Bon Voyage, Francis Chan
I first learned of Francis Chan a few years ago, when I watched one of his Crazy Love videos/devotionals. For those that don’t know, he has a compelling background. His mom died in childbirth, his step-mom drove off a bridge (car accident) when he was seven, and his dad died of cancer when Francis was 12. Despite all of that massive trauma, Francis eventually found his way into the loving arms of his heavenly Father, and went on to become a successful pastor. I thought he could make a good role model for my son Sam, who was permanently separated from his birth-mom very early in life and then lost his adopted mom to cancer when he was seven. I pray the similarities in the family backgrounds end there!
He made news some years ago for leaving his thriving mega church, because he felt that all the ‘entertainment’ and comfort and crowds were a distraction from what was really important. So he spent his time developing a network of small home churches instead.
He also hit the speaking circuit. Which was good, because there are two things I’m pretty confident of with regards to Francis Chan: I think he truly, sincerely loves and trusts the Bible, and; he has massive talent. I mean, the man has big-time game. If you haven’t heard him preach, I encourage you to dig up something from YouTube or his crazylove.org site.
Well, we’re not going to be seeing as many sermons from Francis from now on. I hope he still does preach occasionally. The reason is that he’s decided to become a full time missionary in Asia. He did a mission trip to Myanmar recently, and the success he had encouraged him to do it full time. His wife and two of his seven kids are joining him in the endeavor. I pray for safety for them all, as they are going into tribal areas that don’t always take kindly to outsiders, especially outsiders who challenge their religious beliefs.
It must have been a hard decision to walk away from a comfortable life here in the US. In the end, as he explains in a sermon he did very recently, he came to the conclusion that missionary work was his purpose, that that was what the Holy Spirit was leading him to do. Finding our purpose, listening well enough to the Spirit to discern it, and if we find it having the courage to follow it, is something I wrestle with myself. I’ll wager a bunch of you who are reading this do as well. Kudos to Francis for listening, hearing, and following. Bon voyage, Francis. Our loss here on earth will be made up for by extra friends you will introduce us to in heaven.
Progress on Second Book
I have a provisional title for my second book: The Problem of Doubt. And now that the NBA is (almost) over, I’ll have more time to work on it in the evenings. The research and writing are going well so far.
Here’s the gist. Doubt—when a believer worries ‘What if I am wrong about this Christianity thing?’ or feels that they are not 100% sure about the central tenets of the faith—is a problem. It doesn’t happen to all of us, but a lot of Christians have struggled or do struggle with it. It is a taboo subject, not talked about much in church circles. That needs to change. The book, set against the backdrop of my own experience, explores the causes of doubt, what the Bible says and teaches about it, and how we can overcome doubt in a way that leads to stronger and more vibrant faith. I was surprised by how many of our biblical heroes experienced doubt, and by how much grace the Lord provides to His children who are hurting in this manner. I aim to keep it a short book, maybe 100 to 120 pages. As of now I have a (very) rough draft of 50 to 60 pages.
I also gave a sermon on this topic, a couple of weeks ago. I think it went very well. You can access a recording on Facebook pages and on this website.
Off to a Good Start
Creation and the Flood was released about a month ago, and got off to a good start. A big bunch of you whom I have been in contact with bought it. Thank you all so much. If you could write a review on Amazon and Goodreads it would be greatly appreciated. The next step is to start advertising, so I can expand my reach beyond my personal network. I aim to begin that soon, probably starting with advertising on Amazon (ads that pop up when you enter a particular search term), and then maybe on Facebook…although I need to learn more about if and how Facebook ads can be targeted.
Another way to expand my reach is to do podcasts and things of that sort. Well, I also had my first podcast recording a couple of weeks ago. I don’t think it has been produced yet, I’ll keep you posted. At the time, as I was doing it, it seemed like there were some high and low points. It’s harder than it looks! I’m hoping to get more opportunities in the future.
Also in the category of ‘expanding my reach,’ later this month I have an article coming out in God and Nature Magazine. This is an online, free publication, run by the American Scientific Affiliation. You can find it via the site asa3.org, by going to the Publications tab. The magazine explores science and faith issues. The American Scientific Affiliation is an organization of scientists (including social scientists like myself) who are Christians and have an interest in science and faith issues. Anyway, the article is about my journey, and is a thank you to scientists and bible scholars of faith who helped me in that journey. I’ll drop a Facebook post to alert you when it is published. I’m looking forward to it.
A Detour (or Two)
Well, I thought my research and writing schedule was all laid out, but God had other plans. The schedule had been to focus next on a book evaluating, in detail, the scientific evidence for evolution.
So what happened? My home church is a new and still very small (25 adults) congregation of mature believers. Every 6-8 weeks the lead pastors have a member of the congregation give the sermon. Next month, I’ll have the opportunity to preach. Given that I experienced an episode of doubt a couple of years ago, the topic that the lead pastors and I have tentatively settled on is doubt in the life of a Christian. I plan to explore the nature of faith and doubt, whether doubt is a sin, what the Bible says about doubt, and how Christians can use an episode of doubt to actually grow and mature in their faith. I saw that once I did the work to produce the sermon, I’d be one-third or more of the way toward producing enough material for a short (say 100 page) book. So I figured I’d flip the order, and start on the book, and pull the sermon from the book prep. So far I have a very rough draft of the first 40 pages.
In addition, the miners project keeps switching between go and no-go. For those of you who don’t know about the miners project, here is a quick run-down. Five miners, devout Christians, got trapped in an African mine and left for dead. One died from starvation and, just prior to the rest succumbing to lack of food and scarce water, they were rescued quite unexpectedly, by “accident” actually. I’m close to purchasing the rights to their story, but I’ve been in a holding pattern for a while. The project is complex, logistically, and language is just one of the significant barriers. I just don’t know if it will come to pass. But if it does, I’d feel compelled to drop other things I’m doing to work on it.
Navigating Public School
“Daddy, what is a *unt?”
Asked my 9 year old daughter Isabel. She was in fourth grade. It felt like blood was draining from my face. Oh, Lord, help us.
“Where did you hear that word?” I gently asked.
“At school. A boy whispered that word in my ear. He leaned in close and said to me, “You are a cun*.”
That turned out to be the last straw. About two months later, at the beginning of the next semester, Isabel was back in Christian school.
Moving her to public school had seemed like a good idea. We lived less than a half mile from one of the best public elementary schools in the state. (Well, by test scores anyway--- it's a shame that's how schools are judged nowadays.) And a similar distance from a similarly excellent middle school and an extremely well-regarded high school. Families fight and claw to move into that school district, paying top dollar for old small houses. We were there by happenstance. After getting married and blending our families, we needed to rent a house that was big enough for my wife and I and our four kids (who could benefit from having their own separate rooms because they were just getting to know each other and because of the way the genders matched) and an au pair. There weren't a lot of six bedroom houses on the rental market that would keep our commutes to no more than an hour each way. The first year we had all four kids in Christian school. But with such ostensibly great public schools right next door, and given the cost of private schooling...well, for the second year we decided to move some of our kids to public. We made the determination for each one based upon their age (and associated need for faith development), academic resource needs, extracurricular needs, personality matches with a large school, and a few other factors. So at the start of last year we had our youngest in Christian school, our two middle kids in public elementary school, and our oldest in public middle school. Since Isabel went back to Christian school, that's made two and two.
Sadly, this particular incident with Isabel was not a shock. The behavior in the elementary school is deplorable. The language is filthy, even more so than at the middle school. The students' motto is, “If you don't cuss, you're not one of us.” The bullying is bad as well. A classmate of my older son wrote a note saying all these deplorable, self-image destroying things about him, and the note was put on his desk. And there isn't much the teachers or administrators can do, although some very modest steps were taken in the situation just mentioned with our son. Apparently, you can't discipline kids nowadays. As I said, the middle school tends to be better, but even there, there are issues. Our older daughter loves theater, but had to drop out of the running for some good roles at the school play once she read the character descriptions. The play is about a gangster-frequented night club. Really?! For a middle school play?! Good for her for dropping out. But sad. She's helping with set design instead. And oh- don't get me started on the 'health' curriculum coming up next year in seventh grade. I think she'll be staying home that day/week, or opting out somehow, if she is still in public school at that point.
Of course, we're not alone in dealing with this issue. It plays out in every Christian family across the country. For many families, Christian school is just not a viable option, financially. And even if it is an option, it isn't necessarily the right option. In some cases the Christian school tuition could be better used if saved for college. Or spent on family mission trips, or on Christian summer camps. Or on a new minivan that won't break down in the middle of the highway. Or on a down payment or mortgage payment for a home in a safe neighborhood. And so forth. Often, home schooling is not an option because both (or the single) parent(s) have to work, and it may not be right for every child and parent anyway. Also, sometimes the local public school is just much better academically than the local Christian schools. Sometimes a child needs special educational or behavioral services that are not available at the local Christian schools. Sometimes it comes down to something as simple but as vital as transportation. Public schools have buses (and walking if you are close). Parent(s) may not be able to drop off or pick up their kids from private school, given their work hours or commutes.
So if you have children in public school, how do you counteract the negative influences that your child or children are being exposed to on a daily basis? The following are my own thoughts, and I’ve love to hear back from you guys on what your thoughts are, so I can learn from you.
I am certain that we need to start with prayer. Consistent, faithful prayer. Our children belong to the Lord, and Jesus loves them more than we do. He desires for us to pray to Him for them. We need to participate in God protecting our children, through asking the Father in Jesus' name.
The second step is ongoing communicating with our children--- asking them what they are experiencing, and actively listening to them. Then, we are on top of what they are being exposed to. Knowing what we are up against is imperative. The third step is setting up a regular time and place where we can, as a family, address what is going on at school and begin to counteract the influences. For many families this will be the dinner table. For our family, it is evening family prayer and Bible time. Fourth, attack each issue by placing it in a biblical context. Applying a biblical framework to, for example, the messages your children are getting on gender confusion from their teachers, or bullies' attacks on their self-worth, or the vulgar language they are tempted or encouraged to participate in, will help our children place what they are experiencing in the proper context. This may simply involve parent-led discussion, but it can definitely include Scripture reading and videos (there are lots of good resources out there nowadays).
Once the home is a place of refuge, and as much of a fortress as possible, the next step is finding oases outside the home. Places where the message in the home will be reinforced. So, the fifth step could be finding a church mid-week group for our kids. Many large and even medium-sized churches have e.g. Wednesday night meetings for kids, segregated by age group. This is helpful in multiple respects. The messages our kids are getting at mid-week should be reinforcing what they are learning at home and at Sunday service. Also, our kids will see that there are other kids who are striving against the culture--- they aren't alone. A sixth step is trying to find other Christian families at our kids' school, and encouraging your kids to be friends with the children of those families. Kids (and adults!) pick up the values and behaviors of those they spend time with. Finally, continue to pray.
As I said, the above template reflects my own thoughts. We've had some success in my family, but we've had struggles as well. It's rough out there. I would appreciate hearing from others who have had success in steering their family through these rapids, so we can learn from them ourselves.
And an update, we are at this very moment deciding between Christian school and public school for all four of our kids for the coming year, so please pray for us, for guidance!
Religious Liberty and SCOTUS
The issue of religious liberty has been becoming more prominent in Supreme Court (SCOTUS) cases in recent years, and this term was no exception. This is an issue I get rather worked up about. I really don’t like government interference with the church. There were two cases this term which bear on religious liberty, and we got a split decision, so to speak.
The first of the two cases this term that are relevant here is Bostock v. Clayton County. While Bostock doesn’t explicitly deal with religious liberty head on, it has serious potential implications. The case has to do with workplace discrimination against persons who identify as LGBTQ. A guy was fired for joining a gay softball league and sued his employer. SCOTUS ruled that the 1964 civil rights act, which forbids employers from discriminating in hiring/firing on the basis of gender, also applies to LGBTQ. My initial reaction was to roll my eyes at the court once again stretching the meaning of words in order to ‘update’ old laws to fit new cultural views, rather than leaving new legislation to Congress, but I digress. Anyway, I’m glad someone now can’t be fired for joining a gay softball league. And I don’t like employers having the ability to fire someone for anything they may do outside of work. So it would seem like this case is not a big deal, except…
The opinion did not state that there is an exemption for churches and religious schools. It didn’t say there isn’t one either, but it was expected that the court would emphasize that the so-called “ministerial exception” applies to this matter. The ministerial exception means that, for example, churches that believe that only men should be pastors don’t have to hire women pastors. The court dodged this point, as was their right as the employer in question was not a religious institution. In so doing, the court invited challenges to the ministerial exception, and such challenges are now sure to come.
This is no light matter. Churches that believe that Christian marriage is a one man, one woman thing and which hold to traditional views of God’s teaching on sexuality could be forced to hire gay pastors. They may also be forced to officiate same sex marriages. Seminaries that teach traditional views on sexuality could be forced to hire professors that espouse modern and culturally liberal views on sexuality. There are clear implications for religious liberty here.
Hopefully, when further challenges come to the ministerial exception, they will have trouble gaining traction, due to the second of this term’s cases, Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrisey-Berru. Here, SCOTUS ruled 7-2 that a Catholic elementary school that fired two teachers has a First Amendment right to complete control over hiring and firing of religion teachers, free from government intervention. This is a positive development. However it is complicated somewhat, I think, by the fact that at least one of the teachers sued for age discrimination. From what I can tell, there was no accusation that the teacher(s) in question were not teaching in line with Catholic doctrine; rather, it was her general competence that was in dispute. I don’t think we want churches and schools to be able to fire people for being old and then hide behind the ministerial exception. That seems to go too far. Ugh.
July 2020 Newsletter
The Launch Date is Set
We’re open for business!
Well, the editing looks to be done. I’ve approved the online proofs of the paperback and am waiting for physical copies to arrive for inspection, and the ebook is set. Wow that was a lot of work. And, the website just launched a couple of days ago—It took a while but I think it looks great. Check it out at www.johnkgriffin.com.
Creation and the Flood is scheduled to launch September 8. That gives me more than a month to try and do some marketing (more on that later) and to generate pre-orders.
For those of you who are not familiar with my first book, here is the short story: Two years ago, things were rolling along quite nicely in my spiritual life. I was attending a new church, praying more, and reading the Bible a lot more. Then I hit a brick wall. A question about dinosaurs from my son Sam forced me to recognize that, uh, the Bible seems to teach some things, like creation in six days 6,000 years ago and a global flood, that to me seem quite implausible, to put it politely. Does the Bible teach false things? Can I trust this book?! When I turned to my church for guidance, and to a trusted study Bible, and when I saw what my kids were being taught at school, my crisis deepened, as they all agreed that the earth was young and that there was a global flood.
Yikes. Fortunately, research is what I do well, so I rolled up my sleeves and got busy. Devouring books and papers and blogs and videos by Bible scholars, pastors, historians, scientists, and other commentators, I got to the bottom of this business. I no longer believe that the Bible teaches a young earth or a global flood. Learning to approach early Genesis from the eyes of the original author and audience helped a great deal. As I went through the process, I was frustrated that I did not find one book that answered all the questions that I had. And I have a desire to help other Christians (and potential Christians) who get tangled up on these issues. So I decided to write the book that I wish I had found when I was in crisis.
And now that I’ve got this one book done, I’m going to keep moving. In addition to marketing this book, I’m researching for a second book, on the scientific evidence regarding evolution. And, I’m close to securing the rights to the story of five miners, devout Christians, who were trapped below ground and left for dead. Four were rescued, likely days or even just hours before starvation. How I’ll do all of this, given that I have a wife and four kids and a full-time job, only God knows. But it’s a lot of fun.
Okay, so what about marketing and selling Creation and the Flood? It will be a tall order, and my expectations are realistic. This is a self-published book (so there are many marketing channels for which I don’t have access), I have an extremely small platform, and no name recognition. Plus early Genesis is a niche topic to begin with. The book is high quality, so that will help, but regardless it will be an uphill battle.
I plan to do something every day— reaching out to people I know who might be interested in reading it, contacting You tubers and podcasters and bloggers, and doing anything else I can think of. If any of you are curious about early Genesis, please consider buying the book. I firmly believe it is the best book out there on the Genesis 1 creation account and the flood. Oh—and if you read the book please write an honest review on Amazon, good or bad. But most importantly, if any of you know of someone who is struggling with these issues, please direct them to my website, or ask them if you can give me their contact info—the primary reason I wrote the book is to help such individuals.
Update on Religious Liberty and SCOTUS
The issue of religious liberty has been becoming more prominent in Supreme Court (SCOTUS) cases in recent years, and this term was no exception. This is an issue I get rather worked up about. I really don’t like government interference with the church. There were two cases this term which bear on religious liberty, and we got a split decision, so to speak.
The first of the two cases this term that are relevant here is Bostock v. Clayton County. While Bostock doesn’t explicitly deal with religious liberty head on, it has serious potential implications. The case has to do with workplace discrimination against persons who identify as LGBTQ. A guy was fired for joining a gay softball league and sued his employer. SCOTUS ruled that the 1964 civil rights act, which forbids employers from discriminating in hiring/firing on the basis of gender, also applies to LGBTQ. My initial reaction was to roll my eyes at the court once again stretching the meaning of words in order to ‘update’ old laws to fit new cultural views, rather than leaving new legislation to Congress, but I digress. Anyway, I’m glad someone now can’t be fired for joining a gay softball league. That just ain’t right. And I don’t like employers having the ability to fire someone for anything they may do outside of work. So it would seem like this case is not a big deal, except…
The opinion did not state that there is an exemption for churches and religious schools. It didn’t say there isn’t one either, but it was expected that the court would emphasize that the so-called “ministerial exception” applies to this matter. The ministerial exception means that, for example, churches that believe that only men should be pastors don’t have to hire women pastors. The court dodged this point, as was their right as the employer in question was not a religious institution. In so doing, the court invited challenges to the ministerial exception, and such challenges are now sure to come.
This is no light matter. Churches that believe that Christian marriage is a one man, one woman thing and which hold to traditional views of God’s teaching on sexuality could be forced to hire gay pastors. They may also be forced to officiate same sex marriages. Seminaries that teach traditional views on sexuality could be forced to hire professors that espouse modern and culturally liberal views on sexuality. There are clear implications for religious liberty here.
Hopefully, when further challenges come to the ministerial exception, they will have trouble gaining traction, due to the second of this term’s cases, Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrisey-Berru. Here, SCOTUS ruled 7-2 that the Catholic elementary school that fired two teachers has a First Amendment right to complete control over hiring and firing of religion teachers, free from government intervention. This is a positive development. However it is complicated somewhat, I think, by the fact that at least one of the teachers sued for age discrimination. From what I can tell, there was no accusation that the teacher(s) in question were not teaching in line with Catholic doctrine; rather, it was her general competence that was in dispute. I don’t think we want churches and schools to be able to fire people for being old and then hide behind the ministerial exception. That seems to go too far. Ugh.
Introducing johnkgriffin.com
Welcome, everyone, to my website. And thanks for visiting! This is a place to explore my first book, keep up to date on what is going on with news and events, read my latest thoughts in my blog, access my monthly newsletter, and contact me.
The big news of the moment is that I’m gearing up for the launch of Creation and the Flood on September 8. Both print and ebook are available for pre-order on Amazon.
Enjoy perusing the site!
Introducing the Griffin Back Porch Blog
The Griffin Back Porch is a state of mind. Imagine sitting on a back porch with a good friend, drinking sweet tea after an early dinner of grilled flank steak with roasted potatoes and vegetables. It’s a covered and screened porch, because I don’t like bugs and I sunburn really easily. A golden Labrador Retriever lies beside you. It’s May, and a soft cool breeze blesses you.
You discuss whatever is on your minds. Mainly issues related to religion, as you both live for the Kingdom. Sometimes you discuss current events, sometimes you talk about a book you just read or a sermon you listened to. The conversation may wander into controversial topics, and opinions may be strong, but this is a safe space for that and respect is always given. You cherish this time, enjoying each other’s company.
That’s the atmosphere I’m driving for here. I expect the topics will skew toward science and religion conflicts, as that is the focus of my current writing. But good conversations tend to go unexpected places… Initially the posts will be authored by myself, but I would like to share the thoughts of others, as much or more so than sharing my own. My first post will arrive in about a week. Let the conversation begin!