A nice article talking about the virtues of the Potter movement.  Sorry, Jeff, you may want to start reading them.

One of the laments of preachers around Christmas time is that people should not simply go through the formalism and the materialism of Christmas, but that they should remember ‘the reason for the season’.  What this presupposes, is that participation in some elements of Christmas festivities does not mean full participation in the worship of our redeeming God, who gave Jesus to die and live for the sake of the elect.

This same distinction is found in Isaiah 29.13 when the Lord says, “…[T]his people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me… (ESV).  What we find here is that simple participation in worship to YHWH is not true worship.  That is, one could go to the temple, participate in the sacrifices, etc., and though there is participation, true worship does not take place.  In other words participation in the elements of worship, without a heart devoted to the Lord is not worship.

What this means, it seems to me, is that we need to make this allowance consistent in other areas of life.  For example, with Halloween, some argue that participation in the festivities of this day means that one is participating in the whole of it.  Thus, it is reasoned, if you go get free candy from homes, then you are participating in some form of occultism.  But as we see in Isaiah, and as we preach against at Christmas, participation in some elements of a holiday or a service does not entail full participation.  This, it seems to me, is what stands behind Paul’s discussion of food sacrificed to idols (1 Cor 8-10).  Also, this is what would make the difference between Paul forbidding Christians to be circumcised in his letter to the Galatians and Paul having Timothy circumcised for mission to the Jews.

What do you think?  Is this distinction justified?  Are there areas other than Halloween, where this distinction is true?  Music?  Harry Potter?  Movies?  Alcohol? 

Scott Thomas describes the differences between the missional, evangelical, and institutional church.

The Missional Church:1. Sent by God as missionaries in their own culture (Mt. 4:19).
2. Exists to take Christ to the lost: Go to the world (Mt. 28:18-20).
3. Members are personally engaged in their communities (Acts 16:20; 17:6).
4. Submerged into its culture like Christ (Luke 7:34).
5. Main focus is training and equipping others to be missionaries (Eph. 4:11-16).
6. Dependent upon Holy Spirit to use individuals as agents for evangelizing (Acts 1:8).
7. Develops relationships with the lost on purpose (Matt. 5:13-16).
8. Relationships are the means to influence others in their journey toward Christ (John 1512-17; 1 John 4:19-21).
9. The goal is to help others find Jesus in their own way and timing (1 Cor. 9:20-23).
10. Participants are affected in every way through a calling by God to be an agent for the gospel (Acts 4:13, 31-35).
11. Faith is practiced in community - groups of people together (Acts 2:42-45; Phil. 1:27).
12. Worship is unpredictable, spontaneous, Spirit-directed and messy (John 4:23-24).

The Evangelical Church:
1. Has a program of missions alongside numerous activities of the church.
2. Exists as a place for the lost to find Christ: Come to the Church.
3. Members are supportive of mission efforts.
4. Separated from its culture as a holy quest.
5. Main focus is supporting mission works - mainly overseas.
6. Dependent upon altar call and big events as its main tool for evangelization.
7. Knows a few lost people and prays for their salvation.
8. Uses marketing techniques & business principles to draw people to a corporate gathering.
9. The goal is to produce salvation results.
10. Participants conform to man-made standards through guilt and pressure. Change is through self-will, not Spirit.
11. Faith is practiced at the church building during prescribed gathering times.
12. Worship is structured, predictable and orderly.

The Institutional Church:
1. Sends money to missionaries in foreign countries if it is convenient.
2. Exists for the members of the church: Join the Church.
3. Members expect pastors to bring in the lost and unchurched.
4. Has become a sub-culture of Christians living in a parallel universe.
5. Main focus is supporting church activities to attract new families.
6. Dependent upon pastors and staff to evangelize the lost.
7. Stays away from the lost; has very few dealings with those outside the church.
8. Uses tradition, denomination and family ties to attract and keep members.
9. The goal is to increase attendance.
10. Participants compartmentalize their religion and their lives - generally facades of religious adherence.
11. Faith is a routine activity that is private and personal.
12. Worship is ritualistic.

Read the whole article about Missional Church here.