stuff i think

I'm thinking of changing my title.
A year ago, when I signed on with the Vineyard, they were gracious enough to let me choose my own title. Granted, the job description was their doing, but they were wide open on what I wanted to call myself. That's how I became the 'director of small things'. It's been fun to have that title. If you're familiar with DNA, you understand. We champion the belief that small things done with great love will change the world.


I still believe that, and will continue to do what I'm doing - coaching church planters, designing outward focused outreach (if you've been around church long enough, you know that phrase isn't redundant), and teaching Alpha and in other venues when I get a chance. It's just that the director of small things monikor has gotten old, so I'm going to try out a new title for a while, while reserving the right to revert to the original title (when you make them up, it's no big thing to do so).


I am now retitling myself the Director of Unapologetics. You'll notice two changes...one, I've chosen to capitalize the big words. I think that looks nice. Secondly, moving from small things (which I will continue to do) to Unapologetics is in response to what I feel is our overwhelming tendency to apologize, particularly in the postmodern context. We are so freaking afraid of scaring people (or is it that we're afraid of not being cool?) that we apologize all over ourselves for anything the Bible says that might be the least bit confusing to a not-yet-believer. We dumb down the context that we share the gospel with them to the point that if they really understood everything that we say we believe, they'd wonder why they were getting the wussy version. They're postmodern, not postmortem.


I went to a Reds game this summer. I didn't grow up watching baseball, so there were things I didn't understand, but you know what...they still played the game correctly, and no one apologized. (PA SPEAKER VOICE: You, in the third row...we apologize for the length of the game...) Fortunately, I sat with a friend who explained things...I still didn't understand it all, but it was fun, and I think if I went regularly, I could explain it to other people. I learned by watching and asking...not by them dumbing the game down to my level. I'm tired of people seemly apologizing for biblical concepts like sin, repentance, and Jesus' passionate heart for pursuing the losers of the human race. I say more book of Acts and less Oprah.


No more wussy gospel. That's what I say.


Randy Bohlender
Director of Unapologetics*
Vineyard Community Church
Cincinnati, Ohio

*self appointed