Bedhead Theology

When you think about attending church, what motivates you to go? What stands out that sets your church apart from other churches? What about the church stands out and draws you there? Whether you attend Power Verb Church or First Baptist Hometown, specific distinctives draw you there. But how do we develop the criteria we use to choose a church? In 1993, sociologist George Ritzer published The McDonaldization of Society . In his book, he argued that the fast-food industry has infiltrated society in four key areas: Efficiency, Calculability, Predictability, and Control. To say that the church has remained unaffected by this shift would be naive. The question before us is how much. Efficiency  Ritzer generally sees efficiency as an advantage. [1] Essentially, it seeks to find the single, optimum method for completing a task. In a fast-food model, this means moving a customer from hungry to full as quickly as possible. In the church, it becomes the most effective way to attract new v...

  Growing up, during the monsoon season, it seemed that every evening the skies would roil and thunderstorms would roll in. Growing up in the country, we basked in the beauty and terror of the tumultuous rain, blinding flashes of light, and—occasionally—the destructive power of tornadoes. I went to school where we would practice tornado drills. Nevertheless, warning signs exist if you know what to look for. Often, the sky turns an ominous shade of green. Larger-than-normal hail will often fall, usually without any rain. Clouds then develop funnel shapes long before they touch the ground. More obvious signs are debris in the clouds, a loud rumbling sound, and, oftentimes, a calmness right before a tornado hits. Recognizing the warning signs is crucial in averting disaster. We stand on the precipice of such a disaster. Can we see the warning signs? I am deeply convinced that the conversations surrounding the gospel within the church need clarity. The theology we hold—especially aro...

I have been in software engineering for over a decade. It always amazes me how much my theology influences my work. Lately, I have been contemplating whether any aspect of my computer science training could apply to ministry. In the same fashion that Paul employed classical rhetoric in a sanctified way, so too could we apply modern secular principles to the church. One thing I have considered about church evangelism is the necessity for a balance between intentionality and dependence upon the Holy Spirit. We can learn a lot about intentionality through applying the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) principles to local church evangelism. It might sound a bit corporate or tech-heavy at first, but it is actually a brilliant way to approach outreach. At its core, the SDLC is just a structured framework for taking an idea from a vague concept to a fully functioning, sustainable reality. When applied to church evangelism, it shifts the focus from haphazardly hosting random events and hop...