See part one in this series, Why Is Christianity on Decline in America?

Ross Douthat's Bad Religion attributes Christianity's decline in the United States to:

1. political polarization that has sucked churches into its vortex;
2. the sexual revolution that has undermined the plausibility of Christian faith and practice for an entire generation;
3. globalization that has made the exclusive claims of Christianity seem highly oppressive;
4. materialism and consumerism that undermines commitment to anything higher than the self; and
5. alienation of the cultural elites and culture-shaping institutions from Christianity.

What, if anything, can we do about the decline of Christianity? This question has triggered an entire generation of books and blogs. Douthat's book is mainly descriptive and critical. He even admits that the book was "written in a spirit of pessimism." Yet he rightly responds that for any Christian, "pessimism should always be provisional." So in his last chapter he very briefly proposes four factors that could lead to the "recovery of Christianity."

First, he speaks of the "postmodern opportunity." The same relativism and rootlessness that has weakened the church is also proving exhausting rather than liberating to many in our society. Even in the academy, postmodern theory is now widely seen as being in eclipse, and there is no "next big thing" on the horizon. Douthat wonders about the possibility of a kind of revolution from above---that is, a revival of Christianity among cultural elites.

Second, he notes the opposite impulse at work, the "Benedict option"---a new monasticism that does not seek engagement with culture but rather the formation of counter-cultural communities that "stand apart . . . and inspire by example rather than by engagement." Douthat suggests that these first two measures should not be seen as completely opposed and, indeed, could benefit by being paired with one another, otherwise engaging the culture can become accommodation and being an example can become separatism and sectarianism.

Third, he cites "the next Christendom," meaning the explosively growing Christian churches of the former Third World could evangelize the West. Under the first two proposals Douthat can name some existing efforts that hold promise, but this factor is much more than a dream. In European and North American cities literally thousands of new churches and missions have already begun under the leadership of African, Latin American, and Asian Christians.

Finally, he proposes that "an age of diminished [economic] expectations"---along with the devastation of the sexual revolution and the exhaustion of postmodern rootlessness---could lead to the masses again looking to Christianity for hope and help. A church that could welcome them, he warns, would need three qualities. First, it would have to be political without being partisan. That is, it would have to equip all its members to be culturally engaged through vocation and civic involvement without identifying corporately with one political party. Second, it would have to be confessional yet ecumenical. That is, the church would have to be fully orthodox within its theological and ecclesiastical tradition yet not narrow and harsh toward other kinds of Christians. It should be especially desirous of cooperation with non-Western Christian leaders and churches. Third, the church would not only have to preach the Word faithfully, but also be committed to beauty and sanctity, the arts, and human rights for all. In this brief section he sounds a lot like Lesslie Newbigin and James Hunter, who have described a church that can have a "missionary encounter with Western culture."

It is worth noting that each of these positive measures takes aim at one or two of the factors that have led to decline. The Benedict option seeks to break the hold of political polarization on the church. The postmodern opportunity aims to re-engage the cultural elites. The next Christendom has already strongly undermined the contention that Christianity merely reflects Western culture and imperialism. And if there is an "age of diminished expectations," it could erode both the materialism and even the sexual licentiousness (which always works best in the midst of material plenty) that have undermined faith.

But how successful will these be? I don't know, but I think these are the right strategies and responses. Why? First, each of the proposals addresses one of the five barriers to faith in our culture, so we should at least attempt to deal with them. Second, though treated briefly, these are essentially the same ideas that others such as Newbigin and Hunter have proposed. That confirms them in my mind. Third, as many readers know, I simply think these are features of a biblical ministry.

Near the very end of this book, Douthat (whom I have not met as of this writing) very kindly used our Redeemer Presbyterian Church as a good example of some of the things he proposes for the church in our time. When I read it I was startled, then humbled, then strongly overwhelmed by a sense that, for all God's kindness to us over the years, we at Redeemer are so far from realizing our goals and aims. It actually discouraged me for several days until I noticed a little quote by G. K. Chesterton that Douthat cites near the end of his book. In The Everlasting Man Chesterton surveys the many forces over the last 2,000 years that threatened and should have destroyed Christianity.

"'Time and again,' Chesterton noted, 'the Faith has to all appearances gone to the dogs.' But each time, 'it was the dog that died.'"

Editors' Note: This is a cross-post from Tim Keller's blog at Redeemer City to City.

If you want to disrupt a beautifully harmonious dinner party, all you have to do is bring up the radioactive issue of immigration. There might not be a more heated political topic in contemporary American life.

And yet pastors, by virtue of the changing diversity of their congregations and their role as community leaders, can't afford to avoid the subject if we are to be faithful ministers of the gospel. Not only are we inundated with opinions from our parishioners, we're forced to wrestle with real-world implications of immigration policy, whether our churches are located in Arizona or Alaska.

A sampling of political opinion, on all sides of the issue, reflects a failure on the part of many evangelicals to articulate a gospel-centered approach both to immigration policy and to immigrants themselves. A recent survey from the Pew Forum on Faith and Public Life suggests that just 12 percent of white evangelicals see this issue primarily through the lens of their faith. We think this presents a golden opportunity for pastors to reframe the debate from a missiological standpoint.

Pastors' wariness to discuss the issue may stem from the politically charged nature of the national dialogue on immigration, or from the fear that by addressing the issue they will inevitably offend some in their congregation, putting attendance, tithes, and offerings at risk. We suspect that others avoid the issue, though, because---in a U.S. context where nearly a third of immigrants are present unlawfully---they see a paradox between the repeated biblical commands to welcome and love immigrants and the equally biblical commands to be subject to the governing authorities. Unsure of how to reconcile these seemingly conflicting commands, some pastors just avoid the issue altogether.

We argue that this is a false paradox which should not keep evangelicals from seizing the missional opportunity that God has foreordained in the movement of peoples across borders.

In this first article, we plan to address the attitudes that should shape our discussion of immigration. In a subsequent article, we plan on discussing some practical ways for pastors to address the issues that affect ministry.

Treatment of Immigrants

The issue of immigration is actually a very common theme in Scripture, particularly in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word gare---which most English translations render "foreigner," "sojourner," or "alien," but which Tim Keller argues compellingly (in a footnote to Generous Justice) is best translated as "immigrant"---appears in one form or another 92 times in the Old Testament. Most often, we find the immigrant referenced in a positive sense: God sets the standard for the Israelites that the immigrants who come to dwell among them should be treated "as the native among you" (Lev. 19:34), and as he gives the Law to his people, he repeatedly states that its protections---including the right to fair treatment as laborers (Deut. 24:14), to a Sabbath rest (Ex. 20:10), and to prompt payment for labor (Deut. 24:15)---and most of its requirements (but not all: note Deut. 14:21) are meant for the immigrant as well as the native-born (Ex. 12:49). Throughout the Old Testament, the immigrant is repeatedly referenced with other two other groups---the fatherless and the widow---as uniquely vulnerable and thus worthy of special care and provisions (Ps. 146:9, Zech. 7:10, Ezek. 22:7, Mal. 3:5, Jer. 7:6, Deut. 24:21). God commands his people to love immigrants both because he loves them (Deut. 10:18) and because, given their unique history in Egypt, they ought to know better than to mistreat foreigners living in their midst (Deut. 10:19, Ex. 23:9, Lev. 19:34).

While we're not proposing that we directly apply God's rules for the nation of Israel to the United States, God's love for immigrants and others who are vulnerable is unchanging and should guide our contemporary response. The New Testament's emphatic commands to neighbor love (Matt. 22:39, Lk. 10:27, Rom. 13:9) and to extend hospitality to strangers (1 Tim. 5:10, Heb. 13:2) guide us in the same direction as the many Old Testament texts: Christians are to love, welcome, and seek justice for immigrants. (For a more thorough analysis of the issue of immigration in Scripture, we recommend Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible by Dr. Daniel Carroll R. of Denver Seminary.)

Our View of Immigrants

Pastors serve a vital purpose in shaping worldviews. Central to our mission is the call of Jesus to "make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19). The arrival of immigrants into our communities has brought the nations to our doorsteps. This movement of people is not an accident: the God who made all people also "determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live . . . so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him" (Acts 17:26-27, NIV). While economic and sociological reasons drive people's desire to migrate, we believe God has sovereignly superintended this movement of people to America so that they might come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and follow him as disciples. This is a two-way street, as many immigrants are faithful Christians who bring the gospel with them to unbelieving Americans.

This is why it is so important for pastors to combat the strain of anti-immigrant attitudes that pervades American society. A faithful Christian cannot see his Hispanic neighbor as an intrusion of his way of life, but as a sovereign opportunity for Christ to be expressed in the world through his bride. The immigrant who arrives may either be a brother or sister to be added to our fellowship or a lost soul in need of the gospel.

The tendency may be to ignore immigrants because of concern that we might upset those within the church who, guided by (often spurious) media accounts and political considerations, see them as a threat to their culture and values.

But we must have the courage to articulate a gospel-centered approach to this issue. It is our duty to view immigrants not as problems to solve but as people for whom Jesus died. Without a biblical lens, we may come to view immigrants as a threat and an invasion, rather than as a missional opportunity. In doing so, we lose credibility with our immigrant neighbors when, while proclaiming Christ's love to them, we also communicate (intentionally or otherwise) that we dislike them and wish they were not part of our communities. As Russell Moore notes, "It's horrifying to hear those identified with the gospel speak, whatever their position on the issues, with mean-spirited disdain for the immigrants themselves."

If pastors exercise their responsibility to address the issue from a biblical and missiological perspective, however, we may not only sow in the hearts of our people a love for their immigrant neighbor, we may help shape the national conversation on immigration.

The longer you're in pastoral ministry, the more you move from being an astronaut to an archaeologist. When you're young, you're excitedly launching to worlds unknown. You have all of the major decisions of life and ministry before you, and you can spend your time assessing your potential and considering opportunities. It's a time of exploration and discovery. It's a time to go where you've never been before and do what you've never done. It's a time to begin to use your training and gain experience.

But as you get older in ministry, you begin to look back at least as much as you look forward. As you look back, you tend to dig through the mound of the civilization that was your past life and ministry, looking for pottery shards of thoughts, desires, choices, actions, words, decisions, and relationships. You can't help but assess how you have done with what you have been given.

Now, who would be so arrogant and bold as to look back on their life and ministry and say, "In every possible way I was as good as I could have been"? Wouldn't we all hold some of those pottery shards in our hands and experience at least a bit of regret? Wouldn't all of us wish that we could take back words we have said, decisions we have made, or actions we have taken?

If you and I are at all willing to humbly and honestly look at our lives, we will be forced to conclude that we are flawed human beings. And yet we don't have to beat ourselves up. We don't have to work to minimize or deny our failures. We don't have to be defensive when our weaknesses are revealed. We don't have to rewrite our histories to make ourselves look better than we actually were. We don't have to be paralyzed by remorse and regret. We don't have to distract ourselves with busyness or drug ourselves with substances.

Isn't it wonderful that we can stare our deepest, darkest failures in the face and be unafraid? Isn't it comforting that we can honestly face our most regretful moments and not be devastated? Isn't it amazing that we can confess that we really are sinners and be neither fearful nor depressed?

We can do all of these things because, like David, we have learned that our hope in life is not in the purity of our character or the perfection of our performance. We can face that we are sinners and rest because we know that God really does exist and that he is a God of:

Mercy,

Steadfast love,

Abundant Mercy

Because he is, there is hope---hope of forgiveness and

new beginnings.

Yes, we really can fully acknowledge our sin and failure and yet be unafraid.

As I enter my fifth year of pastoral ministry, I will be the first to say I have much to learn. Even so, by God's grace, I have learned some important lessons---three of which related to the Word and ministry I share here.

The Word Does the Work

In 2 Timothy 3:14-17, Paul takes time to remind his young protégé of the power, authority, and utter sufficiency of Scripture for "teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." The following charge is based on the power and sufficiency of the Word: Timothy must commit himself to the preaching of that Word.

Paul's admonition reminds us in pastoral ministry that when we forget that the Word does the work, we are lost. It is God's Word that holds power and sufficiency---power to touch and change people's hearts by the Spirit, and sufficiency to accomplish God's sanctifying work. As pastors, we need to trust that God's Word does the work.

As a youth pastor, I've certainly felt the pull to let something else---really, anything else---dictate what I'm teaching to my students. Yet I have humbly learned that God's Word does the work; I need to get myself under that Word and speak it faithfully. Our best teaching series in our youth ministry thus far was actually not even really a "teaching" series but a "live" Bible study in the book of Philippians. We spent 40 minutes each Wednesday night asking simple questions of the text together and allowing God's Word to speak to us. And God's Word did its work in the lives of the students. I need to let God's work dictate what I'm doing in teaching and leading. I need to unleash the real power and let it do the work.

The Word Does Its Work Best in the Context of Relationship

God's Word does the work---but what if the people do not show up to hear it? Deep relationships help God's Word to take root in people's lives. In our ministry, the students who have grown in Christian maturity, holiness, and knowledge have been aided by genuine friendships. The relationships became the fertile ground for Word ministry to accomplish its purpose. The ministry of the Word and the growth of the gospel in people's lives is the end game, but people almost always get there through relationships.

Preach the Word up front, yes, but engage in gospel ministry with people in smaller groups and one-on-one. For a beautiful example of how this can look in the ministry of an ordinary pastor, read this wonderful little story by Barry Cooper. David Helm, in his book One-to-One Bible Reading, also offers some valuable insights and tools.

The Word Does Its Work as We Work Hard

You may have heard it said that the pastorate is a place where lazy men hide. The saying is a bit harsh, but it is unfortunately true in some cases. Being a lazy pastor is quite easy, actually. You just create an illusion of extreme busyness, importance, and stress, all the while actually doing very little work. This must never be! Men called to ministry should work harder than everyone else. We are called to excellence, and while the results belong to God, shame on us if we do not spend ourselves for the sake of the growth of the gospel in our churches.

At our church, the supervising pastors ask us, "How are you working hard and maximizing your time for the sake of the gospel and the church?" It is not unspiritual for pastors to talk about topics such as efficiency and productivity. We need to get up and go to work. We need to work hard to get things done for the sake of the gospel and the growth of Christ's kingdom. The results are his; the labor is ours.

These lessons are not profound, but I do hope that they ring true for those of you who are seeking to faithfully labor as Word ministers. By God's grace, for as many years as he gives me in pastoral ministry, I hope to put myself under his Word and allow it to accomplish his purposes in the lives of my people. I hope to do all I can to build and encourage deep relationships in my ministry---fertile ground where Word ministry can grow, thrive, and bear fruit. And I want to---for God's eyes alone---work hard at all of this, spending myself for the wonderful Word work to which he has called us as gospel ministers.

There's a saying in Nebraska: "If you don't like the weather then wait a minute." It is not surprising to run your heater and air conditioner in the same day. But such variable weather tends to coincide with stable public relations. This is why it is so interesting to consider the stormy story of University of Nebraska assistant football coach Ron Brown.

You may recall Brown as the eye of the hurricane in the aftermath of the horrific Penn State sex scandal last fall. Nebraska played Penn State the weekend after the story broke. Surrounded by clouds of despair, Brown, an outspoken evangelical, led a prayer meeting of players, coaches, and officials at midfield. He also provided clarity and biblical perspective during the week. Brown's Christian worldview and witness were, as many said, the highlight of the day.

Six months later Brown finds himself in the headlines again. Only this time he is not being applauded but assailed for these same evangelical convictions.

In late March the Omaha City Council held a public hearing concerning an amendment to their anti-discrimination ordinance to add protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. The law already provides protection from discrimination based on race, gender, age, religion, and disability. Brown attended the hearing and voiced his opposition to the amendment.

A host of national outlets have picked up the AP story about backlash against Brown. I recently visited with Brown to get his thoughts on what happened and why he spoke up.

Personal Encouragement

Ron Brown is fearless. At least he seems so. He lives his Christian life like he played as a college and NFL defensive back. Like a roving safety, Brown defends his ground, looks for breakdowns, and tackles the opposition. His love of Christ trumps all. It is amazing to read stories in an Omaha newspaper about how he has won over a Muslim running back by his daily faithfulness. I also hear many more stories through friends close to him of steady, intentional Christian living. Therefore, before we observe or say anything else we can be challenged and encouraged. This guy is a rare jewel in contemporary evangelicalism. And he is living it out in a media fishbowl.

I asked Brown why he is so bold, so outspoken. He responded,

Jesus said, "Whoever desires to save his life shall lose it. If you deny me before me then I will deny you before my Father." My greatest burden is not losing my job or what people might say about me. My greatest burden is faithfulness. I want to be faithful. I want to see the body of Christ be faithful. I want to see unbelievers come to Christ.

Brown is 100 percent Division I football coach and 100 percent preacher. When he talks you want to strap on the spiritual helmet and get in the game.

Clarity Is Necessary

Why would the writer say this? Brown has a reputation for boldly speaking out on moral issues, and we have come to expect it.

Why is this a concern? Because many, like this columnist, hear a list of "do's" and "don'ts" in his soundbites and statements. This is where we all should be listening to those who listen to us. Are they hearing gospel or moralism? Are we preaching the gospel of what Jesus did or what we need to do/not do?

D. A. Carson has helpfully said, "It is easy to sound prophetic from the margins, what we need is to be prophetic from the center." That is, preaching against issues that flow out of a rejection of the gospel (sexual sin, abortion, etc) are peripheral and must be addressed by means of the core gospel, that which is of first importance (1 Cor. 15:3-5).

I asked Brown about the danger of his message being reduced merely to moralism. Brown pounced on this like an open-field tackle:

I do not want to see a moral Nebraska. I want to see a Nebraska and a country transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is why I do all of this. Everything is about getting the truth of Jesus Christ out.

Brown's view of homosexuals does not emerge clearly in this media dust-up. Many have argued that he is hateful towards gays. He told me:

That's not true. It is not all about seeing homosexuals become hetereosexuals. This is not the message of the gospel. The gospel is about all types of sinners (like me) who are unbelievers becoming believers. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not discriminatory, it is all inclusive: we are all sinners. I am pretty consistent in talking to all types of people about Christ. This is the thing that encourages me in this whole thing: the gospel of Christ is being presented. God will forgive people. He will give a clean-slate to all who turn from sin and trust in Jesus.

As you listen to Brown talk about his burden for the gospel to take root, and then you re-read the soundbites, you feel the burden of Carson's words all the more: we must be prophetic from the center. They will hear what we are passionate about. We have to keep hitting those gospel notes, because it is a strange sound to people who do not yet recognize the tune.

Cultural Observation

There is much we could conclude from this situation, but I'll highlight just two observations.

First, if Brown had spoken in favor of the amendment, media would not have protested. Brown boldly proclaimed, "This offends God." Consequently, many people were offended (including the university chancellor). People really are interested in gagging God. They don't want to recognize authority outside themselves. This response illustrates Romans 1:18-25. There is no consideration about offending the Creator, only consideration about the possibility of offending creatures. God help us. Brown was pretty fired up about this point.

In the famous battle between David and Goliath there was Goliath, the enemy to God and his people; David, the young under-sized boy; and the cowardly Jewish army. Too often American evangelicals look like a cowering army instead of a zealous David. There is opposition to God and his Word. How can we just hang our heads and give up?!

Second, there is back story to Brown's public appearance. The coach has received some pretty intense public chin-music from Harvey Perlman, chancellor of the University of Nebraska. Many local experts are opining that Perlman is fed up with the coach's exploits. In other words, Brown might get fired over this incident. The university may regard Brown as a liability. In other words, the University of Nebraska, in the name of tolerance, would be intolerant of his so-called intolerance. If that sounds like an postmodern end-around, you heard correctly. The modern understanding of tolerance pivots on the fact that you must tolerate everyone's views except those who disagree with this premise. This is not only intellectually but also morally problematic.

To make matters more complicated, in a few days the Lincoln City Council will consider the same ordinance. Everyone wonders if Coach Brown will speak out against the amendment, as he did in Omaha. "I'm praying about that," Brown told me. "I want to draw as much attention to Christ as I can. I also want to think about the best ways to do that." If for whatever reason Brown doesn't go, he should not worry about being called a coward. If he does go, may the gospel be made clear in all of its grace-saturated glory.

Obvious Tension

Christians living in a secular world have endless opportunities for gospel engagement. Where and when do we go? Furthermore, how do we speak out against moral issues in an increasingly secular culture? I can't pretend to answer these things once and for all. There is an obvious tension here the seems to pit faithfulness against pragmatism. Christians need to pray for wisdom and boldness as we endeavor to be clearly declaring and demonstrating the gospel.

Unlike Nebraska weather, this priority never changes. May God be pleased to use Brown and the rest of us to advance the gospel.

The road to Calvary is rarely straight. A host of detours, excursions, and u-turns often attend our steps before God brings us to the cross. Such unexpected twists fill conversion narratives with color and texture and bring the greatness of redemption into sharper focus.

Accounts of God's saving grace are among the most edifying and evangelistically forceful activities of ministry. In addition to enriching our faith, they offer us language and logic for appreciating the divinely appointed steps that lead men and women to conversion. In what follows, I will lay out some of the salient movements of my own testimony (since it's the story I know the best) in order to consider how God uses our existential wanderings to accomplish what the late Francis Schaeffer called "pre-evangelism," the process that leads one to conversion itself.

Fire Walk

After five weeks in the hospital, having nearly died from meningitis, I resolved to find life's purpose. The first step of my quest was to investigate transcendental meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. After a few months of making unusual noises in a lotus position, I understood why the Beatles became disenchanted with Mr. Yogi's method. From there I went on to attend seminars through the Learning Annex, studying under world-class gurus like M. Scott Peck and Deepak Chopra.

The apex of my spiritual journey was a "Fire Walk." It was at New York's Jacob Javits Center where more than a thousand people waited to hear motivational speaker Tony Robbins. After three hours of his encouraging affirmations, neurolinguistic programming, and some New Age meditation, our massive herd shuffled outside to the parking lot where we encountered a long stretch of burning coals and embers. According to Robbins, the experience was designed to be a "metaphor" for overcoming our fears and improving life. Never before had a metaphor looked so hot and potentially harmful.

When the lady ahead of me proceeded to walk across the 12-foot path of fire, I inhaled deeply. Tony Robbins's wife (who happened to be facilitating my line) put her hand on my shoulder and said, "You can do this!" I noticed that she was wearing shoes and was at least 20 inches from the nearest coal; nevertheless, I stepped forward and moved as quickly as my trembling legs could carry me. I don't know how it worked; all I can say is that I walked across the fire without getting burned. When I cleared the coals, someone immediately hosed down my feet with cold water. Despite the thrill, however, my heart remained empty.

Nut-Jobs Like Me

After months of practicing similar forms of craziness, I met a born-again follower of Christ named Jan. By that time, my searching had yielded questions but no answers, an appetite for God without the knowledge of how to feed it. Then came a turning point, the day when Jan started to tell me about Jesus. Knowing something of my pathetic effort to locate purpose, she started by asking questions along the lines of my spiritual journey up to that point. These questions included: What did you learn from your meditation? How did you benefit from your fire walk? My answers forced me to acknowledge that, despite my best efforts, I was no closer to the goal than when I had started. It was shortly thereafter that Jan explained that Jesus died and rose from the grave for nut-jobs like me.

Looking back through years of hindsight, I see enormous value in Jan's approach. How intentional she was, only the Lord knows; nevertheless, it is clear that her honest and humble queries into the progress of my spiritual journey were instrumental in helping me realize my need for divine grace. Such was trajectory in which God led me to salvation.

It appears that the Lord often leads sinners through deserts of longing before he imparts the Water of life. These valleys showcase our feeble attempt to find truth. They parody the reality of Jesus' death and victorious resurrection. Whenever we invite an unbelieving friend to share his or her story, we create a context in which divine light can shine into darkness, and hopefully, in God's sovereign timing, the darkness will eventually comprehend it.

There have never been this many Christians around the world, yet few know much about God, the actual contents of the Bible, or the ways in which God's people have interpreted and applied the Bible historically. Many Americans, at least, still go to church and read the Bible--as their social lives permit. Even more in the Global South do so with fervency and zeal. Still, despite our apparent esteem for the Bible's status and authority, few believers know as much about its contents as they do about Hollywood movies, popular music, or athletics.

Indeed, as anyone who teaches in our churches can attest, few today know the Ten Commandments (I mean all ten, in proper order), the twelve apostles, the letters of Paul, or even the titles of the books included within the biblical canon. A basic grasp of Bible doctrine is also hard to find today. How many Christians do you know who can articulate what Scripture teaches about our Lord's two natures, the ministry of the Spirit, or the nature of the church? Even first-year seminarians have trouble with these things.

The church wants education and needs theological leaders. In this day when many pastors lead non-theologically, and academics work in a way that is lost on the people of God, we need pastor-theologians who can minister the Word in ways that edify the saints and offer a winsome public witness to the goodness, truth, and beauty of the Lord and his will for us.

The time is ripe for dialogue, even charitable debate, regarding the best way forward. So I offer the following theses in the hope that they will incite a large number of church leaders--in congregations and divinity schools--to think together with me about how we can serve God's people more effectively as preachers, teachers, and Christian educators.

1. Our churches and our world desperately need pastors to lead and teach theologically.

We clearly can't rely on families to raise their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (though a minority of them are doing so). We can't rely on television or radio preachers to feed us (though, again, some are trying). We shouldn't assume that people are finding theological nourishment in their local Christian bookstores. Our pastors truly need to give themselves far more fully to a ministry of the Word that is profound and systematic, as well as personally, ecclesially, and socio-culturally relevant.

2. Not all pastors are able to function as big-hitting theologians (serving the church and world at large).

Some don't have the time. Many are serving churches that won't allow this kind of stewardship. Some don't have the intellectual gifts or writing skills. Many pastors in large churches have assignments that include very little preaching and teaching. So let's be honest about this: the kind of theological leadership that the world so desperately needs is not for everyone engaged in pastoral ministry.

3. All pastors should lead and inform their people theologically.

Not everyone can be a great theological leader. Not everyone can write books or make a splash in the media. But ordained clergy are called to the sacred ministry of the gospel and the eternal Word of God---not to motivational speaking, popular psychology, folk wisdom, life coaching, or marketing the faith (though we often engage these other things in ancillary ways).

4. Some pastor-theologians should recognize that God has called, prepared, and equipped them for the serious, sustained, theological leadership of their own congregations, denominations, and the Christian church at large.

This wider ministry often requires strong encouragement from those who know us well. People who fit this description are often tempted to believe that insofar as they serve the Lord in trans-congregational ministry they are shirking their main duty to their local congregations. Sometimes this is true; but it is not always true. It is possible to serve well in a local congregation and to serve the church at large. And people called to both assignments are actually sinning against the Lord if they neglect the larger church.

5. We will always need schools for the training of ministry leaders.

There are many churches one can serve with little or no advanced training. But it would be difficult today to become a theological leader without the benefit of a solid theological education. Seminaries, especially, offer such a rich and varied menu of specialized studies in fields related to Christian ministry---ancient languages and history, church history, philosophy, psychology, hermeneutics, intercultural studies, and so on--that it is impossible to replicate what they do outside the academy. History teaches that reformation in the church is usually led by intellectuals---people who understand the past and know how to chart a different course for the people of God moving forward. One doesn't need much education to maintain the status quo. But to reform and improve the church one needs to understand its problems and have access to the tools by which we can solve them.

6. But this does not mean that we will need the very kind of schools we now have.

American Protestants have only had such schools for a couple hundred years. They are relatively new. And, in the main, the theological life of our churches has declined during the years they've been around. I suggest we move toward a seminary model in which thoughtful, seasoned pastors play a greater role on campus (not just in preaching and polity classes) and, correlatively, that seminary professors play a greater role in the educational ministries of their region's congregations.

7. Nor will we always need academic, systematic theologians to do all the heavy theological lifting for God's people.

We are not often explicit about this, but systematic theology, insofar as it is distinguished from biblical, historical, philosophical, psychological, and intercultural theology, is the work of generalists, people who synthesize the findings of those in the other scholarly disciplines and neither have nor require a methodology of their own. They put the big picture together and apply it to our lives. They don't require the resources or the structures of the academy to do this kind of work (though they do need very good libraries). In fact, the people best suited to synthesize our knowledge of God and his ways in the world today, applying this knowledge to the empirical realities we face, are pastor-theologians.

8. The knowledge of God is too important to be left to academics.

Most of the best-known academic theologians at work today have moved beyond the pale of orthodoxy (even beyond the Christian faith). Their work is driven by intramural academic concerns and priorities. They do what they think will earn them tenure, promotion, grant money, fame, and fortune in the guild. They talk to one another more than they talk to church people. But the knowledge of God is for all of us to pursue.

9. Independent churches shouldn't run their own seminaries.

Not only do they lack the resources (material and human) to do so well, but when they try to run their own schools they often wind up functioning like ministerial cookie cutters. They replicate the styles and views of their church's famous pastors. Pastor-theologians need ministerial sparring partners, people who disagree with them within the bounds of orthodoxy (especially while in training). They need real accountability, regular contact, and engagement with the rest of the Christian church---even if they are serving only a local congregation that is part of a small network of independent churches. The church needs pastors who are trained in the texts, doctrines, practices, and cultural sensitivities of the church--the whole church, past and present.

10. Theologians are accountable to God and all his people, whether they recognize it or not.

Academics need to do theology prayerfully, with the people of God in mind, not as an academic game. And pastor-theologians need to avoid the common temptation to chase fame and recognition, to replicate themselves, to force their own parochial vision and priorities on others. Insofar as they are to lead beyond their own, local churches they will need to listen to all God's people, pouring themselves out for the bride of Christ.

11. The task of the pastor-theologian has been problematized by modern, Western, intellectual history, especially by the dissolution of Christendom and the rise of the modern research university.

The dissolution of Christendom and rise of the modern research university are good things. They present us with difficult challenges, though---challenges not faced by Jonathan Edwards, for example. Pastors no longer enjoy a taken-for-granted cultural authority or legally sanctioned power. Americans now have to use voluntary means to gain a hearing from the public. And it is difficult to persuade people to choose theological education---especially when it requires earnest effort on their part. It is easier to gain a hearing by pandering to popular tastes.

Further, research universities and their fruits in mainstream culture (The New York Review of Books, National Public Radio, Alfred A. Knopf, etc.) are now the places where most self-selecting intellectual types, even intellectual Christians, get their mental nourishment. So it's natural for scholars to invest the bulk of their energy in the academic arena and/or semi-popular work that stems from academic soil. Both the church and the world, however, need our leaders to resist the current temptation to abandon the goal of improving the intellectual lives of people in and through our churches. Pop-cultural forms have their place within the church. But so do high culture and intellectual culture. We must do more than simply follow the latest pop-cultural fads if we are to deepen and enrich the cultural lives, indeed the theology, of God's people.

12. We need to avoid a Pollyannish view regarding the prospects of the pastor-theologian.

Given this intellectual history, there is only so much that is possible for pastor-theologians in the present. We ought to be realistic and humble as we pursue this kind of ministry. Not many in the pews are ready for it.

13. We should work toward a day when theological professors view themselves as handmaids serving pastor-theologians (among others), and pastor-theologians play an important public role in guiding people theologically.

Professors should continue to offer specialized instruction in ancient languages and history, exegesis, church history, social science, and philosophy. They will continue to equip future generations of pastors. But they should work to raise up pastors who can synthesize, exposit, and apply the knowledge of God to the lives of all God's people with authority.

14. This shift will require a major restructuring of the current division of labor in our churches and our schools.

This agenda will require a major restructuring of congregational priorities, and the schedules and the disciplines of some of our leading pastors. It will require some restructuring of seminary life, more and better partnerships with key churches and their pastors, and increased flexibility on the part of leading laity (who will need to give all of our pastors more time for study and some pastors time to speak and write for the church at large). This will clearly take some time. The effort will meet with stiff resistance in some pockets of the church.

15. The spiritual health of the church is worth the effort.

Let's work together to promote a reformation in the theological life and work of the church---for Jesus' sake.

Editors' Note: This is part two in a series on pastors' wives. Click here to read part one, "The Pastor's Wife Is a Pastor's Wife."

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"I just want to take a minute to soak this in." Our cheeky South African friend had a big grin on his face as he approached my husband and me after a church meeting.

"What do you mean?" my husband inquired.

"It's just so strange to see you two standing next to each other at church of all places! Shouldn't you both be working?" He chuckled. Our friend's remark about us rarely being in one another's presence during church gatherings is humorous.

But some remarks aren't very funny.

Someone once told me, "Excuse me, you are the pastor's wife? I expected you to be different."

I'm slowly getting used to the forthrightness of some of the friends we've made here in Dubai. After living in this region for nearly four years, most of my culture shock has become quite mild.

But there are still moments when I'm shocked. Like the time a group of ladies offered to point out some places where I could stand to lose more of my baby weight. One woman stepped forward and gently patted a few body parts to emphasize her point. Another woman advised me, "Stop wearing loose pants or you will stay this way."

At that moment I wasn't trying to treasure the gospel; I just wanted to go to a "happy place." Thankfully, I can laugh about this now. I've come to realize that the openness these women enjoy comes from security in their friendships sealed by loyalty. These women loved me so much to include me in their community where friends speak freely about all sorts of things from expanding waistlines to struggles with sin.

I am continually learning more about different cultures. I am also continually learning to treasure the gospel and its implications for me as the wife of a pastor.

Ministry can be overwhelming with its complex web of relationships and bouts of intense busyness. Factor in cultural complications and various seasons of life and you've got a recipe for potential anxiety, discouragement, and fatigue.

As pastors' wives, our extreme circumstances make it easy for us to forget that our relationship with God is the predominant, defining relationship in our lives.

I forget the gospel because of my sin.

Certainly my own sin is the most persuasive factor in my forgetting the gospel. I know in my heart I feel I am the VIP. I assume this should be the case for the people in my life because in my own mind I am larger-than-life. A friend gently reminds me that people don't think about me nearly as often as I like to think they do!

Because I'm self-centered, I tend to have an unhealthy fixation on things like church drama or our jam-packed pastoral schedule. I can stew over comments about my husband or the church and assume the worst motives in others. This is all the more reason I must continually remind myself of the all-encompassing, life-defining reality of the gospel.

I forget the gospel because of secondary things.

Many a pastor's wife has struggled with expectations for them on the part of the congregation (and perhaps her husband). With input from dozens of fellow church members, "Our Old Pastor's Wife" can become a idealized caricature who wears dozens of hats. Someone told me that one of the up-sides of being married to a church planter is that new believers don't know "Our Old Pastor's Wife." So when these new believers move on from our church to another church then I turn into her.

We should affirm and celebrate how God designed us with a myriad of different gifts for building up the church and loving our neighbors. But the roles we play should be second fiddle to one great reality--- God designed all of us to see and cherish him as our highest good.

Every pastor's wife has this in common: we are all desperate to see God's grace at work in our life, our husband's life, and in the life of our church. Dependency on God's grace is a defining reality for every pastor's wife across the globe.

We are Jesus' sheep, too.

When we get caught up in the work of the ministry and forget our dependence on God, we carry burdens we were never meant to bear. We need to remember that Jesus bears our burdens, just like he bears the burdens of every fellow saint in our church. The greatest burden he has carried for us is our sin.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls (1 Peter 2:24-25).

Jesus absorbed God's wrath against our sin so we don't have to absorb church drama and let it define us and rule our marriage.

Jesus governs all things for our good and his glory so we don't have to be control freaks in order to feel safe.

Jesus died to forgive our sins so we could live to righteousness and avoid a world of snares like pride, gossip, and selfishness.

Jesus is sovereignly building his church so we don't have to burn out in frenetic ministry busyness.

Jesus is going to present the church to himself in splendor so we don't have to despair over every negative comment we hear.

Jesus is our tender Shepherd who loves us with undying faithfulness so we don't have to live for people pleasing.

Jesus is the Overseer of our souls; he cares for us! Through his work on the cross, our Good Shepherd gives us his own body as sustenance for us. We ought to take pains to feast on his word every day for the good of our own souls---not just to regurgitate for ministry output.

Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp said in How People Change, "If who I am in Christ does not shape the way I think about myself and the things I face, then I will live out some other identity." The most defining relationship of the pastor's wife is her relationship to the Chief Shepherd who guides, cherishes, and guards her soul.

By grace through faith the pastor's wife is a partner in the glorious gospel. He who began the good work of conforming us to the image of his Son will complete it at the day of Jesus Christ.

And to the praise of his glorious grace we'll become exactly whom he expected.

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Are you interested in hearing more about the role of a pastor's wife? Join us at the 9Marks panel at noon on June 23 during The Gospel Coalition women's conference. Kristie Anyabwile, Keri Folmar, and Adrienne Lawrence will be discussing The Pastor's Wife: First Lady, Piano Player, Hostess, Mother Extraordinaire, and All-Around Wonderwoman? There is still time to register for the conference if you haven't already!

I want to begin this column with where the last one ended. We must be careful how we define ministry readiness and spiritual maturity. There is a danger in thinking that the well-educated and trained seminary graduate is ministry ready or to mistake knowledge, busyness, and skill with personal spiritual maturity. Maturity is a vertical thing that will have a wide variety of horizontal expressions. Maturity is about relationship to God that results in wise and humble living. Love for Christ expresses itself in love for other. Thankfulness for the grace of Christ expresses itself in grace to others. Gratitude for the patience and forgiveness of Christ enables you to be patient and forgiving of others. Your daily experience of gospel rescue gives you passion for people experiencing the same rescue.

These things need to be brought to the forefront in the application and examination of all pastoral candidates. We are not calling skills, knowledge, and experience to ministry. We are calling whole people who live out of the heart and whose ministries will always be shaped and directed by some kind of worship. We are calling people in the middle of their own sanctification, still struggling with the seductive and deceptive power of sin. We are calling people who face the daily snares of a world that simply is not operating the way that God intended. We are calling people God will call into hardship for their redemptive good and for his glory. We are calling people in intimate daily relationships with other sinners. We are calling people capable of losing their way, capable of self-deception, and tempted to be self-sufficient and self-righteous. We are calling people who drag their feelings about and interpretations of ministry experiences into this new place. We are calling people in as desperate need of forgiving, transforming, empowering, and delivering grace as anybody to whom they would ever minister. We are calling real people who are not yet grace graduates.

So we must get to know---really know---the people we put into positions spiritual leadership and care of God's people.

Some Biblical Examples

It is clear from examining Scripture that leadership fruitfulness or failure is seldom only about knowledge, strategy, skill, and experience. Consider what Romans 4 says of Abraham. He was chosen by God to receive his covenant promises. He was told that his offspring would be like the sand on the seashore. Yet his wife was a very old woman, way beyond child-bearing age, and he had not yet given birth to the son who would carry on his line. Romans 4 tells us something significant about Abraham's heart. When you and I are called by God to wait for an extended period as Abraham was, our story is often a chronicle of ever-weakening faith. The longer we think about what we are waiting for, the longer we consider how we have no ability to deliver it. The longer we have to let ourselves wonder why we have been selected to wait, the more our faith weakens.

Not so with Abraham. We're told in this passage that during this time of protracted waiting his faith actually grew stronger. Rather than meditating on the impossibility of his situation, Abraham meditated on the power and character of the One who made the promise. The more Abraham let his heart bask in the glory of God, he grew convinced he was in good hands. Rather than a cycle of discouragement and hopelessness, Abraham's story was one of encouragement and hope.

What about Joseph, whom God chose as his tool to preserve the children of Israel from famine and resultant extinction? When seduced by the Egyptian ruler Potiphar's wife, he would not give in. Why? Not fear of consequences, not learning from experience, and not his skill at negotiating the complicated relationships of the palace. Genesis 39 tells us clearly what motivated Joseph at this critical choice point in his life. He resisted because of deep heart devotion to his Lord. His heart was not ruled by horizontal pleasure but by vertical worship. He could not conceive of doing such a wicked thing against God. A glory greater than the temporary glories of the created world captured his heart, so he spoke with an immediate, emphatic, and heart-felt "no."

Good to Go

Or think about Moses as he stood before that burning bush. God had chosen Moses to be his tool of redemption, to lead Israel out of captivity and into the land of promise. But Moses was neither willing nor hopeful. Exodus 3 and 4 record Moses' argument with God. Moses believed he was completely unable, unprepared, and unqualified to do the thing that God called him to do. God's response was simple: "I will go with you." Moses' bottom line was just as simple: "Lord, please send someone else." Even after God gave Moses a first-hand demonstration of the power at his disposal as the chosen tool of God, Moses begged the Lord not to send him.

What is going on here? Moses was not protected by all of his Egyptian education. He was not motivated by the wealth of his Egyptian cultural knowledge. He was not heartened by his understanding of palace politics. None of these things helped Moses at this point, because he was betrayed by the fear of his own heart. Only in the face of God's anger did Moses finally go.

Or think of the army of Israel in the valley of Elah, armed for battle but to afraid to fight. They stood there as the chosen army of the Most High God, the Lord of Hosts, afraid to face the Philistine champion. It was an army suffering from a tragic case of identity amnesia. They forgot who they were. They forgot the promises they had been given. So they drew a false spiritual equation as they evaluated the moment. It wasn't these puny little soldiers against this huge giant, it was this puny giant against almighty God. 1 Samuel 17 chronicles David arriving. This shepherd, there to deliver provisions to his brothers, was a man of faith, a man who had experienced the rescuing power of God. David couldn't understand why the army would not fight. In an act of courage only possible for someone who knows he is a child of God, David walked into that valley to face Goliath with nothing more than a shepherd's sling. David knew God would deliver the Philistine champion and his army into his hand. David knew that he fought not in the shadow of the glory of Goliath but in the brightness of the glory of God. The courage of faith propelled him into that valley.

Or remember Elijah, who after the great victory over the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel found himself so alone, discouraged, and hopeless that he wanted to die. 1 Kings 19 pictures for us this pathetic prophet who completely lost his way. He could see no way out. Convinced he was the only righteous man left, he was sure evil would win. Only God could return Elijah to his senses. He was not alone. God's work was not done. Evil would not ultimately win. There were 7,000 faithful left to carry on the work of God.

Think about what Paul said of his opposition of Peter, who was about to compromise a core principle of the gospel, because he was afraid of what a certain group of people would think of him and how they would respond. He was about to act in a way that directly contradicted the message he was called to represent, not because he lacked knowledge, experience, or skill, but because, at the moment, his heart was ruled more by horizontal fear than vertical belief.

The 'X' Factor

In each instance, the condition of the leader's heart mad the difference. The heart is the inescapable "X" factor in ministry. Put two people with the exact same training, experience, and skill set next to one another, and it would be easy to conclude that they will respond in similar ways to the push and pull of local church ministry. It would be easy to conclude this, but dangerous. The potential for significance difference in the way these men function as pastors is as wide as the catalog of things that can rule a person's heart in ministry.

It is naïve to think that pastoral ministry is always propelled by love for Christ and love of his gospel. It is simplistic to conclude that people in ministry have a natural and abiding love for people. It is dangerous to conclude that everyone in ministry is working to further God's kingdom. It is important to recognize that many people in ministry have been seduced by self-glory and lost sight of the glory of God. Not all people in ministry do their work out of a humble sense of their own need. Ministries derail because leaders begin to think they have arrived and don't do the protective things they warn everyone else to do. It's naïve to think that pastors are free from sexual temptation, fear of man, envy, greed, pride, anger, doubt of God, bitterness, and idolatry. Every pastor is being reconstructed by God's grace.

So it is essential to know the heart of the man behind the knowledge, skill, experience, and ministry strategy before you call him to pastor God's flock. You can be assured that like God's leaders of old, he will face crucial personal and ministry choice points. In those significant moments, the heart will win the day and determine what he will do. Because, like everyone else, whatever rules his heart will direct his life and his ministry. It is vital to get way, way beyond the profile that emerges from the data on his vitae. The one called to teach God's Word must have a heart ruled by grace.

Charles "Chuck" Colson has gone home to be with the Lord. The Prison Fellowship ministry family invites you to join in celebrating his life.

Someone once asked me, "Don't you know he's a convicted felon?" The question made me laugh. Yes, I knew that. I was a senior in high school when Watergate happened. We watched the proceedings on TV in my Government class. I read his autobiography, Born Again, not long after it was released, and I heard him speak about it at the Governor's Prayer Breakfast in Lansing, Michigan in 1976.

Chuck Colson himself never lost sight of the fact that he was a convicted felon. He also never lost sight of God's gracious forgiveness through Jesus Christ. He founded Prison Fellowship Ministries, and led it to become a powerful force for spiritual, educational, and social change in prisons throughout American and around the world. But that is not the ministry or the realm in which I came to know and appreciate him. Rather it was in his leadership in Christian worldview thinking. In his Lansdowne, Virginia office, carefully protected in a glass case, there is one of C.S. Lewis's pipes. I believe history will recognize Chuck's place in a very small group of men including Abraham Kuyper, Francis Schaeffer, and of course Lewis, as leaders most responsible for framing evangelical Christians' thinking about our faith in relation to the world.

He helped us understand How Now Shall We Live?, what Loving God really means, and how to be The Body [of Christ]. Traveling and speaking indefatigably, he sowed the message that Christianity is the explanation for everything. He built a core of worldview-equipped, Kingdom-seeking lay leaders, called Centurions. He advanced the value of Evangelicals and Catholics Together: Toward a Common Mission, the crucial importance of life, marriage, and liberty, and in his most recent major release, Doing the Right Thing. He was a father who, as his daughter Emily has shown us (though he was not the main subject of this book), truly cared about the hurting. His BreakPoint radio commentaries helped millions to think more Christianly about current events.

I don't know of anyone in our generation who has so effectively coupled Christian compassion with Christian intellectual leadership.

Over the last couple years he was much concerned about the legacy he would leave. Some of us might think what he had done would have been plenty, and if it had been for the sake of his own name, he might have thought so, too. It wasn't about his name, though. For him it was about taking the opportunity his unique public platform afforded him to bring Christian leaders together in unity. What he prayed and worked for most over the past few years was to see a movement of Christian churches, ministries, and individuals working together for the purposes of Christ's kingdom, to bring about renewal, awakening, and transformation in our culture. He was at it until the end. He was speaking on "Breaking the Spiral of Silence" when he fell ill and was taken to the hospital a few weeks ago. I'm told that he was talking about it with BreakPoint leaders who visited him in the hospital late last week.

I think we're on track toward seeing this movement develop; at least, I pray that we are. There is much to be done.

Along the way to prison, Chuck Colson discovered how desperately he needed the grace and life of Jesus Christ. I've never been behind bars except to visit, but my need is no less. Neither is yours. Chuck's purpose in all his ministry was to lift up the powerful and saving name and life and ethics and truths and glory of Jesus Christ. Now he is raised up with Christ.