Faith Archives - Page 2 of 12 - Jonathan's Blog From The Source

A remarkable man

Posted on: 03/14/17 3:46 PM | by Jonathan McKee

Last weekend I encountered a man so remarkable, the experience was life changing.

I didn’t expect it. I was visiting Maui by myself for the quickest trip to the island I’ve ever had, there and back in just a weekend for a friend’s wedding (not the choice way to do Maui). The ceremony was ocean-side in the beautiful Kahanu Gardens in Hana, a truly precarious drive, but breathtaking scenery.

As we were waiting for the ceremony to begin… this man caught my eye.

He was Hawaiian with a chiseled jaw, a tribal tattoo on his left cheek, and his grey hair pulled back tightly into a bun. He was probably one of the eldest people at the wedding, but no doubt one of the most physically strong. He was perfectly composed Continue reading “A remarkable man”

Posted in Evangelism, Faith, Personal, Travel | Tags: Alii, aloha, elder, Hana, Hawaii, Jesus, respect | Leave A Comment

The rise of the non-believing Millennial

Posted on: 03/2/17 3:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

What do you think of when you hear the word “Christian”?

How do think most college kids would answer if you asked them that question on a University campus?

A couple weeks ago Chance the Rapper burst into Christian worship at the Grammys… and people didn’t know exactly how to respond. It honestly seemed out of place to see Christ glorified in a setting where He is typically ignored… even shunned.

If you watch any TV these days, it’s rare to see faith or religion thrown into the mix. Sadly, if it is, it’s often in gest, particularly portraying Christians as hypocritical or judgmental. If TV was the mirror of our society, then the majority of our population would probably be Continue reading “The rise of the non-believing Millennial”

Posted in Evangelism, Faith | Tags: agnostics, athiests, belief, Christians, evangelism, faith, millennials, nones, Pew Research, Unaffiliated, US religiouos landscape survey | Leave A Comment

Mixed Feelings about Rowling’s Newest

Posted on: 01/10/17 4:30 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Lori and I went to see the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them over Christmas break, a fun movie introducing great characters… but it left a bitter taste in our mouths.

As you know, Fantastic Beasts is yet another fantasy adventure story written by JK Rowling, and a prequel of the Harry Potter Series. Like the Harry Potter films, it’s well written with creative dialogue and likable characters… and also plenty of magic, wands, spells, and incantations.

On the positive side, it was a really fun film with a noticeable battle between good and evil. But at times I really struggled to enjoy it, because I was struggling with… there’s no better way to say it… the beguiling comfort with witchcraft.

Don’t worry… I’m not turning into someone crying “Satan” with the rationality of Chicken Little. We’ve all seen Continue reading “Mixed Feelings about Rowling’s Newest”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Faith, Jonathan's Rant, Movies | Tags: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, J.K. Rowling, MACUSA, magic, pentagram, witchcraft, witches | Leave A Comment

TV Christianity

Posted on: 06/30/16 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

In my lifetime I’ve noticed a huge shift in opinion about Christians and the local church… and it ain’t been good! “Christian” is rapidly becoming a naughty word.

If you ever turn on TV or go to the movies, it’s not uncommon to hear the perception that faith is at the root of a vast number of societal ills. In fact, some have even studied these perceptions of faith and Christianity.

The question I want to ask is, where are people learning this?

Two answers emerge Continue reading “TV Christianity”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Faith, Jonathan's Rant, TV | | Leave A Comment

I want the truth… kind of

Posted on: 06/2/16 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

In 1992 Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson gave incredible performances in the riveting movie, A Few Good Men. In their memorable exchange, Nicholson’s character Col. Nathan Jessup barked out a line so profound that it made it into the AFI’s list of the 100 best movie quotes:

Col. Jessep: You want answers?

Kaffee: I think I’m entitled to.

Col. Jessep: You want answers?

Kaffee: I want the truth!

Col. Jessep: You can’t handle the truth!

Truth.

That word has metamorphosized quite a bit over the last two decades. Continue reading “I want the truth… kind of”

Posted in Faith, Jonathan's Rant, Youth Culture | | Leave A Comment

SNL Mocks Christian Films

Posted on: 05/24/16 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Saturday Night Live (SNL) has been poking fun at Christians for years. The question I want to ask is: is there any validity to their jesting? Or more importantly, can we learn anything from it?

A few weeks ago SNL did a sketch mocking the film God’s Not Dead (and the sequel), mixed with the recent controversy about Christians refusing to provide services for gay weddings.

Continue reading “SNL Mocks Christian Films”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Evangelism, Faith, Youth Culture | | Leave A Comment

Who’s Your Timothy?

Posted on: 07/14/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

About 25 years ago I volunteered as a small group leader in the high school ministry of my church. It was there I met my friend Lorin, a man in his twenties who was discipling three teenage boys.

We love to throw that word “discipling” around, so let me describe precisely what Lorin did. Lorin met with these three teens once a week, encouraging them, praying with them, and studying the Bible-with these three he chose the books of I and II Timothy. After some time, the boys were so inspired by the teachings of II Timothy that they decided to memorize it… the whole book! So Lorin and the three boys Continue reading “Who’s Your Timothy?”

Posted in Evangelism, Faith, Leadership | | Leave A Comment

How Christians React to the Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage

Posted on: 07/7/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

The dust (and pink confetti) is slowly settling since the June 26^th Supreme Court decision to legalize same sex marriage in all 50 states. The question is, how are Christians responding?

Barna released a fascinating glimpse last week revealing that not only Americans, but different denominations land all over the spectrum on this issue. For example, 53% of Catholics favor the Supreme Court’s decision (strongly or somewhat), where only 2% of Barna’s definition of an Evangelical favor the decision. At the same time, most the country seems to agree this decision was inevitable.

Barna breaks it down nicely on this chart Continue reading “How Christians React to the Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage”

Posted in Church, Evangelism, Faith, News, Sexuality, Youth Culture | | Leave A Comment

Growing After Graduation

Posted on: 05/12/15 8:44 AM | by Jonathan McKee

growing-in-faith Remember all that hype about the 5%?

I think I heard it like this. “Do you know that only 5% of Christian students actually keep their faith when they graduate from high school?”

Really? 5%?

Someone said it once, printed it, and it became “research.” I’ve heard all kinds of numbers, some of them unbelievable, some of them from solid research and really sobering. But numbers aside, anyone who has worked in youth ministry for any length of time can attest to one undeniable truth: too many kids walk away from their faith, stop plugging in with other believers or stop attending church after high school.

So that begs the question, how do we help kids grow in their faith so they continue their faith journey, growing and fellowshipping after graduation? Continue reading “Growing After Graduation”

Posted in Church, Evangelism, Faith, Youth Ministry Planning | | Leave A Comment

Favorite Easter Clips

Posted on: 04/1/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Year after year I encounter powerful movie, TV and YouTube clips that provoke meaningful discussions about Easter and Christ’s sacrifice for us (we even saw one last season that we highlighted on our The Gospel According to The Walking Dead blog).

Out of all the clips I encounter year after year and highlight on our Holiday Ideas page… these THREE CLIPS stick out as some of my favorites for Easter Continue reading “Favorite Easter Clips”

Posted in Evangelism, Faith, Movies | | Leave A Comment