Archive of "Christianity" Category
Reflecting on Those That Do Not Seek Our Forgivness
Primary Audience – Fellow Christians.
Secondary Audience – Anyone That Can Relate.
A few Sundays ago our church heard a sermon on forgiveness and while I like all of our pastor’s sermons, this one was particularly powerful for me (and for many). I have found myself talking frequently about it since then and it’s a topic that I don’t really tire of because in life there’s always conflict, disunity and disagreement – even for those who have embraced the many aspects of plurality. Case and point would be the “Ground Zero Mosque” (I’m working on a post but I’m still processing it too).
Most of us regard forgiveness as a good and noble thing. Christianity teaches that it is the only truth that truly liberates. Being forgiven by God liberates us from the consequences of death and forgiving one another releases us from the control and anger that our hurt places on the other (and ourselves). And as difficult as it is to seek forgiveness from God and offer forgiveness to others, it is also difficult to restore relationships with those that are likely not to seek our forgiveness.
I thought of various episodes in my life and the condition of certain relationships that I no longer have. Some are probably for the better, some probably aren’t. One that came to mind was one that I feel I can not do anything about. As awkward/ridiculous as it is to write in a blog post, I’m the offended party. There’s really nothing that I can change on my part. Eventually, I walked away from I what I felt was an emotionally abusive relationship. And I don’t expect my phone to ring any time soon.
It is something that I have moved on from and isn’t anything that keeps me up at night. However, the experience has provided points of clarity and maybe through God’s grace, some wisdom. Surprisingly, it has also helped me in counseling situations. I think about it every so often because it lacks a closure that Christians should offer one another. That may sound too idealistic but my faith is founded upon the dead living again so I’d say nothing is improbable.
Among the lessons that my wife and I have learned from this is to not place others in this situation. To seek reconciliation, because when we don’t, we claim a higher standard of forgiveness than God. What we have also learned is to move on without the other seeking your forgiveness. By doing so, we truly are able to forgive and be unshackled from the pain they may have caused. To do so means to extends a type of grace similar to what was extended to us. I don’t recall reading Pilate coming to Jesus’ tomb repenting for what he had done. Nor did I see the Pharisees or the scribes or the chanting crowds who hated Jesus seeking forgiveness. Didn’t read about Pilate or Caiaphas offering any profound remorse. Jesus did not wait in the tomb until they did. He moved on. He lived again. May we do the same and not be held captive by the pain that others have caused. May we forgive, be liberated, live again and may the God of love, justice and forgiveness have mercy on their soul and ours.
Reflecting on Brett McCracken’s “Uncool” WSJ Online Article
Over the weekend, I read Brett McCracken’s article, “The Perils of ‘Wannabe Cool’ Christianity” in the online Wall Street Journal opinion page and had a few thoughts. First, it was a well-written and informed article. I nodded my ahead in agreement several times. I read Brett regularly in Relevant, he has an insightful blog (and brilliant quotes on the right sidebar), and I follow him on Twitter. He seems to have a sincere heart, a good head on his shoulders (he’s a Wheaton grad), and as a brother in the Lord, all in all I respect him and what’s he’s doing.
Sharing a similar suspicion and criticism of the evangelical consumer church mentality, I also see a great deal of catering, treating worshippers as customers, a fair amount of shallowness and the list goes on. Having been in pastoral ministry for the last ten years, I am among the countless who have seen the underbelly of the church and I can testify that sometimes, the “Church” is the one of the ugliest places to be. Bottom-line is that we all have enough reasons to have given up the faith at some point.
I’m all for self-awareness, constructive criticism, and engaging in conversations that will serve the Kingdom. I’m also fine with creating a buzz for your book (really, I hope Hipster Christianity sells countless copies particularly to the “70%” who are leaving our churches). But a few things bothered me. One is Brett’s starting point. As one who has presumably spent his entire life in the Church, I imagine he’s grown extremely tired of Hawaiian shirts, Madonna mics, and various other artifacts from the Christian sub-culture. We all have, including Rick Warren (he even stopped wearing them). Still, I wished Brett would have identified a little more of his context, aside from, “as a 27-year old evangelical myself …”
Second is his finishing point – “He wants real”. We all do but what is real? Who judges that? Is it the same people who determine what is cool and hip? These are all pretty relative terms. How else can Brad Pitt and Michael Cera both being considered cool? Someone could probably write a very similar piece and cut through all the evangelical headlines of the past couple years and criticize “real” Christianity. Then in the end write, “As a twentysomething, I can say with confidence that when it comes to church, we don’t want real as much as we want some thing loving, life-giving, humble, transforming, insert your preference _______.”
Further, it bothered me that he came across as dismissive to some of the better ministries, pastors, writers and practitioners on such a public forum. Now here’s where I risk being hypocritical, because I enjoy making fun of Christian t-shirts, televangelists, and lame attempts of imitating the culture. (I kick myself every morning for not thinking of or being talented enough or disciplined enough, and not creating Stuff Christians Like. It’s a great blog and Prodigal John is perfect for it.) But yeah, there are a number of wanna-be’s out there BUT there’s a lot of people out there who are simply speaking out of the context and calling that God has placed on their lives. Again, I just found it to be too dismissive.
There is an entire other avenue we could pursue when it comes to “church marketing” in general. I won’t spend too much time here except to remind everyone that everything is marketed. Among the questions are to whom, to what extent, to what cost, the motives, mediums, devices, objectives and subtleties, but everything is “marketed” to some extent.
Of course I didn’t not my head in agreement with this line, “…something called “the emerging church”—a sort of postmodern stab at an evangelical reform movement. Perhaps because it was too “let’s rethink everything” radical, it fizzled quickly …” Sorry brother, among other things, I believe the Lord used the emerging church discussion to save my faith and ministry. And it hasn’t fizzled, it’s evolving as conversations do.
If the twenty-somethings (and supposedly 70%) are leaving, than why are we criticizing churches who are on the cutting edge of technology? And is there an irony that this piece was published online and shared via Facebook, Twitter and the almost old-school way, email? Are churches like Liquid Church (whom I truly respect) online because that’s where part of the 70% are? The idea of online church does not appeal to me in my current context, but if there was a reason I could not attend a physical church and not experience the joy of community (whether be overseas serving say, in the military or in a “closed” country), the online church would be a beautiful use of technology. Further, some people are so repulsed by walking in through the doors of a traditional looking church that there only way of connecting is a pub or coffee-shop church. Regardless of the abuses, there are healthy, doctrinally-sound, disciple-making, community-serving, all welcoming churches that have a “hip” pastor and great music – it’s just who they are. To imitate it for your own success may be wrong, but to be who you are isn’t.
If the twenty-somethings (and so do we thirty-somethings) want something real, than why are we complaining about Rob Bell writing a book on sex? And how dare we complain about Lauren Winner writing from the female perspective. Is this not a real topic in our lives? Granted, this is an area where the Church has made some questionable/terrible decisions (and will continue) but I also see it as an area where the Church is criticized for talking about sex and criticized for not talking about it. Let the Church talk wisely, openly and truthfully about sex.
And don’t get me started on 70%. McKracken was careful to phrase it a particular way but the Lifeway study’s had a particular context and its primary point was 70 percent of young adults ages 23-30 stopped attending church regularly for at least a year between ages 18-22. (That’s still not good but not as bad as assuming that 70% drop off completely as implied. Statistics and studies are helpful but they easily manipulated just like creating caricatures of “cool”, “hip”, “indie”, and attaching the adjective “wann-be” to them. Throwing statements around like, “They drink Guinness, wear Toms Shoes and sport cool eye glasses.” Yeah, they probably all sleep a little at night, eat a few times a day and breathe in oxygen too – how cliche.
As a brother in the Lord, Brett has be careful that he does not fall into his own trap that he has set and become the judge of “cool” and all things “hipster”, (which I don’t think he is intentionally trying to do). Between expressing his appreciation for hymns (I know everyone is tired of being reminded but many of the hymns we cherish are old bar tunes) and quoting David Wells (whom I respect), and criticizing churches that meet in third places, he quite frankly sounds like a guy who is hard to impress.
To his credit, he’s doing something. He’s writing, researching, and stirring conversation worth having. And like I said, I too, am among the many who are frustrated with certain elements of the evangelical tradition, the bait-and-switch tactics, the apathy, the self-indulgence, the entitled attitudes , etc, so please know, I am not defending all things evangelical but let’s just not be dismissive of the noble efforts of some who are being faithfully led by the Spirit.. And when given the opportunity to write for the Wall Street Journal online opinion page as an evangelical, perhaps considering not offering a cynical world another reason not to believe in Christianity but instead something that might offer the hope of Jesus to a world that is hurting and in need of redemption. That would be counter-cultural, maybe even creative, or relevant, and dare I say, that, may be considered cool.
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For more, check out, Thomas Turner’s review of Hipster Christianity and his interview with Brett on Everyday Liturgy. I think the interview is more true to what he’s really trying to say.
The “Whole Gospel” dvd by Q – Come to our August Group Study or host your own
For those interested in either attending or doing something similar, I sent a FB Invite to some friends connected to our church regarding this dvd study by the good people at Fermi Project.
Hey Friends,
Hope all is well.
Last time we met, we discussed the opportunity to have a small group study.
We had talked about a dvd or book series. Given this point in the summer I am suggesting that we have a 5 Session Study on a dvd called “The Whole Gospel: Revisiting Our Message to the World. It’s part of a series called “Society Room” and is produced by Q. This 5 Week Session includes interviews and conversations with Chuck Colson, Gabe Lyons, Margaret Feinberg, Jamie Tworkowski (the founder of To Write Love on Her Arms), Tim Keel, and several others. Here’s a promo video of the series – http://www.qideas.org/studies/promo.aspx.
I know time and energy is very limited for all of us and chances are, if you have any connection with the Second Mile, you are not a stranger to the idea of small groups. So here’s how I want to frame this. For the last several years, the topic that has shaped me (and I believe many within our church) the most has been the Gospel. Are we being faithful to it? Do we describe it the way Jesus, Paul and the early Church Fathers did? Are we short-changing it? And so this year, this is the theme that I hope we as a community can explore together. My prayer is that this time will lead us to be a stronger Christian community in the way of Jesus. And so, I think this is a great place to start and here’s the breakdown of my planning.
This is a 5 Week Commitment to discuss the questions and thoughts concerning the Gospel from the dvd “The Whole Gospel” for anyone interested.
- 5 Weeks – We’ll use these 5 weeks as a pilot program to figure out the next season of group study. This will have a defined start and end date, then we can evaluate what happens next.
- Commitment – These conversations only work if we are committed to the study and to the group. The most “successful” groups are committed groups and the first part of this is
simply showing up. So there will be a Facebook sign-up to see how many people can commit to the first one. If it’s apparent that we do not have commitment, we won’t meet. If it’s obvious that we do – then we’re on!
- Questions and Thoughts – All of us have them – come and share.
- DVD – In terms of a study, it allows everyone in a new group setting to begin at the same place. We can discuss other methods of study for the future (books like The Hole In Our Gospel or essays like Scot McKnight’s “The 8 Marks of a Robust Gospel” http://www.christianvisionproject.com/2008/03/the_8_marks_of_a_robust_gospel.html).
- For Anyone Interested – While the Second Mile is geared for those in their 20’s and 30’s, we are by no means exclusive. So if you are college-age or have children or grandchildren who are, you are welcome. It also needs to be said, that while most of the language is Christian, you do not need to be a Christian to come and participate. Again, all are welcome. We simply ask for commitment for study and a genuine respect for others as we reflect and dialogue together.
Here are the dates and other details.
Monday August 2 – Session 1 – Reframing the Gospel
Monday August 9 – Session 2 – Spiritual Conversations
Monday August 16 – Session 3 – Cultural Commission
Monday August 23 – Session 4 – To Write Love on Her Arms
Monday August 30 – Session 5 – Culture Shaping Project and Debrief
7:30-9:30pm
In the Fireside Room of MEFC (141 Grand Ave. Montvale, NJ.)
And yes, I’ll brew some coffee 
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
If/when you have decided to do participate, I’d like to ask you to commit this time in prayer.
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LIke I mentioned in the beginning, If this reaches you and you are interested, know that you are welcomed. If you are interested in ordering the dvd for yourself for personal or group use, click here.
Grace and peace.
Reflecting on Pentecost Sunday Part 2 – Holy Spirit, Scripture, Humility
Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday and as mentioned in the previous post, it is an extremely important Sunday in the historical church. The day the Holy Spirit filled the disciples and fills believers still today (and is at work throughout all creation) is an essential matter of what Christ-followers should reflect on. I will be the first to say the Holy Spirit (and the theology of the Trinity) is a difficult doctrine to pin down. So years ago, I stopped “trying” because a theology that is living and breathing cannot be pinned down by mere mortals. Take note, this does not mean I have given up studying Scripture, theology and the world around me, I just no longer buy into the notion that aside from a few loose ends that will be corrected when I get to heaven, I can have it mostly figured out .
Having been educated in my college years in systematic theology (among many worthy disciplines), I had always been overwhelmed by the idea of trying to have perfect Biblical theology (a fruitless mission). That is part of the claim of modernity – that you can know it if you discover it all, accept it all, organize it all, understand it all, etc. The problem is “all” is too tricky for the flawed human mind and nature. As it turns out, one cannot comprehend it “all”. Feel free to try, you do not have to believe me but let me know when you stop trying, I think I have some solid brotherly direction for you.
God is not a subject. “World religions” might be a class but God is a person. He is not empirical, cannot be researched, organized and reduced to be “more understandable”. In other places, I have described this as dissecting the theological frog. The Holy Scriptures is a sacred thing that we are invited to partake in, one that we read, study, meditate, apply, converse with others, all in a Christ-like humility. And one of my favorite aspects of all this is Paul writes that the Holy Spirit will help us understand God’s will/word. Passages like I Cor. 2:14 & most of Eph. 1 have allowed some theologians to explain that the Spirit will “illuminate” these things to us. (“Illuminate” huh? Sure sounds good, throw that in the mix too). The Holy Spirit helping us to understand, that sounds like what Jesus promised in John 14. (He actually calls the Spirit a “helper”. Further, I have always found this to be so interesting because there was no New Testament cannon, only Old Testament and it would take centuries before his very writings would be canonized. Certainly they kept them, read them, copied them, etc. but there was no 3 ring binder, marked, “New Testament” that they threw them into it. What was being illuminated was the Old Testament and the present world in light of the work of Christ. Sorry for the rabbit trail, I find that exciting).
I sometimes wonder what the idea of “faith” would look like if it were not for the work of the Spirit. I suspect that the Church would be obsessed with knowledge than anything else and therefore, “faith”, would be a meaningless term. Which in looking at one of the most important aspects that I have underestimated in all the conversations about Scripture, accuracy, inspiration, the text, etc. is that the Spirit has always been at work in people’s hearts. The Spirit at work in our hearts is even more important than proper doctrine. Don’t misunderstand me, the Church has suffered greatly from anti-intelluctualism and doctrine is extremely important and as a whole, we may not be giving it its proper attention but loving God (and others – Mark 12) is even more important. Again, don’t misunderstand, people have claimed the Spirit’s working in places where He was not – this is sinful but not a reason to dismiss the Spirit entirely, as some have seemed to do. We need the Holy Spirit to realize, mature, and be at work in our faith and understanding of it all. And among other reasons, this is why Pentecost is so important.
(Part 3 hopefully tomorrow).
Reflecting on Pentecost Sunday – The Ascension and Awkward Moments from Angels – Part 1
As many know, this Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost means “fifty” and the historical Church celebrates this on the 50th day after Easter. It tends to be a bit neglected in non-liturgical churches but many pause and reflect on its great significance to the New Testament church – you should too.
Growing up in a non-liturgical setting, the beauty of this day was often lost on me. But like so many, I could not escape the power of the coming of the promised Holy Spirit in Acts 2. Gospel readers will remember that it is back in John 14 that Jesus promises the coming of the third person of the Trinity. Acts opens with Christ’s Ascension into heaven which has always been a beautiful scene that was tragically cut short by bad writing (come on Luke) and the angels resembling NYC Police, “Move along now. Nothing more to see here folks, move along ..”
If you have not read it in a while you should. Start from the beginning. I always try to exercise my imagination when reading Scripture (I used to think everyone did but …) and I imagine this incredible scene, with the Jesus giving His final farewell as He ascends into heaven in slow motion (it may not have been but slowmo but you are free to imagine how you please). The disciples once again in a state of disbelief, their mouths open, their minds racing and spinning as they watch the Lord soar into the sky, finally their gaze interrupted by a cloud. As you would imagine, they probably kept staring into the sky. That is, until these angels (who I am sure were only following instructions) fly back into focus and say, “What are you looking it? The same way He left, He’s going to return … ”
It’s a good thing I wasn’t there, I would have been remembered as the sarcastic disciple who got zapped by an angel. ”What are we looking at? What do you think we are looking at? Jesus, you know the guy who was dead last month, just flew up into the sky after fishing and hanging out with us all week. Now I’m talking to celestial beings – give us a moment if you don’t mind.”
But angelic authority trumps human curiosity every time and they returned back to Jerusalem, selected a replacement for Judas (Matthias) and waited … (chapter 2 tomorrow)
My Take on Andy Rowell's Article in CT About Those Leaving the Pastorate to Write and Speak
Here’s a couple of thoughts regarding Andy Rowell’s Article in Christianity Today, “Jim Belcher, Francis Chan, N.T. Wright, and Others Leave the Pastorate to Write and Speak: Why church planters often quit their congregations.”
First, I liked that Andy wrote it. I do not know him personally, just thought it was a worthy piece.
Second, Andy refers to all these departures, sabbaticals, breaks as a “phenomenon” – you need to admit, it seems “something” is going on.
Third, no one ought to judge the intentions of any of names mentioned.
Fourth, I think it’s worth remembering that today’s conference speaker bears some similarity with the 19th century evangelist. And the tradition of the evangelists has not always been a bad thing if you can get past the idea of today’s “televangelist” whom Paul says “there is not one good, not one” (I will abuse context the way they do) Which leaves me wondering, when are some of those guys going to participate in this phenomenon and take a non-scandoulous break?
Fifth, at the same time, it would be wise of us to seriously consider how we define success and faithfulness in ministry. Why are most of our conference speakers successful writers, and either pastors or leaders of large(r) organizations? Would it beyond our logic to have a pastor from a small church in Arkansas be a speaker at a Cataylst event and say, “I graduated with my MDIV with a grander vision than Billy Hybels and I am a more talented speaker and writer than Rick Warren. But God called me to this church outside of “outside of Little Rock”, where I have been pastoring for the last 30 years … let me tell you what I have learned about the ministry …”
Maybe the next day another presenter can begin with, “I apologize that I have come late to this event and that I will need to leave as soon as I am finished speaking but my schedule is a bit complicated at the moment. See, I have just accepted a position as the worship pastor at this new church. It’s my fourth pastorate in 7 years now, and we have a disabled child and a world of debt but I was asked to share about my experience in the ministry and so here’s what I can tell you …”. I think many of would be able to connect with something like that.
While I do not think Chan or Belcher or anyone ever used the church as a “farm team”, it would seem a bit naive to assume that some leaders are not guilty of this, or at least trying to do this. And while i have always been suspicious on just how lucrative and fulfilling the speaking circuit is for the long term, I have always seen the presenter as a position of value. Of course I do, I chase down theologians and writers like I used to chase down baseball players to sign my Upper Deck cards.
Sixth, I absolutely loved David Fitch’s post, “Do You Trust an Author on the Church Who Leaves His/Her Church?”. After I read it, I decided not to post this (then I read something else and I changed my mind). Also, there was also an excellent comment on this post by Nathaniel Snow (May 11, 10:24am) about the publishing industry and copyright being part of the empire (for those of you who appreciate that discussion).
Seventh, it is my impression that almost of all the names have been pardoned in either a post or a comment except for Jim Belcher. Wright gets pardoned because we are all afraid he’ll write a book tomorrow addressing this nonsense. It’s preface will begin with “I don’t really have the time to write this but my flight has been delayed and the fellow next to me was kind enough to loan me his iPod Touch …”
Rollins gets pardoned because he has more friends than Ashton Kutcher. And unlike Kutcher, he doesn’t care. Further, he’s not a pastor (read the tweets, he’s not a pastor! We are all crazy in love with Francis Chan so he is excused and I think everyone accepts that he wants to do something different – good for him.
From where I sit, Belcher is the only one that no one has defended (I may not be following the right people). But it seems to me that some of have pretty much said, “Yeah, he wrote a best-selling book and is cashing out.” What’s wrong with him leaving the pastorate at this time? Ministering in the Kingdom is a life-long calling, but I am not sure the pastorate is and I do not write that as someone who hopes to get out.
I don’t know Belcher, but listened to the audio version of Deep Church, liked a good bit of it, liked his voice and while I do not connect with some of what he concludes, I think he has done a great thing for us in the Kingdom, especially those of us who are in the middle of the emerging-traditional church discussion. Does that mean he “deserves” a break? No, he could have taken the break even if he had not written anything – it simply seems that he and his family need a break.
It seems that there a few bloggers out there that are disappointed that the sales of his book have allowed him to take a break. You are envious and mean … and I hope your computer crashes (And if it did, I suggest you ask Belcher to buy you a new one . For all we know he’s a powerball winner but in seriousness, good for him for writing something worthy buying. (After the free christianaudio.com download, I bought the book to support the “artist” – a virtue learned from my Napster days). But not only is it good for Belcher, good for the many of us who finally contributed to the success of a book that didn’t have these words in the title ‘Your Best’, ‘Personal Prosperity’, ‘Success’, or “Vote for Me and I Will Make All Your Dreams Come True!”. Seriously, it’s about time some of us bought something worthy from CBD. Now if he comes out with a book called, The Deeper Life, Examining a Third Way Beyond the Missional Life and the Celebrity Life” with devotional journal, Deep Meditative cd and his own edition of the Your Deep Life Now study Bible, then let the barrage begin.
But to make this simple, and to offer a “third way” – as a proud pluralist, it’s easy for me to reconcile the way of JIm Belcher, the words of Andy Rowell and the life of David Fitch. And while I hope my career resembles more of Fitch. Assuming he is following the leading of the Holy Spirit, he is allowed to change his mind too. I think what we can gain from Rowell’s article is have we created an unhealthy speaker-writer culture that is unhealthy for our local churches? Regardless of recent departures and personalities, some reform is needed on who we give a mic and pen to.
Reading Wright's Justification & Thinking About Piper From Sunny Florida
My family and I are on a sorta vacation this week in Florida. My in-laws living here is a good thing as it’s guilt-free time away. Though Susan has visited recently, it’s my first trip to the Sunshine State in two years. On the plane I mentioned to Susan the last time I flew to FL (to adopt Nathan), we didn’t have any children, this time, we are flying down with two. As we all know a lot can change in two years. Anyway, it’s a sorta-vacation because I have a lot of school work and a bit of church work to do but it’s nice to be here.
I’ve got a couple books to read. I started re-reading Justification because I really want to absorb this huge discussion. This summer, I intend on reading Piper’s The Future of Justification: A Response to NT Wright.. Anyway my second time through, I have become really enamored by the good Bishop of Durham and I am truly excited about listening to him and the many fine minds at Wheaton in two weeks. Further, I am really grateful for the fellas that I will be traveling with. This Florida air and the sounds of baby boys has me all nostalgic.
As I have been reading, I have had a couple of thoughts floating in my head. Among them, we evangelicals have made our theology too narrow. It may turn out that NT Wright is wrong (afterall he already jokingly admits that he knows he’s wrong about 20% of everything, he just doesn’t know which part it is. What if it’s the 20 that governs the 80? Yep, that adds up to being completely wrong. It’s actually hard to do that but I digress). The real thought I have is so much of my evangelical community, throughout my upbringing to my undergrad years has seemed to dismiss too many things as “liberal”. The Aramaic in Daniel written (or even edited) in the 2nd century – liberal. NRSV – liberal, eschatology that challenges dispensationalism – liberal, liberal, liberal.
I am aware that there are indeed more formal arguments made against those aforementioned topics in academic circles but they rarely trickle down to local evangelical churches. Generally, our congregations get the conclusion (“Be careful, that’s dangerous theology; it’s liberal”). We need to work on that, not to please NT Wright, not to please “the liberals” but to be informed, Biblically faithful, Spirit-led followers of Jesus who desire to learn and practice the calling and mission the Father has called His children to be. I mean, if you are in to that sort of thing.
On a smaller note but important relationally, I find myself really feeling for John Piper. Over the years I have gone from great admiration to him, to great concern with his fight with cancer, to joy with his remission, to frustration with his second wave on life, to and outright dismissing certain soundbytes. I mean for a while I was pretty sure Pat Robertson hacked into his twitter account. Don’t put it past Robertson, the dude can leg press a ton!, he can hack into Twitter All this left me having this paradoxical position of appreciating some of his past work but at best, tolerating his current positions out of Christian respect (another virtue of the postmodern posture btw).
But his recent announcement about taking an 8 month leave has moved me. From where I sit (and I’m just a youth pastor from Jersey), this seems quite normal to how we Christian conservatives operate. Fight a big fight, take a leave. Or retire from the organization, but have a personal ministry or resign from Focus on the Family but still be on the radio show, resign from that, take a break and now want two million dollars for your own show separate from the organization that granted, you founded and may have been forced out of, but now left. I know this sounds like an emergent version of Jim Rome Is Burning and that I began the paragraph talking about Piper, not Dobson, but you have to admit, there is a pattern here.
Two humble suggestions from the lowly youth pastor with the beautiful wife and the two adorable little boys who are all soaking in the Florida rays. As the next generation conservatives (post-conservative?), let’s stop the radio shows whose overarching theme is, “America is being taken away from you! And now they are coming after your families! And let’s stop with the books that leave people saying, “The liberal anglican guy who arrogantly uses initials for his name is trying to take away your justification … and your rapture! (Now we’ll be stuck here forever!).” Let’s stop imitating the rhythm of a boxer’s life who trains, fights the big bout, then takes a leave to heal in victory or defeat. Rather, let’s invite the alleged liberal over for tea. Let’s invite the atheist for lunch. I mean is it too much to ask for Dobson to invite Howard Sterns over? Too unrealistic? Even Jerry Falwell invited Larry Flynt over after the infamous Campari ad in Hustler Magazine that said his first sexual encounter was with his mom in an outhouse. (Yes, I did learn a few things at Liberty).
While Piper and Wright’s discussion has tried to be polite, it seems to have taken a toll on both men. The bishop writes with an exhausted tone (“How many times do I have to say this?”) while the Reformed Pastor takes a leave “I was just trying to guard the sheep.” The truth is, while I feel that Wright is getting the better of the exchanges, I feel for Piper and his family and I wish his body and soul rest from the Lord, my prayers are with him – I mean that seriously. But we need to find better ways of communicating our differences in the future. By the way, I thought Doug Pagit wrote a nice piece concerning Piper’s leave.
Well, I have written quite enough but marrying a FL girl was a real bright move on my part.
Grace and peace friends.
Forgive Us Father, (because we still don't know what we're doing) – A humble Good Friday Reflection
Betrayed, abandoned, ridiculed, beaten, stripped naked and humiliated in every possible way, Jesus asks God the Father to forgive. “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34).
For years, I felt a promise attached to Jesus’ words. Almost as if he said, “They don’t know what they’re doing now. But they will, so let’s be patient.” or something. Looking at it today, it seems appropriate that we continue to ask the Lord to forgive us because we still do not know what to do and never will be fully realize. This is not to give us excuse, but humility instead.
Though I am very concerned with many global crises (and this blog reflects that), I am also very concerned with the status of our souls – our pride specifically. (I know my pride is worse than yours Our pride leads us to our self-indulgence, our entitlement, and our constant need for gratification. Traditionally, we use the term “sin” but that’s a tricky word to be discussed on another day but its use seems quite appropriate on Good Friday.
When reflecting on Good Friday, you come to the conclusion that it really is the scariest day of the year. A day that observes God bleeding, groaning from thirst, dying. What kind of a “god” dies? And what’s so good about it? We call it “Good” not out of enthusiastic glee of divine suffering, but good because through this work, God offers forgiveness, redemption, and love for all.
Perhaps that’s one of the most beautiful features – this forgiveness is for all. NT Wright offers a few words on the private and public nature of the Holy Week events:
“That rhythm of private and public is what we find, sharply and starkly, in the events of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Today, Jesus takes the disciples into a private room, and the door is shut. Nobody else knows what’s going on. But the words he says there in private, and still more the small but earth-shattering actions he performs, will turn within twenty-four hours into the most ghastly and shocking display of God in public: God shamed and mocked, God beaten up and humiliated, God stripped naked and hung up to die. You can’t get more public than crucifixion by the main west road out of Jerusalem. And, as in fact you can observe throughout Jesus’ ministry, you need that rhythm of private and public at every stage. The private without the public becomes gnosticism, escapism, a safe and narcissistic spirituality. But the public without the private becomes political posturing, meaningless gestures, catching the eye without engaging the heart. We need both; and the events through which we live today enable us to inhabit both, and be strengthened thereby for the ministries both private and public to which we are called.
And the events of Good Friday tells us something we urgently need to know about doing God in public. If it is the true God we are talking about – the God we see and know in Jesus Christ and him crucified – then we should expect that following him, speaking for him, and living out the life of his spirit, will sometimes make the crowds shout ‘Hosanna!’ and sometimes make them shout ‘Crucify!’
You can read the rest here.
Just like the many who shouted for his death did not understand, I know my ignorance and pride has blinded me as well. Truly, I am humbled by the One who forgave his executioners and the One who still offers forgiveness today.
Reflecting on April Fool's and Maundy Thursday
Some people wake up this day each year instinctively knowing that it’s April Fool’s. Now a good prank is a good prank and should be enjoyed by all but we all know some people that take this day a bit too seriously. In fact, they could be in coma but would break back into the realm of consciousness because they have a prank they have been preparing all year to execute. For those people, today is their Christmas, it is their Easter, it is their Holy Day. Happy April Fool’s to you.
For others, this is a day to tolerate those who take April Fool’s too seriously. They walk through the day with a suspended enthusiasm knowing that the mysterious box that was shipped to their home last month was probably some type of slime or goo from an old Nickeloldian show (like “You Can’t Do That on Television”. Which was awesome … when I was 7).
But more importantly, to others, today is Maundy Thursday. Which is very confusing to many of my fellow evangelical friends, because when said aloud (“Monday-Thursday – what God wants another Monday? Oh come on.”) sounds like a day that needs to be forgotten or ignored. However, Maundy Thursday is a beautiful day to observe in the Holy Week. “Maundy’s” origin is Latin, from “Mandatum” which means “mandate”, “command”.
Maundy Thursday is cherished as the evening of the Last Supper. Dare I say, it is the most famous meal of human history. So many powerful moments from Jesus washing his disciples’ feet to him sharing the symbols of profound words and symbols of bread and wine that would reenacted millions of times by priests and pastors as Christians come together to observe and reflect on the holy sacrament of communion.
It is also the moment when Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
New command? It is always been powerful and odd to me the last words Jesus offers to his disciples. No master plan of evangelism, no condensed “gospel”, no formula, no real strategy, no long-winded pastoral summary beginning with the infamous words, “So in conclusion…”. But instead a new command which in honesty, isn’t really so new. It’s not as if Jesus actually invented love. Right?
It’s been a beautiful Holy week for me reading through John especially John 13-17 which as you may know is Jesus’ last evening with the disciples. We call it Maundy Thursday. I have also been reading NT Wright’s Justification. And I cannot help but be overwhelmed the love Jesus has for his disciples and for the world, “I pray for also those who will believe in me through their message, that all may them be one” … “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them” (from the end of John 17).
I can devote a significant amount of attention to the idea of sacrificial love, how we show love, how we have perverted and how we must repent and abide in it the way Jesus did. But one, most people know quite a bit about it, and we know it’s hard. And two, being a person of the type of love that Jesus describes is part of a process, a relational process between the Father, and between our neighbors. What’s new is that it’s never been demonstrated to humanity before. That God would become the man Jesus, suffer for the sins and the evil of the world so that we can be forgiven and all creation reconciled. And then the best part, – the Resurrection – the grand demonstration of life conquering death, good triumphing over evil, God reclaiming creation, Love conquering all. And in his goodness, he sent us another, the Holy Spirit to guide and empower. Indeed, we have never seen love like this.
To some, today is April Fool’s but to many people like me, it’s Maundy Thursday.
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You can read more about its history from this Christianity Today piece by Elesha Coffman, “The Other Holy Day”.
Reflecting on the Ecclessia Gathering One Month Later – The Results Do Not Depend On Us – Post 3
One of the main themes that Dallas kept reminding us was in the simple statement, “The results do not depend on us”. It could have been my imagination but it seemed that every time he made an allusion to that, the room winced. I did because that line has a spiritual older cousin – the “Give it to God” cliche. Only it isn’t a cliche when Willard mentions it.
Shane Hipps said something similar regarding his preaching during one of his presentations at Poets, Prophets and Preachers in Grand Rapids last year. He preaches it, leaves the words and doesn’t think about them the rest of the afternoon. From the illustration he wanted to use (“Forget about it”), the awkward wording (“Don’t regret about it), the key line that he had been waiting all week to say (“Well there’s next week”). He said he is allowing himself to enjoy the freedom of releasing the message and allowing the Spirit and hearts to work.
I, of course, find it compelling to feel that way.
The results-problem is not a new thought for anyone. I know I have spent a lot of time throughout my 10 years of ministry dwelling on this very point. How do I release it without getting lazy? How do I care without caring so much? Was Jesus not disheartened when the crowds rejected His words or was the line “He who has ears, let him hear” really enough to release Him from the results?
I remember hearing an older, well-season pastor say to me, “If the people didn’t like Jesus’ sermons, I’m not going to feel bad if they don’t like mine”. I thought, “Well you should because I’ve heard you preach – the sermons suck.” But instead I said something like, “People don’t tell you negative feedback because they are afraid of you. So yeah technically, you are not focused on the results.” Then I ran because I knew I was much faster than he was. Kidding, kidding sorta …
There is a skeptical nature that I have towards Dallas’ words. We all know of a church that enables its pastors because he’s getting people down the aisle or he’s getting the new education wing built or whatever result justifies inappropriate behavior. Missional pastors who try to avoid these types of standards tend to focus on subjective matters like feedback that reflects actions of a transformed heart or the support of a others-centered project. These are arguably our altar calls and education wings. I’m not saying this is wrong, I am just looking in the mirror and finding the obstructions in my vision.
If I being completely honest, my cynicism can even be directed to a personal hero like Dallas. “It’s easy to say that you the results do not not depend on us when you are a sought after speaker and your publisher worries if the book doesn’t sell 50,000 copies. You worry about which speaking engagements to reject, I worry that “my audience” won’t come back next week.”
Further, this post can easily get into the unfair standards that pastors are often judged (as I just demonstrated three short paragraphs ago . But this is precisely what Willard’s wisdom is offering to help. Realizing the results do not depend on us as pastors becomes an issue of submission and trust in the Holy Spirit. How do we prevent from becoming lazy and unattached? My best answer is as we live Spirit-led lives following Jesus, we live faithfully to the calling we have received. While this does not mean that one should allow themselves to be abused by the church, it does confirm that we are intentionally focused on living a life that prioritizes pleasing the Father over people.
So, as it is true for all of us in our various vocations, callings and walks of life – may the Lord judge us with justice and mercy as we walk humbly before Him.
