Rethinking Rethink.

What do you get when you put a former Nixon script writer and host of VH1's Smartest Model, Jewish TV journalist, a global media tycoon- who owns one of the largest Christian publishers and one of the largest pay-per-view pornography networks, an 81-year-old tv pastor, the 41st President and former Director of the Central Intelligence, and two-time a World Heavyweight Boxing Champion?

The Crystal Cathedral's Rethink Conference. It bills itself as a "new" kind of conference with 30 Aha! Moments from 30 Leading Influencers. Be part of an unprecedented convergence of influential Christian and global leaders this January. Get inside the minds of some of today's top thinkers and innovators. What have they been thinking about in the last year? What keeps them up at night? What are they Rethinking?"

Obviously Rupert Murdoch is rethinking that owning media companies that produces un-holy content is justified.

Obviously Ben Stein is rethinking that it's okay to host a sexualized game/reality show on the MTV networks.

Obviously Larry King is rethinking that it is okay to have psychics like Paul Kurtz on his show and invite them to prove their ability to contact spirits while on the air.

Will they let anyone speak in a church these days? I know there has been a movement started by JoMax to bring the world's best and brightest to our conferences so that the church can learn from them. I'm just not sure how we decide who should speak at these things. If it was a secular conference - then no problem I wouldn't even mention it. I have said in the past "that if you can only work with people you agree with 100% then you won't get anything done, my wife doesn't even agree with me all the time" - when discussing coming together to work on the problem of AIDS. But... I'm not sure I want just anyone to share the pulpit to speak on direction for your ministry and your life. (and my wife is speaking at this conference)

Is it that we have already heard Erwin McManus speak at the last 14 different conferences this year? or is it that we don't have the same high regard(i.e. spend money on another conference) for Christian Leaders as we do for secular global leaders? Are we trying to copy the TED experience? Maybe it's like the President of Iran speaking at Columbia, maybe Schuller will stand-up and preface the introduction of the speakers with something like "take these guys and grapple with their ideas because they don't share our beliefs."

Should we live in a Christin ghetto and only read Christian books by Christian authors? No way. Should host Christian conferences at a church and promote those who promote an ungodly worldview?