A European Christmas List

“I am sure that I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round... as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely.” Charles Dickens

Because people tend to open their hearts a bit more freely, my teammates spend lots of time with others at this time of year.
So here is a Christmas list of festivities going on across Europe through which my colleagues and I desire to shed some star-light pointing toward Christ.
Possibly this Christmas list might help you to pray for them, give thanks, and enter into some extra joy!
2 December 2006
Christmas club for neighborhood children. Seven children came, listened intently to the Bible story & sang the songs with great enthusiasm. In fact, they re-sang them each time a parent came to pick up a child. One of the parents told us they want to invite us for dinner after the holidays, which is an answer to prayer. (Mark Sims – St. Andéol)


Ladies’ shopping trip to Sheffield (Grace Church - Shirley)

5 December
Christmas party at the Language center. George Swain spoke. Cindy baked. Both along with the other staff members of the language center shared the Good News of Christ with the kids who came to the party. (Prague)

7 December
Feltmakers Ireland Board Party (Holly)

8 December
Good News Club Christmas party (14 kids in attendance) chez Martin. (Paris)

8-9 December
The youth group and others were "in the streets" offering hot coffee and tea, and the book, "The Gift of Christmas" and gospels to the crowds of people gathered for the annual Festival of Lights. (Grace Brethren Church of Lyon)

9 December
Lionhearts Volleyball Christmas event (Tom - London)
Gospel choir Christmas concert, 200 people attended. (Dennis - Paris)

10 December
A Sunday School Christmas program was well attended with lots of visitors and family coming who would otherwise not normally attend. (Dave - Basel Christian Fellowship)

A Christmas program, "The Rain of Christmas," was presented. "Prologue: For centuries on the earth, in spite of the riches of nature, there is a drought in the heart of man. But one day the Son of God was born, pouring out His rain of love and mercy even unto our day." The program was very artistic in nature (dance, acting, spoken message) and the actors were primarily the church's young people. (Grace Brethren Church of Lyon)

11 December
Moms’ Night Out (Holly)

13 December
Felters Guild Christmas Party (Holly)

Knitter’s ice skating party (Holly)

Megane and Anne's Christmas parties with friends (Barlows)

14 December
Reading the Christmas story with ladies' group in Le Creusot, and a gift exchange. One woman read the Christmas story from the Bible for the first time. (Susan)

15 December
“We will have six non-Christian friends for dinner. Afterwards I will read the story of the incarnation from the Gospels, interspersed with Christmas carols. Fadi, an intern in the Lyon church, will accompany us with the guitar.” (Mark Sims)
A “Carol Sing” based on a traditional “nine readings and carols” held in the restaurant of a local hotel. (Basel Christian Fellowship)

16 December
The Christmas program, "The Rain of Christmas" (see Dec. 10 - Grace Brethren Church of Lyon, France)

American Church in London Christmas evening (Barlows)

Caroling in Shirley, England town centre with other churches to distribute invitations to Christmas services Grace Shirley
Christmas party with the Prague Lions. (Swains)

“We have a jewelry and card making afternoon and lunch for ladies.
The children in our group have been learning about God's unstoppable love and plan. They will be celebrating three months of verse memorization with a trip to ENRG, a play centre. Afterwards they, along with a couple of Dads, will be celebrating Christmas by delivering clothes and bags of toiletries that they put together on Sunday nights to a local homeless shelter.” (Dublin: Real Life / Crossroads)

Christmas party at a friend's house - a group of outdoor enthusiasts (Roy)

American International Club Christmas Party at Schwartz’ home (Porto)
17 December
Christmas party at the Dijon church with poetry, skits, Noël songs, a Christmas quiz, some Christmas thoughts and… French culinary delights! (Klawitters)
Evangelistic Christmas service, an invite-your-neighbors Christmas Sunday. The choir has prepared special music. (Mâcon GBC)

A dinner/carol sing in St. Andéol. (Mark Sims)

Junior High youth Christmas party (Martins – Paris)

Christmas worship service in Autun followed by turkey dinner and Christmas program in the afternoon. About 60 are signed up for the dinner! (Griffiths)

Christmas Family Day at the international church with a children’s musical, an all-church Christmas meal, and a devotional about “finding your way home” spiritually. (Yoders – Berlin)

CULTIVATE Christmas party - an organization that promotes Sustainable and Ecological Issues for Ireland (Roy)

Megane and Anne's Christmas parties with friends (Barlows)

Mâcon children's Christmas club (Greg Burgess)

CAMARA Christmas party - a volunteer organization that refurbishes computers for Africa (Roy)
Riverside Porto International Church Christmas Service (Porto)
21 December
The spiritual family to see the film, The Nativity (Martins)

22 December
Comunidade da Graça Christmas Service (Porto)

24 December
Rainer Ehmann has been invited to be the special guest speaker at the Macon church. Christmas Eve celebrations with unbelieving friends … always an opportune time to be verbally bold about our Lord Jesus. We're going to finish the year with good stuff! (Weavers)
Hawkins/Schwartz Christmas Eve Dinner Party for any friends who have nowhere else to go (Porto)

Advent service at our house for friends / acquaintances (Barlows)

Christmas eve celebration with the Dijon church family (Klawitters)

Christmas Eve service Grace Shirley (Kiddos)

“On Christmas eve our group will be having a party together.” (Dublin: Real Life / Crossroads)

A Christmas day service. (Basel Christian Fellowship)

26 December
Christmas dinner in our home for some of the members of our group. Swains
And the European Christmas list goes on and on. E.g. throughout December there were many Christmas Clubs for children announcing the good news of the gospel. (Grace Brethren Church of Lyon)
Baking cookies with friends and sharing in an informal way. (Patty Morris)

Christmas gift The Great Divorce given to all of our language partners & Christmas caroling. (Swains)
On behalf of the entire GBIM Europe team I wish you a very:

Frohe Weihnachten
VESELÉ VÁNOCE
Nollaig faoi mhaise duit
FELIZ NATAL
Feliz Navidad
MERRY CHRISTMAS

Joyeux Noël...

...to one and all! paul

Just imagine a church that...

A hindrance for many Europeans is their perception of the Church. They avoid churches in order to stay pure! They want to keep themselves clean from guilt by association (see Jan. 06 entries “Smoke, mirrors and incandescence”).
Others eschew church because it feels like meetings and school, when they are seeking spirituality and community.

One might say, “They can think what they like, but our church is not like that!” But you cannot convince them of that for as the adage goes, “Perception is reality to the one who perceives.”

A week ago, I attended a DAWN / GEM / Kontaktmission consortium in Basel, Switzerland where directors of European church planting missions deliberated various questions. One of those discussions centered on, “What is church?”

Paul Morris presenting the Christian Associates' philosophy of ministryBasel - November 2006

How would you answer the question, "What is church?" (I admit to being less than satisfied when the consortium's discussion group recommended John Nelson Darby's definition of church as a worshipping, witnessing, working - social impact - community.)

Geoffrey Bromiley says that the Church can be “described in several pregnant phrases.” ("Church" in ISBE, vol. 1, p.693). Could it really be that simple?!
He asserts that the Church is the:
? people or Israel of God (Eph. 2:12; cf. 1 Pet. 2:9-10),
? household or family of God (Eph. 2:19; 3:15; 4:6),
? planting of God to bring forth fruit to His glory (1 Cor. 3:9; cf. Jn. 15:1f.),
? temple of God (Eph. 2:21f.; cf. Jn. 2:19f.; 1 Cor. 3:9; 1 Pet. 2:4f.),
? bride of Christ (Eph. 5:25),
? body of Christ (Eph. 4:15, 1 Cor. 12:12, 27).

Other pictures of the Church include:
? a building (1 Cor. 3:10-15; Eph. 2:21),
? a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5),
? living stones (1 Pet 2:5),
? a city on a hill, salt and light (Mt. 5:13),
? a shepherd and his flock (John 10:1-18),
? a wild olive branch (Ro. 11:17),
? dough (1 Cor 5:6-7),
? an ambassador (2 Cor. 5:20),
? a virgin (2 Cor. 11:2),
? a golden lampstand (Rev. 1:20),
? a chosen lady (2 Jn. 1),
? a royal priesthood and a holy nation (1 Pet. 2:9).

Does your church look like any of these 18 pictures? Of course no local church fully embodies all of the essential elements depicted in Scripture, but are your church's priorities moving it toward a resemblance of these images? My guess is that Jesus thinks they should!

Blaise Pascal said, “Imagination decides everything.” Could you imagine starting all over to begin a church that embodied the meaning embedded in those images? What would you do differently? What would it look like? What would your unbelieving acquaintances think of such a church?
What if you were to release and resource some under-twenty believers that seem bored with church, to begin a church where they lived out the essence found in the above Scriptural images, what might be the result?

Just imagine…

A free sample of jChurch?

“The problem of the Church is really the problem always faced but never resolved in protestant theology.” Emil Brunner

On a couple of occasions I have had the opportunity to ask groups to describe the “church of their dreams”; let’s call it iChurch. It was interesting to see that in a house church group, the elements shared were highly concrete, what they would do: concerts, bible studies, humanitarian work, meals and parties.

A Paris spiritual community

An established church group responded with broad strokes. They wanted to see compassion, enthusiasm, humility, unity in diversity.

The Protestant Evangelical Church of East Dijon

Let’s go farther (and here I am going to sidestep the whole “emerging churches movement” debate). Instead of asking, how does this or that group of believers picture the church, or more broadly, how do inherited or emerging church advocates envision the church, let’s do something really novel and ask the question: How does Jesus picture his Dream Church? Not iChurch, but jChurch.

It is interesting that Jesus only spoke of his ekklesia (church) in two contexts (Matt. 16:18; 18:17), but as my friend Dave Guiles points out, Jesus incessantly talked about the Kingdom (over 120 references in the gospels). I believe this is because God lays foundations first. e.g. as Blaise Pascal said, “Our religion (Christianity) is so divine that another divine religion (Judaism)” is simply the foundation.
Jesus taught about what his Kingdom would be like when ushered in. And as Alfred Kuen says, “The Kingdom overflows the Church, but the Church is the place where Jesus currently exercises his royalty, she is composed of those who here and now, accept this reign.” The King of the Kingdom is therefore the foundation of the Church, and the local church is an anticipation of the Kingdom, or as Jim Petersen likes to say: the local church is a free sample of the Kingdom.

The Church is an anticipation of the Kingdom. And believers as subjects of King Jesus insist on justice, while concomitantly receiving and extending grace and love, all of this in a state of dynamic tension.
For example in the West:
King Jesus' subjects are to be pure and faithful in sensual societies (Mt.5:27-28);
King Jesus' subjects are to be kind and hospitable to those considered to be enemies (e.g. for Americans - the Irakis; for the French - the North Africans, for the Germans - the Turks, etc. Mt.5:44-45);
King Jesus' subjects are to be satisfied with what they have in materialistic cultures that perpetually create “needs” (Mt. 6:28)…
The Golden Rule of the King is not like the Pirate's (of the Caribbean) Code, mere “suggestions”! Jesus tells his subjects, “do to others what you would have them do to you” (Mt. 7:12). By living in obedience to Jesus’ rule, churches will serve as free samples of His Kingdom, free samples that are literally scattered across the planet. They are to be a theodicy incarnate countering the prevalent perception that the church is murderous, corrupt, hypocritical and harsh.

Vinoth Ramachandra describes the fruit of the early church that basked in Jesus’ reign:
After the Neronian persecution of the mid-60s Christian churches closed their doors to outsiders.… letting anyone into worship services would have been dangerous. Conversions came about primarily through pagans coming into casual contact with their Christian neighbours. They not only heard the message about Jesus from their lips but saw that message enfleshed in a community that was truly free.… free of the addictions of greed, sex, xenophobia and the bondage of the magic arts.

So, now that we have had a quick intro to jChurch, let’s ask some concluding questions:
Does Jesus’ reign over my/your life? Would other people say the same? Is his reign visible – justice, grace and love - in the daily practice of the group of believers that I/you belong to? Is my/your spiritual community or established church perceived by unbelievers as a desirable free sample of a just, gracious, loving spiritual community where Jesus reigns individually and collectively?

Emerging Churches: the movie?

There is plenty of hubbub among defenders of the inherited church about the “emerging church” (EC).
There is plenty of hubris among “emerging church” (EC) advocates.

Well, let’s give the benefit of the doubt to all and naïvely assume that followers of Christ on both sides of this ecclesiological issue want to incarnate ekklesia. We want to live out Jesus’ idea of Church — ekklesia that is culturally relevant, Scripturally faithful, and indwelled by the Spirit.

Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger interviewed emerging churches leaders to get at the heart of the emerging church movement. Their book, Emerging churches: creating Christian community in postmodern cultures, presents some helpful road signs for those on the path toward 21st century ekklesia.

So here are some of those road signs in notebook form. For those of the inherited church, this may help you to better understand "emerging church" people. For emerging church people, this is what your fellow travelers are saying...


EC THEOLOGY
“Emerging churches remove modern practices of Christianity, not the faith itself” 29. E.g. one EC leader said, “I needed to trust God more than my theology about God” 34. Though there is much inspiration in pre-modernist Christianity "there are also some things that will not change, the framework of orthodox belief in a saving God, for example” 229. But while the inherited church’s structure is theological in nature, the emerging church’s “structure is missional in nature” 107.

EC EVANGELISM
ECs consider evangelism more like "an open-ended conversation," emphasizing apologetics. They view evangelism as "an embodied way of life as distinct from a result-geared confrontation” 80, their own lives being a demonstration of the gospel because “a servant does not present a product but gives himself or herself” 128. For ECers, being on mission is less, Have I announced the Good News? and more, Have I been Good News? 52. Thus, emerging churches “do not separate the Great Commission (to make disciples of all peoples) from the Great Commandment (to love one's neighbor as oneself)” 149.

EC COMMUNITY
ECs recognize that “Christians need community, especially in a society like [their] own, which is indifferent or possibly hostile to Christianity” 98. One EC leader says therefore, “relationship is our organizing principal” 110.

EC LEADERSHIP
Due to the postmodern “hermeneutic of suspicion toward authority" 209, emerging church leadership is egalitarian, not hierarchic; “leadership is fluid.” Leadership is “flexible so that the right people lead the right things” 198.

“Leaders who follow the kingdom lead not by controlling but by connecting. They bring people together to generate synergy through the combining of visions, gifts, and experiences for the diversifying of the church’s mission and its continuing outreach in society” 215. EC leaders, therefore, persuade and seek consensus 191-3. They are facilitators, advisors, empowerers, envisioners, permission givers, advocates, friends, encouragers, and defenders 212.

EC leaders make it possible to initiate ministries without going through a chain of command. “We welcome the expression of any gift: dance, writing, film, graphics, installations, meditations, etc.,” not just preaching and guitar playing. This is so that all can participate in a community that produces, as opposed to being spiritual consumers 139.

EC PRAXIS
1/ identify with the life of Jesus
2/ transform the secular realm
3/ live highly communal lives
4/ welcome the stranger
5/ serve with generosity
6/ participate as producers
7/ create as created beings
8/ lead as a body
9/ take part in spiritual activities 45
EC ETHOS
Emerging churches have three core principles:
1/ identify with the life of Jesus.
2/ seek to transform secular society around them.
3/ live as community.

Emerging churches are “pro-testify,” “pro-community,” “pro-ownership” (priesthood of believers), “pro-relationships,” “pro-kingdom”. They emphasize holistic spirituality, servanthood, inclusiveness, forgiveness, hospitality, relationships, justice and transformation. The emerging church “is a servant and a sign of the coming kingdom” 90.

Sounds like many ECers might be tempted to adopt the sermon on the mount as their by-laws. In sum, “emerging churches are communities that practice the way of Jesus within postmodern cultures” 44.
I loved the book and can’t wait for the movie, or better yet, EC "live" !

A church of many tongues?

Should I reach out to my immigrant Mexican and Filipino neighbors? If so, how will they fit in with Caucasian middleclass Americans at church? That was my dilemma growing up in a mid-sized California town in the 80’s and it’s a growing reality in our melting-pot world today.
Remember the account of the day of Pentecost recorded in Acts 2? An indoor tornado with pyrotechnic flaming tongues of fire that “zapped” the 12 apostles with the ability to speak many languages? It’s a scene that would dazzle any movie-going audience.
Of course God could have done without the pyrotechnics and language morphs, but on that day people heard, understood, and believed as a result of listening to the Gospel in their mother tongues.

Our church in Porto, Portugal ministers across social and language barriers in a number of ways, and people have responded to the Good News of Christ. The challenge became, how can our believing community maintain a unified identity while being multilingual and multicultural?

COMUNIDADE DA GRAÇA - PORTO
The Comunidade da Graça (CdG) was started in 1997 by a group of Portuguese university students who wanted to live ‘church.’ They did it through spiritual families that met formally on a weekly basis for worship, Bible study, prayer, and fellowship, while also connecting at other times of the week in less formal settings.

In time, more spiritual families sprang up, connected through relationship to God and one another. These groups were spread throughout the greater Porto area, and each had its own natural ‘flavor.’ Some were based around university life and sports; others were more appealing to young moms, youth and families. The groups had a common identity in the CdG, but each had unique qualities that allowed them to minister to different kinds of people.

Due to the presence of GBIM missionaries and a British family, an international flare developed within the CdG. Not wanting to overshadow the Portuguese focus, they were unsure what to do. But God was already preparing ministry partners in Lisbon—the Masons, a British ‘tent-making’ couple from the Riverside International Church Lisbon, a Christian Associates (CA) church plant. Bill and Tina had a heart for reaching internationals in Porto.

RIVERSIDE PORTO
A handful of Porto-based local church leaders met, and by the fall of 2004, CdG, GBIM, Christian Associates, and Riverside Lisbon realized the first formal meeting of Riverside Church Porto in the home of Tim and Julie Hawkins.

Riverside is the only evangelical, English-speaking church in the Porto area. So, in less than two years, Riverside Porto has ministered to dozens of internationals in English, the common language of millions of expatriates worldwide.

If not for partnerships, Riverside Porto would probably not exist today. We believe that wisely formed alliances such as this are increasingly key in spreading the gospel and strengthening the church in Europe.

The Holy Spirit could have created another mini tornado with fiery tongues, but instead he chose to use the local expression of His body to be the hands and mouth of ministry to internationals that had no church to call home.

Please pray for both the Comunidade da Graça and Riverside International Church spiritual families here in Porto as they are united to reach out to all peoples of all cultures and languages.

-Sam Schwartz

Homework assignment: define "church"

I guess that one could say I have a homework assignment. My boss asked me to furnish him with “a contextualized definition of the church.” Hmmm...
In all transparency, for years I have pushed off defining something that Scripture intentionally uses fuzzy metaphors to describe. And I believe that a "begin with the end in mind," crystal clear definition of church is a modern tool that may be ill adapted to church planting in the European postmodern (pre-what?), postChristendom transitional period in which I find myself.

A few thoughts motivate me to complete this homework assignment. First, my boss is a good guy and I want to be a good team player. Second, many of the church planters on my team are modernists and such a definition may be helpful to them. Third, this sort of exercise forces me to bring together a lot of data and hone my own thinking.


I am a bit clarity challenged (you will note that my convoluted "definition" still looks like a combination, description-of-church/mission statement) and my wife told me it is too "dense." So I thought it might be fun to see if you would like to help me with my assignment!

After reading the following, if you have deletions, additions or other non-snide observations, please feel free to leave a comment. (A number of people have told me that they are somehow hindered by blogger or do not know how to do that. So please feel free to drop me a note at paulklaw@gbim.org) Merci !
We desire to see Europeans become believers who recognize Christ as prophet, redeemer and King. They become disciples.*1
These disciples locally embody the universal priesthood of believers, nurturing loving relationships with Christ and one another through sustainable,*2 hospitable spiritual communities (ekklesia).
These spiritual communities recognize the concomitant authority and guidance of the Triune God and His Word.*3 These communities are shepherded by spiritually qualified European elders*4 and equipped by the five people-who-are-gifts (see Eph.4:11); they are spiritually related to the local-international and historical-future Church.
The Spirit guides and empowers these prayerful, dialogical communities*5 for mission; they therefore co-labor with others of common heart and vision. As part of their worship, the disciples of these communities creatively engage and transform the world around them through caring, sacrificial service so that other Europeans and peoples of the world also recognize Christ as prophet, redeemer and King.


*1 Baptized and obedient to Christ from a heart of love.
*2 Refreshing more than exhausting, creating more than they consume.
*3 Thus the aphorism, “The whole Bible and the Holy Trinity.” The Bible is both their code and search engine for life; they therefore employ a grammatical-historical-contextual-Spirit-guided hermeneutic. “Calvin brought together the Spirit’s work in the inspiration of Scripture with the Spirit’s illumination of the interpreter of Scripture.” Mickelsen, 40.*4 Who are themselves seconded by deacons and deaconesses.
*5 i.e. hermeneutical communities.

an unexpected change in direction

In recent entries, you’ve read about some of the creative avenues GBIM staff are exploring as they plant the Church in Europe. In this blog, Brian Weaver explains how God led his family to a full-time position with UCCF (InterVarsity UK):

I didn't expect to be where we are today. Rhonda and I were raised Grace Brethren, and we took part in everything the Fellowship offered - BNYC, NAC, OB, TIME, Grace College and Seminary, and ultimately GBIM. We came to England with hopes and dreams of a life-long career with GBIM, seeing churches planted across the United Kingdom.

But we didn't see the change coming in early 2005. A colleague in London student ministry was moving on and he invited me to apply for his position. ‘Leave GBIM?! Surely, that isn't what God wants from us?' Thoughts like this echoed in my mind for months, joined by other thoughts: 'Building up God's Kingdom is what we're called to do. Perhaps we've been prepared for this kind of change in direction?'

With the advice of our teammates, our sending church and some trusted friends, we decided I would take up the role of London Team Leader with Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship and Rhonda would take a job in our children's school. And God has confirmed this decision countless times since April 2005.

Since arriving in England in 1995, and especially since we came to London in 1998, we’ve seen the importance of working with the larger Body of Christ. Some place more emphasis on preaching, others on serving. Some worship in different ways. But all of them look to Christ alone for forgiveness and trust in the Holy Spirit's work of conforming us to the image of Jesus all to the glory of God the Father. What a blessing!

Part of my role is to represent UCCF across London, drinking coffee with church leaders from many denominations, seeking collaboration with colleagues in other ministries, aiming — like Barnabas in Acts 11 — to find evidence of the grace of God, encourage, edify and give thanks. I haven't been disappointed. I first learned that notion of encouraging the Body of Christ in June 1983 when I attended Operation Barnabas orientation in Lititz, PA. God was preparing me even then to work with UCCF in 2005.

So, here we are - still working the harvest field in London alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ. They don't wear the badge of GBIM, nor are they all from UCCF. That doesn’t matter, as long as we all belong to Christ and are preaching His gospel for the glory of God. It's great to be in the business of making Jesus famous together!

Bible students or disciples?

Our family just returned to the east coast (USA) after two weeks of conferences in California and a week of vacation with my brother-in-law's family. We were then subjected to what seemed like a week in the Seattle airport due to heightened security measures, missed and cancelled flights and other such riotous fun while ALL of our luggage vacationed in Baltimore ;-)

We stood in this line, which extended down into the bowels of the airport,
in order to pass through the Seattle airport security

At Brethren National Youth Conference (Biola University) I had the opportunity to do a luncheon discussion on "informal intergenerational disciple making" entitled, Tell Your Kids: Don't Waste Your Life. I accepted the invitation to share on this topic because years ago I reached a critical juncture in my church planting; I realized that I was making Bible students, but I was not making disciples.
D.A. Carson says:
“Disciples are those who hear, understand, and obey Jesus’ teaching…. It is binding on all Jesus’ disciples to make others what they themselves are—disciples of Jesus Christ.”

Sounds good, but how does one do that?! So at the luncheon I shared some of my insights on disciple making and gleaned others from the participants. The gist of my thoughts from Titus 2:1-10 were:
Share your time with them (don’t depend on the youth group meeting)
Share your life with them (don’t depend on the Sunday School curriculum)
Share stories and tips with them (don’t depend on the Sunday sermon)

In an accelerated culture, sharing time with someone may be
our costliest sacrifice and most fruitful investment

One reflection on disciple making that has greatly impacted me comes from Dr. Günter Krallman's book, Mentoring for Mission. He writes:
"In his discipling of the Twelve the Master attached eminent importance to association, i.e. companionship, the cultivation of close relational ties. On the basis of such with-ness he (Jesus) generated a dynamic process of life-transference which was meant to foster holistic maturity in his friends…."
Nothing intellectually groundbreaking in all of this. The hard part, of course, is actually incorporating the "life-transference" that fosters holistic maturity into our praxis; so we had a time of prayer asking the Spirit to enable us to do that.
Otherwise, this summer the Klawitters have visited churches in York, Souderton, Lancaster, Hagerstown, Shady Grove, Clinton, Alexandria, Lancaster and Coatesville. We will be in Hope and Telford before we head back home in less than two weeks. It has been so good to see friends and family again, sharing glimpses of the Trinity's doings in Europe and how we might all participate in His activity through prayer.

If you would like to have a short list of prayer items for GBIM's established churches and emerging teams as well as for the European Charis Associates (evangelists and church planters), please drop me a note at: paulklaw@gbim.org and I'll be glad to shoot them off to you.
Rather than attempt to crank out another entry on the fly, I think we will take a summer break. See you in September!

Pilgrims Along the Way

What would make young Europeans walk hundreds of miles across Europe and northern Spain? What would bring several from our GBIM Europe staff to the Agape Pilgrim House to serve these pilgrims?

It's none other than the St James Way - one of Europe's most popular pilgrimmages. Thousands of people will pass by the Pilgrim House, stopping for water or a night's lodging, all in search of something spiritual.

Just as the Apostle Paul went to the synagogue and the Areopagus to find those who were asking spiritual questions, many will be the opportunities to talk with pilgrims about their motivation for their pilgrimmage.

The Bible calls all of us pilgrims on this earth - and we're each on a spiritual journey. Pray for great conversations and opportunities to follow-up on conversations and new relationships formed on the spiritual foundation of Jesus!

fighting against anonymity

The fight against anonymity is real in a mega-city like Berlin. But Rafaela, Thorsten, Kweku, Lydia, Tatiana, and Pius find a common bond as they worship God with 150 other believers. And this, despite being German, Ghanaian, Namibian, and French.

This is very different from the US, where there is often a church on every corner. Evangelical Christianity has permeated American society in broad and deep ways.

But it’s just not the case in many places in the world – including Europe! The continent of Luther, Calvin, and Wesley is far removed from the effects of the Reformation. Massively secularized and seemingly allergic to God, the ‘dark continent’ remains a missiological “puzzles” for evangelicals.

So how do we spread the gospel and plant churches in a place where authentic Christianity is scarce and where the name ‘Grace Brethren’ is not only unknown, but often suspected of being downright dangerous?

One way is to look for partnerships with evangelicals of like heart and soul. Find where other believers are and whether their ministries regard the Scriptures, salvation, church life, and outreach in similar ways. Network with believers attempting to find “wedges” for the gospel in (especially urban) Europe. Pray that the Lord of the harvest would unleash people already committed to him towards involvement in his mission.

This search does not always provide discoveries or official partnerships. But it does acknowledge that we are not the first evangelicals on the continent, and that we are part of the larger Body of Christ.

In Berlin, where we’ve served for nine years, we are discovering one potential partnership. Two years ago, we linked up with the International Baptist Church in the city, where 20+ nationalities are represented among 200 people. Surprisingly, almost 40% are German. It may not fit the typical approach for cross-cultural missions. But the opportunities are there nonetheless.

Since that first connection, we have taught, trained and equipped a wide variety of people in Christian faith and witness. Ambassadors, refugees, students, business leaders, and many more diverse people. Many are German, like the six young men I’ve met with for a year in leadership training. Many come from around the world, from bi-cultural marriages, or for a short stop in Berlin. Whatever their story, God brought them here. Part of our role is to provide an oasis for their faith and a training ground for their mission. Our ongoing evangelistic relationships provide a context and example to other believers as we stimulate them to reach out with the message of the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Some fruit is born when we get “out there.” Other fruit takes place in training and motivating those “in here” (in existing churches) to live and share their faith “out there.” Our core commitments to biblical truth, biblical relationships, and biblical mission pervade our ministry in every way.

Could such partnerships be valuable, especially in the ‘spiritual deserts’ that make up the urban areas of the continent? In a place where resources and believers are limited, it’s worth finding out. - Mike Yoder

Culturally allergic to the gospel

“Oh you look so beautiful tonight, in the city of blinding lights,” croons Bono. But to what are the lights blinding us? What if urban culture and even culture in general were blinding us to something very important?

I recently saw an advertisement for patio flooring boasting “European stone.” Now what would make one think that "European" stone was more desirable than, let’s say, Philippino stone? Let’s face it, the “European” label on merchandize—whether it be German cars, French haute couture or Italian caffè—evokes images of “chic” and “class."

Europeans take their culture very seriously—intellectually, artistically, architecturally, literarily, musically, and apparently when developing floor materials. Who is not awestruck by magnificence of the Christendom era’s Temple—the Sistine Chapel, or the magnitude of the Enlightenment’s Temple—the Louvre ? (And in "The Da Vinci Code," Dan Brown points out how nice the Louvre’s flooring is!)
But before we are tempted to purchase that European stone for our patios, let’s remember the caveat against “boasting of what [one] has and does” (1 John 2:16). Cultural anthropologist Sherwood Lingenfelter, warns of the dangers inherent in any and every culture (whether it be European, Philippino, Ethiopian or American). He says:

“Learning from parents and peers to accept and live in accord with certain values, beliefs, and procedures for action, create a collective this-worldliness, which becomes a prison of disobedience. So entangled, they live a life of conformity to social images that are in conflict with God’s purpose for humanity” (Transforming Culture, 15-16).

Many of Europe’s “values, beliefs and procedures for action” have been developed in reaction to Christendom, the religious political power responsible for carnage and horrific dealings with peoples around the globe, and even with their fellow Europeans. As a result, today's European culture often causes people to have an allergic reaction to the gospel.

For example, take the words of one of Europe’s most influential and revered voices, whose work is quite in vogue among postmodern people, Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche asserted:

“Christian is the hatred of the intellect, of pride, of courage, freedom, intellectual libertinage; Christian is the hatred of the senses, of the joys of the senses, of joy in general” (The Anti-christ, 26).
In a broad sense, the blinding lights of 21st century European culture, and the “boastful pride of life” it engenders, hinders Europeans from seeking Christ; they expect to find all they need in the richness of their culture.

As I shared in “Plausibility and Pray-ers,” John Robb, Unreached Peoples Program Director with World Vision, says:

“Satan works… by trapping a people in society-wide presumptions about reality.” In settings where “Christ is not obeyed… such strongholds go unchallenged, sometimes for centuries, gaining strength with every passing generation” (see Perspectives, 145-151).

For centuries and centuries, Europeans have been indoctrinated and inoculated against the gospel found in Scripture. Europe’s culture, influenced by anti-Christian philosophy reacting against a brutal Christendom devoid of Christ, has trapped its people in prisons of disobedience to Christ.
BEFORE WE POINT THE FINGER...
Of course it is easy to pick on the Europeans. But I recently had a discussion with two young restaurant workers in the States. They mentioned how demanding “believers” can be during a meal. This waitress and waiter find it especially offensive when these “believers,” after being verbally ungracious, leave a miserly tip topped off with a tract. One of the restaurant workers said, “I know people who have become embittered against evangelicals because of this sort of thing.”

So evangelical Americans, let’s be introspective for a moment. Could the American evangelical sub-culture somehow be jading or offending this current generation? Do we wield power—political, corporate—in a way that could motivate them and future generations to alienate themselves from the Church and from Christ?

The next series on Dr. Klaw & ET: spiritual resources.
Whether it be Europe or the United States, what spiritual resources has God given us to counter things such as the smoke, mirrors and incandescence of the Crusades, the Inquisition, atheistic philosophy and blindingly bright culture? What does the Spirit recommend to us so that we might better incarnate and share the good news of the kingdom, regardless of the kind of floor covering one chooses and uses?

Journeying together in mobile Europe

This past week, a GO team from Martinsburg, Pennsylvania was in London ministering with us and learning firsthand what ministry looks and feels like here. They had multiple opportunities to connect with people and help them take the next step in their spiritual journey. They provided the environment in which Monia, a new believer from a Muslim background, was able to share her salvation testimony for the first time. One team member, Dan, connected with Chris who lives on the streets of London – and shared the Gospel with him. Several of the team members helped show Christ's love through the Soup Kitchen at the American Church (see photo).


As Europe becomes more mobile and urbanized, a significant implication is the transiency of relationships – people with each other and in relation to the Church. People simply move more frequently. The consequences of this change are numerous – some positive and some negative.

On the negative side, it is increasingly rare for a person to live his/her entire Christian experience in one local church (i.e. first exposure to the Gospel, conversion, baptism, discipleship, service & outreach). Many relationships in the Body of Christ are short- rather than long-term.

But on the positive side, this increased mobility is a huge opportunity for the Gospel and Jesus’ Church. If we can plant the seed of the Church in individuals with whom we work, they can take that with them wherever they go.

In the midst of that mobility, God allows us to help in the journey of many individuals who may never be a part of one of our churches. But all of these small touches in Jesus’ name will see the larger Body of Christ built up and Jesus’ Church progress in a global sense, without necessarily being easily measurable.

Another example, a definite highlight for us this year, was the recent baptisms of Kim, Shaun and Steve. We know them through Goodenough Trust, where we lead a Bible-reading group each Tuesday evening. Just weeks after her conversion, Kim came on an April mission trip to Serbia with a whole group from Goodenough (I was a part of that group as well). During that trip and over the subsequent weeks, God used MaryAnn and myself in a discipling relationship which led to her baptism.


Kim may not become a member of a Grace Brethren Church, but God clearly used us in her life to move her to a point of believer’s baptism. And we count it a great privilege to be able to journey awhile with people like Kim, Monia and the Martinsburg GO team in their walk with Jesus.

The Trinity and teamwork

In April, on the flight back from GBIM board meetings, I read a doctoral thesis that needs to be broadly circulated—“God and Teamwork: Implications of the Unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit for Christian Ministry Teams.”
Utilizing a biblical theological approach, Roger Peugh examined all Scriptural passages where at least two persons of the Trinity are mentioned. From these texts he distilled principles about how the Father, Son and Holy Spirit harmoniously and flawlessly participate together on mission, even though, as Roger says, “we can scarcely imagine the issues that God faces.”
Negatively, in the godhead there are no pride or related attitudinal problems, no selfishness or self-seeking, no power struggles, no sinful or self-driven competition, no jealousy, no evil suspicions, no lack of trust, no ulterior motives, no hatred, no resentment, no communication problems, no miscommunication, no misunderstandings, no lying deceit or exaggeration, no tension, no backbiting, no slander, no gossip, no put downs, no griping or complaining about situations or other teammates, no work related problems, no failure, no laziness, no unfaithfulness, no disappointment, no betrayal, no insecurity, no negative surprises.
Positively, the three persons of the Trinity enjoy unity of being, love, trust, submission, honor, respect, fellowship, communication, mutual support, faithfulness, loyalty, clarity regarding personal identity, all functioning simultaneously.

Whew, talk about a utopian spiritual community!

digging teamwork in Dijon

J-P says, "Teamwork makes me strong!"

Sadly, American evangelical missions are characterized by discord that clouds our collective luminescence. Missional teams talk about birthing spiritual communities, but all too often do not connect the dots between teamwork and spiritual community.

Our unity wordlessly declares that Jesus was sent by the Father and that He loves the people of the world. But if teammates do not palpably love each other why should others to believe that the Father loves them? (see Francis Schaeffer, "The Mark of the Christian") If we talk about teamwork, but cannot get teams to work, what makes us believe that we will do better with spiritual communities?

Jesus prayfully expressed it to his Father this way
(The Message John 17:21-23):

“The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.…
I in them and you in me.
Then they'll be mature in this oneness,
And give the godless world evidence
That you’ve sent me and loved them.”

So to practice teamwork and give some examples of evangelicals of common heart and vision serving Christ together on mission, a friend and colleague, Tom Barlow, will be making contributions to this blog.

Tom (above) and I have been on mission together in Europe for over fifteen years

To start things off, Tom will be sharing practical examples of some Grace Brethren colleagues who are serving with other evangelical groups on mission in Europe. (Tom, himself, is partnering with the American Church in London, England.) Of course, he has his own style and focus; and I am quite confident that the diversity Tom brings will be both refreshing and appreciated!

May our missionary God be pleased with this micro-example of collaborating together to the glory of Jesus.

Who is farther from God ?

Who is farther from God, the Australian aborigine animist in the bush wearing a loincloth or the Parisian positivist on the Riviera wearing a monokini?



This is the introduction to the last set of entries in the series, “religious smoke, philosophical mirrors and cultural incandescence.” I have blogged on these subjects in order to:
Explain some of the dynamics of mission in Europe.
Question: “Why is evangelism and church planting slower in Europe than elsewhere?”

Answer: the Crusades, the Inquisition and atheistic philosophy have created a culture that conditions Europeans to have an allergic reaction to the gospel.

Explain contextualization.
Question: “Why don’t apostles (‘sent ones’ / cross-cultural missioners) to Europe just use proven American methods to share the gospel and plant churches?”
Answer: The role of the missioner in any culture is to share Jesus and his riches using local language, expressions, thought forms and behavior, not foreign ones (Eph. 3:8-9).

I therefore encourage the GBIM team to act and speak in a way that will cause Europeans to ask the question to which Jesus is the answer.

For example, Paul knew how to talk and behave as an “outlaw” (anomos — one without law 1 Cor. 9:21), while remaining scrupulously careful not to sin. And with unrighteous clergy, the apostle-as-chameleon became convincingly religious in order to win them to Christ.

Affirm that the need for missioners to Europe is real.
Question (a person in a Grace Brethren church asked me this): “Why are you a missionary to France, they are all Christians aren’t they?”

Answer: 1 out of 3 Americans claims to be evangelical. 1 out of 250 French people claims to be evangelical. Europe needs missioners who incarnate and articulate the good news of Christ.

Suggest that the lessons that apostles to Europe are learning could prove valuable to believers in the United States. I often receive the comment, “Yes, it is like that here (in the U.S.) too.” Well, not really, but there are similarities and we can practice cross-pollination, learning from one another.

Remind that prayer is utterly essential. I request your prayers for Europeans, that they would see the glorious light of the gospel of Christ and not be blinded by religious carnage, atheistic philosophy and the incandescence of their culture. More about that soon…

Question: So what about the aborigine and the Parisian?

Answer 1: Arguably the aborigine animist is farther from God if the light of the gospel has never reached him. Apostles need to take the gospel to him.

Answer 2: Arguably the Parisian positivist is farther from God because, unlike aborigine, s/he believes neither in God nor gods. Religious carnage, atheistic philosophy and high civilization have blinded her/him from sensing her/his need for Christ.
By the way, 22% of the detribalized aborigines of Australia are evangelical; only 0.4% of the French people group is evangelical. (see http://www.joshuaproject.net/countries.php).

Contextualization: tailoring good news

In the United States, 1 out of every 3 people claims to be “evangelical.”
In France, 1 out of every 250 people claims to be “evangelical.”
In my last blog entry I claimed that this makes a difference in how one goes about sharing the gospel.

France’s past (see RELIGIOUS SMOKE blogs) explains its paucity of evangelicals. Christ must, therefore, be shared in ways that the French understand in light of, and in spite of, their past in order to help them journey toward a relationship with Him in the present and experience intense enjoyment with Him in the future. This is contextualization.

By the way, contextualization needs to be applied everywhere, whether it be the Czech Republic, the Central African Republic, Canada, S. Carolina or S. California. The gospel never changes, but the way it is presented must be tailored to the person in light of her/his culture and context.

As Lesslie Newbigin stated, “[Contextualization] directs attention to the actual context, shaped by the past and open to the future, in which the gospel has to be embodied now."


So let's look at contemporary France's context. It was founded upon the thinking of philosophers reacting to religious carnage. These secular prophets excoriated the monarchy and Catholic authorities for their atrocities. While the philosophers denounced religious abuses they freely borrowed Christian concepts and ideals, stripping them of Christianity (and later God) to form the intellectual foundation upon which many Europeans build their lives today.

The following is an overview of a few major philosophical voices and the foundation stones that they laid. From their writings one sees that much European thinking has been staunchly anti-religious since 18th century when the United States became one nation under God. The philosophers' teachings are a major cause for the slowness of evangelism and disciple making in France today.

We will pick up the story in the 16th century…

THE FRENCH PHILOSOPHERS REACTED AGAINST THE CARNAGE ENGENDERED BY RELIGION WEDDED TO MONARCHICAL POWER
More than 4,000 Huguenots (believing French Protestants) were murdered in Paris during the Saint Bartholomew massacre (April 24, 1572). Neither women, nor children were spared. “The bodies, stripped naked, were thrown into the Seine,” a nationwide persecution ensued.

The French monarchy and Roman church joined forces in slaughtering the Huguenots

A Catholic neighbor invited my wife to go see the film "La Reine Margot" which depicts the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. Afterward she exclaimed to Louise, "Why did I have to pick this film to see with you (a Protestant) ?!"

Louis XIV abrogated the Edict of Nantes (1685) and sent out the dragoons, the “booted missionaries.” “These soldiers lodged themselves in Protestant homes and exerted immense pressure so that the people would return to the religion of the king: theft, violence, rape were the means used by these ‘converters.’”

King Louis XIV

The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV

Protestant "pastors had two weeks to leave France, while the other Protestants were no longer permitted to leave France, under pain of the galleys or prison.” It is said that when the Huguenots emigrated France lost its soul.

PHILOSPHERS CREATED A FRENCH FOUNDATION BASED UPON CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES PURGED OF GOD
Philosophers decried the harshness and the Wars of Religion. Christendom (the dominant religion wedded with the political power of the Monarchy) incontrovertibly proved itself to be murderous and was “denounced as superstition.” The stage was thus set for the French Revolution.

The storming of the Bastille

Even though the French Revolution and the subsequent revolutions it catalyzed attempted to make breaks from religion, many Christian concepts were nonetheless retained; Christian ideals simply assumed secular forms. Historian Kenneth Scott Latourette comments:

“It is highly significant that this series of revolutions had its beginning and its early course in Christendom and that the ideas which inspired and shaped them had their birth and initial formulations in lands and among peoples which for centuries had been under the influence of Christianity. Many of the revolutionary programmes repudiated that faith, but most and perhaps all of them embodied ideals and conceptions which had come through it. They took only part of what had been given by Christianity and to a lesser or greater extent distorted what they took, but even when they did not recognize or acknowledge their source, they were deeply indebted to it."

The French Revolution freed the people from the domination and abuses of the allied French monarchy and Roman church. The revolutionaries dealt with those institutions in a way that resembled Old Testament judgments and established a secular state based upon Christian and Enlightenment values. The resulting French Republic was designed to promote the Rights of Man and to protect its people from religious power.

Robespierre, on the eve of the apex of the Terror (June 8, 1794), formally introduced the worship of the Supreme Being. Though his brand of religion did not last long, deism became the predominant belief of the Enlightenment with the philosophers as its high priests.

Robespierre and "the Terror"

Voltaire (1694-1778), denounced the religious hypocrisy of his day. In "Candide or optimism" (required reading in many French high schools today), the main character was interested in seeing the priests of the country of Eldorado. The old man with whom he spoke replied, “My friend, said he, we are all priests.” Candide retorts, “What! You have no monks who teach, who argue, who govern, who plot, and who burn the people who are not in agreement with them?”

Voltaire described the reputation of the religious leaders of his day; he was instrumental in transitioning France from Catholicism to deism, from the pre-modern era ruled by religious tradition, to the modern era ruled by reason. The Enlightenment accelerated, and its “deadening effects” in the religious sphere spread like a black plague.

The French title of Voltaire's book is "Candide ou l'optimisme" (Naïve or optimism)

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) spoke of the “ardent missionaries of atheism” of the late 18th century. Then the 19th century saw “movements which seemed to threaten the very existence of the faith” in Europe. People increasingly put their belief in Man, in reason, in progress.

In "Reveries of the Solitary Walker," Rousseau presented his revelation that “man is naturally good and it is by these institutions alone that men become evil!”

August Comte (1798-1857) birthed Positivism, “which for many intellectuals… became a substitute for Christianity.” Positivism was the belief in “an invincible law of the progress of the human mind, to replace theological beliefs or metaphysical explanation.” It had “place neither for ‘subjective knowledge,’ nor for the idea that truth might vary according to its context.”

Positivism's hope was placed in politics that were “founded on a rational organization of society, as well as on a new religion without God: the religion of Humanity.” Positivism presupposed that “humans always act rationally.” This was the twilight of religion; the light of science had come. And the Enlightenment juggernaut plowed through the West.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) continued the deification of Man. Nietzsche's superman, Zarathustra, guided Western people into the 20th century declaring, “God is dead."


HOW'S YOUR CONTEXTUALIZATION?

Americans may react to all of this saying, "So what? Nobody reads philosophy anyway!" Not so. It is part of my cultural context. My son is a senior in French public high school. Phillip is a music major, but nonetheless has six hours of philosophy class per week (four hours on Monday morning!). His required reading list includes Voltaire, Rousseau, Zola, Diderot, Camus, Sartre and others.
If you are American, you been heavily influenced by the thoughts of the Founding Fathers (whether or not you have read their works). If you are an American evangelical, how much are you influenced by writers such as D. James Kennedy, Ravi Zacharias, Bill Hybels, Lee Stroble, Rick Warren and others? That is how much Europeans are influenced by the philosophers.

The philosophers' staunchly secular teachings, concomitantly based upon and hostile towards Christendom, are accepted or assimilated by most Europeans. The philosophers' defense against religious atrocities was to embed secular armor into people's intellect through their teachings.

In light of this French and European context, Stuart Murray says, “In post-Christendom evangelism and discipling will both take longer. Evangelism will start further back and move more slowly;… Patience is essential for mission and community-building after Christendom."

By the way, how is your contextualization? My context causes people to be harder toward the gospel because "Christians" in my city burned Protestants at the stake.
Are you faithful to keep the gospel unadulterated while tailor-making its presentation to your interlocutor? (see 1 Corinthians 9:19-23; Colossians 4.3-6). Are the non-Christians around you really understanding who Christ is and what life with Him could be like? Or have you been ignoring historical and cultural elements that are keeping your unbelieving friends from wanting to know Him? How might you tailor your presentations of the good news in order to help them to become better acquainted with Jesus?

Sources (you can purchase the philosopy books mentioned above at Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/) :
Lesslie Newbigin, “Can the West be Converted?” 2.
Bost, 90, 142;
Denimal, 59-60, 63-64;
Latourette, 765-769, 1004, 1008, 1010, 1015, 1063;
Voltaire, “Candide ou l’optimisme,” 315.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, "Les Rêveries du promeneur solitaire," 58, 206;
La Philosophie de A à Z (Paris: Hatier, 2000), 78.Friedrich Nietzsche, "Ainsi parlait Zarathoustra," 116-117.
Stuart Murray, "Church After Christendom," 156.

French, American: it's all the same !?

When I have described to American evangelicals the intellectual and emotional resistance that one faces when sharing the gospel in France, I have on a number of occasions gotten the response, “Yes, isn’t it terrible. It is like that here in the States too.” Well, is it really?

My wife was in the courtyard of our apartment complex talking to the daughter of a neighbor. The seven-year-old exclaimed, “But in light of the suffering in the world, how can you say that God exists?!” Now how many American seven year-olds do you know who would respond this way at the mere mention of the name of God?

Our neighbor has now become a believer and her daughter (above 9 years later),
who spoke with Louise in the courtyard, attends the Dijon GBC's youth group

As I mentioned in the earlier blog entries “RELIGIOUS SMOKE”, the Crusades and the Inquisition irreparably marred the European psyche. At about the same time that the United States was experiencing a tremendous spiritual revival, C.S. Lewis stated:

“Certainly I feel that very grave dangers hang over us. This results from the apostasy of the great part of Europe from the Christian faith. Hence a worse state than the one we were in before we received the Faith. For no one returns from Christianity to the same state he was in before Christianity, but into a worse state; the difference between a pagan and an apostate is the difference between an unmarried woman and an adulteress.”(“Letters,” 15 Sept. 1953, 89)

C.S. Lewis' "Letters"

In the 16th through 18th centuries Protestant believers fled to North America to escape European politico-religious persecution. In 1776 on the New Continent, the United States consequently inaugurated religious freedom and separation of Church and State as founding principles to protect people from the tyranny of the power of the monarchy wedded with the authority of the Church.

In 1789 on the Old Continent, France inaugurated state secularism to protect people from the tyranny of the power of the monarchy wedded to the authority of the Church. Seeing no other way to uncouple the authority of the Church from the power of the Monarchy, the French revolutionaries overthrew both, and promoted secularism as the remedy to the problem of Christendom that had been plaguing the Continent for centuries.

The Rights of Man

So France and the United States arrived at two opposing prescriptions to the common menace of Christendom (the majority Church wielding domineering political power). The United States promoted freedom of religion; Europe promoted philosophical secularism.

The United States is admittedly pragmatic, while Europe is hubristically philosophical. Take for example the American philosopher Benjamin Franklin’s aphorisms that still guide people today: “a penny saved is a penny earned,” and “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

My wife regularly pulls out vignettes from Franklin's life found in Isaacson's book. Our kids smile and humor her! (source: www.barnesandnoble.com)

Now compare the tenor of Franklin’s sayings to some European philosophers:

“God is dead” (Nietzsche).
“God’s only excuse is that he does not exist” (Camus).
And “even if God did exist, it would change nothing” (Sartre).

Friedrich Nietzsche

Albert Camus was the second youngest-ever recipient of Nobel Prize for literature in 1957

Jean-Paul Sartre received the Nobel Prize for literature, but refused it.
Sartre spent some time at the Château de St. Albain which was then owned by the Schweitzer family (Sartre was Albert Schweitzer's nephew); it is now the property of GBIM

Just as Jesus and his apostles formed the foundation of Christianity, just as the Founding Fathers formed the foundation of the United States, the Enlightenment philosophers formed the foundation of today’s Europe. And much of Europe's intellectual foundation was resolutely anti-religious, laid to protect people from suffering and death at the hands of Church authorities empowered by the monarchy.

The upcoming blog entry, “PHILOSOPHICAL MIRRORS,” will provide a chronological overview of some of the foundational voices of Europe from the 16th to the 20th century.

Caveat: if philosophy class was not your cup of tea or coffee or… just abstain. But if you would like to glimpse one of the chief contributors to European resistance to the gospel then read on.

Application: A pragmatic thought concerning evangelism: “Different strokes for different folks.”

As we all know, one faces obstacles when sharing the good news of Christ even in the United States where 35% of the population is evangelical, where laws were designed to promote religious freedom, where the mindset is pragmatic, where there is a favorable religious past—Christians made significant contributions to societal wellbeing.

How much more then does one encounter obstacles when sharing the good news of Christ in France where only 0.8% of the population is evangelical, where laws were designed to protect people from religion, where the mindset is philosophically anti-religious, where the atrocious religious past has marred Christ's reputation.
In light of these stark differences, it simply makes sense that one might use quicker, more direct approaches when sharing the gospel with an American, than with a European; it takes time for the European to overcome the visceral reaction against Christianity, to work through the intellectual questions, to discover who Jesus really is and what life with Him might truly be like.C. S. Lewis captured the heart of these differences by simply saying that one does not woo a divorcée as one does a virgin.