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Why the West Misunderstood Willow Creek

Author Jesse SteelePosted on Leave a comment

In 1975, Bill Hybels and Dr. Bilezikian discussed a concept that would be one of the most impacting—and one of the most misunderstood—in the Western Church.

While they implemented may ideas, some of the more notorious included diligent research and feedback, emphasis on local community, and effective communication. These principals, and others, grew their numbers at a startling rate, and eventually drew respect of many in the American Church, including some of their largest opponents from their early years.

Why was their such a misunderstanding, though? And why do many Christian groups misrepresent what Hybels did at Willow Creek? Perhaps this is easier to understand if we review three closet assumptions held by many Christians in America…

1. Research and market feed back are shallow, aesthetically-focuses, and greed-driven, only used by top-heavy, bureaucratic, for-profit businesses.

2. Good Bible teaching must use big words that normal people shouldn’t understand. Since seminaries teach with big words, those big words must be taught to the plumber in the pew before he can understand the Bible… even though those big words aren’t in the Bible.  · · · →

In Blog

No Joke

Author Jesse SteelePosted on Leave a comment

Zombies, perverts in airport security, and now the movie theater seats show the same criminal genius as the movie theater screen. Where did it start?

Rather than thinking legal/policy, just for a moment, connect the spiritual dots. The music and entertainment industry’s blatant agenda, tolerance without wisdom, hate is everywhere, immorality defended, murder aliased abortion, spite for the Ten Commandments…  “Religious rules only oppress people,” they say. What’s wrong with forbidding murder? Wouldn’t it have been nice if the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not commit murder,” had been welcome in a Colorado theater at midnight on July 20?

Movies don’t kill people. Guns don’t kill people. Baseball bats don’t kill people. People kill people. Human beings give power to tools and inspiration  of death and sadness—and we give such power through participation and tolerance of sin. What about giving power to tools and inspiration of Life? We can’t outlaw love for morals, then ban weapons of crime anymore than we can demand more jobs while punishing employers who create those jobs.   · · · →

In Blog

Advertising Gone Too Far

Author Jesse SteelePosted on Leave a comment

Facebook’s becoming a billboard. It didn’t start that way. And that’s why we liked it. Then it went public… certified, accredited, accountable, regulated… and Zuckerberg’s ” business nose” was no longer sufficient to manage the company. Now, it’s run by the same tycoons who destroyed Government Motors.

Facebook is valuable and successful because people use it, not from the popularity of advertisers. It’s the audience—the users, the readers, the listeners, the people… We made Facebook into Facebook.

It was the same as Rush Limbaugh’s snaffoo with advertisers. He’s a controversial guy. That’s why people listen to him. Angry elitists were jealous, so, not understanding how business works, they heckled his advertisers. See, in Liberal grad school ville, Moderate politics, and Asia, when someone voices the slightest disagreement, everyone throws up their hands, apologizes, placates, negotiates, compromises, and forsakes every value that makes them unique. That’s not the case with job creators, pioneers, Jesus followers, Conservatives, and number one Radio Talk Show hosts.  · · · →

In Blog

Justice Supreme

Author Jesse SteelePosted on Leave a comment

In 2009, Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Roberts was publically scolded for ruling against the President. Believe me you, he won’t make that mistake again.

The supreme court has it’s own motivations. Unlike politicians, who are concerned with public opinion, the justices are primarily concerned with the future power of the court itself. If it loses respect, it will become irrelevant. No one understands irrelevance as Supreme Justices who rule on relevance of fact and testimony every day.

As a result, the court often rules on cases in a manner that asserts their power, creates chaos for legislation that does not have every “T” crossed and every “I” dotted, and, mostly, overloads every level of government and society beneath the court with last-minute homework assignments. It’s as if they say, “Don’t bring this to me again. Finish your homework next time. And let that be a lesson to you.”

This different framework of decision making doesn’t cross the minds of political pundits.  · · · →