Ed Stetzer vs. Mike Harland, Relevance vs. Reverence

Fellow Labourers-

Consider the two paragraphs below and then decide where we are. Never before in the history of the church has there been as great a divide among pastors about what it means to "worship" in church. Feelings have been hurt, the work of the Gospel has been hindered, hearing aids have been blown, and staff members have been fired over controversies that the rest of the world just looks at and folds their arms over.

At the heart is the question: do we need worship ministries that are in the world but not of it, or that are of the world but not in it? What fulfills the calling of scripture?

Pastor John Mark Bartlett said in his message on Tuesday night (August 12, 2009) that all extremes are dangerous.

Now consider my analogy from physics. If the force of friction was absent the pendulum would swing non-stop from left to right. Conversely, resistance to movement will cause the pendulum to come to a dead stop. How do we strike a balance to control the pendulum without compromising our core values? What are these anyway?

Peace!

Robert A. Stewart