Author: Ben Meredith

Ben is a recovering pharisee, a web guy, a passable guitar player (as long as you're not near Nashville), and the type of guy you'd want on your team in a game of Mad Gab. Follow him on twitter.
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Are BenandJacq Leaving the Field? Far from it.

I got a letter last week from a ministry partner that indicated they are coming off of our team, because we were “going to be working in the office for Campus Crusade and not out in the field with college young people.”  He went on to explain how he will be supporting some folks from his church that are “out in the field as a strong witness for the Lord.”

It of course saddens me that folks would leave our team financially (especially while we are in the midst of trusting God for more folks on our team), but I am far more saddened that I have done an obviously bad job of explaining our new role within Campus Crusade.

Unfortunately, because I didn’t know any better, I’ve often referred to the new role as a “job,” and the regional team as an “office.”  Those two terms go a long way toward alienating folks who have nothing but negative associations with “jobs” and “offices.”  I am working now to change not only how I talk about our new role and new team, but how I relate to others the vibrant environment that I am moving to with the singular goal of maximizing effectiveness and reach of our staff on campuses all over the region.

I’m going from reaching 40,000 (ish) students in Western NC to having direct impact on 1,100,000 (ish) students in NC, SC, TN, KY, and WV.  I’m not leaving the field, I’m broadening the scope.  Utilizing the latest in technology, I’ll literally be able to reach students in their pocket with the gospel.  Never before have we had more of an ability to get the message of Christ to more people, more relationally.  Through technology like twitter and facebook, we are able to not only bring a relevant message, but bring it with the “thumbs up” of your 5 closest friends.

So, while I understand that for some my move to Apex will be seen as a move away from the front lines, and that they will feel called to support others; I assure you that, for me, this is a strategic move closer to students, to a place where I will be able to use my unique gifting to reach the most people, most urgently.

Pray with me that though I lost $50 per month, I will gain (and learn from) a new perspective on how I ought to communicate my passion for students to folks that don’t “get” social media.

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Join our new Facebook Page, and enter to win one of three Free Books!

In an effort to distill just the ministry related content from our blog, so that our ministry partners can stay on top of how God is using their giving, I have made a brand new facebook page.  (you can get there by clicking the ‘frotastic “advertisement” to the right.  Or you can click here.)

On this page, you will find links to all the latest ministry updates, ministry vision, and stories from the “front lines” of our ministry.

Here’s what’s in it for you.  I will be updating the blog once per week with a specifically ministry-related insight, tip, or story.  These will be geared toward our ministry partners, but accessible enough to encourage anyone.  By joining the facebook group (by clicking “like”) you’ll be assured that you don’t miss any of that content, and you’ll be able to easily recommend to friends and others a great place to come for ministry updates from a guy with a stunning wife and easily one of the top five cutest kids on the internet today.  Also, by joining the group, you’ll be able to start discussions, post photos (embarrassing or otherwise), and otherwise connect with folks who share a common interest in Benand(or)Jacq.

Finally, I am going to be randomly selecting three of the group members to win a free copy of one of three books. (there will be three drawings)

  • The first book: the hilarious Stuff Christians Like book by my friend Jon Acuff. This book will definitely resonate with anyone who has ever been in or around church culture.  And it will make you laugh.
  • The second book: Christian Beliefs by my friend and pastor-for-a-month Elliot Grudem and his dad Wayne Grudem.  This book is a fantastic treatment of basic doctrine that every Christian should know, written in a way that every (English-speaking) Christian can understand.
  • The third book: Jesus Without Religion by Campus staff member Rick James.  This is a great book for discussing who Jesus is with folks who misunderstand him to be the leader of a religion.

All you have to do is be in the group, (here’s hoping I don’t have to mail this book to Asia).  I will draw the free book winner on Tuesday July the 27th.

Ready, set, Click!

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The Terrifying Absurdity of the Supreme Court.

Recently, in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, something happened that I never thought would happen in America.  The Supreme Court upheld a ruling by a university to refuse to recognize as a student organization a group (the Christian Legal Society) because in order to be a member in the group you have to agree to a statement of faith that the university claims is contrary to their policy that all students be allowed membership in any group, regardless of sexual orientation, religious belief, etc.

In the ruling, Justice Kennedy (the “swing vote” that decided things 5-4 in favor of the university) compared the statement of faith to “loyalty oaths” of the McCarthy era, saying that “the era of loyalty oaths is behind us.”

Here’s what’s profoundly absurd: he simply traded one loyalty oath for another.  As a Justice in our land’s highest court, how can he not see the policy of “tolerance” and “openness” that the University has as a loyalty oath?  Student organizations have to agree to abide by this oath: anybody can join.

The wording is unclear regarding leaders in groups, but imagine a die-hard liberal wanting to join and become president of the Young Republican club on campus.  Or imagine a member of the KKK wanting to become a leader in the NAACP chapter on your local campus.  That’s absurd.  But that’s precisely the precedent set by this ruling.

You can’t get away from the fact that eventually, everyone is taking a loyalty oath in life.  We all bet the farm on something.  For Christians, we bet the farm on Jesus, as revealed in Scripture.  He’s our bottom line.  Secular humanists bet the farm on there not being a God.  Atheistic socialists bet the farm on the ability of the government to take care of them.  Bill Gates bets the farm on money being able to satisfy him.

Anybody is welcomed to join our group on campus, sure.  We don’t have members sign a statement of faith.  But we do have leaders sign things like that.  And just like the pagan group on campus would be super uncomfortable having me (as a person who believes in Jesus as the only way to heaven, and therefore not pagan in any sense of the word) as a leader, we all have standards, statements of faith, loyalty oaths.

It is terrifying that a Justice of the Supreme Court would be blind to the ramifications of his own worldview.  He’s taken a loyalty oath (to secular humanism) and he doesn’t even know it.

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My Son is Going to Grow Up Thinking This is Normal.

It’s astounding to me that this is the new “normal” for my son’s generation.  Phones that play games and shoot video (this video shot on my wife’s new HTC Aria–a fantastic lower-total-cost iPhone 3G competitor), and playing digital peek-a-boo with people hundreds (or even thousands) of miles away.

Enjoy.

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The Profound Implications of Social Media for Christians.

Right now, using just a smart phone and mobile data signal, you could reach more people with the gospel than Charles Spurgeon, Martin Luther, and the Apostle Paul did.

Combined.

There’s more gospel potential in your pocket than in all the pulpits of all the churches in your town.  The contact list on your mobile phone is a direct gateway into people’s lives.  They trust you more than they do a TV preacher or a tent revival screamer.

There are three types of folks when it comes to technology:

Early Adopters: This is the dude who had the 1st generation iPhone, the girl who had a blog back when they were called web logs, and those of us who can remember when it was called www.thefacebook.com.

Cautious Adopters: These folks aren’t anti-technology, but they also aren’t going to go out and get the first generation device.  They’re quick learners, for the most part, and willing to give gadgets and new services a try, after others have.  With the right training and time, these folks become the driving force that causes technology to become mainstream.  This group comprises the vast majority of the population.

Never Adopters:  These are folks who think that somehow technology is evil, or the problem in society.  I’m not really worried about them commenting on the blog.  They say things like “kids these days are staring at screens and rotting their brains” and see little (if any) positive side to developing new technology and/or changing the way they do things.  The interesting thing is that all of them have adopted certain technologies, unknowingly.  Even Amish folks are using things like wheels, metal tools, and other technological advancements.  The fun fact is that they are all cautious adopters who eventually thought it best to stop adopting.  Some stopped at the industrial revolution, some later (and some earlier!).  This group is a very small percentage of the population, and unless somebody printed this out and handed it to you, you’re probably not in this group.

The third group of folks are rare, but their ideology has sneaked into the church–and Christian subculture–in a lot of subtle ways (hymns are better than praise choruses, organs are better than guitars, door-to-door witnessing is the best way because it used to work really well, rural life is more biblical than living in the city, all smart phones and laptops are a waste of resources, after all, couldn’t we be feeding the hungry with that money?)

I’m not encouraging every Christian to become an early adopter.  But the Church and the parachurch ministries alongside her need folks who are pioneering new technology for the cause of Christ.  Those folks could do without the assumption that because we are early adopters, we are being frivolous and wasteful with our money. (as an aside, we welcome folks helping us to check our motives when it comes to a gadget or technology purchase–we tend toward gadget-idolatry, and at times money would be better spent on feeding the hungry.  There’s a balance to be struck.)

The real power of social media (that corporations and brands are scrambling to harness) is that not only are we able to get a message out to you, but we can do it with the “thumbs up” of your friends.  How many of you want to see (or went already to see) the movie Inception purely because you’ve heard friends (most of them on facebook) rave about it?  That’s the power of social media.  People I trust telling me things they believe.

It’s my dream to see the gospel preached (and Liked) in one pocket of every pair of pants on every college campus in our region.

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