Tag: Video

Shayne Smith, the Problems with Progressivism, & the Quiet Revival

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As a preacher, I’ve often been impressed with stand-up comedians, especially those who are master communicators. I think that preachers can learn a lot from comedians when it comes to timing, surprise, story telling, and understanding your audience.

A few years ago, I stumbled upon Shayne Smith, when he did his first special for Dry Bar Comedy – an Utah-based clean comedy company. I enjoyed his cadence and style, so I searched for other videos of his comedy, and looked him up on social media.

What I found wasn’t great. His comedy outside of Dry Bar was raunchy, and from his social media I realized that he lived a very hedonistic bisexual lifestyle. As a result, I unfollowed him online.

However, a few months later, a new Shayne Smith special came out on Dry Bar (“Alligator Boys”), which I knew would be clean, and I really enjoyed it. I shared with my friend Mike, who leads Expositors Collective, a group that trains preachers, that these specials were masterclasses in communication that preachers could glean from – but, I also warned him that I didn’t recommend any of Shayne’s stuff outside of Dry Bar.

A few years later, much to my surprise, Mike sent me a podcast episode, in which Shayne was the guest, and he was talking about how he had converted to Roman Catholicism. In that episode, he shared that he was a singer in a hardcore band, talked about his love of punk rock, and about his newfound faith in Jesus.

Since that time, Shayne has been talking more and more about his faith in Jesus, which is particularly remarkable considering his previous lifestyle.

Last week, my wife and I went to see Shayne live here in Denver; the tickets a gift from Mike. Prior to the show, I came across this video, which I watched, and then shared with several friends. In it, Shayne tells the story of his journey into progressive ideology and lifestyle, and what it was that cause him to see the cracks in its foundations, and how he came to believe in Jesus. I highly recommend the video; it’s incredible!

I’m not Catholic, and I disagree with Shayne’s broad-brushing of “non-denominational” Christians. He strikes me as a young Christian, who isn’t yet overly familiar with Roman Catholicism, nor robust theology, or conservative Protestantism. I do appreciate the charitable work of the Roman Catholic Church, and the fact that they have refused to budge on issues such as marriage and sexuality, and abortion and the sanctity of life. It also strikes me that the way Shayne talks about Jesus as his “Lord and Savior” sounds very evangelical! Personally, I hope he will make that step! And yet, I rejoice to see Shayne believing in and seeking Jesus, and that he has clearly repented of his sins. At the show we went to, he mentioned three times that he had converted to “Christianity.”

One part of Shayne’s testimony that sticks out to me the most is how he realized that Christians are the people who actually do things like loving their neighbors and forgiving those who sin, and that those who follow Jesus tend to be happier and more content.

A Broader Trend

Much has been said in recent months about the changing trends in church attendance, with young men (Gen Z in particular) coming to church in large numbers. We have seen some of this trend in our church, especially in our online offerings, which are consumed mostly by young men. We’ve also seen many coming in person and seeking the Lord.

Anecdotally, friends of mine who are pastors, have reported similar trends. I have also seen it amongst my teenage son’s friends. It seems that many young people, particularly young men, have become fed up with, and seen the hypocrisy and flaws of the progressive policies which have been pushed on them from schools and public institutions for years, and they are pushing back and seeking for something that tells the truth, is based in really, and calls and challenges them to transform and become better.

Recently, I got to interview Justin Brierley of Premiere Christian Radio in the United Kingdom for the CGN Podcast, about his new book, The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God: Why New Atheism Grew Old and Secular Thinkers are Considering Christianity Again, and the anecdotes and research behind it. You can listen to that episode here:

From Doubt to Faith: The Quiet Revival – with Justin Brierley – The CGN Podcast

In this episode, hosts Nick Cady and Brian Brodersen talk with Justin Brierley — author, broadcaster, and longtime host of the Unbelievable? show and podcast from Premier Christian Radio in the UK. Justin shares about how, after decades of hosting debates between Christians and skeptics, he sees signs that belief in God is growing — especially among young people. We talk about the decline of the New Atheist movement, stories of unexpected conversions, and the surprising hunger for faith in today’s culture.📚Discover Justin’s books: The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God and Why I’m Still a Christian🎧 Listen to his podcast: The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in GodLearn more about CGN: cgn.org

This trend has been dubbed by some as “The Quiet Revival,” based on a report from the UK Bible Society.

Justin Brierley recently stepped down from hosting the “Unbelievable?” show, which he hosted for 17 years, to start this new project, which also involves a podcast and social media videos. Check out The Surprising Rebirth Podcast to hear more discussions and stories about this phenomenon.

How about you – are you seeing this trend where you are?

Let’s pray that God draws many young people to himself! Just as we rejoice in the current surge, we also desire to see a prolonged revival! May the Lord bring more people into churches, and may churches be prepared to make disciples!

I Was Interviewed by Hungarian Media about Christianity in America

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This past summer, during my sabbatical, I was interviewed by Manna FM in Hungary, in partnership with Golgota Budapest.

The primary focus of the questions in the interview were about Christianity in America, as well as my perspective on the openness of Hungarians to the Gospel. Of particular interest to them was the question of woke culture in America and how this impacts Christians in the form of discrimination and in our efforts to preach the gospel.

I also talk about my sabbatical, moving to the US from Hungary, how I became a Christian, and what life is like for American teenagers.

The interview is bilingual – in Hungarian and English. Check it out, and share it with others if you find it interesting:

Youtube LIVE Update + Local Opportunities to Connect

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Last Thursday I hosted a YouTube LIVE Q&A for the first time, and it went better than I expected!

I answered questions about politics, the Holy Spirit, suicide, and demonic possession – and more people tuned in than I had anticipated!

Here’s the video of that recording if you’d like to watch back. If you turn on the comments, you can see people posting their questions and feedback.

We’re Doing It Again!

Since it went so well, we are going to be doing this more regularly; we’re currently aiming for doing it weekly on Thursdays – so please join us for that, and please help us spread the word about it, so more people can be part of it and ask their questions!

On this particular occasion, I will be going live from the clubhouse of a golf course because I already had a tee time scheduled before we decided to start doing these live Q&A videos! So please join me in praying that the wifi works well at the clubhouse! And if you want to see my golf attire, you’ll have to tune in!

Here’s the link for that scheduled video, and with this you’ll also be able to watch it (or re-watch it) afterwards:

This Weekend: Rhythm at Roosevelt + Live Q&A On Site!

This Saturday (September 21, 2024) is the Rhythm at Roosevelt festival in Longmont, at Roosevelt Park from 2-10 PM.

White Fields Church will have a booth there, so please come by if you attend. We will be handing out popcorn and free swag and hoping to connect with many people in the community.

As part of our time there, we will be doing a Live Q&A, which will be broadcasted on YouTube, and people will have the opportunity to ask questions in person as well.

Here’s the link for that YouTube event, if you can’t come out in person:

Golf Marathon for YoungLife in the St Vrain Valley

On Monday, Sept. 23rd I am participating in a fundraiser to support YoungLife in the St. Vrain Valley. To raise money, I will be playing a marathon of 45 holes of golf in one day!

My wife Rosemary volunteers with YoungLife and both my high schoolers attend their gatherings. YoungLife specializes in building relationships with teenagers, walking with them through the highs and lows of their teen years, and introducing them to Jesus. YoungLife establishes mentoring relationships between Christian adults and teens, many of whom have no connection to church.

If you would like to join in supporting this local ministry with any amount, you can do so by clicking here: St Vrain Valley YoungLife Golf Marathon 2024

Is the Virgin Birth Essential to the Gospel?

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Several people over the years have asked me whether the virgin birth of Jesus is an essential element of the gospel message.

Emergent church leader Rob Bell, for example, asked the question of which parts of the biblical story of Jesus are essential to believe in order to be saved. He specifically questioned the necessity of belief in the virgin birth.

Additionally, this week I came across a discussion online of people arguing that instead of the original lyrics to the hymn Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, the line “offspring of the virgin’s womb” should be changed to “offspring of Mary’s womb.” The reason for this, they said, was that not saying Mary’s name, but instead identifying her according to her sexual status, takes away from her dignity. Therefore, we should say her name, and get rid of this “unnecessary” controversy regarding the virgin birth.

So, is the virgin birth essential to the gospel?

I believe it is. In this video, I explain the reasons why:

Understanding Doubt & Deconstruction: Part 3 – Reasons People Deconstruct

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Continuing through the workshop that Aaron Salvato and I presented at this year’s Calvary Chapel pastors and leaders conference on the topic of Understanding Doubt and Deconstruction, here is Part 3, in which we delve into topics such as:

  • Contradictions
  • Abuse
  • Politics
  • Hypocrisy

Understanding Doubt & Deconstruction: Part 2 – The #Deconstruction Movement & How We Got Here

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Recently I posted Part 1 of a workshop that Aaron Salvato and I presented at this year’s Calvary Chapel pastors and leaders conference on the topic of Understanding Doubt and Deconstruction.

The purpose of the workshop was to help equip Christian leaders to understand and engage those experiencing doubts or going through a process of deconstruction, in order to help strengthen their faith in Jesus and their trust in the Bible, so they might wholeheartedly embrace the gospel.

In Part 2 of this series, Aaron and I speak about the #deconstruction movement and different causes of deconstruction, including the influence of the Emergent Church movement in the early 2000’s.

Understanding Doubt & Deconstruction: Part 1 – Roots & Definitions

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Earlier this year, Aaron Salvato and I presented a workshop together at the Calvary Chapel pastors and leaders conference on the topic of Understanding Doubt and Deconstruction.

The purpose of the workshop was to help equip Christian leaders to understand and engage those experiencing doubts or going through a process of deconstruction, in order to help strengthen their faith in Jesus and their trust in the Bible, so they might wholeheartedly embrace the gospel.

Prior to the conference, we recorded our material and Aaron took that video, added graphics and text, and is releasing it in parts on the Calvary Chapel YouTube page.

The first part can be seen here, and I have to say that Aaron did a really good job with the graphics.

One of my favorite parts of this episode is the discussion of the philosophical origins of the Deconstruction Movement, discussing Foucault, Derrida, and others.

Happy Mother’s Day – Video Message

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Since my injury a few weeks ago, I haven’t been able to be in church. I’m hoping to be back soon, maybe even next Sunday, but in the meantime, I have been able to record a few video messages from my wheelchair out in front of my house.

Here’s a message I recorded for Mother’s Day about Eunice and Lois, the mother and grandmother of Timothy, to celebrate and encourage mothers and grandmothers:

Ukraine Relief Workers Conference Recap Video

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In March of 2023, I travelled with 3 others from White Fields Community Church to go and serve at a conference for those in the Calvary Chapel family of churches in Ukraine who have been providing aid and relief since the war began in their country. (More about that here)

This video features some of the Ukrainian Calvary Chapel leaders talking about why this conference was so valuable, and how you can support the ongoing ministry in Ukraine, where our churches are meeting practical needs created by the humanitarian crisis and sharing the hope of the gospel.

Ministering in the Midst of War in Ukraine

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Earlier this month, I, along with Pastor Michael Payne and two other leaders from White Fields Church, travelled to Ukraine to be part of a retreat for Calvary Chapel churches there, sponsored by Calvary Global Network and Cross Culture Missions.

The purpose of the retreat was to give some respite to those who have been ministering to others since the beginning of the war, which began over a year ago now.

At the retreat, Mike and I taught Bible studies in the evening, other pastors led workshops and met with people one-on-one, and we were also joined by a team of Christian counselors who taught and met with people. The goal was to have a retreat that served people spiritually, mentally, and physically.

The location was a beautiful spot in Western Ukraine, at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, in a resort hotel, where people could have good meals, a beautiful and safe location, and fun activities for the whole family to have a break and recharge together and with friends.

Below are some pictures from our time there:

Also, while I was there, I was able to record interviews with some of those in our Calvary Chapel family of churches who have been serving others.

This interview, which I recorded for the Mission & Methods Podcast, is with Zhenya Chekushkin, the leader of Calvary Chapel in Ukraine (something which was made official at the conference). He talks about what the Calvary Chapel churches throughout Ukraine have been doing to serve people and minister in Jesus’ name since the start of the war:

Bonus Episode: How Calvary Chapel Churches are Ministering in the Midst of War in Ukraine – The CGN Podcast

In this bonus episode, Nick Cady speaks with Zhenya Chekushkin, the leader of the Calvary Chapel network of churches in Ukraine. Calvary Chapel has had a presence in Ukraine since the early 1990’s, and currently has around 20 churches in different cities throughout the country. Recently a group of CGN leaders travelled to Western Ukraine to encourage those in the Calvary network who have been ministering to others in their country since the full scale invasion in February 2022. This retreat provided an opportunity to recharge physically and spiritually. In this episode, Zhenya shares about some of the ways Calvary Chapel churches have been serving people, and how God has been working, even in the midst of these difficult circumstances. We’d love to hear feedback from you on these episodes. You can email us at CGN@calvarychapel.com

Also, make sure to check out this video from the Calvary Chapel in Svitlovodsk, Ukraine, which shows how the gospel is moving forward even now in Ukraine, and how God is using these terrible circumstances to bring people to a saving knowledge of Him:

We are also preparing a special podcast featuring four interviews with people, recorded at this conference, telling about their stories of what happened to them in the early days of the war, and what life looks like for them now, as they minister and serve others in Jesus’ name.

Stay tuned for that!

If you’d like to support the ministry in Ukraine, you can do so by giving to the Ukraine Relief Funds of White Fields Church or Calvary Global Network.