Two instances of blatant plagiarism

I have always hoped that my blog would challenge people to think. Other folks sometimes (actually very often) challenge better than I do, so this time I'm going to just copy their stuff.

First, a bit from Mike Cope's blog about youth ministers....

Just a word about youth ministers here. I've been blessed to speak at lots of conferences for youth ministers through the years, and I've gotten to know many of them.

Here's what I've discovered: so many of them are among the most passionate, godly leaders I've ever met. They tend to fly under the radar a bit since they are "youth ministers"--but trust me, their influence permeates throughout their churches.

Most of them are thinking theologically in a way that connects with culture. They have to answer the question "Where was God in this?" constantly, because teens aren't afraid to ask. They have developed a knack for seeing beneath the surface to the deeper issues. For example, when everyone was blathering on about Generation X, most youth ministers saw beneath those "studies" to the deeper cultural shifts involved.

Church leaders are, thankfully, talking more and more about missional living. I think many youth ministers led the way. Over the past couple decades they have moved away from the ski trip model of youth ministry (though there's nothing wrong with a good old ski trip!) to the mission trip model. They know that their job isn't to meet all the perceived needs of their teens or to compete with the next megachurch down the road but to help in the transformation of students into passionate disciples of Christ who seek to participate in the work of God.

So many youth ministers I know are passionate about kingdom, mission, incarnational living, authenticity, and -- of course -- the gospel. They have little time for denominational concerns and have been moving beyond those borders long before others decided that is a good idea.

Second, a post from Greg Kendall-Ball's blog about certain people he calls "the unhireables." Although the Travis in his post isn't my brother Travis, we'd both certainly be members of Greg's club. I know I'd buy the T-shirt anyway.

My pal Travis and I have formed a club recently. Actually, I would venture to say that this club has been formed for some time, but we're officially proclaiming its existence, and possibly even making t-shirts.

The Unhireables: a club for men and women, who through academic association, positions on certain key issues, and attitudes toward a great number of things have made themselves unhireable by many, if not most, Churches of Christ currently in existence.

Let's face it: some of us are screwed. I just spoke with a couple who were being interviewed by a church recently. As the meeting went on, they were asked about their view of the "core" of the Gospel. They talked about the Divinity of Christ, Sovreignty of God, and so on. One elder asked them about their view on instrumental music. When they responded that it was not a "core issue" for them, the elder closed their information packet, very visibly, and quickly called the meeting to a close.

This happens more often than we'd like. I know a guy right now who has his M.Div, was recognized as a great servant by his teachers, has years of ministry experience at churches around here, and he can't find a job. He's not even half as controversial as I am, so what hope do I have? I know of some very gifted preachers, excellent teachers and so on, who can't find jobs because of the lack of certain male body parts.

Are we overreacting? Are we really Unhireable? Are we just suffering from a period of low self-esteem? Are we just talking to the wrong churches? Are there churches out there who would actually let us serve as ministers?