Brainstorming is an example of a business fad with no solid evidence of value. Tuesday's "Wall Street Journal" (6-13-06) states that the "popularity of brainstorming results in part from corporate America's knee-jerk faith in teams." John Clark, a former university dean of engineering, admits, "I can't remember a single instance where a group produced a really creative idea." Paul B. Paulus, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas, conducted research that concluded: "group brainstormers perform at about half the level they would if they brainstormed alone." According to David Perkins of Harvard Graduate School of Education, brainstorming is "plainly inefficient." "The best way to get good ideas is to get people to write them down privately and then bring them in." The popularity of brainstorming, despite its lack of supporting evidence, is another example of the fads that run our businesses. Unfortunately, it is also an example of the fads that run our churches. The difference is that the fads become fully engrained in the churches about the time that the secular world has determined them to be junk. We see this especially in "Christian psychology" where the world's castaway ideas of yesterday become the "new" movements of the churches. We would be much better served by staying with Bible principles. We may learn some practical things from the secular arena, but we must base all we do on the absolute principles of God's word.
An article in "Biblical Archaeology Review" (July/August 2006) deals with the mining of copper in Edom. According to the Bible, David and several of the other early kings of Israel fought battles with the Edomites. However, modern scholarship has contended that Edom was not a complex society at that time and could not have fielded an army. Recent archaeological discoveries have proven differently. The Edomites were involved in major copper production all the way back to the 12th century B.C. This required a great deal of sophistication and organization in the nation. And, the biblically recorded battles with David were in the early 10th century B.C. As usual, the Bible is correct and the scholars were wrong.
According to an article in the July/August, 2006, edition of "Biblical Archaeology Review," the Muslim Dome of the Rock Mosque built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem was designed and built (685-705 A.D.) to declare the triumph of Islam over the other major world religions. It symbolized triumph over Judaism by being built on the site of Solomon's Temple. In fact, one Islamic tradition teaches that the Dome of the Rock is the replacement for the Temple of Solomon. It also symbolized triumph over Christianity by building a grand structure on the devastated Temple Mount that Christians of the time taught would remain desolate until the return of Christ (though this is not taught in scripture). This attitude of predominance is seen in the two inscriptions placed on copper plates over the eastern and southern gates of the mosque: "The Unity of God and the Prophecy of Muhammed are true," and, "The Sonship of Jesus and the Trinity are false."
We who preach (or teach or sing) use our voice a lot and sometimes misuse it. With time, we can begin to lose it. The "Berkeley Wellness Letter" of July, 2006, recommends getting medical advice if you lose your voice for more than two days, have a lump in your throat or difficulty swallowing, or if hoarseness persists for two weeks. If the problems continue, you may need to work with a voice therapist. I have known good men who have struggled greatly with this problem. Please take it seriously. Your voice is one of the most important tools in your ministry. If you have a continually strained voice, check with your physician or the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for a referral.
Today's Wall Street Journal reports some of the recent actions of the Presbyterian Church (USA). In 2004, the Presbyterian Church decided "to initiate a process of phased, selective divestment in multinational corporations operating in Israel." That is, they decided to boycott Israel. On the other hand, the pro-Palestinian stance of the Presbyterian leadership has been astounding. In the fall of 2004, senior church leaders met with and praised Hezbollah, the Lebanese terrorist organization responsible for the death of thousands, some of them Americans. The church funds pro-Palestinian committees and wrote "congratulatory letters to the terrorist leaders of Hamas on their recent election victory." Further, they verbally attack Israel and "blame the U.S. and capitalism in general for most of the world's catastrophes." God told Abraham four thousand years ago concerning him and his descendants: "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee" (Genesis 12:3). Is it any wonder that the Presbyterian Church (USA) is suffering from "declining membership and dwindling financial support?"
