Author of Contradict – They Can't All Be True.
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For this episode of Reconnect, Andy is sharing an episode of Cross Defense, in which he joined host Rev. Rod Zwonitzer as they discuss the different opinions people have of Jesus… A Myth? A Liar? A Lunatic? A Pantheist? From The Future? A Prophet, but Not God? A Demon? or the Messiah?
For more Cross Defense episodes, click here.
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George interviews Andy about his MA research project, THE USE OF CHINESE LITERATURE AS A CULTURAL STARTING POINT TO PRESENT THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST.
Abstract
Common methods of Christian evangelism present a list of facts about man’s depravity and God’s act of salvation for mankind. These methods are problematic in today’s mostly postmodern world that does not accept absolute truths. These methods also use terminology and concepts unknown outside of the Christian faith, furthering the difficulty of communicating the Gospel. This research project then seeks to find a well-known piece of Chinese literature that Christians can use as a cultural starting point when presenting the Gospel in China, eliminating the problems of a facts-based presentation of the Gospel.
Key List of Words
Chinese folktales, Chinese literature, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, monomyth, and storytelling evangelism.
Show Links
>> Click here to listen to “Tattooing and Flying Drones for Jesus” <<
Jake Wells is a Flesh Pilot. He’s a tattoo artist and a DIY RC POV Helocopter enthusiast.
Tattoos are taboo in most Christian circles. Jake is covered in them and he covers others with them too.
Remote controlled helicopters are a booming hobby, though a controversial one due to the fact that most people call them drones and some pilots fly them in illegal spaces or over private property while filming from them!
Despite the controversy, Jake uses his job as a tattoo artist to share the Gospel and he has been dubbed the “world’s first RC (Remote Control) Christian Minister”.
Andy interviews Jake to find out more about how he became a Christian and how he shares Christ through his work and hobbies in the hope that Jake’s boldness to share the Gospel through his every day endeavors will excite others to do the same in their jobs and recreational pursuits.
Show Links:
Jake’s Ministry Site – Flesh Pilot
Jake’s Tattoo Site – Christian Tattoo Artist
Jake’s Coptor Frames for Sale – Black Arm Workshop
VICE’s Motherboard Article on Jake – “The Born-Again Christian Who Flies a Drone for God”
Nadov Assor’s Documentary with Jake – “Lesson on Leaving Your Body”
Jefferson Bethke’s Video – “Are Tattoos Sinful?”
George and Andy take a quiz from ChurchPop that makes them decipher if a selection of lyrics are from a secular love song or a contemporary worship song.
This quiz leads them to ask if it’s a problem if the lyrics to a song intended to be sung to Jesus could just as easily be sung to your girlfriend.
Other questions are also addressed:
Why is there music and singing in worship services? Is there a Scriptural reason to support singing when Christians gather for worship?
What should we expect to see in the lyrical content of songs intended for worship?
Should worship be viewed as a time that God comes and serves us, or a time that we come together to worship and praise God?
Should there be a different standard of lyrical content when singing to God corporately or by one’s self?
Andy has noticed what appears to be a thrust to have the songs and bands in services be something non-Christians or non-Church-goers wouldn’t mind hearing. This means the band in a way has become an outreach component. Is this a good approach to sharing the Gospel? And if this is the intent of some services, are the “Jesus is my Girlfriend” songs missing the mark of their intent for evangelism?
George and Andy both pick a song they have heard recently in a worship setting that has rubbed them the wrong way lyrically and they explain why. Their intent with this podcast is to promote Christians to evaluate what the purpose is of singing as a body of believers and to lead them to think about what they are singing when they gather in their local church bodies.
Show Links:
Contemporary Worship or Love Song?
“I have Decided to Follow Jesus” Lyrics
>>Listen to Reconnect Episode 23 Now!<<
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I (Andy) have recently noticed, on the Contradict Facebook page I administer and on other pages, that most posts on homosexuality speak just the Law of God ( i.e. his standards, commands, and expectations). The Gospel is typically missing.
I took a photo of a gay wedding cake and then added the text, “Jesus died for this sin too!” off to the side of the image. With this single statement the Gospel is proclaimed, and at the same time homosexuality is still shown to be sinful.
Jesus is the Savior of all adulterers. I am one of them. To clarify, in Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount”, he defines adultery as any lust. He defines murder as hating anyone. Jesus essentially shows us that we all have broken God’s Law, that we are all sinners in need of divine redemption. He provided that redemption through the shedding of his blood for our sins, through his life, death, burial, and resurrection.
“To share or not to share?” That is the question. In this episode George shares why he chooses to abstain from sharing religious posts on social media sites, while I share why I am in full support of such posts. To close George shares four Facebook posts pertaining with homosexuality and wants to know if I’d share them or not. Putting the Law and Gospel principle into action, I decide to share or not to share.
To learn more about Law and Gospel watch the videos with Law and Gospel in their titles in the following playlist I created on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS-hGmUdPsUnbaRFbrhQqhy9zj-h5mwub
Andy Wrasman 