise up someone at once who will come and, standing by this new-made grave, give his life to the evangelization of Nicaragua."

More missionaries did come.  When Mr. H.C. Dillon returned to the US with two motherless children, his testimony inspired the Bishop family to serve in Honduras and later Guatemala.  Mr Dillon returned, eventually remarrying, though he died at the age of 33 in Honduras.  Missionaries would be sent to Nicaragua and many other countries in the years ahead.

In 1950, CAM International of Canada was established (which makes this year CAM Canada’s 60th birthday!).

CAM started reaching out to Mexico quite late in its history, partly due to Mexico’s strict laws about missionaries and clergy (laws that were relaxed only a few years ago).  The Mexico field has a history all its own.  Right from the start CAM partnered with many different Christian churches within Mexico to help share God’s Word.

So, a 120 year birthday is a great time to remember the sacrifices of so many believers who have come before us, whose shoes we can never fill.  And yet, our responsibility is to make disciples in our generation.  May God continue to transform hearts and create communities that will worship Him forever!

I know, it’s only November – no time to be talking about Christmas.  But when you’re far away from family, you either think about Christmas early – or nobody gets a gift. 

And I know some of you are starting to think about Christmas too – which is why I decided it was time to mention, once again, Discovering the Songs of Christmas!

My Dad wrote this book, but it came out later than expected last year – too late for many people to use over Christmas.

Discovering the Songs of Christmas: Meditations on Our Traditional Carols and Christmas Hymns is just what it sounds like – short meditations on Christmas carols.

The book is divided into 6 different aspects of Christmas…

1. Anticipation
2. Arrival
3. Announcement
4. Acclamation
5. Adoration
6. Aftermath

Each section contains several short chapters, each featuring a different Christmas carol.  All in all, there are 63 different songs!  As an added bonus, there’s an alphabetical index of songs in the back, and a chronological index (incidentally, the oldest song in the book is from circa 183 A.D.)

You’ll learn lots of things that you never knew about songs you’re familiar with (and some you aren’t!).  For example,

• What song began as only one word?
• What strange ironies surround one of our most popular carols?
• What did the Canadian inventor Reginald Fessenden play in the first ever radio broadcast?
• What Christmas song was written by a comedian?
• What Christmas carol did Oliver Wendell Holmes call "one of the most beautiful poems ever written"?
• What orphaned MK wrote one of the most familiar "angel carols"?
• What carol in its original version doesn’t mention baby Jesus, Mary, shepherds or wisemen?
• Who really wrote "Away in a Manger"? (hint: it wasn’t Martin Luther)

That’s just a sampling.  Better yet, the book is filled with Scripture, and thoughts about the message behind the words.

The chapters are short enough to read at the dinner table with young children (as a matter of fact, I think I will.  I think I will).  Or to be put in a bulletin.  The book would also be a great gift for a friend or neighbour, even those who don’t yet know the man behind the words of our Christmas carols – Jesus Himself!

I’ll close with one sample from the book, just a portion from the chapter entitled Life Out Of Death:

O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born in us today.

That is a prayer, and a poetic allusion to God’s plan of salvation. It is by trusting in Christ’s Calvary work that we are saved. Through personal faith in Him we are born again, born into the family of God. The Bible says,"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born…of God" (John 1:12-13). And the offer still stands. In the words of Phillips Brooks:

Where meek souls will receive Him still,
The dear Christ enters in.

Get a copy of Discovering the Songs of Christmas here!

Over the last few days I’ve seen people on the streets carrying orange flowers, people mobbing the bakeries for "Day of the Dead Bread", and children bringing various fruits to school for offerings to the dead.  Yes, it’s that time of year again.

I learned something new recently – the Days of the Dead actually has an official worldwide status.  The United Nations, in its effort to catalogue and preserve what it considers to be cultural treasures, has included this celebration on it’s list called the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.  This is a list of 90 intangible items from all around the world, and so apparently the Days of the Dead is one that they consider to be among the most important on a worldwide scale.  (See their write-up on the Days of the Dead here)

The video below comes from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.  From what I know, it’s fairly accurate, although I think it misses the "festive, fun and mocking" side of the celebration that I’ve written about before.

Also, it sort of makes it sound like this is an indigenous festival in just some communities, when in reality it’s a Mexico-wide holiday that’s a highly valued part of the culture.  The recent bicentennial celebration was proof of this, if you happened to see it – of all the things about Mexican culture and history that could have been celebrated, the Days of the Dead took an honoured place…