The Portal

The Cool Poole-Pollock Ideas

[callout]The fearless Howells and Morschers launched a Discovery Group of their own[/callout]

First there was Doug Pollack’s book “Irresistible Evangelism” and his presentation two years in a row at the Summer Institute. Then there was the somewhat alien (by Xenos standards) “Bush Group” approach of Gary Poole’s book “Seeker Small Groups” and it’s plethora of real-world examples. Then there was the Xenos example of the fearless Howells and Morschers who launched a Discovery Group of their own.

Hearing their stories caused excitement and interest. Then the clip from the Dawkins/Lennox debate at CT attracted us and reminded me of our training in apologetics. Our men’s cell group viewed the entire Dawkins/Lennox Debate DVD. It was a ready-made presentation for an outreach group. We decided to invite some non-Christian friends to view and discuss the debate. Call it “Delusion I” (a play on the “God Delusion” title of Dawkins’ book).

Great Resources

[callout]We get so defensive when we witness to unbelievers[/callout]

Our group set the date, and Michael and Rick listened to audio versions of Dawkins’ “God Delusion” book. We found a wealth of online resources at William Lane Craig’s site (www.williamlanecraig.com), including debates and great evidence to believe in the Bible. In one of his audio files Craig said, “We get so defensive when we witness to unbelievers when we don’t know good answers to the questions or objections unbelievers give.”

I was amazed at the sophistication of the arguments piling up over the centuries. When compared to Dawkins’ arguments against Christianity, I really began feeling embarrassed for him. He did little to prove atheism or disprove theism.

It’s great to know the evidence for God’s existence for several good reasons:

1. Great evidence is available!
2. It’s very difficult to answer Christian evidence in one night.
3. Since it may take several nights, weeks or even months to plumb the depths, it’s a new Discovery Group approach!

Then we prayed and prayed again and again.

And THEN…

Alas, two self proclaiming atheists and an agnostic showed up from Michael Toth’s long list of friends (one even grew up in the Riverwood Community Church!). Following a relatively short time of getting acquainted while eating hors ‘dourves prepared by chef Jordan, Michael, Bill, Katrina & I sat down with our guests to watch the first half of the debate DVD.

I thought, “Whoa, I have no idea where this is going…I may have to bite my tongue.”

I believe Lina was right in her Discover Group article: when you provide a safe forum in which to discuss the “big” questions of life, non-Christians feel comfortable enough to discuss their own views. One of our guests admitted to being a “closet atheist” in her work environment for fear of how fellow work associates might react to that fact. She apparently felt totally at ease sharing that with us. That was cool beans man!

The issues were varied and strayed from those brought up in the first half of the DVD. We determined “rabbit trails” to be fine for now. In fact, very little control was exercised.

Then one very interesting question came up: “What would it take for you to lose your faith?” Without blinking, Bill said, “if Christ had not been raised, our faith is worthless.” And I added, “Yeah, the Apostle Paul said we would be of all men most to be pitied.”

Is it possible to begin a potential Discovery Group, deliver your testimony and the gospel, all in the first night? Sure it is! We did it! It really happened so naturally.

Our guests are looking forward to “Delusion II” on Friday, October 17, 2008 and apparently an additional person will come along.

Please pray for us!

Read all about the new Love Ethics class sponsored by Columbus, Xenos, featuring ... guess who? Cleveland people can go without any class costs, of course...

The poster says it all…

Do You Know the Old Testament? On October 1st we launch an Old Testament survey course for the first time in nearly a decade...Students will be guided through the entire Old Testament by Darlene McCallum and Mark Michalek...

Do You Know the Old Testament?

On October 1st we launch an Old Testament survey course for the first time in nearly a decade, and it promises to deepen an understanding of God’s character, your relationship with God, your ability to defend your faith, and most important to understand

“It’s a big chunk of the Bible,” Mark Michalek said. “But what’s it doing there? Your understanding of the Bible is incomplete without the Old Testament.”

The class is a vital part of the Leadership Training Class series, so those enrolled in LTC should plan on attending the class.

Raised in a Post-Christian era, many Christians — especially those under 40 — are so unfamiliar with the Old Testament they become uncomfortable speaking about it and the concepts it teaches, Mark said.

Students will be guided through the entire Old Testament by Darlene McCallum and Mark Michalek. The Scarlet Thread will serve as a background textbook. The course will answer questions such as:

How does the Old Testament apply today? Should we digging through the laws and applying them? What’s the role of the Old Testament in your daily life?

Is God different in the Old and New Testaments? Critics such as Dawkins would say so. How would you defend accusations like this:

The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character of all fiction; jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak; a vindictive, blood-thirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously-malevolent bully. Richard Dawkins, God Delusion, p.31 [Haughton-Mifflin, 2006]

Old Testament Survey will meet every other week for five sessions, with a test. It will cost $35, but $10 for students and $50 for couples.

On September 26-28 about thirty NeoXenos leaders will gather for a retreat near scenic Marblehead Light House, a favorite attraction for campers at East Harbor State Park.

This is an intense year of new ministries and growth, increasing the need for more Deacon Ministry Teams (DMTs). Experienced leaders are stepping into new ministries and new leaders are needed to replace them.

The recent “Multi-Site” conference in Chicago raised several topics for this year’s DMT Retreat, such as changes in teaching format, “apprenticeships”, online education, and new ideas for home group multiplication.

Ever heard this guy before? Mark Driscoll is his name. Take a look at his crazy YouTube video to see what’s coming to the Summer Institute:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSrZVF3FEUQ]

If you haven’t yet signed up for XSI, you need to!

Attention Home Church Leaders: they want us to get registered before the usual NeoXenos schedule! Talk about it, do it, go register at http://neoxenos.org/xsi …

For students it only costs $5. For the rest of us it’s $15, but that ain’t bad at all!