Episode 5 Podcast

The fifth episode of Transcending Culture Radio is now available for listening by using the flash player at the top of the page or by
clicking here.

The main topic addressed in this episode is the rise of Emergent Church Movement. We talk specifically about the ideas set forth by Rob Bell in his book Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith. Special guest, Shawn Sammartano, who has studied this book discusses his findings. The podcast has now been extended from thirty to fifty minutes in order to cover this important issue in the church.

To ask Shawn any questions, you can email him at: shawn.e.sammartano@biola.edu

The Emergent Church

This blog and podcast has primarily been concerned with investigating the dilemma of proclaiming the gospel in a media driven society. When this site was launched last year, its focus turned toward the seeker-sensitive movement since the leaders of that movement pushed the introduction of media presentation within the church setting. Upon the wake up call of the seeker sensitive movement, we also see the torch of the Baby Boomer generation being passed to Generation X. Out of this generation, we are seeing the popularization and spread of the Emergent Church movement within the evangelical church.

What is the Emergent Church? It is a movement that also seeks to integrate media presentation, but it is a movement that is not easily explained since it is a phenomenon that is still arising. Yet to be concise, the Emergent movement claims to have the pure motive of aligning right practice with right belief. The problem is that the movement greatly downplays doctrine and even attacks it. Major proponents of this movement include Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, and Doug Pagitt. The Emergent Church is a topic that will be further explored as this blog and podcast continue. Its ideas and methods (specifically involving media) will be compared with the Biblical understanding of personal holiness and the proclamation of the gospel.

Episode 4 Podcast

The fourth installment of Transcending Culture Radio is now available for listening by using the flash player at the top of the page or by
clicking here.

Topics discussed in this episode include: The rise of Generation Y, ministry styles of different generations, and the wake up call of the seeker-sensitive church.

Books mentioned in this broadcast include The Younger Evangelicals by Robert E. Webber and Righteous: Dispatches from the Evangelical Youth Movement by Lauren Sandler.

A Wake Up Call

In what The Way of the Master Radio is calling the biggest story this year in evangelicalism, Bill Hybels has openly confessed that the seeker-sensitive model of doing church is simply not working. In Hybels' own words:

"We made a mistake. What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become ‘self feeders.’ We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between service, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own."

The story is covered by Christianity Today and can be read here. Such news is encouraging to those who have been troubled by the shallowing of the modern church. However, upon listening to Hybel's confession, one only wonders if Bill should have taken the news more seriously. In the clip, he repeatedly mentions, rather tritely, that it "ruined his day." When thousands upon thousands of souls are on the line, Mr. Hybels, it should do more than simply "ruin your day."

The live audio of Hybel's confession provided by The Way of the Master Radio can be heard here.

Recipe for Disaster

This article at Extreme Theology presents "How to Make a Disciple Casserole" featuring two different "recipes":




The New and Improved Seeker-Sensitive Recipe for Making Disciples

- Heaping Portions of Culturally Appealing Entertainment

- Generous Scoops of Songs That Have Little or No Doctrinal Content

- Buckets of Sermons That Teach Practical Self-Help Lessons and Pop-Psych Mixed With a Sprinkling of Out-of-Context Bible Verses

- The Yeast From a Small Group Study Lead by Un-Trained Lay-People Who Pool Their Biblical Ignorance by Asking the Question, “What Does This Verse Mean to You?”


The Biblical Recipe for Making Disciples - Acts 2:42

- A Tenacious Devotion to the Teaching of the Apostles (God’s Word Proclaimed in Song and Sermon) Under A Trained Pastor - 2 Tim 4:1-2, 2 Tim 2:2

- Fellowship

- Breaking of Bread (Lord's Supper)

- Prayers

Finding a Good Church

If you are having trouble looking for a good church, or know someone who is, this article from The Way of the Master Radio provides questions that one can ask the pastor of a church before or after they attend. Listed below is the condensed list. The whole article in PDF form with explanations can be found here.

How to Find a Good Church

1. What is man's biggest problem, sin or self esteem?
2. What must a man do to inherit eternal life?
3. How do you deliver the salvation message?
4. How hard is it to become a Christian?
5. How often do you talk about sin, righteousness and judgment?
6. How seeker sensitive is your church?
7. Who do you do church for, seekers or members?
8. Do you dumb down your sermons?
9. What is your mixture of topical vs. expository preaching?
10. Do your sermons emphasize theology or are they just relevant?
11. Describe your youth programs.
12. Describe your evangelism programs.
13. What church growth model do you follow?
14. How much do you give to missions and the hungry?
15. Do you believe the Bible contains no errors or contradictions?

Read the rest by clicking here.

Episode 3 Podcast

Long overdue, the third installment of Transcending Culture Radio is now available for listening by using the flash player at the top of the page or by
clicking here.

Topics discussed in this episode include: the creation of atheists, hurdles in sharing the gospel in American society, finding a good church, and supplemental Christianity.

Supplemental Christianity

There have always been "Sunday Christian" churchgoers as well as "Christmas and Easter Sunday" Christians who only show up when expected. But how many of us other Christians are also nominal not only externally but internally? How many of us only treat our faith as a supplement? We only tend to run to God whenever we need something or when something disastrous has occurred. God desires to be the center of all that we are. The message of holiness centers on Jesus' emphasis to, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind," (Matthew 22:37). Adapted from a forward floating around the internet, here is a quick assessment:

Why does a 20 dollar bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church but such a small amount when you go shopping?

Why does two hours seem so long when you're at church but short when watching a good movie?

Why is it hard to find a word to say when you're praying but there is no trouble thinking about what to talk about with a friend?

Why is it difficult to read one chapter of the Bible but easy to read 100 pages of a popular novel?

Why is it that everyone wants front-row-tickets to concerts or games but does whatever is possible to sit at the last row in Church?

Why is it that people need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks before, but we can adjust our schedule for other events at the last minute?

Why is it difficult to share the gospel with others; but easy to share gossip?

Why is it that we believe everything that magazines and newspapers say but question the words of the Bible?

The answer is that we are warring against our flesh which is self-centered and anti-God. Let us not be like the men who Jesus talked about when he reiterated, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." (Matthew 15:8). It takes a supernatural filling of the Holy Spirit in order to live a fully surrendered Christian life that centers on love for others and for God Himself.

Personal Testimony

There has been a lack of updates on the site due to some changes in my life lately. I am now attending Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi.

I have sister site to this blog, which will be an outlet for my more personal thoughts and happenings. For my first entry, I have posted my personal testimony which can be read by clicking here. There will be more updates this week.

Creating Atheists

According to a Christian apologist in this article, modern churches are creating atheists by not answering tough questions posed by young people. This assertion is not a surprise. If you have ever talked to an atheist, you'll find that the typical reason for their unbelief is the lack of reasoning they have been presented with that would convince them otherwise. Too often in youth groups nowadays, great emphasis is placed on corralling and simply entertaining teenagers, as youth pastors scramble to keep them out of trouble as well as compete with MTV. When spiritual teaching is actually presented, too often teenagers are presented with pat answers along with the mis-perception that life only gets better after becoming a Christian. Once tragedy hits, those pat answers fail to meet up to reality. The article goes on to quote 1 Peter 3:15:

"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."

This dilemma is trickling into adult congregations too, as youth group techniques are being utilized on adults in order to appease them into the church. Seeker-sensitive churches strive to compete with the culture while only offering a watered-down Christianity.

Episode 2 Podcast

The second episode of the podcast is now available to listen to by clicking the selected file in the player located at the top of the page, or by downloading the direct feed here.

Topics discussed in this episode include: the importance of repentance and faith, tennis and Biblical context, and a reading of The High Calling.