Friday, November 30, 2012
When Jesus is Worship Leader ( Video Sermon ) - Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson
Sermon points:
1. Jesus gathers us together and brings us to God the Father as His own family
2. Jesus leads us in our praises
3. Jesus preaches to us from God's Word
4. Jesus Christ is present in worship to meet us in all of our needs.
What a powerful sermon about the centrality of Christ in the worship service! This is a message not only for "worship leaders/song leaders" but also for the average man or woman seeking genuine God-centered worship in your worship services. As the Contemporary Worship Leader at Grace Bible Church in Dallas, TX, I am profoundly convicted by this sermon; I want to change my title to The Contemporary Worship Follower at Grace Bible Church, where Christ is the Worship Leader. Please post any thoughts about this sermon, and let's rethink how we do worship services.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
The Gangnam Style Effect
Gangnam Style is the most popular dance out right now. Everyone from celebrities, presidents, prime ministers, and the United Nations have endorsed it. Korean pop star, Psy, is the mastermind behind this overnight internet success story. The youtube video is approaching 1 billion views! So what's the obsession with a video that's in Korean that hardly anybody in the U.S. can understand? What does the fact that this video is the #1 viewed youtube video in over 30 countries say about the future of music?
According to Rocket Boom Magazine, Psy's Gangnam Style video earned between $13-15 million U.S. dollars in 4 months. Lebogang Mukansi, a blogger from BizCommunity.com broke down Psy earnings in his blog:
- As a YouTube partner Psy is expected to earn anything from USD2.5 to USD5 per 1000 views on his YouTube channel. So far, the video has been watched by more than 670 million viewers. Do the maths. At more than 670,000,000 unique views divided by 1000 is 670,000 x USD2.50 (R26.10) = R17,487,000. Yep, that's 17 million big ones from one YouTube video.
- Other income streams include appearance fees of USD60 000 (R522,000) per event for product launches, clubs and company events etc. He also got paid USD4 million (R34.8m) at a rate of USD400,000 per advert and has done 10 adverts in the last three months. Psy.com released information on Psy's earnings that indicate that his concert tickets sales have netted him an additional USD4 million (R34.8m).
- So is it a hit? Well, Gangnam Style was number onein 18 countries on iTunes, including America, it topped the UK Top 100 and spent two weeks at number one. It also rose to the US Billboard Top 100 singles staying at number two for two weeks in a row and it is still maintains its number one Digital Billboard spot for the last 11 weeks.
- Korean Album sales and digital streaming. Digital sales 2.8 and 2.7 million downloads online streams in South Korea. Sadly all this represents is just under USD300,000, but he made way more from appearance fees and concerts.
So, the question stands, how did Gangnam Style receive worldwide attention in such a short period of time? Before I answer this question, one must wonder, what is Gangnam Style all about since the video is in Korean. In an interview with NPR, Psy described Gangnam Style saying, "Gangnam is a territory in Seoul, Korea. I describe it as noble at the daytime and going crazy at the night time. I compare ladies to the territory. So — noble at the daytime, going crazy at the night time — and the lyric says I am the right guy for the lady who is like that." It doesn't get any shallower than that. Some suggest that is a sociological critic of the over indulgent lifestyle of the residents in the Gangnam district, located in South Korea. Even if that was true, the fact that the song is in Korean makes it hard to think beyond the images of the video that clearly portray a man trying to get "the ladies".
Now that we sort of understand the videos deeper esoteric meaning, why the sudden success? While the video apparently in the beginning had 15 million views before Scooter Braun, Justin Bieber's manager, saw the video and decided to sign Psy to a recording contract. Braun used his industry influence to get Psy in front of every media outlet and television show out there. And as a result, the Gangnam Style video went from 15 million to over a 100 million overnight. In some respect, this Gangnam effect is a case study in genius marketing and branding; and that may be the case, but I would suggest that the Gangnam Style effect is deeper than just marketing, it's about our global culture.
Because of the ubiquitous nature of the internet, more and more of the world's population is online. According to Internet World Stats, worldwide internet users are broken down in the following way: Asia 44.8%, Europe 21.5%, North America 11.4%, Latin America/Caribbean 10.4%, Africa 7%, Middle East 3.7%, and Oceania/Australia 1%. As far as the percentage of each regions' population that uses the internet (internet penetration rates), the stats are: North America 78.6%, Oceania/Australia 67.6%, Europe 63.2%, Latin America/Caribbean 42.9%, Middle East 40.2%, Asia 27.5%, Africa 15.6%. The average is 34.3%. Therefore 34.3% of the world's population uses the internet.
Let's analyze the facts here. If Asians represent 44.8% of total internet users and only 27.5% of Asian countries actually have access to the internet and almost 80% of Americans have access to the internet, then don't you see why an Asian internet sensation with an American marketing team makes sense for ratings and viewership. I think the Gangnam Style effect is only the beginning of European and American marketing companies and corporations partnering with Asian countries, primarily to make record high sales. I mean look at Facebook. About 60% of Facebook users are Western (North America, South America, and Europe). Facebook hasn't even reached its full potential with 800 million active users. Just imagine the influence of the buying power of U.S. and European dollars and the huge untapped market segment of Asians (nearly 4 billion people...which is about 57% of the world's population). The Gangnam Style effect will be a way of life in a globalized economy.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
The Composer
 |
Jennifer Main - The Composer |
I come to thee
I come to you
I come like David in Psalm 22,
Yet I am in two…
Torn between that which I want and that which I do
The apostle said it best, I do not do what I want but I do
the very thing I detest
O wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body
of death!
I breathe fallen air;
A corrupted sphere
Marred by a nature of fear
That has coalesced with despair
Some say, “It’s not fair!”
But what is fair?
When man was created for someone higher, yet chose something
lower
Yes, I’m talking about the forbidden fruit
The root of our freedom to chose
Freedom to lose
When winning seems overrated, like scoring another point
when the game is already won.
Freedom comes with a price.
One man died so that we could have life
Just as one man died and brought upon strife
Yeah, life’s not worth living when you’re living for
yourself
Man was made to love someone higher than himself
That’s why the Creator, God, put man on a shelf
To reflect His glory, the glory of Himself
What wealth of wisdom to be put on display
The complexity of man, only a shadow of His ways
His rays, enlightening the sun to shine on the moon so that
the very sight of light at night might cause us to long for home…
Yes, man was made for something higher
Someone greater
Some event later in time
When the composer would visit his words and make them all
rhyme
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
What is behind the fear of young black men in America?
When you think about young black men in America, what picture do you see? Do you see a group of thugs with no father figure or do you see potential leaders? Most of us, if we're honest, do not think about young black men in America as potential leaders. We default to viewing young black men through the lens of stereotypes, mainstream rappers, criminals on the news, and our own internal fears.
What is behind the fear of young black men in America? Before I answer this question, I think we need to ask a preliminary question. And that question is this: what is behind fear? I believe when people feel threatened or in danger, one reacts in fear. The fight or flight response kicks in. Fear also comes from the lack of perceived control on subjective reality. We fear what we can't control. Let's be real, if we see a group of young black men with braided hair, dreadlocks, and sagging pants, then we get a little uneasy. All the negative associations people have placed on young black men come flooding into our minds and we become afraid. We are not use to being in the company of young black men who look "thuggish". I for one, as a black male, have experienced this type of fear. Depending on the neighborhood I'm in, if I see a group of black guys who are dressed like Lil Wayne (top picture to the right) stare me down, then I get uneasy. I usually look the young men in their faces, lift my chin in the air, and say, "What's up?" More often than not, I get a similar response in return. Now if you are not black, you might say, "That's easy for you, Andrew, all black guys do that to each other!" Well, you're right! It's like saying "What's up?" is the universal black brotherhood greeting...but I digress.
Back to issue at hand, I believe that we fear young black men because we have many internal fears, for example, fearing loss of control, fearing danger, feeling threatened, fearing any symbol of strong masculinity, maybe you were robbed by a young black man, maybe you were bullied by a young black man, maybe you're afraid of what they will think of you...the list can go on and on. We succumb to fear because deep down we know that we are not in control. We seek to manipulate our reality as much as possible to appear in control. We live in certain neighborhoods, wear certain clothes, go to certain schools, hold certain jobs, and marry certain people because we want to control our environment as much as possible. When our controlled experiment doesn't work, fear takes its place. But fear was there all along, motivating us to maintain a level of reality to keep us from constant worrying.
We fear black males because we can't control them. We can't tell them what to dress, how to behave, how to talk, and which side of the sidewalk to walk on. We are powerless to change a young black man who exudes a level of confidence that seems stifling at times. What if that young black man is afraid of you? What if he's wandering, why are they looking at me like that? Why do I feel out of place when I'm surrounded by a bunch of people who are not from my neighborhood? Why do I feel like I'm sub-human? You see, fear is not a monologue, but a dialogue between both parties. One party may be able to hide it better than the other. The truth is we are all afraid of something. The question is how do we react when we're afraid? 1 John 4:18 says, "Perfect love cast out fear." Jesus Christ loved us so much that he decided to face the ultimate fear and that is, to be a man clothed in sin in the hands of a holy God. Jesus removed the barrier of hostility away from us so that we can approach God the Father in love every time we are afraid and ask Him to remove our fears just like His Son removed our sins.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Time To Revive!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
It's a war!
While I was in college, I was apart of a hip-hop/pop/gospel/r&b group called 308. Check out our inspirational song, "Believe."
What do you think about hearing teaching over a hip-hop beat?
Hello, readers. I am working with the Aura Radio Show, a Christian Hip-Hop podcast that plays music, provides commentary on scripture, and presents interviews from the biggest names in the Christian Hip-Hop industry. Wesley Brooks, the founder and CEO, ask me to teach on John 1:1-18 with a hip hop beat in the background. Here's an example of what we've done: http://www.theauraradio.com/audiostudies/johnred115a.mp3
If you want to hear more, then please download the Aura Radio Show App. Let me know what you think.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Dr. Carl Ellis: A Cultural Translator with a Biblically Reformed Perspective
Check out Dr. Ellis' blog: Prophets of Culture: Social Justice: A Foot Race Paradigm: There was no way I could anticipate the appalling reaction I received from the college students when I returned their assignments. Some of ...
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
An analysis of the Trayvon Martin Case
If you haven't heard this story, then here's a brief summary: Trayvon Martin, a 17 year old black male, was walking around in a predominantly white neighborhood when he was met by George Zimmerman, a 28 year old white male, who was apart of the areas' neighborhood watch program. George felt threatened by Trayvon's presence in the neighborhood and followed Trayvon. There was a confrontation between the two and eventually the confrontation escalated into a scuffle. As a result of the scuffle, George pulled out his gun, fired, and killed unarmed Trayvon. This incident has sparked a national outrage that has been commented on by Al Sharpton, President Obama, and others. The black community in Sanford, Florida, where the incident took place, sees the killing as racially motivated. Some believe that George shouted out racial slurs at Trayvon before he killed him. Whatever the motivation behind this crime, it is obvious that racial tensions are high. But why?
Robert Zimmerman, George's father, wrote a letter to the Orlando Sentinel saying, "He would be the last to discriminate for any reason whatsoever...the media portrayal of George as a racist could not be further from the truth." Robert also goes on to say that George is Hispanic and grew up in a multi-racial family. The Orlando Sentinel report also goes on to say that George allegedly acted in self-defense. A witness said that they saw George on the ground while Trayvon attacked him. Yet other reports confirm that police advised George not to pursue Trayvon but to leave him be. Nevertheless George got out of his car and pursued Trayvon. Does an hispanic male pursuing a young black man and killing him because he felt threatened constitute a hate crime? Well the New Black Panthers seem to think so. They have mobilized 5,000 men and have offered a $10,000 bounty for the capture of George Zimmerman. Mikhail Muhammed, a leader of the group, said, "If the government won't do the job, we'll do it!" He lead a group of protestors saying, "Justice for Trayvon!" and "Black Power!"
The Trayvon Case has brought allot of pain, frustration, and anger to the surface. And it seems to me that the media is feeding this frenzy with multiple accounts of the same story, speculation, and heresay. The complete story of the Trayvon Case has yet to be disclosed. Only one fact remains clear, Trayvon Martin is dead and his murderer has not been arrested or detained. George Zimmerman is living in hiding, fearing for his life. And he has every reason to be afraid now that the New Black Panthers is after him.
As I take a step back and think about why has this story received so much press and why this case has become an issue for racial justice, I can't stop but wonder about the countless other murders and crimes done in this country. What truth is trying to be presented? I do believe Americans are tired of racial injustice in this country, due to racial profiling. I get that. But the issue seems to be deeper than simply racial profiling. What is behind the epidemic fear of young black men? Why can't the police system not be trusted? Have black and white Americans truly dealt with the painful history of slavery and racism? George Zimmerman is half white and half Hispanic, do we blame his half white side or his half Hispanic side for the crime? Does it matter that he is white or Hispanic even when his family says that he is not racist? These questions, I think, get to the core of the issue. In the next couple of blogs, I will look at answers to each of the questions I have put forward. So stay tuned!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
A Critique on "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || Spoken Word"
Over 19 million views and counting, this excerpt on Why I hate religion but love Jesus has caused quite a stir. Numerous news media have done reports on its message. I have been thinking about the question of the relationship between faith and religion recently. I can't get past the fact that those who try to separate Christ from Christianity end up with a kind of spiritualism that is individualistic and does not take into account the history of the early church. You've heard the saying, "It's not a religion, it's a relationship." Lil Wayne even said, "I believe in God and his son, Jesus." Jay Z said that he believed in God but not in any man made religion. Where does this thinking come from?
The belief that one can separate God from religion was made famous by Friedrich Schleiermacher, the Father of Modern Liberal Theology. Modern Liberal Theology questions the Bible's inerrancy because it uses a form of interpretation that elevates reason over the supernatural. And so Jesus' miracles, divinity, and the scriptures redemptive historical unity are called into question on the basis of modern hermeneutical methods found in the German Higher Criticism movement, of which Schleiermacher was instrumental in helping. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. summarized Schleiermacher views on religion saying, "His conception of religion led to two things. First came the thesis that religion is not doctrine but life, secondly that all life, and all religion is individual in character." Schleiermacher did not believe in doctrines, or any objective criteria of faith. Therefore to hate religion but love Jesus seems to be Schleiermacherian.
What's wrong with being individualistic in my faith? What's wrong with Schleiermacher, you might ask? Well, for one, if one tries to separate their faith in Christ from the rest of the evangelical Church, then one ends up with a shaky theological foundation that has no root in church history. We would not have the bible today, found in the Old and New Testaments or Covenants, if it were not for the testimony of the apostles and early church fathers. Where would the church be without the Apostle's Creed?
Is man fallible? Yes. Do some churches have incorrect views of Scripture? Yes. Because of the various views on scripture and faith, we need a theology that provides a biblical foundation that is true to the scriptures and true to our Christian heritage. Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, Professor of Systematics Theology at Redeemer Seminary, said in one of his lectures on the Doctrine of God, "We do not practice theology in a vacuum." In other words, we cannot have faith without the testimony of faith from earlier believers. Remember , even Paul had to confirm His calling to preach to the Gentiles with the apostles who walked and talked with Jesus (Acts 15).
Is man fallible? Yes. Do some churches have incorrect views of Scripture? Yes. Because of the various views on scripture and faith, we need a theology that provides a biblical foundation that is true to the scriptures and true to our Christian heritage. Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, Professor of Systematics Theology at Redeemer Seminary, said in one of his lectures on the Doctrine of God, "We do not practice theology in a vacuum." In other words, we cannot have faith without the testimony of faith from earlier believers. Remember , even Paul had to confirm His calling to preach to the Gentiles with the apostles who walked and talked with Jesus (Acts 15).
Religion is not the final authority on faith, God is. Biblical religion is the expression of biblical faith that comes from Christ through His Spirit by means of a faithful witness or messenger. Romans 10:14-15 (NASB) says, "How will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!'" If anything is to be hated, it is the indwelling sin of man used to corrupt the church; it is the vain philosophies of man used to contaminate our minds; it is spiritual wickedness and principalities infiltrating our lives. If this exposé on religion is the object of our hatred, then how do we as Christians come together with a common theology? Bad religion is not the problem, bad theology is the bigger issue. I believe religion is the expression of theology.
Friday, January 13, 2012
The Power Imbalance in American Culture and American Churches
In People of the Dream: Multiracial Congregations in the United States, Dr. Michael Emerson analyzes the history of race in America and the problems for churches who want to be multiracial. One of the biggest challenges to multiracial churches and churches in general is the use of power of the dominant group. He said, “In the United States, white Americans have held and hold the greatest power…Their influence is disproportionate to what would be expected. At the same time, when whites are not the most powerful group in multiracial congregations, they seemed to struggle the most with this reality, be the most upset by power imbalances, have the least ability to deal with such situations, and be the most likely to leave.”[1] Dr. Emerson is white by the way. His analysis comes from his own experience and research. Now this might sound very controversial to my white brothers and sisters in Christ, but before tuning out everything I say, please take a moment and consider the reality of majority culture versus minority culture. This statement made by Dr. Emerson is not an attack on white America, it is simply an observation.
Any culture that is in the majority culture exhibits some type of power over those who are in the minority culture. This power is not necessarily bad or wrong, though it can be misused. Have you ever gone to someone’s house and played spades or monopoly? Nine times out of ten I would bet that each one of the homes you have visited has their own particular rules for the game. If you don’t play by those rules, then you don’t get to play. You are in the minority in this instance. Your vote counts, but it is usually overruled especially in games like spades or monopoly. You can protest, but that won’t do you any good. You only frustrate yourself. It would be as if I went to David Stern, NBA Commissioner, and told him that basketball should be played with 8 people on the floor, 4 players starting on both teams. What if I make it more interesting and told David Stern that the NBA should not only have 8 people on the floor but also that they should have all guards and no centers, one referee for every player, and 3 pointers count as 1 point. Imagine what would happen…done imagining? …You guessed it, David Stern would either be rolling on the ground laughing at me or like the Rock (a WWE wrestler), give me the people’s eyebrow in disbelief.
Dr. Emerson travelled to many multiracial churches over the course of an entire summer, spending weeks in each church that he visited. He observed the power dynamics between whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Asians and saw how power was misused by the dominant group. Dr. Emerson’s observations do not apply to all of the multi-racial congregations he visited, however they do provide the church with a set of issues to begin dialoguing about the misuse of power in majority groups, whether black or white. According to Dr. Emerson, “Dominant people and groups used power to:
- Declare what styles of music will and will not be used
- Determine what historical religious leaders looked like racially
- Decide which teachings to emphasize, and which to downplay
- Determine what religious education literature to use
- Decide which pictures or other art goes on the walls
- Declare who the spiritual heroes are and why
- Decide which aspects of history to remember and how to interpret the past
- Decide who is mature in their faith, and who is not
- Determine how much race and ethnicity will be talked about
- Declare that race is not important and will not be discussed
- Declare that the race of those in leadership does not matter
- Look at and treat the non-majority groups with paternalism
- Force others to assimilate or leave the congregation
- Determine the culture through which the faith will be interpreted
- Determine the culture through which faith will be practiced
- Make others feel powerless
- Remain ignorant about other cultures
- Determine if change will happen and the pace of change (almost always slowly)
- Make people feel small, unimportant, like outsiders
- Deny having power”[2]
If you are in the majority group, then these observations may be hard to swallow, understandably so. I know exactly how it feels to be in the majority group. I grew up in the Bahamas, a country that is 85% black. As someone who grew up in a black majority country, I never thought about race and power imbalances between races. It wasn’t a part of my life. Yes, they were some white Bahamians, but they mostly kept to themselves. The white Bahamians that did integrate with the rest of the majority of black Bahamians assimilated in every way, and so there was no clear distinction between a white Bahamian and a black Bahamian, other than skin color of course. I know what it means to decide what is acceptable culturally and what is not. I know what it means to remain ignorant about other cultures and make those in the minority cultures feel inferior. Haitians, Jamaicans, and Cubans were the minority culture during the time that I lived in the Bahamas. They all had to assimilate into the majority black Bahamian culture if they wanted to be successful. Those who didn’t assimilate remained in relative poverty.
When I came to the United States, I had to assimilate into American culture. I learned that all black people in America are African-American and are identified by race rather than ethnicity. Black Africans, Bahamians, Jamaicans, Haitians, Puerto Ricans
The American Christian church must become more race conscious than the secular church, which is leading the way in race relations through diversity programs, affirmative action, urban studies, and civil rights education. The American Christian church needs to commit to an internal analysis of its own misuse of power within its organizations. The kingdom of God is calling for those who are bold enough to humble themselves under the ultimate majority power found in Christ Jesus. God is calling a people to himself that include those of every race and ethnicity. The United States, one of the most diverse and powerful country in the world, is in a unique place in history to use its power and diversity as a force to be reckoned with. Secular institutions think the answer to bridge the racial gap between black, brown, and white is education. I believe, however, that education is a part of the solution. The real solution is found in the gospel of Christ, who humbled himself even to the point of death, so that we might be reconciled to God the Father. Man’s place in God’s kingdom should be the church’s ultimate concern. For churches wishing to practice racial reconciliation, those in the dominant groups must look at ways in which they have misused power so that those in the sub-dominant groups might become involved in the power structures for the glory of God, who confounds the wise and strengthens the weak.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)