I wonder how church marketing experts would respond to the following: one of the major cross-sections of people the Church in the West has failed are those who can legitmately be called lonely. By lonely I mean isolated, marginalized, invisible, etc.
One of my good friends (and future super theologian) recently reminded me of the lyrics from a popular artist.
Ben Folds, Fred Jones, part 2
Fred sits alone
at his desk in the dark
there's an awkward
young shadow that waits in the hall
he has cleared all his things
and he's put them in boxes
things that remind him
that life has been good
twenty-five years
he's worked at the paper
a man's here
to take him downstairs
and "I'm sorry,
Mr. Jones, it's time"
there was no party
and there were no songs
'cause today's just a day
like the day that he started
and no one is left here
that knows his first name
yeah, and life barrels on
like a runaway train
where the passengers change
they don't change anything
you get off
someone else can get on
and "I'm sorry,
Mr. Jones, it's time"
the streetlight
it shines through the shades
casting lines on the floor
and lines on his face
he reflects on the day
Fred gets his paints out
and goes to the basement
projecting some slides
onto a plain white canvas
and traces it,
fills in the spaces
he turns off the slides
and it doesn't look right
yeah, and all of these bastards
have taken his place
he's forgotten, but not yet gone
and "I'm sorry, Mr. Jones"
and "I'm sorry, Mr. Jones"
and "I'm sorry, Mr. Jones, "it's time"
“The song paints a portrait of an under-appreciated, long-term employee who for too long equated what he did with who he was, and here he is on his last day struggling with feelings of insignificance in the face of the big picture of his life. Where now? What was left? Why was he even here anymore? Why didn’t anyone care? Why didn’t anyone even notice?” (N. Adam Hill).
---
A prayer for churches trying to resuce lonely people.
God give us your eyes. When we see the other help us to see you. When we see unimpressive help us to see your son working as a carpenter. When we see homeless help us to remember your son told us “he had no place to lay his head.” When we see poverty help us to remember that you often identified with those the world would call the least. When we encounter divorced and abused help us to bring a healing touch and soothing word. When we see the lonely help us to bring relationship and life.
20 October 2005
11 October 2005
Making the World Better One Step at a Time
One could say there's a better more productive way to spend an afternoon. One could argue "what did you really accomplish?" One could call the time spent Sunday afternoon futile, idealistic, pie in the sky, etc.
This past Sunday, a few of us from the Rochester Church of Christ participated in Focus: Hope (Celebrating diverstiy since 1968) WALK 2005: Making a better world one step at a time, Stand up for the dignity of all people.
This event was started as a witness over and against the darkness represented on all fronts during the race riots of Detroit in the late 1960's. The riots that took place in Detroit are among the worst ever recorded in U.S. history. The walk covered an 8 mile stretch that was the epicenter of the riots. This time, black and white Christians marched in peaceful demonstration symbolzing the love, redemption, and unity that should characterize those who profess Jesus as Lord.
WALK History (see http://www.focushope.edu/news/walk.htm)
The annual walk through the streets of Detroit celebrates our rich diversity. It also raises awareness of social and economic problems that continue to haunt us. Much like the nonviolent marches led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Focus: HOPE WALK brings together people who believe in civil and human rights and who are committed to fighting poverty, racism, and injustice.
In the days since the 1967 Detroit riots, much has changed in the city. While you will see neighborhoods and business areas that have rebounded, you will also pass abandoned buildings and homes that are awaiting renewal. The Focus: HOPE complex has evolved to seven-building campus, with a landscaped boulevard and a new park, dedicated to the memory of co-founder Father William Cunningham (1930-1997). It stands as a testament to what people can accomplish when they work together.
The route passes a number of sites that are significant in the histories of Detroit and Highland Park.
The first Ford Motor Company automotive production facility. It opened in 1914 and drew workers from all over the country, seeking the $5 per day wages that were double what other companies paid at the time.
A pocket park on Clairmont and Rosa Parks Boulevard that marks the spot of the blind pig raided by police in 1967 that precipitated the Detroit riots.
*The original Motown recording studios.
*Headquarters of World Medical Relief.
*The elegant Boston-Edison neighborhood.
This route is the same one followed since 1988. Before then, the walk took on different forms. It began in 1970 with a three-day festival called Hope Happenings. Originally held on the Kern block and later moved to the Riverfront, the festival featured fireworks, food, music, amusement rides, and games. It drew crowds larger than the Michigan State Fair. The riverfront event evolved into the weekend ethnic festivals on Hart laza. In 1975, to mark Detroit’s 275th anniversary, the Happening became a walk, patterned after the marches led by Dr. King
---
Waste of time? Idealistic? Naive?
I wonder if some ancient folks in the Near East said the same thing about the mission and teaching of a carpenter from Nazareth?
This past Sunday, a few of us from the Rochester Church of Christ participated in Focus: Hope (Celebrating diverstiy since 1968) WALK 2005: Making a better world one step at a time, Stand up for the dignity of all people.
This event was started as a witness over and against the darkness represented on all fronts during the race riots of Detroit in the late 1960's. The riots that took place in Detroit are among the worst ever recorded in U.S. history. The walk covered an 8 mile stretch that was the epicenter of the riots. This time, black and white Christians marched in peaceful demonstration symbolzing the love, redemption, and unity that should characterize those who profess Jesus as Lord.
WALK History (see http://www.focushope.edu/news/walk.htm)
The annual walk through the streets of Detroit celebrates our rich diversity. It also raises awareness of social and economic problems that continue to haunt us. Much like the nonviolent marches led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Focus: HOPE WALK brings together people who believe in civil and human rights and who are committed to fighting poverty, racism, and injustice.
In the days since the 1967 Detroit riots, much has changed in the city. While you will see neighborhoods and business areas that have rebounded, you will also pass abandoned buildings and homes that are awaiting renewal. The Focus: HOPE complex has evolved to seven-building campus, with a landscaped boulevard and a new park, dedicated to the memory of co-founder Father William Cunningham (1930-1997). It stands as a testament to what people can accomplish when they work together.
The route passes a number of sites that are significant in the histories of Detroit and Highland Park.
The first Ford Motor Company automotive production facility. It opened in 1914 and drew workers from all over the country, seeking the $5 per day wages that were double what other companies paid at the time.
A pocket park on Clairmont and Rosa Parks Boulevard that marks the spot of the blind pig raided by police in 1967 that precipitated the Detroit riots.
*The original Motown recording studios.
*Headquarters of World Medical Relief.
*The elegant Boston-Edison neighborhood.
This route is the same one followed since 1988. Before then, the walk took on different forms. It began in 1970 with a three-day festival called Hope Happenings. Originally held on the Kern block and later moved to the Riverfront, the festival featured fireworks, food, music, amusement rides, and games. It drew crowds larger than the Michigan State Fair. The riverfront event evolved into the weekend ethnic festivals on Hart laza. In 1975, to mark Detroit’s 275th anniversary, the Happening became a walk, patterned after the marches led by Dr. King
---
Waste of time? Idealistic? Naive?
I wonder if some ancient folks in the Near East said the same thing about the mission and teaching of a carpenter from Nazareth?
04 October 2005
Mary's Song
Today, Kara and I will attend the funeral of one of Kara's lifelong best friends: Dr. Mary Morris. Kara has known Mary since she was a little girl growing up in the shadows of the mountains in Morgantown, WV. Mary worked and taught at Lipscomb University and had been battling colon cancer for well over a year.
When Kara and I moved from ACU back to Lipscomb to finish graduate school, we decided to move directly across the street from Mary's condo. Kara and Mary had a Wednesday night tradition of watching (and critiquing) "American Idol"--along with many evenings watching movies together.
One night, Mary's mother (Lois) called in a state of panic: "Mary's real sick. Could you take us to the ER?" Kara and I got out of bed and spent the next five hours in the Vanderbilt ER with Lois and Mary. We were watching our friend die right before our very eyes.
Seeing Mary's body yesterday was a numbing experience. There are no words in the English language to capture the overwhelming sense of confusion when one sees the body of a person they knew so well. A body that can no longer sigh, laugh, snicker, snap back...nothing.
The first blog I ever wrote (last year) was about Mary. Here's what I wrote.
***
I spent time yesterday evening with my friend who has stage 4 cancer. We talked about the parousia/heaven (coming of the Lord) and what eternity "will be like." I told her my struggle with the Platonic dualism that's invaded Christian thinking (body-bad, spirit-good) rendering many incapable of seeing the Genesis announcement by YHWH of Creation " made in his own image," and "very good."
We talked about heaven as a return to the Garden, the shalom (peace) in which God intended for us from the very start. We talked about God's longing to redeem all of Creation-leaving us fully in his presence and fully aware of ourselves. And we talked about how in this very moment we are only slivers of our true selves; that God sees us from every moment in the past and every moment in the future. This is who we are, our total identity.
"And then I saw a new heaven, and a new earth..." I'm grateful this morning for John's picture of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel in which Jesus' new body demonstrates our own pending ressurection (not reincartion) and the breath which brings forth new life (the Johannine Pentecost and Genesis 1 poetic description).
The Book of Isaiah declares that God will make all things new. This is hope for one whose body is ravaged with cancer and for her friend trying to make sense of the divine rumors seeping into our suffering world.
I have little time for theology which boasts "God needed another angel" (As if God is a child who doesn't have a sufficient amount of toys) or "Her soul has left her body and is now in heaven" (ignoring Jesus and Paul's witness of bodily ressurection).
Just before Mary died this week she came out of a coma and sang a few of her favorite hymns which declared the presence of God, not the provision. Mary, if only for a brief moment, came out of the tomb to declare something only she could see.
All of creation is in bondage, longing to be restored and remade.
I am anxious to watch Mary dance in New Jerusalem.
When Kara and I moved from ACU back to Lipscomb to finish graduate school, we decided to move directly across the street from Mary's condo. Kara and Mary had a Wednesday night tradition of watching (and critiquing) "American Idol"--along with many evenings watching movies together.
One night, Mary's mother (Lois) called in a state of panic: "Mary's real sick. Could you take us to the ER?" Kara and I got out of bed and spent the next five hours in the Vanderbilt ER with Lois and Mary. We were watching our friend die right before our very eyes.
Seeing Mary's body yesterday was a numbing experience. There are no words in the English language to capture the overwhelming sense of confusion when one sees the body of a person they knew so well. A body that can no longer sigh, laugh, snicker, snap back...nothing.
The first blog I ever wrote (last year) was about Mary. Here's what I wrote.
***
I spent time yesterday evening with my friend who has stage 4 cancer. We talked about the parousia/heaven (coming of the Lord) and what eternity "will be like." I told her my struggle with the Platonic dualism that's invaded Christian thinking (body-bad, spirit-good) rendering many incapable of seeing the Genesis announcement by YHWH of Creation " made in his own image," and "very good."
We talked about heaven as a return to the Garden, the shalom (peace) in which God intended for us from the very start. We talked about God's longing to redeem all of Creation-leaving us fully in his presence and fully aware of ourselves. And we talked about how in this very moment we are only slivers of our true selves; that God sees us from every moment in the past and every moment in the future. This is who we are, our total identity.
"And then I saw a new heaven, and a new earth..." I'm grateful this morning for John's picture of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel in which Jesus' new body demonstrates our own pending ressurection (not reincartion) and the breath which brings forth new life (the Johannine Pentecost and Genesis 1 poetic description).
The Book of Isaiah declares that God will make all things new. This is hope for one whose body is ravaged with cancer and for her friend trying to make sense of the divine rumors seeping into our suffering world.
I have little time for theology which boasts "God needed another angel" (As if God is a child who doesn't have a sufficient amount of toys) or "Her soul has left her body and is now in heaven" (ignoring Jesus and Paul's witness of bodily ressurection).
Just before Mary died this week she came out of a coma and sang a few of her favorite hymns which declared the presence of God, not the provision. Mary, if only for a brief moment, came out of the tomb to declare something only she could see.
All of creation is in bondage, longing to be restored and remade.
I am anxious to watch Mary dance in New Jerusalem.
25 September 2005
Still Speaking of Sin?
Karl Mennenger wrote What Ever Happened to Sin? in the 70's. Barbara Brown Taylor has written a book in the recent past entitled Speaking of Sin: The Lost Language of Salvation.These two books have prompted much thinking in my mind about the language of the Christian faith.
I agree with many contemporary theologians who note the "otherness" of being Christian. Some have noted that Chrisitanity is a learned pracitce; to be Christian is to learn the values, ethics, attitudes and language of the community (see Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon). To be a follower of Jesus, one must apprentice themselves to one or many people who have been living the Christian faith. NT Wright uses the piano metaphor (learning to play the right notes) while Brian McLaren uses the violinist analogy. In all of this the point is clear: The Christian faith does not come naturally to most of us. To be Christian is to be oriented to a whole new way of thinking and living; a whole new approach to seeing the world.
Taylor, in Speaking of Sin, states that "...sin might just be the last best hope of the church." Unless we understand the power of sin over creation we cannot appreciate the ways in which Jesus exposes, names, resists and defeats these cosmic powers. In fact, I encouraged our church this morning to read Romans in light of the ministry of Jesus in the scope of this divine/human drama; the battle between the powers of sin and the powers of Creator God.
Though sin has been a huge focus of evangelical churches for the last several decades, I'm not necessarily advocating more of the same company stuff. I believe we need to talk more about wider definitions of sin (racism, injusice, classism, and sexism) as well as the way in which the Old Testament and New Testament bear witness to God's interest in the communal sins of His people. Conservative Christians often focus only on the "private individual sins" as oppposed to the ways in which the darkness can hold collective groups in a hazy fog.
One need look no further than the way in which conservative churches reacted during the Civil Rights Era in the 1960's in America or the way in which a large portion of Lutherans in the middle of the 20th Century wholesale pledged themselves to the ideologies of the Thrid Reich. I am afraid to ask whether or not the contemporary church might be blind to the call of God in our American culture.
Communal sin is dangerous to the Kingdom of God. And a wider defintion of sin will prevent us from only being passionate about rated R movies, alcohol, and ....well you get the point.
Thank God, He is still pursuing us and empowering us to become more like him. "I am not the man I want to be nor the man with God's help I'll someday become--but thank God I am not the man I used to be," Martin Luther King Jr.
I agree with many contemporary theologians who note the "otherness" of being Christian. Some have noted that Chrisitanity is a learned pracitce; to be Christian is to learn the values, ethics, attitudes and language of the community (see Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon). To be a follower of Jesus, one must apprentice themselves to one or many people who have been living the Christian faith. NT Wright uses the piano metaphor (learning to play the right notes) while Brian McLaren uses the violinist analogy. In all of this the point is clear: The Christian faith does not come naturally to most of us. To be Christian is to be oriented to a whole new way of thinking and living; a whole new approach to seeing the world.
Taylor, in Speaking of Sin, states that "...sin might just be the last best hope of the church." Unless we understand the power of sin over creation we cannot appreciate the ways in which Jesus exposes, names, resists and defeats these cosmic powers. In fact, I encouraged our church this morning to read Romans in light of the ministry of Jesus in the scope of this divine/human drama; the battle between the powers of sin and the powers of Creator God.
Though sin has been a huge focus of evangelical churches for the last several decades, I'm not necessarily advocating more of the same company stuff. I believe we need to talk more about wider definitions of sin (racism, injusice, classism, and sexism) as well as the way in which the Old Testament and New Testament bear witness to God's interest in the communal sins of His people. Conservative Christians often focus only on the "private individual sins" as oppposed to the ways in which the darkness can hold collective groups in a hazy fog.
One need look no further than the way in which conservative churches reacted during the Civil Rights Era in the 1960's in America or the way in which a large portion of Lutherans in the middle of the 20th Century wholesale pledged themselves to the ideologies of the Thrid Reich. I am afraid to ask whether or not the contemporary church might be blind to the call of God in our American culture.
Communal sin is dangerous to the Kingdom of God. And a wider defintion of sin will prevent us from only being passionate about rated R movies, alcohol, and ....well you get the point.
Thank God, He is still pursuing us and empowering us to become more like him. "I am not the man I want to be nor the man with God's help I'll someday become--but thank God I am not the man I used to be," Martin Luther King Jr.
13 September 2005
No Longer...
Men and women gathered, this past Sunday, from all different walks of life to pray and raise money for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. People from black and white backgrounds sang prayed to their Creator for healing and divine presence. People from different neighborhoods uttered the classic words "Our God, He is Alive." African American ministers preaced with their unique cadence and pace. White ministers told their best stories of faith in the midst of joy. It was truly a time in which, if you looked close enough, Christ was present in the tears, confession, and prayers of his people.
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus," The words of St. Paul in Galatians 3:28.
The words of America's greatest preacher were on my mind throughout the entire program: "At times, life is hard, as hard as crucible steel. It has its bleak and painful moments. Like the ever-flowing waters of a river, life has its moments of drought and its moments of flood. Like the ever-changing cycle of the seasons, life has the soothing warmth of the summers and the piercing chill of its winters. But through it all, God walks with us. Never forget that God is able to lift you from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope, and transform dark and desolate valleys into sunlit paths of inner peace," (Martin Luther King Jr., Eulogy for the Martyred Children, 1963).
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus," The words of St. Paul in Galatians 3:28.
The words of America's greatest preacher were on my mind throughout the entire program: "At times, life is hard, as hard as crucible steel. It has its bleak and painful moments. Like the ever-flowing waters of a river, life has its moments of drought and its moments of flood. Like the ever-changing cycle of the seasons, life has the soothing warmth of the summers and the piercing chill of its winters. But through it all, God walks with us. Never forget that God is able to lift you from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope, and transform dark and desolate valleys into sunlit paths of inner peace," (Martin Luther King Jr., Eulogy for the Martyred Children, 1963).
07 September 2005
Rabbi Yeshua
NOTE: The following is based on NT Wright, Rob Bell (Nooma Videos and Velvet Jesus), and Ray Vanderlaan’s “One Focus" teaching from a National Pastors Conference held this year.
Jesus the Rabbi. One of the more compelling aspects of the Jewish world I’ve studied over the last few years is the relationship between rabbi and disciple. Jesus was often referred to as rabbi (teacher). Many have written on this subject, some on academic levels and others on more popular levels. It is thought that there were three basic divisions in the Jewish educational system in the ancient world.
1.Bet-serif. This began about the age of 6. Young boys would spend most of their time memorizing the Torah. Now, for some of us recovering legalists, we have to remember that Torah is not LAW but “teaching, instruction, the way.” The Torah is not the Ten Commandments only it is Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These young boys would be able to recite these first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures. Memorized! Genesis-Deuteronomy—and I thought my grad program was tough.
2.Bet-Talmud. Most boys would move into apprenticeship roles after this first level of education. But for those who showed exceptional ability some would continue in their religious studies. In this period (from 10 to 15 or so) the young men would memorize the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures: Genesis to Malachi!
3.Bet-midrash. Now the playing field gets dwindled down even smaller. After 15 or so, some men would approach different rabbis in order to become their full-time disciples. Most were turned away but some were chosen by the rabbi. Typically a young boy would latch himself to a rabbi, learning the way of a rabbi (his yoke) until he was ready to step out and become a rabbi himself. This usually didn’t happen until age 30. The point of following the rabbi is fascinating. These men do not simply desire to think like the rabbi—they want to do what the rabbi does because they want to be like the rabbi.
Now, think about this in the context of Jesus for a minute. Jesus comes along around the age of 30 and approaches some individual men who are fishermen, and tax collectors. These are not the elite these are the “he’ll do” men in the given region. They’ve been passed over at some point in the past because they didn’t have what it took to become a religious star. Jesus comes along and says, “Follow me.” Essentially he’s saying, “I think you have what it takes to become a disciple and possibly rabbi.” No wonder the men drop their nets, and ledger books to follow Jesus. Jesus believes in them. “You didn’t choose me, I chose you!”
These men will stumble to understand his teachings, the nature of the Kingdom, the purpose of the cross and the implications of the resurrection. But at the end of their fumbling, Jesus looks at them and commissions them to go into the world to make disciples of all people-regardless of region, gender, education and money. By the grace and power of the spirit Jesus sends them off to be light in the darkness. As one pastor says, “your faith may waver in God, but his faith in you is rock solid.”
Jesus the Rabbi. One of the more compelling aspects of the Jewish world I’ve studied over the last few years is the relationship between rabbi and disciple. Jesus was often referred to as rabbi (teacher). Many have written on this subject, some on academic levels and others on more popular levels. It is thought that there were three basic divisions in the Jewish educational system in the ancient world.
1.Bet-serif. This began about the age of 6. Young boys would spend most of their time memorizing the Torah. Now, for some of us recovering legalists, we have to remember that Torah is not LAW but “teaching, instruction, the way.” The Torah is not the Ten Commandments only it is Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These young boys would be able to recite these first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures. Memorized! Genesis-Deuteronomy—and I thought my grad program was tough.
2.Bet-Talmud. Most boys would move into apprenticeship roles after this first level of education. But for those who showed exceptional ability some would continue in their religious studies. In this period (from 10 to 15 or so) the young men would memorize the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures: Genesis to Malachi!
3.Bet-midrash. Now the playing field gets dwindled down even smaller. After 15 or so, some men would approach different rabbis in order to become their full-time disciples. Most were turned away but some were chosen by the rabbi. Typically a young boy would latch himself to a rabbi, learning the way of a rabbi (his yoke) until he was ready to step out and become a rabbi himself. This usually didn’t happen until age 30. The point of following the rabbi is fascinating. These men do not simply desire to think like the rabbi—they want to do what the rabbi does because they want to be like the rabbi.
Now, think about this in the context of Jesus for a minute. Jesus comes along around the age of 30 and approaches some individual men who are fishermen, and tax collectors. These are not the elite these are the “he’ll do” men in the given region. They’ve been passed over at some point in the past because they didn’t have what it took to become a religious star. Jesus comes along and says, “Follow me.” Essentially he’s saying, “I think you have what it takes to become a disciple and possibly rabbi.” No wonder the men drop their nets, and ledger books to follow Jesus. Jesus believes in them. “You didn’t choose me, I chose you!”
These men will stumble to understand his teachings, the nature of the Kingdom, the purpose of the cross and the implications of the resurrection. But at the end of their fumbling, Jesus looks at them and commissions them to go into the world to make disciples of all people-regardless of region, gender, education and money. By the grace and power of the spirit Jesus sends them off to be light in the darkness. As one pastor says, “your faith may waver in God, but his faith in you is rock solid.”
29 August 2005
What is Scripture?
In class last Thursday, I gave a few options for "reading" the bible. In short, we asked the question "what is this ancient text?".
Option 1.“The Bible is a rule-book. It is the constitution of the church. It is the law that governs the body of Christ. Just as the United States Constitution governs the democracy of this country so the Bible governs the protocol, and form of the restored New Testament Church.”
Option 2.“The Bible is a collection of divine timeless principles. If you know the right tools, possess the right theology, you can mine the Bible for many timeless truths. You want to know about self-esteem, turn to the back and find related topics. You want to know about money, planning, family life—it’s all in there, mine the pages for the golden nuggets of truth you seek and whola…you’ll strike gold.”
Option 3.But what if Scripture was truly adored as the unfolding story of God at work in the totality of Creation? What if Scripture is the holy story, with God as the main actor, working at every turn and twist to redeem a Creation he called good from the beginning?
---
Interact with the previous three options. Good/bad, strengths and weaknesses. Share experiences from growing up in the various churches you represent, etc.
JG
Option 1.“The Bible is a rule-book. It is the constitution of the church. It is the law that governs the body of Christ. Just as the United States Constitution governs the democracy of this country so the Bible governs the protocol, and form of the restored New Testament Church.”
Option 2.“The Bible is a collection of divine timeless principles. If you know the right tools, possess the right theology, you can mine the Bible for many timeless truths. You want to know about self-esteem, turn to the back and find related topics. You want to know about money, planning, family life—it’s all in there, mine the pages for the golden nuggets of truth you seek and whola…you’ll strike gold.”
Option 3.But what if Scripture was truly adored as the unfolding story of God at work in the totality of Creation? What if Scripture is the holy story, with God as the main actor, working at every turn and twist to redeem a Creation he called good from the beginning?
---
Interact with the previous three options. Good/bad, strengths and weaknesses. Share experiences from growing up in the various churches you represent, etc.
JG
22 August 2005
Discovering the New Testament
I will be teaching a religion course at Rochester College this fall entitled "Discovering the New Testament." This blog will be one avenue for candid discussion regarding faith, politics, life, and following Jesus.
To the students of the class-here is the class description from the syllabus:
This class will seek to allow the world of the New Testament to absorb the world we find ourselves in. The class will discuss the basic features of the Christian faith as presented in the New Testament. Special attention will be given to the Gospel in relation to mission, discipleship, poverty, salvation, trinity, and the church. The class will emphasize the uniqueness of the four Gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke and John), the various writings of St. Paul and St. John. On occasion, the class will attempt to discuss the Christian faith in light of postmodernity and major world religions. It is my desire to capture the students’ imagination and appreciation for the story of Jesus (the Gospels) and the story of the Jesus Movement (the Church). I understand the level of exposure to Christianity will be of great diversity. I will do whatever I can to assist you in making this class a powerful experience. Not only am I committed to providing pertinent information, but it is my desire for each of you to experience transformation.
---
Now...what is your experience with the Christian faith? Good? Bad? Indifferent? Harmful? Transformative? Fire away. Remember to be kind and respectful as we are all coming from completely different experiences.
To the students of the class-here is the class description from the syllabus:
This class will seek to allow the world of the New Testament to absorb the world we find ourselves in. The class will discuss the basic features of the Christian faith as presented in the New Testament. Special attention will be given to the Gospel in relation to mission, discipleship, poverty, salvation, trinity, and the church. The class will emphasize the uniqueness of the four Gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke and John), the various writings of St. Paul and St. John. On occasion, the class will attempt to discuss the Christian faith in light of postmodernity and major world religions. It is my desire to capture the students’ imagination and appreciation for the story of Jesus (the Gospels) and the story of the Jesus Movement (the Church). I understand the level of exposure to Christianity will be of great diversity. I will do whatever I can to assist you in making this class a powerful experience. Not only am I committed to providing pertinent information, but it is my desire for each of you to experience transformation.
---
Now...what is your experience with the Christian faith? Good? Bad? Indifferent? Harmful? Transformative? Fire away. Remember to be kind and respectful as we are all coming from completely different experiences.
18 August 2005
The students at Rochester College are now starting to fill up the campus. Some of the athletes are back for conditioning and training. The R.A.'s and their assistants are getting ready for the ever crazy job.
This week I was a part of a worship conference with Michael Card and a leadership conference with Randy Harris (Teaches theology at ACU). The students, however, stole the show. Many in our churches lament at the prospect of the future of our churches.
I can tell you that after 48 hours with some of these college students, the future (as well as the present) is in good hands. We had students from High Church experiences who are mature enough to appreciate the simplicity of a capella music. We had a handful of legit charismatics who, though often frustrated, are willing to share their experiences with those of us who've never heard the audible voice of God. I try to tell them that "hearing God's voice" or "seeing God's face" is not something I am consistently praying for in my life. Have we read our Bibles?
We have students with little to no religious background. Ultimately, these are the students I want to gravitate to. Not primarily because I want to seem the move from lost to saved, though I do. But because I believe many people who are indifferent to the Christian faith, or those who've outright rejected it have done so because they've been presented an counterfeit gospel.
---
When I was an undergrad student I rarely sought out the student who was "the other" or "invisible"--as a minister and teacher I hope I can embody what I see in the Gospels--Jesus "eating his way through his ministry" with the least; the ones on the fringe (thanks to my friend Eric for that quote).
Who are we inviting to sit at our tables?
This week I was a part of a worship conference with Michael Card and a leadership conference with Randy Harris (Teaches theology at ACU). The students, however, stole the show. Many in our churches lament at the prospect of the future of our churches.
I can tell you that after 48 hours with some of these college students, the future (as well as the present) is in good hands. We had students from High Church experiences who are mature enough to appreciate the simplicity of a capella music. We had a handful of legit charismatics who, though often frustrated, are willing to share their experiences with those of us who've never heard the audible voice of God. I try to tell them that "hearing God's voice" or "seeing God's face" is not something I am consistently praying for in my life. Have we read our Bibles?
We have students with little to no religious background. Ultimately, these are the students I want to gravitate to. Not primarily because I want to seem the move from lost to saved, though I do. But because I believe many people who are indifferent to the Christian faith, or those who've outright rejected it have done so because they've been presented an counterfeit gospel.
---
When I was an undergrad student I rarely sought out the student who was "the other" or "invisible"--as a minister and teacher I hope I can embody what I see in the Gospels--Jesus "eating his way through his ministry" with the least; the ones on the fringe (thanks to my friend Eric for that quote).
Who are we inviting to sit at our tables?
12 August 2005
This is from Anne Lamott's book "Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith"--I find it extremely appropriate considering the pain and suffering of so many around me. Some I watch suffer from a distance, some all too close; all too personal.
It's magic to see Spirit, largely because it's so rare. Mostly you see the masks and the holograms that the culture presents as real. You see how you're doing in the world's eyes, or your family's, or--worst of all--yours, or in the eyes of people who are doing better than you--much better than you--or worse. But you are not your bank account, or your ambition. You're not the cold clay lump you leave behind when you die. You're not your collection of walking personality disorders. You are Spirit, you are love, and even though it is hard to believe sometimes, you are free. You're here to love, and to be loved, freely. If you find out next week that you are terminally ill on this bus--what will matter are memories of beauty, that people loved you, and that you loved them.
---
God is making all things new. God will make all things new.
It's magic to see Spirit, largely because it's so rare. Mostly you see the masks and the holograms that the culture presents as real. You see how you're doing in the world's eyes, or your family's, or--worst of all--yours, or in the eyes of people who are doing better than you--much better than you--or worse. But you are not your bank account, or your ambition. You're not the cold clay lump you leave behind when you die. You're not your collection of walking personality disorders. You are Spirit, you are love, and even though it is hard to believe sometimes, you are free. You're here to love, and to be loved, freely. If you find out next week that you are terminally ill on this bus--what will matter are memories of beauty, that people loved you, and that you loved them.
---
God is making all things new. God will make all things new.
08 August 2005
Faces
Every Sunday in our third service (Mosaic) at church we do communion ala the Catholic Church. Men and women of different backgrounds and experiences come forward to recieve the body and blood of Christ. Sometimes the other ministers and I pray with the body as they come; sometimes we simply affirm them with a smile or hug.
Yesterday, I held the sacraments as each person came forward. One face was old-- wisdom and hardship were ever present. Another face was timid, unsure of what exactly was happening. Yet another face, much darker than the other two, had a sense of solidarity about her. It was almost as if she felt safe to be in the presence of other seekers and followers of Jesus. Several more faces came to recieve the meal. Each one bringing a different gift; each person a different story.
Christ is found on the faces of those around us. I see so many faces everyday that I get numb to this. But there they are, unavoidable.
The waitress at the restaraunt. The man changing the oil in my car. At first glance it is just another person trying to survive the rat race. A second glance reminds me of a different reality.
I know there's much to be said about learning a person's name. But I also think there's more to be said about simply seeing a person as just that. Not a way to get ahead, get service, get a response, etc. But a person who somehow, no matter how messy it might be, bears the image of a loving creator.
Yesterday, I held the sacraments as each person came forward. One face was old-- wisdom and hardship were ever present. Another face was timid, unsure of what exactly was happening. Yet another face, much darker than the other two, had a sense of solidarity about her. It was almost as if she felt safe to be in the presence of other seekers and followers of Jesus. Several more faces came to recieve the meal. Each one bringing a different gift; each person a different story.
Christ is found on the faces of those around us. I see so many faces everyday that I get numb to this. But there they are, unavoidable.
The waitress at the restaraunt. The man changing the oil in my car. At first glance it is just another person trying to survive the rat race. A second glance reminds me of a different reality.
I know there's much to be said about learning a person's name. But I also think there's more to be said about simply seeing a person as just that. Not a way to get ahead, get service, get a response, etc. But a person who somehow, no matter how messy it might be, bears the image of a loving creator.
05 August 2005
Gospeled People
The early church was a splintered group. Some were Jews who’d embraced Jesus as Messiah. To be followers of Jesus was to be fully Jewish. Others were Diaspora Jews (raised Jewish in Greek settings) who had embraced Jesus as the bridge between the Greek and Jewish world. And then there were Roman citizens with little connection to the Jewish faith who, by the power of God, came to believe “Jesus is Lord.”
The two great threats to the early church may resonate with our current struggle: Empire and Religious tradition. To say “Jesus is Lord” meant “Caesar is not.” It was a radical confession that reoriented one’s allegiance. Joining the church meant all other commitments were considered less or even obsolete. Second, religious tradition threatened the witness of the early church. In the early church tradition is the living faith of the dead, while traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. In all things, Torah or Scripture, temple or church, children of God must remember that we worship a living God. This might change the way we read Paul, he is a missionary not a systematic theologian who lives in the ivory tower.
In reading all four gospels, it is crucial to remember that we read in order to know the author. We read the gospels as we look through a telescope: by looking in it we can see the world in ways we never imagined possible.
We can be a church who allows the gospel to read us. Let’s allow these four gospels tell us what to think, feel, and experience. Let’s permit these gospels to set the agenda for faith, evangelism, worship, and community. These gospels were written to sustain a church already in existence, already struggling with their identity as followers of Jesus. May these ancient words speak a fresh word into our open lives.
The early church was a splintered group. Some were Jews who’d embraced Jesus as Messiah. To be followers of Jesus was to be fully Jewish. Others were Diaspora Jews (raised Jewish in Greek settings) who had embraced Jesus as the bridge between the Greek and Jewish world. And then there were Roman citizens with little connection to the Jewish faith who, by the power of God, came to believe “Jesus is Lord.”
The two great threats to the early church may resonate with our current struggle: Empire and Religious tradition. To say “Jesus is Lord” meant “Caesar is not.” It was a radical confession that reoriented one’s allegiance. Joining the church meant all other commitments were considered less or even obsolete. Second, religious tradition threatened the witness of the early church. In the early church tradition is the living faith of the dead, while traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. In all things, Torah or Scripture, temple or church, children of God must remember that we worship a living God. This might change the way we read Paul, he is a missionary not a systematic theologian who lives in the ivory tower.
In reading all four gospels, it is crucial to remember that we read in order to know the author. We read the gospels as we look through a telescope: by looking in it we can see the world in ways we never imagined possible.
We can be a church who allows the gospel to read us. Let’s allow these four gospels tell us what to think, feel, and experience. Let’s permit these gospels to set the agenda for faith, evangelism, worship, and community. These gospels were written to sustain a church already in existence, already struggling with their identity as followers of Jesus. May these ancient words speak a fresh word into our open lives.
03 August 2005
Some Confessions About God's Dream
God's dream for the world is not the church. At least, I hope this is not the case. History has proven that the church, though there are some exceptions, has a track record of dirtying the water and polluting the pure vision of God's Kingdom. The church often offers a counterfeit gospel.
God's dream for the world is not the Bible. For those of us recovering fundamentalists, we need to repent of "bibliolatry"--worship of the bible (and our interpretation of it) over the God of the Universe and the Christ who embodies this God. We use the Bible as a telescope--by looking in it and through it we are pointed toward the reality of God.
God's dream for the world is not a particular political party. Take a deep breath. God is not Republican or Democrat. To marry one political ideology is to betray power of the gospel and the nature of Jesus' incarnation. To declare Jesus as Lord in the ancient world meant, in effect, you were declaring Caesar not to be Lord.
God's dream for the world is not one particular tribe. The Catholic Church is not the answer. The Protestant Church is not the answer. The fundamentalist churches in denial of being Protestant are not the answers. It is time for us to pool our thinking, theology, and efforts and cease to view each other as the enemy. Fighting battles within the Christian army is a luxury of the 1950's--this simply is not the world we live in.
God's dream for the world is Jesus of Nazareth. And though we struggle to understand him in light of the church, Bible, politics, and religious tribes he is the author of our faith. In him, we understand God as father, our mission in the world, the nature of suffering, and the conviction that God's future is greater than anything we could ever imagine.
God's dream for the world is not the Bible. For those of us recovering fundamentalists, we need to repent of "bibliolatry"--worship of the bible (and our interpretation of it) over the God of the Universe and the Christ who embodies this God. We use the Bible as a telescope--by looking in it and through it we are pointed toward the reality of God.
God's dream for the world is not a particular political party. Take a deep breath. God is not Republican or Democrat. To marry one political ideology is to betray power of the gospel and the nature of Jesus' incarnation. To declare Jesus as Lord in the ancient world meant, in effect, you were declaring Caesar not to be Lord.
God's dream for the world is not one particular tribe. The Catholic Church is not the answer. The Protestant Church is not the answer. The fundamentalist churches in denial of being Protestant are not the answers. It is time for us to pool our thinking, theology, and efforts and cease to view each other as the enemy. Fighting battles within the Christian army is a luxury of the 1950's--this simply is not the world we live in.
God's dream for the world is Jesus of Nazareth. And though we struggle to understand him in light of the church, Bible, politics, and religious tribes he is the author of our faith. In him, we understand God as father, our mission in the world, the nature of suffering, and the conviction that God's future is greater than anything we could ever imagine.
02 August 2005
Mission or Maintenance?
How might one go about describing the difference between an institutionally minded body of Christ followers and a Kingdom oriented fellowship? Anything I write from here on out out will be surface and painting with broad strokes.
1. First, there is a difference between operation from an allegiance to the witness of Christ in history and the church as it has become. The Gopsel is God among us not Christianity.
2. Institutional loyalty is about preservation of power, status, and influence whereas Kingdom disciples are passionate about embodied truth, confession, authenticity, reconciliation and justice. This is what I mean by "mission" or "maintenance." Are our churches doing mere maintenance (changing Sunday morning around, rearranging furntiure on the Titanic) or are our churches living missionally--equipping the saints to be ministers in the numerous settings they'll find themselves in.
3. Institutional loyalty is usually the most dangerous place to be--the darkness has done its best work in institutions (Racism, oppressive governments, etc.). Bodies of people committed to the in-breaking Kingdom are not afraid to speak truth to the powers that be.
John York and Rubel Shelly has been preaching on this topic this summer at Woodmont Hills Family of God in Nashville, TN (www.woodmont.org). See the resources section to listen to the sermons. This is good for those who want to see missional church theology in a Church of Christ context. At least, what it might look like on paper or sound like in a preaching/teaching moment.
1. First, there is a difference between operation from an allegiance to the witness of Christ in history and the church as it has become. The Gopsel is God among us not Christianity.
2. Institutional loyalty is about preservation of power, status, and influence whereas Kingdom disciples are passionate about embodied truth, confession, authenticity, reconciliation and justice. This is what I mean by "mission" or "maintenance." Are our churches doing mere maintenance (changing Sunday morning around, rearranging furntiure on the Titanic) or are our churches living missionally--equipping the saints to be ministers in the numerous settings they'll find themselves in.
3. Institutional loyalty is usually the most dangerous place to be--the darkness has done its best work in institutions (Racism, oppressive governments, etc.). Bodies of people committed to the in-breaking Kingdom are not afraid to speak truth to the powers that be.
John York and Rubel Shelly has been preaching on this topic this summer at Woodmont Hills Family of God in Nashville, TN (www.woodmont.org). See the resources section to listen to the sermons. This is good for those who want to see missional church theology in a Church of Christ context. At least, what it might look like on paper or sound like in a preaching/teaching moment.
29 July 2005
Focus: HOPE
A friend of mine, Annette Vanover, is the manager/director of Focus: HOPE one of the leading voices for reconciliation in the Metro Detroit. I was pleasantly surprised to learn several weeks back that she attends the church where I'm currently on staff. After one of my sermons she came up to me and said, "I think you and I might have a lot in common." To which I wanted to say, "I doubt it very much." Little did I know prior to this conversation that she's been working for years to bridge the economic and ethnic gaps that exist in the Detroit and Metro-Detroit area.
The website for Focus: HOPE is www.focushope.edu
I think you will find their mission noble and redemptive. It makes me wonder how many other people slip in and out of our building every week who are also Kingdom lights for reasons that are pure.
---
For what it is worth.
Lipscomb University stepped up and made a great decision for their Presidency vacancy. I can say as a soon to be alum (as in one week) that I am excited about supporting the school, both undergrad and grad, in the future.
I know the Religion Department is probably excited as well. Lipscomb is making a move to be more Kingdom oriented and less instiution focused--this is a huge, and probably painful, step in the right direction.
The website for Focus: HOPE is www.focushope.edu
I think you will find their mission noble and redemptive. It makes me wonder how many other people slip in and out of our building every week who are also Kingdom lights for reasons that are pure.
---
For what it is worth.
Lipscomb University stepped up and made a great decision for their Presidency vacancy. I can say as a soon to be alum (as in one week) that I am excited about supporting the school, both undergrad and grad, in the future.
I know the Religion Department is probably excited as well. Lipscomb is making a move to be more Kingdom oriented and less instiution focused--this is a huge, and probably painful, step in the right direction.
23 July 2005
Mike Robinson: aka "Slim"
I am going to brag on my roommate from college for a few moments...Mike Robinson. Mike was a two time All-American basketball player at Rochester college. He's the all-time leading scorer in the history of the school and one of the best all around basketball players I've ever been around. He's an ever finer man.
When I was playing at RC with Mike, I worked for the Detroit Pistons doing camps and clinics. I worked with several followers of Jesus while employed by the Pistons--in fact, it was one of the most formative experiences I've had so far. I tried so hard to convince Mike to join the staff of camp and clinic instructors. "C'mon Mike. You get travel all over, work with the Piston players and coaching staff...it will look great on your resume."
My boss, the director of the entire program, made it known that Mike had an open invitation to join the staff. He would have been paid well and would probably be in a top-tier position had he accepted.
Mike knew what he wanted to do however. Mike wanted to completely concentrate on getting his degree (the first Robinson to get a college degree) and preparing himself to continue to play basketball professionally.
Today, Mike is a social worker for Wolverine Human Services in downtown Detroit. Mike carries 10-15 kids on his case load. He helps bring peace and stability in the lives of kids who've been plagued by chaos and deception. Sometimes Mike has to pick these kids up at their house, help them with clothes shopping, etc. He often pays out of his own pocket to feed and clothes "his kids." I joke with him that this is the group of disciples God has given him.
I spent yesterday with Mike down at the Social Services building with my father-in-law Patrick (www.tentpegs.blogspot.com), encouraging the kids and dialoguing with them one on one about their life, career dreams, talents, etc. Patrick and I are going to try and form a connection between our church (Rochester) and the work of these ministers in the trenches.
Mike could have went into many different fields. But he has the heart of servant and that heart led him to leading a group of teens who've had so many choices made to them and for them that most of us never experience. Two of the girls we spent time with yesterday recently lost their mother's to drugs and A.I.D.S....they're fifteen years old with no father figures.
Living with Mike for four years radically changed the way I look at life, Christianity, and the Gospel. My vision of Jesus was completely altered after seeing the world through Mike Robinson. He's been a dear friend for seven years now. The Kingdom breaks into my life in some of the most unexpected and unassuming ways.
Mike is a black man from the inner city and I'm a white man from the burbs. In Christ though, our bond is stronger than race, socio-economic backrgound, or ethnicity.
What Kingdom person is the LORD placing in your life?
When I was playing at RC with Mike, I worked for the Detroit Pistons doing camps and clinics. I worked with several followers of Jesus while employed by the Pistons--in fact, it was one of the most formative experiences I've had so far. I tried so hard to convince Mike to join the staff of camp and clinic instructors. "C'mon Mike. You get travel all over, work with the Piston players and coaching staff...it will look great on your resume."
My boss, the director of the entire program, made it known that Mike had an open invitation to join the staff. He would have been paid well and would probably be in a top-tier position had he accepted.
Mike knew what he wanted to do however. Mike wanted to completely concentrate on getting his degree (the first Robinson to get a college degree) and preparing himself to continue to play basketball professionally.
Today, Mike is a social worker for Wolverine Human Services in downtown Detroit. Mike carries 10-15 kids on his case load. He helps bring peace and stability in the lives of kids who've been plagued by chaos and deception. Sometimes Mike has to pick these kids up at their house, help them with clothes shopping, etc. He often pays out of his own pocket to feed and clothes "his kids." I joke with him that this is the group of disciples God has given him.
I spent yesterday with Mike down at the Social Services building with my father-in-law Patrick (www.tentpegs.blogspot.com), encouraging the kids and dialoguing with them one on one about their life, career dreams, talents, etc. Patrick and I are going to try and form a connection between our church (Rochester) and the work of these ministers in the trenches.
Mike could have went into many different fields. But he has the heart of servant and that heart led him to leading a group of teens who've had so many choices made to them and for them that most of us never experience. Two of the girls we spent time with yesterday recently lost their mother's to drugs and A.I.D.S....they're fifteen years old with no father figures.
Living with Mike for four years radically changed the way I look at life, Christianity, and the Gospel. My vision of Jesus was completely altered after seeing the world through Mike Robinson. He's been a dear friend for seven years now. The Kingdom breaks into my life in some of the most unexpected and unassuming ways.
Mike is a black man from the inner city and I'm a white man from the burbs. In Christ though, our bond is stronger than race, socio-economic backrgound, or ethnicity.
What Kingdom person is the LORD placing in your life?
19 July 2005
I've blogged about Brian and Lisa Cain in the past but want to bring up their work again. On Wednesday NPR is doing a feature story on their work and ministry with God's Helping Hands a ministry to the poor of Oakland County with the Rochester Church(see http://www.ghhmichigan.org/).
Brian and Lisa started a clothing and food ministry from a small room in the Rochester Church building almost 8 years ago after enduring many moments of pain and confusion in dealing with the severe illness of their son Kevin. Kevin died at a young age--the funeral was one of the most "gospel" moments I've ever been apart of.
Since Kevin's death, the ministry has become one of the great witnesses in Oakland CO. They've moved God's Helping Hands from the church to a warehouse that borders Rochester and Pontiac.
Last Wednesday, for example, GHH fed almost 80 families (not people BUT families) in 3.5 hours. We're now beginning the process of dreaming of what might be done next to expand the ministry.
Tomorrow morning, reporters from one of the most respected radio programs in the country will be interviewing Brian and Lisa. People will be coming out of the woodwork to be a part of this day. I can't help but think of all the late nights and early morning Brian and Lisa have spent at that warehouse, getting things ready, sorting through the scraps of the rich in order to bring some light into rather dark lives.
I've spent thousands of dollars on a undergraduate degree in History and an M.Div but am just now learning what it means to be an outpost of God's Kingdom in the midst of overwhelming evidence that would suggest the only Kingdom in control is the one under the direction of the principalities and powers.
Brian and Lisa started a clothing and food ministry from a small room in the Rochester Church building almost 8 years ago after enduring many moments of pain and confusion in dealing with the severe illness of their son Kevin. Kevin died at a young age--the funeral was one of the most "gospel" moments I've ever been apart of.
Since Kevin's death, the ministry has become one of the great witnesses in Oakland CO. They've moved God's Helping Hands from the church to a warehouse that borders Rochester and Pontiac.
Last Wednesday, for example, GHH fed almost 80 families (not people BUT families) in 3.5 hours. We're now beginning the process of dreaming of what might be done next to expand the ministry.
Tomorrow morning, reporters from one of the most respected radio programs in the country will be interviewing Brian and Lisa. People will be coming out of the woodwork to be a part of this day. I can't help but think of all the late nights and early morning Brian and Lisa have spent at that warehouse, getting things ready, sorting through the scraps of the rich in order to bring some light into rather dark lives.
I've spent thousands of dollars on a undergraduate degree in History and an M.Div but am just now learning what it means to be an outpost of God's Kingdom in the midst of overwhelming evidence that would suggest the only Kingdom in control is the one under the direction of the principalities and powers.
18 July 2005
4 years and a few states later...
This weekend Kara and I celebrated our first year of marriage...I can't believe that the girl I was so nervous about asking to go to a movie is now my wife of one year. More than that, I can believe she actually said "yes" that hot summer day almost two years ago.
Kara and I have been on quiet an adventure. We started out "courting" long distance; while I was going to school and playing basketball in college she was at a university in Nashville. Then I moved to Nashville to do seminary (really to be closer to her...the seminary I wanted to go to was in California). Then I convinced her to move to Texas while I continued graduate studies and coached basketball at ACU for a short time. Then we moved back to Nashville right after getting married to finish our studies (at least for now). Then, you see where this is going, we moved back to Rochester so I could work at the RCC and teach religion (adjunct) at Rochester College.
I've taken Kara on a whirlwind over the last three years. We've learned a lot about eachother and even more about ourselves. It might be cliche but it is still true: the greates test of one's discipleship is the strength of their marriage.
Kara and I have been on quiet an adventure. We started out "courting" long distance; while I was going to school and playing basketball in college she was at a university in Nashville. Then I moved to Nashville to do seminary (really to be closer to her...the seminary I wanted to go to was in California). Then I convinced her to move to Texas while I continued graduate studies and coached basketball at ACU for a short time. Then we moved back to Nashville right after getting married to finish our studies (at least for now). Then, you see where this is going, we moved back to Rochester so I could work at the RCC and teach religion (adjunct) at Rochester College.
I've taken Kara on a whirlwind over the last three years. We've learned a lot about eachother and even more about ourselves. It might be cliche but it is still true: the greates test of one's discipleship is the strength of their marriage.
14 July 2005
GOOD NEWS
What is the Gospel?
What a great question. We've been talking about this all week in my Postmodern Theologies class with John Mark Hicks. I like the warning in Divine Conspiracy against "vampire Christianity"--the notion that Christians only want Jesus for his blood. We get Jesus' blood and then move on to Paul for the rest of consumer passions.
Think about the rich diversity of "gospel talk" in the four Gospels for instance. In Matthew, salvation is linked to the "ethical training for the kingdom of heaven"--the Rabbi shows his disciples how to live as outposts of God's future reign. In Mark, salvation is tied discipleship in a different way. Discipleship is participating in the shame (as opposed to Mel Gibson's "pain") of the cross. Those who would be a part of this New Band of Brothers/Sisters must be willing to embrace shame in light of a culture hinged on power and honor. In Luke, salvation is tied to the overturning of the dominant power systems--the poor are liberated, the capties are set free (it's not Blessed are the poor in spirit but blessed are the poor). In Luke we are introduced to a radical theology of neighbor: there is no one who is not our neighbor! In John, salvation is couched in the language of abiding in eternal life (John's word for Kingdom) and belief in "the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."
What is interesting to me is that the four Gospels are even more layered than what I've just presented. Each one presents a rather wholistic picture of salvation...and we haven't even gotten to Paul yet :)
I like this idea "people out of legalistic traditions need grace; people out of grace traditions need discipleship." I think that says a lot about where we're currently at in Restoration/Evangelical churches. The gospel doesn't just want to say something (our sins are forgiven) it wants us to live a certain way (we are empowered to be the Second Incarnation).
What a great question. We've been talking about this all week in my Postmodern Theologies class with John Mark Hicks. I like the warning in Divine Conspiracy against "vampire Christianity"--the notion that Christians only want Jesus for his blood. We get Jesus' blood and then move on to Paul for the rest of consumer passions.
Think about the rich diversity of "gospel talk" in the four Gospels for instance. In Matthew, salvation is linked to the "ethical training for the kingdom of heaven"--the Rabbi shows his disciples how to live as outposts of God's future reign. In Mark, salvation is tied discipleship in a different way. Discipleship is participating in the shame (as opposed to Mel Gibson's "pain") of the cross. Those who would be a part of this New Band of Brothers/Sisters must be willing to embrace shame in light of a culture hinged on power and honor. In Luke, salvation is tied to the overturning of the dominant power systems--the poor are liberated, the capties are set free (it's not Blessed are the poor in spirit but blessed are the poor). In Luke we are introduced to a radical theology of neighbor: there is no one who is not our neighbor! In John, salvation is couched in the language of abiding in eternal life (John's word for Kingdom) and belief in "the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."
What is interesting to me is that the four Gospels are even more layered than what I've just presented. Each one presents a rather wholistic picture of salvation...and we haven't even gotten to Paul yet :)
I like this idea "people out of legalistic traditions need grace; people out of grace traditions need discipleship." I think that says a lot about where we're currently at in Restoration/Evangelical churches. The gospel doesn't just want to say something (our sins are forgiven) it wants us to live a certain way (we are empowered to be the Second Incarnation).
11 July 2005
Nashvegas and Downward Mobility
I'm in Nashville this week finishing up the course requirments for the M.Div. at Lipscomb. This week I'm taking a Seminar in Theology class with John Mark Hicks who one of my friends in grad school refers to as "one of the smartest men in North America." Check out his blog at http://www.professingprofessor.blogspot.com/. The class is entitled Postmodern Theologies and we're going to look at post-evangelicalism (recovering fundamentalists), postliberals (recovering liberals) and communal praxis (the people who actually take Jesus' call to discipleship seriously)...ok maybe that was a slight exaggeration.
I'm taking this class with one of my good friends Mark Manry who is also finishing up the M.Div. this summer. Mark is a member where I currently work--the Rochester Church of Christ in Michigan. Mark is about to move his entire family to Uganda to join a mission team supported by the Rochester Church. I tease Mark that he's on the fast track for "downward mobility"--he's driving the wrong way down a one way street :). Seriously, Mark has a pastor's heart and will be Kingdom blessing while he's in Uganda and when we steal him back in five years to work with us at RCC.
The Rochester Church is not a perfect church by any measuring standards but they are committed to training up their own and sending them into the world. We currently have disciples (raised up from within our church) in Eastern Europe, Brazil, Uganda (a few families), Honduras, and one training to go to the Bronx to join an ACU mission team. I know I'm forgetting someone.
Our next step???? Getting the body of Christ at Rochester to see themselves as missionaries in the setting they find themselves in. Becoming a missional church out of a comfortable evangelical worldview is no easy task. I can't imagine a more exciting project than being a part of this.
I'm taking this class with one of my good friends Mark Manry who is also finishing up the M.Div. this summer. Mark is a member where I currently work--the Rochester Church of Christ in Michigan. Mark is about to move his entire family to Uganda to join a mission team supported by the Rochester Church. I tease Mark that he's on the fast track for "downward mobility"--he's driving the wrong way down a one way street :). Seriously, Mark has a pastor's heart and will be Kingdom blessing while he's in Uganda and when we steal him back in five years to work with us at RCC.
The Rochester Church is not a perfect church by any measuring standards but they are committed to training up their own and sending them into the world. We currently have disciples (raised up from within our church) in Eastern Europe, Brazil, Uganda (a few families), Honduras, and one training to go to the Bronx to join an ACU mission team. I know I'm forgetting someone.
Our next step???? Getting the body of Christ at Rochester to see themselves as missionaries in the setting they find themselves in. Becoming a missional church out of a comfortable evangelical worldview is no easy task. I can't imagine a more exciting project than being a part of this.
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