The end.
Thanks to all who participated. I will preach the top 9 questions starting with #9 the first week in January.
Honestly, I’m excited about the list as there is a good breadth of questions that will make for some fun sermons. I am sincerly grateful for all who helped out.
And, congrats to those who ralled their troops to pull out #1 in the end!
Wow, there is really no way to tell which question could get bumped out of the top 9. I’m glad actually as it makes this a bit more exciting than say the average Patriots game. With voting now narrowing down to hours I am super excited to see where we end up. This has been a super fun experience and I am sincerely grateful for everyone who has rallied support for their questions. And, the comments are going to be helpful in forming the answers. The series is shaping up to be a fun one with some good comedy though I am sure not everyone will think so. We’ll know soon…
With a few days left it seems that barring a surge we’re down to 10 questions vying for 9 spots. The Regulative Principle guys apparently got their car gassed up and are back in high gear. Honestly, I’m really looking forward to any of these options. They cover a wide range and all have both a theological and practical bent. Again, there are just a few days left and then we close the voting to clean up the illegal votes and then confirm the top 9. The dating question is a huge one at our church, the birth control one is super practical, and many of the others are directly related to the gospel. So, for all who are hanging in and taking their swings with the 9th inning at hand thank you for helping us get the word out.
Well, you will notice the numbers shifted today. That is because every so often we take off the votes that are illegal. Folks can vote 10 times a day, and if someone votes more than that then we delete all their votes for that day because they are cheating. So, when you see a massive vote shift downward for a question assume we are simply doing what is right and fair to keep this all honest. And, if you see a question shoot up the ranks quickly don’t be alarmed as we’ll double check the votes to make sure they are legitimate.
And, I again want to thank those making comments. The comments are actually helpful to me in clarifying the questions and raising the related issues that are connected to the question. This input will help make my sermons richer and for that I am grateful.
Lastly, Pastor Zach and his crew are a huge help putting in a lot of hours on this site for which I am grateful.
Well, with just over a week left it seems that unless there is a tsunami of votes out there somewhere the field is down to 13 horses with only 9 making it to the end. We had our pulpit department meeting yesterday on this series and it should be fun. At present there are planned funny comedic sketches to intro each topic to be filmed in advance with me then launching into the sermon. The working title is Religion Saves: and 9 Other Misconceptions. Yes, the English majors were freaking out by how it is stated. What has also been helpful on this site is seeing how there is a desire for folks to post comments as the comments are roughly 4000 as of today. So, this has us planning on opening Facebook and Myspace accounts (technically they are already up in 1.0 form if you wanna make me a friend or even a foe), regularly updating those portals, and leaving the comment sections open there to provide ongoing places for people to fire away their questions about me, Mars Hill Church, Jesus, Christianity, books I’m writing, sermons I’m preaching etc. etc. etc. So, I do appreciate those who have posted here (even the dour critics and incessant whiners) as their participation has revealed a need for an ongoing outlet. Also, having this little blog to drop bits and pieces in real time has been fun and so we will also put a blog on the front page of MarsHillChurch.org that myself and other Executive Elders from the church can post on often to stay up with the latest. So, I am thankful to Jesus for the empty tomb, you all for jumping on to help shape the next series, the fact that I get to preach the Bible, and lessons we’ve learned to better serve everyone in 2008. Thank you!
Well, with a few weeks to go questions are jumping around more than I would have expected. Every few days the tech gurus do a check to make sure all the votes are legitimate as some folks try to post more than 10 times a day. So, if you see the questions lose some votes don’t be alarmed – it’s just housekeeping for accuracy and fairness sake. If the current questions remain near the top in the next two weeks remains to be seen. But, it is curious how many of the top questions relate to sex (e.g. breaking free of sexual sin, birth control, dating boundaries etc.). Also of note is how fast the rapture question rose while the regulative question fell. Again, I’m grateful for everyone voting and jumping in. And, I’m very curious to see how things end up on December 14th when we close voting as I will have a lot of work to do once the final list is concluded. Until then, blessings and thanks to all…
The family and I got back late last night from Scotland. Other than a bit of a cold and some jet lag from the 8 hour time difference we are doing well. The trip was life changing and once I’m clear headed I’ll blog about the great lessons on John Knox and the Reformation in Scotland that I enjoyed learning with my wife and children.
The voting is still strong which I am grateful for. And, there is a big separation between the top and lower tier of topics as the field is getting clearer. To get ready for the series, which I am truly looking forward to, I have stacks of books lined up for the top questions and am studying away. It is a curious stack on sex, the rapture, the regulative principle, birth control, etc. We’ve got a few weeks of voting left so we’ll see which questions make the cut. I’ll get caught up more later this week but do appreciate everyone who is participating here and those who prayed for Grace and I taking 5 small kids to Scotland.
We are seeing great and growing disparity in questions and their corresponding answers. We have questions that have not moved despite the opening up of another round. So, to focus in on the most popular questions we will whittle this list down yet again to the top 20 questions on November 14th at 5pm (PST). That will leave one month for the final voting on the top 9 questions out of the remaining 20 options. So, please do post away and if your question is not in the top 20 the clock is ticking to demonstrate the worthiness of your question.
Looking over the posts rising to the top and likely to vie for the top 9 spots here are two things that are happening:
1. We are seeing that our faith still has a lot of “single issue” voters. Meaning, some people really care about some issues to the degree that they are or are nearly a primary issue and they see these issues as in many ways equal to faithful Christian belief and practice. A lot of traditions and denominations and networks are built on single issue voter appeasement.
2. There are issues which divide Christian groups much like borders between states. Emerging vs Traditional, Regulative vs Non-Regulative worship, Rapture vs Non-Rapture eschatology, Sense of Humor vs No Fun at all etc.
The humor question is in many ways one of the most important. Single issue votes and folks from a theological state who love their state border have no problem jibing at, making fun of, misquoting, and flame throwing people from other states. But, as soon as you make a bit of fun of their state or single issue voter item they sure turn into a whiney bunch. So, I do hope the humor question makes the cut.
Well, I am learning a lot on this site and so I wanted to share it with you:
#1. When your elementary school teacher said there was no such thing as a dumb question she was breaking one of the 10 Commandments by lying.
#2. Some Christians need to give their employer half their salary back because they spend half their day posting comments on Christian web sites to argue with other Christians while getting paid which is a great witness to their non-Christian boss and non-Christian co-workers.
#3. The Cult of the Amateur: How Today’s Internet Is Killing Our Culture is a good read. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the format it is a book which means you can actually hold it in your hands and turn pages. It’s a very vintage concept that does not plug in or come with a keyboard so don’t be scared to pick it up just because it’s unfamiliar.
Just a few more days before I head to Scotland. Can’t wait to get there. I’m actually having dinner at William Wallace’s old house. And, rumor has it John Knox is buried under a parking lot next to his old church around stall #44 which I plan on visiting. Keep voting until December 14th. And, for those of you down the list you better make some new friends with net connections if you wanna make a run…
Round two is shaping up pretty nicely. Much to everyone’s surprise the question on worship fell from the top spot for the first time. As I have been thinking about that question, it does have some good implications regarding the emerging church. Namely, do such things as icons, labyrinth walking etc. constitute freedoms in worship or paganism? And, on the question regarding which forms of Christianity do I still wrestle with I would say having thought it over my first response would be the whole idea of free, pure, unmerited grace as it seems almost too good to be true. So, thanks again and keep the votes rolling in. Lastly, I may be offline for a few weeks coming up as I am heading out to preach at some churches and events in Scotland with my family.
Well, we’re off to round 2. Curiously, none of the top questions mention Jesus or are focused on what He has done or is doing. Instead, the focus is on who we are as Christians and what we should do. This is curious indeed.
I appreciate everyone who has voted and helped get the word out. And, I am especially grateful to Pastor Zack who has made and managed the site along with his team. With a bit of time left to vote for your favorites please do vote 10 times each day and get some friends to do the same. As promised, the top 9 questions voted on from this round will be a sermon series and book. So, the more who participate the better off I can serve. This is especially true of the comments. In addition to the questions they help to reveal some of the motives, intents, and related issues behind the questions which is helpful.
On November 1st we will shut down the current session of questions, comments, and voting to move on to the next round of final questions for the sermon series and book. So, it’s the ninth inning and last chance to put any points on the board for your favorites. Who knows, we may even get as high as 100,000 votes on round 1. For those who keep cheating and trying to post more than 10 times you should know that you are breaking the 10 Commandments and our tech guys are smarter than you. So, they simply delete all your votes before sending you a dunce cap with which to sit in your digital corner. So far, the regulative principle seems as bulletproof as the Red Sox but you never know…
With round 1 wrapping up on November 1st we are coming near the end. And, much to my delight this one has made a race toward the top:
How does a Christian date righteously; and what are the physical, emotional, and mentally connecting boundaries a Christian must set while developing an intimate relationship prior to marriage?
Our church is over half single, and for the first time in our nation’s history the majority of Americans are unmarried. That makes this question incredibly important. I did not know Jesus when I met Grace nearly 20 years ago and as a result of getting saved part way into our relationship I had a lot to learn and undo. I wished I had known Jesus and what to do and as a result am really glad to see this question rising fast. Maybe we put this and the regulative principle together and talk about how single people need to sing the Psalms together to have a really great marriage. I will be off for the rest of the weekend enjoying my kids tomorrow and preaching on death all day Sunday so I’ll get back here when time permits.
Well, it seems some Baptists have discovered the internet and now the who do we baptize issue is making a climb into the top 10. And, the regulative principle question is firmly entrenched in the top spot. It will be curious to see if it remains there after we whittle the questions down and move on to the next round. This question was interesting too:
Q: How often do you experience depression as a Pastor? Is it a regualr thing to experience?
A: Every time I technorati or google myself, and when I read posts on this site by my members. In addition, most Mondays if I’m honest.
I pray this one does not make a run:
Deep question mark. Boxers or briefs?
$10 says this guy is in seminary and no one will room with him:
Is Isaiah 6:7 talking about the brazen altar or the altar of incense? I’m going for the altar of incense but would love your opinion.
These two are back to back and as we know it’s all about context so obviously Waldo is in Carmen San Diego:
And a guy with highlights, pefect nails, and good balance:
You emphasize masculinity a lot. Do you think a godly Christian man can be called by God to be a ballet dancer, hairdresser, nail manicurist, or a nanny? Or should a godly man avoid these careers?
Keep it coming…
Well, the anonymous lunatics have officially taken over the online asylum on a few threads, most notably the one about our church. On another question someone has asked why I don’t shake hands with everyone every Sunday and if you read the comments you quickly realize we would need to put turnbuckles in our foyer first.
One thing that is interesting is that each of the top questions is really a single issue voter flag waving topic. Hence, we have Reformed, Emerging, Mega Church, Seeker, Dispensational, Catholic, and Fundamentalist questions with enough votes to keep them in the limping.
A question that has risen quickly (if the votes are in fact accurate) is one of my favorites thus far as it actually matters, is a question, is well stated, and has all the words spelled correctly which thus far is highly unusual:
How can we be sure that the bible is the way it should be in terms of translation, number of books, and most importantly, the inspired Word of God?
So, keep posting the questions, logging your votes, and apologizing to your employer for not doing your job because you are on this site all day reading the comments from other people who are not doing their job.
We had a great weekend at Mars Hill. I am truly enjoying preaching through Philippians as my personal study time has been so transforming in my own life. The gospel centeredness of Paul and the humility of Jesus throughout the book are priceless gifts. I fasted from this site for the weekend to celebrate my 4 year old daughters birthday and preach all day yesterday. The first service I preach starts at 9am and the last one I preach ends at 10pm and that one actually has people showing up late which is curious.
The questions, comments, and votes here are really interesting as they reveal the fan base of some bloggers who can rally their troops to keep a question near the top of the stack. For their input, I am truly grateful.
My wife Grace has asked me a few times (along with some of our kids) how I would answer this question:
Of all the things you teach, what parts of Christianity do you still wrestle with? What’s hardest for you to believe?
That is a great question and I am not sure yet how I would answer it. In years past I believed in the sovereignty and goodness of God but did struggle at times to believe the latter but that is no longer the case so I’m thinking about that one a lot and appreciate whoever posted it.
Thanks for getting the word out. We’re already at 546 questions and this one is the most curious of the day:
Question: #544 What if Christ does not accept me as I am?
Answer: You are seriously jacked.
Well, it seems the hardcore Calvinists are determined to maintain the top spot. Frankly I am surprised as I had no idea the internet had gotten that deep into the woods.
The question on what happens to babies when they die is a big one in our church where many people, including my wife and I, have suffered a miscarriage.
Also, the question on how do sins such as gossip and slander apply in the blogging and message board world for Christians is an enormous ethical issue.
A lot of the sexual questions on masturbation and such likely will get put together and push that issue closer to the top of voting.
And, the question of which parts of Christianity I still struggle hardest to believe is one I’ve been thinking about a lot and not yet landed on.
Personally, I’m also hoping the question on differentiating various religions makes a run.
I am truly grateful for everyone who is taking the time to participate and looking forward to seeing where we end up.
I figured it was time I jumped on and made sure there were enough logs on the fire.
For the record, I got the idea for this sermon series while preaching on 1 Corinthians where Paul was answering a number of questions he had received. And, I thought it might be interesting to see what some of the big questions and issues were in our own day.
Thus far the usual suspects have risen to the top from those critical of emergent to those critical of multi campus churches and those critical of our church as well as those critical of any church that sings anything but the Psalms. I guess the big theme is that being critical is still incredibly popular, especially if you tend to not have much of a sense of humor which in a way is also funny.
The rapture question is also popular and my position on the rapture is that it would nice to see all the Left Behind movies raptured. We’ve still got a few weeks left in the first round of voting and I’m hoping to get at least one question about Jesus in the final 9.
The big surprise has been that women in ministry, homosexuality, and alcohol have not made a race to the top. But, alas, there is always time.
So, keep posting your questions and voting for your favorites. I appreciate those who are taking part, and the bloggers who are helping to spread the word. So, thank you.
