Phil: "There's something I want to say to you, and I want you to listen very closely. Because it's very important. The man we just chased from here--"
Bob: [shaking his head] "We didn't chase anybody."
Phil: "The man who just left the room a moment ago, is a very good friend of mine. Is it because I've known him for a long time? Well, there are a lot of people who I have known for quite awhile. And some of them, I wouldn't let wipe my dog's ass. Others I can take or leave; they don't matter to me. But Larry matters very much. The reason being, I can trust him. I know I can trust him. He's honest."
Bob: "Is he honest? Or is he just blunt?"
Phil: "He's honest, Bob. He's blunt as well. That's sometimes part of being honest. Because there are a lot of people who are blunt but not honest. Larry is not one of those. Larry is an honest man.  [takes a drag from his cigarette]  You too are an honest man, Bob. I believe that. Somewhere down deep inside of you is something that strives to be honest. The question that you have to ask yourself is: 'Has it touched the whole of my life?'"
Bob: "What does that mean?"
Phil: "That means that you preaching Jesus is no different than Larry or anybody else preaching lubricants. It doesn't matter whether you're selling Jesus, or Buddha, or civil rights, or 'How to Make Money in Real Estate With No Money Down'. That doesn't make you a human being. It makes you a marketing rep. If you want to talk to somebody honestly, as a human being... ask 'em about his kids. Find out what his dreams are. Just to find out -- for no other reason. Because as soon as you lay your hands on a conversation to steer it, it's not a conversation anymore. It's a pitch. And you're not a human being. You're a marketing rep."

- from The Big Kahuna [1999]


"The loss of confidence in previously entrenched certainties, coupled with a growing suspicion of the institutions built around those certainties, has led to a new openness to explore alternative explanations of the world of experience. However, for Christians to engage people who are earnestly seeking alternative explanations that are more convincing and comprehensive requires a commitment to listen patiently and discerningly. It necessitates an unconditional acceptance of those who are content to live with ambiguity, and it requires the humility to communicate in open dialogue with those who hold a pluralistic worldview. The confidence of the witness must be in Christ alone and not in religious institutions or in the impregnability of a Christian apologetic. Any hint that the witness is motivated by a desire to enhance an institution or to monopolize conversation will cause the people with whom he or she is in contact to turn away uttering expletives as they go!"

- from ChurchNext: Quantum Changes in How We Do Ministry by Eddie Gibbs


"'As church leaders we would do well to study the various characteristics of postmodern culture. But our goal is not to uncritically adopt the trends. It is to understand what the people pursuing the trends are hungering for. What people are really hungering for is community, authenticity, and genuine faith.' So says Rah Soong-Chan in his article 'Navigating the Cultural Currents.'

Young people today are looking for truth that applies to their lives. In the past, Christian evangelism assumed that non-Christians needed to be convinced about biblical truth through a logical argument. Today's university students are rarely convinced about Christian beliefs through well-reasoned arguments and traditional Christian apologetics. In his article 'What Good is Truth?' William Dyrness says, 'People have come to instinctively distrust universal claims and are longing for more visible evidence of truth.' What they are looking for is truth evident in the life of another person."

- from Witnessing Communities & the kingdom of God [IVCF]




[yes, rachel, i'm finally reading it.]