tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107714672024-03-14T05:34:43.965-04:00RevNeujahrOne man's dealings with Christ and life . . ."The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.comBlogger191125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-68435928598450874062021-01-14T13:32:00.001-05:002021-01-14T13:32:41.168-05:00"This isn't an argument, it's just mere contradiction!" "No it isn't!"<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-IJrs0xD2ki3PX70cCUS0Zs7IFn4RWgLqHcpCwdLGeQKqVFc-UEILsr8JOwUwpK9caFjmdmWvoll39BPd793ICOxvqTfkznlE-UupO9On77ML7BrEFzE2r3EXbZ23AzlQT3l4A/s1100/Socrates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="1100" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-IJrs0xD2ki3PX70cCUS0Zs7IFn4RWgLqHcpCwdLGeQKqVFc-UEILsr8JOwUwpK9caFjmdmWvoll39BPd793ICOxvqTfkznlE-UupO9On77ML7BrEFzE2r3EXbZ23AzlQT3l4A/w400-h300/Socrates.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I know that I suffer from a certain academic aloofness; a
kind of mental attitude that stands in an ivory tower and watches down upon the
people rather than being right there in the midst of it all. But I also know that does allow me a bird's-eye view and, perhaps, a slightly less cluttered perspective to view things. </p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">As I’ve watched, I’ve
seen much-loved friends divide over issues.
I’ve observed friends whom I both trust and respect settle into
different camps, and then to become increasingly entrenched in their
views. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, this is nothing new in the history of humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve always been in opposition to one
another in some form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what troubles me
is that I see friends that I know, love, and respect demonstrate an utter inability
to know, love, and respect others that have a different viewpoint than they
do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow, I see in both a wonderful
treasure <i>that they cannot see in one another</i>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I suggest that perhaps the cause—or at least <i>a </i>cause—is
a move away from critical thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No,
not “criticizing”—many people are doing <i>that</i>—but by <i>critical thought</i>
we mean the process of hearing, weighing, and discerning truth in what another
says.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is to say, I believe that the
cause of my friends being seemingly happy to while away their days lobbing
grenades at each other is a moving away from some basic principles of argument,
discourse, and making claims to the truth of your views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So I did what any academically aloof egghead might do: I
whiled away my morning jotting down some of those basic principles so that I
could hand them to you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, like any academic
egghead, I expect that the undeniable shining logic of my brilliance will
quench all hostilities, and the bright light of reason will shine through once
more.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But, perhaps unlike some eggheads, I also know I’m not really
all that brilliant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, honestly,
friends . . . I’m just asking you to take a few moments, to read through this,
and then ask yourself if you’ve helped your arguments by saying what you said
in the way that you said it, or if you’ve hurt them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we argue—and what I really mean is “as we debate”—we make
a claim that appeals to be true. Here
are some basic principles for what helps that appeal:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>A quote, in context, from a
reliable and quality source.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>Data, in context, from a
reliable and quality source.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>Awareness of contrary quotes
and data from reliable and quality sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>The ability to articulate
the opposing position from within the opposition’s system.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>The more extraordinary the
claim, the greater the scrutiny.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span dir="LTR"></span>Inflammatory and
antagonistic language is an almost certain indication of lack of critical
thought.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A quote,
in context, from a reliable and quality source.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Data, in
context, from a reliable and quality source.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let’s first discuss “reliable and quality source.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every claim that is made is an appeal to the
truthfulness of the claim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Referencing the
source of a claim helps assure the reader that the claim is trustworthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In knowing the source, the reader may look up
the source for themselves and confirm what has been claimed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A reliable and quality source bolsters the trustworthiness
of that claim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A poor source hinders
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, a claim may be measured,
in part, by the quality of the source.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We begin by noting that anecdotes are often submitted as
evidence to support a claim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An anecdote
is a story: one person’s view of a particular event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a human moment, a lived experience that
has a profound potential for bringing a truth claim down out of an ivory tower
and putting flesh and blood on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>But
one person’s view does not necessarily mean the claim is true</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anecdotes are useful tools for reminding us
that we are ultimately speaking of people’s lives, they are helpful to augment
and underscore certain truth claims, but they are not final determinants of
truth, therefore they are not allowable—by themselves—as reliable and quality
sources.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A “reliable and quality source” is some form of recognized
expert in the field relative to the claim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For instance, a political claim’s truthfulness is not bolstered by
quoting a theologian, nor is a theological claim’s truthfulness enhanced by
quoting a politician.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the source to
be a quality source, the source’s expertise and recognition must be from within
a field relative to the claim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Expertise and recognition may come in the form of an
advanced degree or extensive experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Popular acclaim <i>may</i> indicate recognition of individual’s
expertise is warranted, or it may merely mean that a person has been able to
make a name for themselves without any genuine expertise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without question, however, the credentials of
the source must be widely recognized as viable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The most obvious implication is that an actual source must
be displayed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Words, charts, or claims
without reference to any source may be immediately dismissed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No source = no legitimate claim to truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But also, in offering a source, it is always a good idea to briefly
explain <i>why</i> the source is credible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For example, “Recognized historian and author John Smith, speaking on
racial unrest in the 1960s, said . . .” lets the reader know that the claim has
credibility due to its quality and reliable source.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, “Actor John Smith, speaking on climate
change, denounced the use of fossil fuels” is a spurious and questionable
source—and thus a skeptical claim—for one has merely substituted popular acclaim
for actual, recognizable expertise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Finally, “in context” means that the quote or data used to
support the claim must be in accordance with the source’s intent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every document has something that can be
cherry-picked out of context and be made to <i>appear</i> that the author claimed
something as true that he or she did not actually claim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">3.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Awareness
of contrary quotes and data from reliable and quality sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">4.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
ability to articulate the opposing position from within the opposition’s
system.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is, I think, the premier acid test for genuine
understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The so-called “echo chamber” is a wonderful place in which
to live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the echo chamber, we get the
privilege of hearing something, repeating it, and our like-minded friends and
colleagues affirm that same truth and echo it back to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It feels affirming to have so many in agreement
with us.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But the echo chamber reveals a serious lack of genuine
understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It culminates in what is
called <i>groupthink</i>: a narrow hyper-focus on one particular aspect or
issue, a blind ignorance of the dangers of that position, and a peer-pressure
demanded deafness to other potential claims to the contrary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In groupthink we are unaware of the various
positions, data, and nuances that exist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While it is true we feel secure inside that echo chamber, for genuine
understanding we must be able to move outside of it, to hear other’s claims,
arguments, and data, <i>and to understand the mechanism by which build all of
those into a truth claim</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is very easy to simply refute another’s point of view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But mere negation is a childish fantasy, an endless
argument of two people saying to one another, “No it isn’t,” “Yes it is.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, if I can speak your point of view to
you in such a way that you agree, “Yes, that is exactly what I am saying,” then
I have shown I understand the whole of the issue, and that I understand <i>you</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this—unlike mere contradiction—is a
position from which genuine growth and dialogue may occur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">5.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The more
extraordinary the claim, the greater the scrutiny.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">6.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Inflammatory
and antagonistic language is an almost certain indication of lack of critical
thought.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A claim who’s truth or falsity has little to no impact on
life and living needs to offer no great proofs of its veracity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We call such claims <i>opinions</i>, and the
fact that they may or may not be true is oftentimes a source of entertainment
for us: Car guys will vehemently argue the truth of the statement “Fords are better
than Chevys” in the security of knowing that the statement does not <i>have</i>
to be true to be embraced.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But a claim that lays hold to an extraordinary, life-shaping
truth . . . that claim holds genuine gravity, and <i>must</i> be subject to the
demand of rigorous proof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Evidence must
be displayed; data must be accumulated; reliable experts must be consulted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this, I will even assert that opposing
viewpoints must be weighed and considered, for perhaps we in our view
overlooked—or even dismissed—some piece of data that would demand we
re-evaluate our prior claims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To offer an example, in our day we have two claims that are
so extraordinary that they demand intense scrutiny . . . claims which, if they
are true, imply a radical change in our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Both “we are in the midst of an international pandemic” and “the
American election was stolen” are simply <i>extraordinary</i> claims of monumental
gravity, <i>if they are true</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, as the point of this brief essay is not to debate
truth, but to underscore the <i>methods</i> by which we may debate, we will not
here debate the veracity of either of those claims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we will note that both claims have—in
the public square—been argued with great zeal, yet those arguments have often
lacked the basic elements we have discussed here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In short, rather than using rational thought
to debate and decide upon truth, people have often let poor sources,
groupthink, and emotional appeals dictate the terms of discourse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result is not a vehicle for improving
knowledge and wisdom, but a one-sided shouting match that quickly devolves the
level of name-calling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the one who
shouts loudest—while they may “win”—<i>is not necessarily the one who is right.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My appeal to my friends, then, is that you once again
listen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That you once again remember how
to tell a good source from a bad one, how to discern a reasonable argument from
a poorly constructed one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That you remember
how to weigh the merits of a claim, and that you understand how other’s claims
have been assembled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And, finally, that you remember I know, love, and respect
you . . . and that the person with whom you are arguing is also most likely a
person I know, love, and respect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
is something I’ve seen in them that merits that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps you have just been guilty of missing
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i><o:p></o:p></i></p><br /><p></p>"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-18300185076211840522020-06-03T14:25:00.000-04:002020-06-03T14:25:24.970-04:00A brief comment on the sin of racism<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07R14g1LWOVRvqc5KN3m23ob65L0-vUhRrP1SQawWRLJPbcjUmpPaHjJk4ZHszmEN2tzvn672MBcuXoN14nQhH-Y3Qm9tLh2RDmGtvBU1dh3cZZC4HVg8QFyQ7hyphenhyphen5D5zw5Xbehw/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="426" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh07R14g1LWOVRvqc5KN3m23ob65L0-vUhRrP1SQawWRLJPbcjUmpPaHjJk4ZHszmEN2tzvn672MBcuXoN14nQhH-Y3Qm9tLh2RDmGtvBU1dh3cZZC4HVg8QFyQ7hyphenhyphen5D5zw5Xbehw/w400-h281/sarcaphogus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In the Scriptures, the subject of race is a swirling mixture of positions and statements. We see statements that speak of race in the sense of geographically-bound people group. We see statements that speak of race in the sense of a common tribal ancestry. We see plainly descriptive statements of some people groups, surprisingly positive statements of others, flatly ugly statements of others yet. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>But there is a sense (as in other Scripture language) that all these statements regarding race are merely descriptions. Descriptions of a common human understanding that racial differences are genuine, they are identifiable, that they are divisive. But such description <i>coram hominibus </i>(that is to say, descriptions from limited and strictly human perspective) is overshadowed by a larger, even universal, Scriptural truth:<br /><br /><i>We are all one people</i>. <i>We are all united</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Without venturing into current sociological and scientific discussions on race (and there are many), let's take just a moment to look at the theological concept of a united human race: the Scriptures begin the story of the whole of humanity in the creation and naming of a single, common, ancestry. Adam and Eve are created by God in perfect holiness, created to be perfect complementary partners for one another, created to be the parents of the whole of the human race. But the most significant aspect of their existence is this: <i>they are created in the image of God</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>We could (and perhaps sometime we will) discuss what the "image of God" entails for us as human beings. There's much to be said about it. But for our discussion right now, it simply means this: human beings are created with a little indelible stamp on them that reflects God Himself. Something in our very being bears the fingerprint of the Divine. Something in our nature shows forth a picture of God's face.</div><div><br /></div><div>Right from the start of the human race, we see this. Beginning with the first two human beings in the history of ever, human beings have this <i>imago Dei</i>. This makes every single human being united in being worthy of respect, in being worthy of love, in being <i>worthy</i>, period. All humanity--and all individuals within that humanity--are people worthy of being treated with dignity.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's a powerful statement of human unity. We could stop there. But there is more . . . sadly, tragically, there is more.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our human unity doesn't stop at the glories of God's creation. Our humanity is also united in its downward fall. When Adam and Eve--our ancestral parents--decide to forsake God's goodness, when they decide to forsake God's commands . . . when they decide that God's image is not good enough for them, but they want to actually be like God Himself . . . they fall into sin. They fall, and the plunge themselves, creation, and every human being to come after them into a state of open rebellion against a gracious and loving God. </div><div><br /></div><div>Humanity is united in its rebellion against God. Each and every one of us falls under the same condemnation. We had God, but turned our faces away from Him. We had His image, but chose to shed that and forge our own path. And the path we choose so very often leads us to work dominance over another, to exercise control over another. We choose the path of power to enslave one another, to cause them to fear. In our fallenness, we forget our common ancestry of being created in God's image and instead choose to create for ourselves a place where we can be greater and they must of necessity be lesser. This makes every single human being united in being worthy of God's condemnation. </div><div><br /></div><div>Humanity is united in God's creation. Humanity is united in God's condemnation. But there is more yet: humanity is finally and fully united in God's <i>redemption</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jesus Christ is born in a particular time, a particular place, and of a particular people. In short, He is born a Jew. But as we've already seen, God has no concept of divided race . . . so what is Jesus, really? He is born <i>a human being</i>. His flesh is our flesh. His trials are our trials. His weaknesses are our weaknesses. But most importantly, <i>His death is our death</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>All that Jesus does, He does as He stands in the place of the whole human race. And all that Jesus does, He does <i>for the sake of the whole human race</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div>And <i>this</i>, my friends, makes every single person united in being a people for whom Jesus Christ has shed His own blood. The Worthy dies for the unworthy . . . the Righteous for the unrighteous . . . The True Man for all humankind.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Now, let's put this all together: Each individual human being is a person that is of such worth to God that He would bring them into this world, that He would see their sin, and that He would choose to die Himself rather than have them live without hope of redemption. Each individual human being is someone of incredible worth to God. We are all united under that same banner, <i>and there is no difference between us.</i> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This means, then, that all expressions of racism--from overt racism to subtle, from the ugly and personal to faceless, embedded, institutionalized racism--all expressions of racism are reprehensible before God, for each seeks to wrongly elevate one "race" over another <i>when there is no theological difference between us</i>. All expressions of racism violate God's command and intent that we stand unified, on equal footing before Him with regards to creation, with regards to condemnation, with regards to redemption.</div><div><br /></div><div>All racism is reprehensible. All racism is <i>sinful</i>. And all racism is something for which Christ died, and thus all racism is something He is able to forgive.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>There is more work to be done with regards to racism, of course. Our problems with racism are broad and complex. I'm not quite so naive as to believe we can wave a Bible at racism and make it go away. Sin--even the sin of racism--likes to cling to us. And sin is something that we must struggle against.</div><div><br /></div><div>But there is only One who <i>removes</i> sin. And it is in Him--in Jesus Christ--that we find our true human unity. It is in Jesus Christ that we find the unity of our sin, and the unity of our redemption. It is in Him that we are truly equal. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-280185748469334782020-03-27T16:24:00.000-04:002020-03-27T16:24:06.787-04:00Pastors, are you doing "virus church" right?<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="es50r" data-offset-key="8bntp-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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A brief and entirely unasked-for commentary:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Pastors,a brother pastor of mine recently commented, "This virus will really show us what our theology of worship is." And to a large extent, I think that is true. The different approaches taken by different pastors are, for the most part, predictable. We can readily see the theological underpinnings that reveal their choices.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">there is another truth that we should consider: this virus will also really </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">show us what our theology of brotherhood is. Criticisms of the approach of </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">others is also (sadly) predictable. Hardened battle-lines of group-think are </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">(equally sadly) predictable. </span></div>
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But look . . . there are a lot of guys I know that are just doing the best they can do with what they have. Each of them are being pushed into new areas right now. Each of them are in a crazed borderland, and they're all making decisions they didn't think they might ever have to make.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And they're all my brothers in the ministry. Many of whom I am unworthy to stoop down and untie their sandals. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So look, pastors . . . I knew beforehand that ya'all were poor, imperfect, sinners before this virus crisis broke out, and even though I had theological differences with many of you, I cheered for you then.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm still cheering for you now. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whether </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">livestreamed, pre-recorded, drive-in church, or whatever. Whether you put a</span></div>
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phone in your pulpit and go FB Live from that, or whether you have multiple professional cameras and a suite of production software and gear, I'm cheering for you. You just keep on doing the best you can with what you've got, and I'll keep cheering for you. I'm in your corner . . . your weak, poor, imperfect, corner . . . because over here in my corner I'm just doing the same thing you are: trying to figure out how to bring stability, comfort, and Jesus-centered gospel to folks living in a world I never dreamed would actually exist.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Are </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">you going to do it perfectly? C'mon guys . . . you didn't do it perfectly </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">before. But we preach a Christ who uses broken vessels. We preach a Christ who </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">chose twelve of the biggest sad-sacks in history, pointed to them and said, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">"You're my boy!" That's you, my pastor friend . . . that's </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">you . . </i><i style="font-family: inherit;">. and I'm still cheering for you</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Precisely because you’re going to do it imperfectly, I’m still cheering </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">for you.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ephesians </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">3:8–9: "To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">God, who created all things."</span></div>
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"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-21978848178700704102020-02-05T11:25:00.000-05:002020-02-05T11:41:42.050-05:00Why am I here, again? What social media feels like to me<br />
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Every day I enter a crowded gymnasium. People seemingly without number stand on their own small pedestals and speak. Others have stepped down from their pedestals (where their pedestals are located, I often don't know) and gather around the people I do know. The room is a cacophony of echoes in which I cannot discern individual voices. I know my friends are in this room, however, so I stroll through, waiting to encounter them.<br />
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As I go along, I pass by dozens (or is it hundreds? thousands?) of individuals, all of whom I have some connection with. Some are shouting their opinions at no one in particular. Others say little, but hold up adorable photos of kittens . . . or their children . . . or kittens with their children. On my left I encounter certain of my friends raging against a particular man, and I conclude from them that he must be the very embodiment of evil. Then on my right I bump into certain of my other friends lifting up praises of a particular man, and I conclude from them that he must be the closest possible thing imaginable to an earthly savior. It is only later that I realize they all were talking about the same man, and I become confused, not certain what to believe was actually true about him.<br />
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As I'm a religious man, my ears always seem to be alerted to religious statements, and so as I stroll along they catch my attention, whether they be pious or platitudes. Not infrequently I will overhear something that my training and understanding marks as questionable--or even perhaps dangerous--theological thinking. I want to stop. I want to offer correction. But I notice a large group quickly gathering around and experience has taught me that my voice will be lost in the growing crowd or, worse than that, a random connection of a connection will take umbrage at what I intended to be gentle, Biblical correction for the ears of my friend. So I hold my tongue and move along, deciding to save my emotional investment for a quiet, personal conversation when the proper time comes.<br />
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I do see some friends as I go through the room, stopping nearby where they are speaking. Sometimes touching a shoulder and saying hello, sometimes if I sense they are otherwise occupied just offering a thumbs-up or a high-five as I stroll by. Some friends I look for but never see. Some friends I see for the first time in quite a while and chastise myself for neglecting their friendship. But always, always I continue to stroll through, past people celebrating significant life milestones alongside others celebrating rank vulgarity, past poets and prophets and pets and preterists (wait what? . . . oh, right), past suffering and surliness and sappy feel-good, past food and friends, past wine and cheese, past weed and munchies, past heads bowed and heads hung low and voices raised and voices stilled and life and death and pain and grief and musings and rantings and hate and love and joy and lunch and movies and work and music and . . . and . . . and . . .<br />
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. . . and all along, I hear everything, and I hear nothing. A great room, filled with people that are all in some way important to me, all of them talking, all of them saying something that I presume they want me to listen to, and the sheer chaos of it renders me almost completely unable to <i>hear.</i><br />
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And I wonder, am I alone in this? Am I the only one for whom this room in which I had hoped for beauty and connection so often becomes unbearable noise?<br />
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And if that is the case . . . then why do I visit this room so often?<br />
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I'd be a liar if I didn't admit that I, like so many others, enjoy stepping up on my own little pedestal, offering my own little words. Speaking those words out loud, whether anyone gathers around or not. Words form in my brain that tickle me or make me stop to ponder, and it is enjoyable for those words to flow out of my brain and into that great, wide room. And yes, it's enjoyable when a friend strolls by, catches wind of my latest musing, and offers me a high-five as they pass by along the way to their own pedestal. Richer yet are those times when a friend and I step off our pedestals together and talk and reconnect, for a moment just the two of us turning our faces to one another and our backs to the crowded, noisy room.<br />
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But even as I say that, I realize there is a deeper answer for why I come so often to a place that I find overwhelming. I gave that answer up above: <i>I know my friends are in this room</i>. I know I can find them here, and I know that when I do, we will both experience God's gift of friendship. We will share a laugh together, perhaps swap stories, or perhaps they'll shoulder a portion of my burden, or perhaps I'll be granted the honor of carrying a bit of theirs. And while I know I personally do not have the skill to be emotionally involved with everyone in this great, wide room at once, I do know the joy of speaking to one friend at a time."The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-2384548113418087202019-12-18T11:49:00.000-05:002019-12-18T11:49:50.761-05:00Various "truths" that "everyone" in the church knows . . . <div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="68end" data-offset-key="5sq4g-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="80kfd-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Kids need to be entertained. Make sure you have lots of games and fun activities and hip, young, cool speakers, because only then will you be able to capture their attention and give them Biblical truths.</span><br />
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<span data-offset-key="8surv-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Women need to feel feelings. Make sure you talk about chocolate and shopping and chick-flicks and about their feelings, because only then will you be able to capture their attention and give them Biblical truths.</span><br />
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<span data-offset-key="f6th9-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Men only respond to hyper-masculinity. Make sure you have lots of sports-related gatherings and tough-talking, straight-shooting, no-b.s. alpha-male leadership, because only then will you be able to capture their attention and give them Biblical truths.</span><br />
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<span data-offset-key="214vr-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Except, you see . . . kids aren't brainless. Women aren't vapid. Men aren't cro-magnons. When the church panders, people can tell. And eventually, they will find someone else to pander to them.</span><br />
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<span data-offset-key="7ktv2-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Perhaps the church as a whole might learn to respect both the people she encounters and the Christ she proclaims by doing what she is called to do, trusting in the Word that she is given to speak, and giving people credit for being more than a demographic caricature. </span></div>
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"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-16500912031258678762019-04-17T16:21:00.001-04:002019-04-17T16:21:38.528-04:00Easter is a great time to start going to church again, but . . .<br />
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<span data-offset-key="7d09n-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Easter is a great time to start going to church again, and I hope you do.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="66j76-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">But you need to know something about it, before you make your choice. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="66j76-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">There's this thing that happens at gyms all around the country in January. The folks that made a resolution to change their lives, to finally get in shape, flood the gyms. The place is packed, it's hard to get a treadmill. You have to wait in line for a machine.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="66j76-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">But only for a few weeks.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="66j76-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">After a few weeks, the newness of the resolution has worn off. Working out becomes well . . . <i>work</i>. And people begin to make excuses: "I'm too busy this week." "I'll go again next week." "This isn't what I thought it would be." "I'm not getting the results I thought I'd get." </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="66j76-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">And so, what began quickly ends. And the only people that are left at the gym are the people who've made it their lifestyle. The folks who go every week, week in and week out, throughout the year. They learned long ago that the gym isn't something you can pop in and pop out of and expect something to stick. It must become a new habit.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="66j76-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">And yeah, frankly, the regular gym-goers will grouse a bit come January. That happens. Nothing we can do about it. But honestly, the people that have really found the benefit of hitting the ol' gym will be rooting for you. They'll see you come in, note that you're obviously a bit out of place, and offer encouragement. Those folks truly want you to be there come February, come March . . . come August. Because they know the value of exercise. Consistent, regular exercise, all year 'round.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="66j76-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">One visit to the gym won't change your body. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="66j76-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">And one visit to church won't change your life.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="66j76-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Easter is a great time to start going to church again, and I hope you do.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="66j76-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">And okay, you might encounter that one person who's a bit irritated that you're there. It happens. I'm sorry, but it does. They'll come around, in time. But before then, find the person who sees you there, who notices you're a bit out of place, and who encourages you. Find the person who'll show you the place in the hymnal, who will help you find your way around the Bible as it's being read. Find the person that will coach you on what's happening in the service, of what's happening now, of what's coming up next. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="66j76-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">And then come back next week. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="66j76-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Because what you'll hear on Easter is just one small part of the story. There's a whole story of Jesus Christ, and it gets told over the course of the whole year. And as you stick around and hear that whole story, you'll start to realize that church has become a habit. A good one. A <i>needful</i> one. Because you'll realize that coming to church--of hearing about Jesus Christ and what He has done and still does for you--has become the defining part of your life. The thing around which all other things revolve. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="66j76-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I want you to come to church on Easter. If you show up at my church, please introduce yourself to me, because I'd love to meet you. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="66j76-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">But more than that, I want you to keep on coming. Because I want you to join me--join <i>us</i>--not just this Sunday, but on this whole journey that's called the Christian life. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="66j76-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">And I promise you it will be worth it. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="66j76-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Hope to see you this Sunday.</span></div>
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"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-11648137515384647662018-12-21T21:45:00.003-05:002018-12-21T21:45:27.942-05:00A Marvel/Star Wars lament (or, "An old guy complains about the way things used to be")<br />
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<span data-offset-key="8btr0-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Full and free confession:</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="kv9d-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I'm tired of Marvel movies. I'm tired of Star Wars movies. So tired that I still haven't seen the last round of either. So tired that I'm not sure I'll see the new ones when they come out. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="9puco-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">It's not the movies themselves, but the burden of being constantly and increasingly hyped for them. Teasers. Trailers. A constant stream of "news" stories on fan theories. Web articles dedicated to parsing every single second of every single trailer, trying to discern what's going to happen in the next movie.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="csqn7-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">And it all makes me tired.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="bo527-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">There was a time--a long, long time ago in a lifetime far, far away--that, say a Star Wars movie ended . . . and then that was it. Probably bought some merchandise (okay, toys, maybe footie pajamas), but I heard nothing about any possible movie for another two years or so. Each movie had to be savored, remembered. They had to be enjoyed in the moment.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="6rjie-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">But today, we are trained to wait only until the end credits are finished, and then "treated" with a tantalizing look at the next thing coming down the pike. We've barely let the current movie soak in, have barely processed the images and sounds and story, and already we are told, "But wait! There's more!"</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="acgk8-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">And I feel as though we, as a culture, have lost the capacity for enjoying a thing as it stands. We no longer have standalone stories, but each and every thing must be serialized into an ongoing story, and we cannot seem to live unless we know how it all turns out.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="cr1a-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">But great literature--or the truly great movies--have never been quite like that. Truly great stories are something where loose ends are not quite tied up. We don't know what happened next. And that's the beauty of it: when the story ended, we were forced to consider what that particular story told us about itself. What it told us about ourselves. And so we had to think, to consider. To weigh how the actions of the hero could and should influence us. To consider how the choices of the antagonist should warn us against vice.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="culte-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">No longer. A constant stream of plot twists and what happens next . . . that's our current fare. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="c5hc1-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">And it's a bit like eating movie popcorn for every meal. Enjoyable while it happens, but starving us in the end.</span></div>
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I find myself turning more and more to dead authors. Classic writers who agonized over a story, and who chose to end a story where the story ended. Writers from whom I cannot expect a sequel. Writers to whom I must pay attention as the story unfolds, because there will never be a "but what happens NEXT?" moment. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="8ik7a-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">And in so doing, perhaps I have lost a bit of touch with popular culture. But I have gained a firmer touch with the whole story of humanity.</span></div>
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"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-48867168949737699452018-11-19T16:37:00.001-05:002018-11-19T16:37:26.094-05:00Culture is only monolithic from a distance<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRrxOyKVPCzhqhVaxR1gyLMi9TDD2M4CvVzCZzm9ijrqYtoG27j1CEbQDOFOJLVTKKty2JG2twUFtmzqXsjz-sGG1jDSEhRejZG8mOdMC8BUm-GWyDo2Mk4b9McX3ZgnXuD8Hxw/s1600/monolith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1155" data-original-width="770" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRrxOyKVPCzhqhVaxR1gyLMi9TDD2M4CvVzCZzm9ijrqYtoG27j1CEbQDOFOJLVTKKty2JG2twUFtmzqXsjz-sGG1jDSEhRejZG8mOdMC8BUm-GWyDo2Mk4b9McX3ZgnXuD8Hxw/s400/monolith.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Short musing on a profound thought:<br />
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Culture is only monolithic from a distance.<br />
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How often have has a church missions expert proudly proclaimed, "Millennials want _______" . . . or "Hispanic cultures are ________" . . . or even "Modern Americans no longer desire _________."<br />
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Whenever we do make such broad, sweeping statements, we betray a flawed presupposition that everyone within a given culture (or demographic, or geographic area) ascribes to the same set of values, beliefs, wants, needs, presuppositions, worldview, and etc.<br />
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But they don't. Even in cultures that are far more group-oriented, we see differences in individuals.<br />
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The implications for mission work should be immediate and clear: Anyone who is trying to convince you of a universal truth for a given demographic is trying to sell you a silver bullet. And never, in the history of ever, has a silver bullet been . . . well . . the silver bullet.<br />
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Cultural studies take time. Communicating across a culture requires deep understanding. Mission work--whether cross-cultural or within a supposedly "monolithic" culture--is full of complexity and difficulty. Throwing blanket statements about a given culture's values may be helpful in shaping a generic understanding, but they can never substitute the real work of knowing a person.<br />
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<br />"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-84792520694733282742018-11-09T14:46:00.000-05:002018-11-09T14:46:37.190-05:00On mystery, misery, and ministry to myself<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Facebook's "Memories" feature is an interesting thing.</div>
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Today, it provided me with something I had written in 2012. I don't fully recall why I wrote it, what I was going through, or indeed if I was going through anything at all.</div>
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But as can sometimes happen, I read it and said, "That's fascinating stuff." Not in a prideful way, but more in the sense of, "I'm not sure I know the guy who wrote this, but whoever he was, it speaks to me." Words that had been lost to the past were transported into the present, and set in motion a new echo.</div>
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I like this post because it reflects upon both the Scriptures and upon the life of faith. Faith is a curious thing, both firm and phantasmal at the same time. The most fervent believer can also be wracked by furious doubt, and whatever else the me from 2012 might have been thinking, one thing that I'm glad he got right is that stone-cold fact.</div>
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Thus, without any further ado, I offer you something that a guy I happened to be six years ago wrote for me to read today:</div>
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<i>Suddenly, I understand Job.</i></div>
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<i>Job struggled within his soul: now doubting God's goodness, now daring to believe in God's graciousness. At one moment clinging to God's promises like a man drowning, in the next angrily flinging dust heavenward as though he could temporarily blind Him. Without wondering which reality was genuine, Job both took comfort in God's presence and then railed against the God who had left Him behind.</i></div>
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<i>Job is human. Frail and yet faithful.</i></div>
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<i>13 “If only you would hide me in the grave</i></div>
<i>and conceal me till your anger has passed!<br />If only you would set me a time<br />and then remember me!<br />14 If someone dies, will they live again?<br />All the days of my hard service<br />I will wait for my renewal to come.<br />15 You will call and I will answer you;<br />you will long for the creature your hands have made.<br />16 Surely then you will count my steps<br />but not keep track of my sin.<br />17 My offenses will be sealed up in a bag;<br />you will cover over my sin.</i><br />
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"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-52730161335896698602018-11-02T13:10:00.001-04:002018-11-02T13:10:50.975-04:00Be Ye Hydrated, Even as I am Hydrated<br />
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Christians have a consistent desire to hear more about what they should do as Christians. We want to feel alive, we want to know we're on the right path, making the right choices, doing the right things. And we want to be in an exciting church, one that gives us real meat. A church that delivers up solid teaching each and every week on how to live our lives in accordance with God's will. <br />
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And yeah, I get that. Oh man, do I ever. <br />
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So hey, walk with me a bit, and let's talk. <br />
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Let's move this discussion out of the church pew and into the gym. In the gym, you see people who are concerned about being healthy, about looking healthy. They're putting in the work, and they're getting results. But there's one more thing that I'm going to need to tell them: I'm going to need to tell them about drinking enough water.<br />
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So I gather my group of gym-goers around me, and I proclaim to them the benefits of hydration, can you say amen.<br />
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Hydrated people have less joint pain. Hydrated people's muscles work more efficiently. Hydrated people have better concentration. Hydrated people have better heart health. Hydrated people are less likely to develop kidney stones. Hydrated people are refreshed and have better moods. In fact, there are so many benefits to being hydrated that I end up preaching a hydration sermon, hallelujah.<br />
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I go on and on about what hydrated people are able to do, and you're interested. Interested <i>and excited</i>. Because you want those things. You see plainly how being hydrated is <i>good</i>, it is <i>right. </i>You see how hydrated people have something you seem to be lacking, and so at the end of our little gym sermon you want nothing more in that moment than to be ye hydrated.<br />
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But here's the deal: if I've told you all about what hydrated people do, but haven't actually given you a glass of water . . . then your'e still not hydrated . . . and you don't have those things. They're still remote, out of reach. You know about hydration, you're excited about it, you hunger and thirst for hydration, but you can't get any of those wonderful things that I've preached to you. <br />
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And unless I give you some actual water, <i>you're not going to have them</i>, no matter how badly you might now want them.<br />
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But if I just give you a glass of water . . . <i>then I've given you all those things already</i>.<br />
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But that's silly . . . I mean, who does that? No, when somebody is thirsty, you don't preach to them <i>about</i> hydration, you give them a glass of water. I mean, who would actually want anything else? The idea that somebody is going to get up and preach about something that we can't have unless it's actually given to us . . . that's just . . . just . . . <i>stupid</i>.<br />
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Until, for some reason, we get into church.<br />
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Because in church, it's super-exciting to be told about what Christians <i>do</i>, how Christians should live, about the power that Christians have to live Godly lives. In church, the preacher can really get people moving if he'll just present all those truths of the Christian's life and living in such a way that people hunger and thirst for it. A church like that . . . it's flat-out desirable . . . enviable . . . <i>sexy</i>, even. <br />
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But it's a church that's empty, hollow, and dehydrated. Because even if I were to preach about those things all Sunday long, you still wouldn't have them, no matter how excited you were about them.<br />
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But . . . if I just give you the gospel--if I just give you <i>Christ</i>--then you'll have them all already. <br />
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"Be ye holy, even as I am holy" . . . that's not a command you can fulfill. If it were simply a command that God expected us to be able to work out on our own, it would be a cruel Divine joke. But God commands, and Christ fulfills. God never demands something of us that He does not supply in Christ. <br />
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And that's the key to this whole thing: those things only come <i>with Christ</i>. It's part of the package. Christ gives the gospel. He <i>is</i> the gospel. The gospel brings new life. New life changes you from within. Like a seed growing in soil, the farmer can't see it, but it's happening. And what it's going to be is going to be <i>good</i>. <br />
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It's going to be good because it's Christ at work, and He knows His work very, very well. And when we receive Him, He's at work, forming us into the image of God. Forming us into His very likeness. Making us into the type of person that has spiritual power, spiritual gifts, giving us a strength and a faith and a way of living that are unmatched anywhere else in the world.<br />
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But none of things come apart from Christ. And with Christ, all of those things are delivered with Him.<br />
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Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness . . . seek <i>Christ</i> . . . and all these things will be added to you."The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-66231889741180419132018-10-17T12:18:00.000-04:002018-10-17T12:18:30.866-04:00Prayer as a dragchute?<br />
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I'm not sure how your brain works. I rather hope it's something like mine. I'd hate to believe that mine is malfunctioning in some way. So give me a minute, if you'd be so kind, to open the door of my head, let you peek in there, and tell me if what you see is normal, okay? Deal?<br />
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I can function at a fairly decent level of task-juggling. Over the years, I've worked on the disciplined habit of planning my time: Months, weeks, days--each with greater detail and specificity. I put things down on paper, make mental notes about priority, and schedule out when tasks are going to get done. And when the demands of the day about equal the available time of the day--or even when they are slightly greater--I really thrive. I confess that I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie, and the thrill of demanding work getting completed is a powerful and addictive drug.<br />
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But when the demands of the day--or week, or month--start to overwhelm the amount of available time, that's when things go a bit south.<br />
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When that happens, my brain does something different. Normally it is content to move along at a sedate, moderated pace. But when unfinished, important tasks pile up to the point where some important tasks begin to just fall by the wayside, that's when it happens. It's more than just distraction. More than just racing thoughts. More than just flitting from idea to idea. I can feel my brain revving up to a screaming pitch--it is the mental equivalent of the audible experience of hearing a minigun starting up--and then it just sits there running at that level in the background. ALL. DAY. LONG.<br /><br />It shouts at me. First in whole commands, then in increasingly terse and vague bursts. "Finish this task! Move on to the next! Get done! Work. GO! DO! NOW! TIME!!" And I find that I can still work, can still <i>do</i>, with it shouting at me, but it just hurts, like working with a klaxon going off in your office.<br />
<br /><br />And then this morning I discovered something rather wonderful. <br /><br /><br />
I'm not proud of it, but I ripped through the task of Scripture reading. Just pounded through the words. "HAHA! Done in record time! Mark it off! Move on! YES!" And that's no real way to read Scripture, but I did it anyway.<br />
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After that, I moved on to prayers, and approached them with identical intent. Eyes flying over the page of my prayerbook, pages turning, nearing the end of the task . . . and then I suddenly found myself being slowed down. Hastily read generic prayers for family (and families) slowed to specific faces and remembered circumstance. Speed-muttered prayers for youth became names and faces. Prayers slowed more and more until I was slowly caressing the page, the touch of printed word bringing to mind a host of faces and names and lives of people whose circumstance and need had placed them into the different categories of intercession.<br />
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And in prayer, I stopped . . . and listened . . . and for a moment I didn't know what I was hearing.<br />
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<i>Because it was silence</i>. <br />
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“<span lang="en-US" style="font-style: italic;">For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.</span>” (<span lang="en-US">Psalm 62:1</span>)
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God used prayer as a drag chute for me today. When He allowed generic prayers to become specific intercessions, He slowed me, allowing prayers to move from being a task to complete and into requests for those I know and love. And in doing that, He reminded me of something.</div>
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It wasn't my task list that needed to be done. It was my faith that needed to be refocused.<br /></div>
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Oh, He had tried earlier, when I was reading Scripture at a fiendish pace. But I wasn't listening. I was too busy <i>doing</i>. </div>
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But more important than what I <i>do </i>is what He has <i>done</i>. And what He has done is saved me from myself. When all my heart and all my body and all my mind wants to run feverishly after the prize of <i>doing</i>, Christ stands and says, "Be still. Be at peace. I am your God. And I have already done all that is necessary. <i>It . . . is . . . finished</i>." <i> </i></div>
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So, if you'll pardon me for going back on my earlier question, perhaps I don't really need to know whether your brain functions as mine does, or not. Instead of worrying about that, I think that I'm going to go back to my prayer list for a little while longer. I'll thank Christ for being my peace, and I will ask Him to be peace for all those that need His peace today, too. </div>
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“<span lang="en-US" style="font-style: italic;">Be still, and know that I am God.</span>” (<span lang="en-US">Psalm 46:10</span>) </div>
<br />"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-68033065274894721952018-09-18T14:26:00.000-04:002018-09-18T14:26:15.420-04:00Do not confuse your Google search with my theology degree<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"Do not confuse your Google search with my theology degree."<br /><br />I've seen that passed around by my pastor friends. I've chuckled at it. Heck, I may have shared it myself.<br />
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It's a statement that puts that silly ol' layman in his place. "I'm the professional, here. I have education, experience . . . you have learned just enough to be dangerous to yourself and to others." And yeah, I admit there are times I've scoffed at someone's supposed spiritual knowledge. Times that I've wanted to pull out my four-year, real-life, on-campus, seminary diploma and shove it into their face.<br /><br />Times that I've bristled over someone's refusal to accept me as the expert of all things spiritual, Biblical, and Godly.<br />
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But then again, for every one of those times, there are tenfold times where I've been out-prayed, out-pioused, out-humbled, and flat out-<i>faithed</i> by a simple, humble Christian who ain't never had no fancy book learnin'.<br /><br /><br />
And it's times like that when I look at my wonderful diploma and think, "I've got a lot to learn."<br />
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2 Timothy 2:15: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."<br />
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Pastoring is one of those funny jobs that involves a lot of things that would normally make a person proud, but pastoring has no room for pride. Becoming professional clergy involves a lot of specialized study. Archaic Biblical languages; ecclesiastical history; theological systems; sermon development and delivery. It demands an intense effort over a prolonged period of time. And to do it well--to do it <i>really </i>well--positively requires years of on-the-job experience.<br />
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And certainly, those are things I personally look for when I seek out a good pastor. The pastor who has done all of those things has taken the time to develop the specialized skills that a good pastor needs. Your pastor is to be commended for the work he's put in for skill development alone.<br />
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But a good pastor doesn't need just a brain. He needs a heart. He needs a good set of ears. And when a good pastor has all three of those things functioning well, pastoring seems <i>effortless</i>. Easy.<br />
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You know . . . like anyone can do it.<br />
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Like all it requires is a Google search and about 20 minutes of time.<br />
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I wonder how many of my former teachers, pastors, and professors have seen my excitement over discovering some "new" thing in the Scriptures? How many of them have endured me spouting off some amazing new theological insight? And I wonder how many of them have chuckled a bit inwardly . . . how many had the experience to have seen that a thousand times before, the ears to hear my delight in God's Word, and the heart to not stomp it out for being rudimentary, ill-formed, half-baked fluff?<br />
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And I wonder how many times I've unthinkingly extinguished a heart flaming up with Biblical, spiritual discovery all because it didn't pass the muster of my theological diploma.<br />
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So, look . . . go ahead and Google. Google until your brain fills up with stuff and and your fingers go numb from typing. And come into my office eyes full of wonder and heart full of joy, telling me about all the things you've learned, about all the "new" things you've discovered.<br />
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I promise I'll do my level best to share your joy, to yet again share the wonder of discovery. The excitement of seeing things that, somehow, we're convinced no one has ever seen before.<br />
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I'll listen. I'll enjoy your joy. And yeah, if you're way, way, WAY off base I'll speak some words of pastoral guidance to you. I mean, that's my job, after all. But underneath it all, I'll be grateful that the God who has taught me also teaches you. I'll be amazed that you believe doing theology to be so easy. And because of that, I'll be humbled that, somehow, I've made it look easy for you.<br />
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And when you leave my office, I'll probably just sit quietly for a few minutes reflecting on the wonders of the grace that has been given to me to preach the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ, and I'll thank God for awakening yet another heart and setting you on the wonderful path of deeply exploring and drinking in His Word. <br /><br />So go ahead . . . confuse your Google search with my theology degree. I don't mind (well, not all that much). I'll be thrilled to be your pastor. I'll be thrilled to see you learning and growing."The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-90171177986901031622018-09-13T12:31:00.001-04:002018-09-13T12:31:56.311-04:00Suffering at the hands of the church<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I heard the other day the sad tale of yet another pastor who has been mistreated at the hands of the church.<br />
<br />
I can't tell you why this happens. It seems that, when you talk to people, there's always a reason. No one ever openly admits to a vendetta. They'd prefer the term "righteous crusade."<br />
<br />
But whatever the reason is, there's a cost. Amongst ourselves, pastors will speak of how sheep bite. And there is no shepherd around who can be bit, time and time again, by his very own sheep without growing weary of it. When every meeting becomes a potential sneak attack, when every sermon is picked apart, when every word is relentlessly scrutinized . . . it wears on a pastor.<br />
<br />
It wears on him because he just wants to love, to guide. The pastor got into the ministry game to begin with out of a desire to lift people up with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But there are many--<i>too</i> many--examples of pastors who have been torn down so much that they can no longer lift others up. <br />
<br />
How many pastors have to suffer before people learn? How many hopes have to be crushed? How many lives have to be damaged? How many pastors' families have to be broken, beaten . . . the lives of children forever changed because when their eyes see "church" all their minds can picture is the place that crucified daddy?<br />
<br />How many churches have to live in dysfunction, being neither cold nor hot, developing a reputation as a pastor-eater, before they recognize the damage they are doing? At the hands of just a few power-hungry, controlling people, an entire church can suffer for decades under their oppressive rule. Some fall in line, fearful of the repercussions. Others just simply fall away, not liking the conflict but not willing to overcome it, either. <br /><br />How many people need to die before this gets fixed?<br /><br />The answer is <i>One</i>.<br />
<br />
<br />
Surely he has borne our griefs<br />
and carried our sorrows;<br />
yet we esteemed him stricken,<br />
smitten by God, and afflicted.<br />
But he was pierced for our transgressions;<br />
he was crushed for our iniquities;<br />
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,<br />
and with his wounds we are healed.<br />
All we like sheep have gone astray;<br />
we have turned—every one—to his own way;<br />
and the LORD has laid on him<br />
the iniquity of us all.<br />
<br />
Isaiah 53:4–6<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The one who stands alone--abandoned, lonely, afflicted on every side--suffers like Christ. To be deliberately misunderstood, to have pure motives ruthlessly questioned, to offer life-giving words and to be shat upon in return . . .<br />
<br />
<br />
. . . it is the way of Christ. The way of the cross.<br />
<br />
<br />
No, we should not tolerate this behavior in our churches. Christ alone is the head of His church, and wherever oppression and power struggles arise, you can be assured that it is not His doing. Suffering at the hands of the church is neither good, nor right . . . but it is the way of Christ.<br />
<br />
It is the way of Christ because He knew full well the depth of human depravity: our insatiable need to satiate ourselves; our limitless desire to put limits on others; our all-controlling hunger to control.<br />
<br />
And faced with those who would be demigods, the One True God became a servant. Lowering Himself. Abasing Himself. Literally dying so that you and I might live.<br />
<br />
Jesus Christ knows the destructive power of what we <i>want</i> . . . and so He gave us what we <i>need</i>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Perhaps it's true that some people . . . some pastors . . . some churches . . . will never become aware of the suffering they cause. Some people will never learn, never admit, never confess. They will never repent . . . and so never be healed.<br />
<br />
And yet the One who can heal suffered for them anyway. <br />
<br />
If it meant they had the chance to repent and be saved, He did it. He suffered for them.<br />
<br />
And did it willingly.<br />
<br />
<br />"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-1960780528435538622018-08-27T13:51:00.000-04:002018-08-27T13:51:29.221-04:00Religion that makes you a better person is a good thing. But it's just not the best thing.<a href="https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1289743" title="Mahatma Gandhi quote"><img alt="Religion taught us to return good for evil. - Mahatma Gandhi" src="//www.azquotes.com/picture-quotes/quote-religion-taught-us-to-return-good-for-evil-mahatma-gandhi-128-97-43.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Religion that makes you a better person is a good thing.<br /><br /><br />But it's just not the <i>best</i> thing.<br /><br /><br />
There's no doubt that religion has a function to perform in society. A <i>valuable</i> function. It is religion that reminds us to love our fellow man, to care for the needs of others, to foster compassion in our hearts and generosity through our hands. It is religion that teaches us the value of person, of family, of love, of nature, of world. <br /><br />Perhaps more than anything else, it is religion that teaches us what is right, and what is wrong. What is good and admirable, and what is evil. Religion commends what is beautiful. Religion condemns what is abhorrent. Religion celebrates redemption. Religion rejoices in the victory of good over evil.<br /><br />And frankly, any religion you happen to choose to follow will help you along that path. One of the things that formerly gave me great concern, but now gives me perennial joy, is discovering that yes, many, many religions do teach some of the same things after all: "Sometimes people can be jerks. Don't be a jerk." All religions promise a path to light, a path to a better society, a path to a better <i>you</i>.<br />
<br />
And it shouldn't shock you that I said that.<br /><br />Because it is, after all, a very good thing.<br /><br />It's a good thing because, in part, that's the way that God works in the world. Sometimes Lutheran theologians like to talk about the "Three Uses of the Law"--those particular ways in which God's commands are manifested in the world. Those particular ways that God Himself puts His commands to work in the world. And one of those ways (what we call "The First Use of the Law") is simply this: God's law is at work everywhere helping people not be jerks.<br /><br />Okay, that's a paraphrase, but you get my point.<br /><br />
God writes His law onto the heart not just of every faithful believer, but onto the heart of everybody, everywhere. His law is indelibly stamped into you. It's the thing that, if you're paying attention, restrains you from being as jerky as you'd like to be. It's the thing that causes you to politely hang up on the telemarketer instead of giving them an earful because, after all, they're just a person doing their job. It's the thing that makes you pick up a piece of trash and carry it to a recycling bin because, after all, you'd like nature to look a bit nicer. God's law is the thing that says no, you shouldn't kill that person and no, you shouldn't cheat on your spouse and no, no matter how nice your neighbor's lawn mower it, it is still wrong to just take it. <br /><br />And God's law finds its way into every religion. <br /><br />In some ways, that's inevitable. Because if a) God's law is written on people's hearts and b) there are people following a religion, then c) it follows you're going to find God's law there in one fashion or another. And yes, that's good. It's good, because it's from God.<br /><br />But it's not <i>best</i>.<br /><br />"Not being a jerk" ranks right up there in the list of things that makes the world a nicer place. Your neighbor understanding that same truth ranks slightly higher. <br /><br />But there's more to life than living in this world. There's more to life than the chance to be nice.<br /><br />There's also the seedy underside of when we're not nice. Of how it feels to not be nice. Of how it feels when we'd like to fix that, but doubling down on nicey-niceness only seems to prove to ourselves how un-nice we can really be. Of how, when it comes right down to it, "Don't be a jerk" is the one command we really can't seem to live up to. Not all the time. And not particularly well.<br /><br />The Bible has a word for that. It's called "sin." And until you come to the point where you're no longer content with not being a jerk but, in fact, desperately desire to be rid of actual, true, damning <i>sin</i> . . . then you'll never see God's best.<br /><br />The religion that makes you a better person is good, but the religion that says <i>God</i> makes you a <i>forgiven</i> person is best. The religion that does not flinch at sin, but stares at it dead in the face, calls it for what it is, and <i>still</i> says, "This sin has been forgiven in Christ" . . . that's the <i>best</i>. <br /><br />It's best because it moves beyond what God wants to happen in the world and into what God wants for <i>you</i>, period. What God wants for you, personally.<br /><br />And what God wants for you is to give you Himself. What God wants for you is to send Jesus Christ to live for you, to die for you, to be risen from the dead for you. He wants to take your sin away from you and nail it to Christ and His cross where it can die with Him. He wants to give you His righteousness in place of your sin so you can live with Him. <br /><br />What God wants <i>for</i> you is . . . well . . . Jesus.<br /><br />And there ain't many religions that can give you Jesus. In fact . . . there's just one.<br /><br />But that religion--the religion that not just gives you Jesus Christ but is in fact the religion in which Jesus Christ gives you <i>Himself</i>--is not just good.<br /><br />It's <i>best</i>."The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-83125216011943920322018-08-21T13:25:00.000-04:002018-08-21T13:26:21.073-04:00Whatever your pastor is, he's a theologian<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
Whatever your pastor is, he is first and foremost a theologian.<br />
<br />
Or should be.<br />
<br />
When you go to your dentist, you'd like to be assured that she considers herself a dentist. That she regularly hones her dental skills. That she stays abreast of developments in the dental field. That she knows both the age-old wisdom of dental care as well as the cutting edge discussions that might one day become age-old wisdom. Teeth and the care of them . . . that should fascinate your dentist.<br />
<br />
Your mechanic . . . you'd like him to be a guy who knows cars. What makes them go. What makes them stop. You'd like him to know old school carburetors and new-fangled computers. You'd like him to be a guy who studies cars because he loves cars.<br />
<br />
The pastor of your church is, by very definition, a professional theologian. Now, I know that particular combination of words makes him sound like an egghead that sits in an office all day long, poring over ancients texts and making obscure (and largely irrelevant) discoveries. And you know, honestly, if that's your pastor, you could do a lot worse.<br />
<br />
Because if that's your pastor, you at least know that he's fascinated by God-words. He's amused by little quirks of the Scriptures, the way the language of the Bible flows and moves. He's intrigued by a particular Greek form that communicates a truth of God in a unique way. He'll sit motionless, stunned by a Hebrew phrase that speaks of God's undeserved favor. He might even take up the study of an archaic language like Latin just so that he can delight in God-words from the ancient church.<br />
<br />
But maybe he's not a theology nerd. No matter. Your pastor is still a professional theologian. That doesn't have to mean he's an egghead, but it does mean someone who gets paid (there's the word "professional") to be knowledgeable of, to speak of, to be educated in, the words of God. A theo-logian is one who studies (that's the <i>logia</i> part which, by the way, is related to the Greek word <i>logos</i>, meaning "word") the stuff of God (that's the <i>theo</i> part, from the Greek <i>theos</i>, meaning, "God").<br />
<br />
A pastor is a guy who gets paid to be a God's-word-studier. A far as a definition of "professional theologian," that's it. It can mean more, but it certainly doesn't mean less.<br />
<br />
And this is what you want as a pastor. Certainly, a pastor at times has to wear different hats, has to take on different roles as each individual church needs. A pastor most certainly needs to have a variety of skills. Some churches need a pastor who's adept at getting volunteers organized. Others need a pastor who can manage a large staff. Others still need a pastor who's great compassion and loving heart makes him a natural for visiting folks in the hospital. There are pastors who fit the mold of the Thinker; of the Doer; the Leader, the Speaker.<br />
<br />
But there's not a one of them who refuses to be a theologian. There's not a one of them who can refuse to study the words of God.<br />
<br />
Because that's what a pastor traffics in.<br />
<br />
Because that's what every pastor is called to do.<br />
<br />
Because it is the words of God that give life.<br />
<br />
At the end of the day . . . and at the beginning . . . and I guess for that matter in the middle and all points in between, your pastor is tasked with the responsibility of knowing and communicating God's word to you. Whatever other hats your church may have given him, that's the one you can't live without. The one your church can't live without.<br />
<br />
So, look . . . do your church a favor by doing your pastor a favor. Make sure he has enough time to indulge in some theologizing. Make sure he has enough time to sharpen his theological sword Make sure he has enough time to not just cram in some sermon study, but to delight in God's word.<br />
<br />
And while you're at it, encourage him to indulge in it. Here's a secret (I'm probably not supposed to tell this, but I'm going to anyway): sometimes pastors feel guilty for indulging in theology. We feel guilty for just sitting and doing nothing other than delighting in God-words. There are times we feel we need to make it look like we're <i>busy</i>, we're <i>doing</i>, we're <i>producing</i>.<br />
<br />
But honestly, in our heart of hearts we're just like three-year-olds, full of the joy of discovery, of seeing things anew, and want nothing more to run up to somebody--anybody!--holding our latest and greatest discovery and say, "LOOK AT THIS!!" Be that discovery a funny-shaped rock in the form of a curious Greek word or be it the life-changing revelation that fire is, indeed, HOT . . . we just want to explore, to delight in, and to show you the God-words, the <i>theology</i>, that you pay us to do.<br />
<br />
When you make sure your pastor has enough time to <i>theo</i>-<i>logia</i>, you're going to be assured that he's the best pastor he can be. He'll be sharp. He'll be in the know. He'll be growing in his field.<br />
<br />
He'll be a professional theologian.<br />
<br />
And that is what you want your pastor to be.<br />
<br />"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-15215847516139232862018-08-07T11:06:00.002-04:002018-08-07T11:06:58.514-04:00"Maintenance ministry" and "Mission"<br />
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<br />
<br />
I want to make a proposal.<br /><br />And yes, I'm aware that said proposal might seem a tad snarky to some. That's fair. I confess that the proposal idea was born in snark, and that in snark did my mother conceive me. Snark is, for me, something of a way of life. <br /><br />But in all honesty, what was conceived in snark has matured beyond that. It's moved into a serious thought, a genuine proposal, that still has just a touch of bite to it. So I ask you to please trust my sincerity in this, and hear out my proposal.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm a bit . . . well, <i>allergic</i> to certain terms used in certain contexts of ministry. Terms like visioning. Strategic planning. Leadership. Use those terms around me and I can all but guarantee you'll see my face scrunch up for just a second, or maybe my eyeball will twitch.<br />
<br />
I'm allergic to those terms because I at one time believed very, very strongly in them. I shaped my pastoral ministry around them. I conformed myself to that image. And, frankly, I overdosed on it. It took a long, long, dry season for God to burn a lot of things out of me, and when I emerged on the other side of that season, I had a significantly different outlook on ministry.<br />
<br />
My outlook on ministry now became focused completely on the gospel. Upon proclaiming it. Upon offering it in Word and Sacrament. I now saw how it is the gospel--and the gospel <i>alone</i>--that solely effects life change. That it is the gospel that brings about genuine transformation.<br />
<br />
And I also became acutely aware that at one time I had preached very little gospel.<br />
<br />
I had preached very little gospel, but I had extensively relied upon the tools of visioning, etc., to do the work of the gospel. What I had done was to expect those tools to produce something that they were incapable of producing. A church vision cannot make make a person dead in their sins to come alive. But the gospel can. Strong, effective, servant-leadership cannot cause Christ's Kingdom to grow. But the gospel can.<br />
<br />
See, pastors have to function in a couple of different worlds, but we often talk about those worlds in ways that run right past each other. In one world, we deal with hidden realities: things that God says are true; things that must be accepted by faith; things that affect eternity. In the other world, we deal with visible stuff: organizational issues; volunteer staffing; budgets; buildings. <br /><br />Both of those have a claim to the term "real world." So my first proposal is that we don't use that term any more. No more saying, "Well, yes . . . but <i>in the real world</i> . . ." No. Because God's Kingdom, though hidden, is no less real than the annual budget you're staring at. In fact, I personally would consider it more so.<br /><br />But physical things do matter. It does matter whether or not the building is clean and in good repair. It matters whether or not the volunteers are trained. And yet, we should acknowledge that those things--while <i>good</i>--are not <i>gospel</i>. A clean and welcoming atmosphere is going to help a person overcome their aversion to going to church, but it can't do a split thing about forgiving sins or making alive. <br /><br />Therefor, my second proposal is aimed at calling those things what they are, and not confusing them with actual gospel stuff. When we're talking about leadership, strategies, budgets, etc. . . . what we're really talking about is the proper running of a solid organization. We're talking about properly maintaining that organization so it performs as well as it can. If that organization is the church, then without a doubt that stuff is related to gospel ministry. I would say that it even supports gospel ministry, but it is not gospel ministry itself.<br /><br />So let's call all that stuff what it is: the maintaining of things important to ministry. Let's call it "maintenance ministry." Call it that, and I promise my allergic reaction won't show a bit. Call it "maintenance ministry," and I'll be all like, "Oh yeah, bro . . . that's stuff's important. Let's chat over that for a bit."<br /><br />And then, for those things that are actual gospel ministry itself--things like preaching, confession, absolution, baptism, the Lord's Supper . . . things like the study of the Word, pastoral counseling, prayer--for those things that are the way that Jesus Christ has said, "Do these things, because in doing these things you give My people My gospel" . . . let's call that "mission." <br />
<br />
God's mission is to bring all people into His presence. He does this through Christ. And Christ in turn establishes His church as the place where this mission really, truly happens. It's in the church where baptism makes people new. It's in the church were the faithful are nourished and sustained by the Bread of Life. It's in the church where the life-giving gospel is proclaimed over and over and over again. And though the church might perform these actions, God's mission is actually God's work. That's what makes it mission. That's what makes it gospel.<br /><br />Two small proposals (we're ignoring the first one) that help us keep clear all of what's really going on in the church, and who's doing it. When we do the stuff that is critical for the maintaining of the organization, we'll call that "maintenance ministry." But when it's God doing stuff for the salvation of people, we'll call that "mission."<br /><br />Do that, and it will help us all keep straight who does what, and why.<br />
<br />
Do that, and we can have exceptionally good conversations about ministry. About mission."The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-30746938684028522682018-07-24T11:12:00.001-04:002018-07-24T11:12:19.067-04:00Yeah . . . so about that whole "loving people" thing . . . <br />
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<br />
<br />
I think we can all agree that, yes, love hurts at times.<br /><br />Okay, that's a polite understatement. When love hurts, we don't all politely agree to that. When love hurts, it's an inarticulate howling of the heart. A terrifying maelstrom that leaves our sails shredded, leaves us stranded, leaves our ship wrecked. "Less than fun" is one way to describe it. "Oh my God I'd rather die than risk death again" is another. <br />
<br />
But still, it happens. It happens because love involves intimacy. Whether in friendships, or in marriage, or in family, love fosters a deep knowledge of the other; their failings and flaws as well as their strengths. Love knows both victory and vice. Love has knowledge of memories that can lift up, and it has memories that can tear down.<br />
<br />
Superficial relationships don't suffer from this problem. You can have a work acquaintance that you like chatting with, or perhaps another that you avoid. You might find some people fascinating and be drawn to the account of their hobby or their achievements, but you are content to leave them on a sort of pedestal, unsullied by the real-life realities of being an actual and complex human being. Other people might honestly be irritating, so you feel free to safely label them as troublesome. You mark and avoid, placing them in a pit instead of on a pedestal. But in either case, knowledge of the other is surface-level only, for you haven't done the work (or had the time . . . or the desire . . . or the opportunity) to get to know them in their depth and complexity.<br />
<br />
But love cannot be superficial. If it is, it is not love.<br />
<br />
And so there is a danger inherent in love. To love is to entrust, and to love is to trust. Love entrusts the other with significant, complex knowledge of your own self that is as potentially delightful as it is damning. And love trusts that the other will never use what is damning to . . . well, to damn. Love trusts that the other will never damn, but always delight, always hope, always persevere.<br />
<br />
But sometimes . . . love turns. <br />
<br />
Sours.<br />
<br />
And the other is left with damning knowledge of you, and is no longer restrained by the delight of genuine love. What was once entrusted becomes ammunition. The one who was once trusted becomes a terror.<br />
<br />
When that happens, it's easy to refuse love. I'll not love again. I'll not have friends again. It's too risky. I'll be nice, I'll enjoy the company of people, I'll be generous, I'll be gregarious . . . but I will not allow love, for if I allow someone in again, they will hurt me. They will betray me. And I cannot, I WILL not, pay that cost for love.<br />
<br />
<br />
Sounds good to me.<br />
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Except . . . to live without love is not to live. Not to our full potential as human beings. We are made to give, to risk, <i>because that is what love is</i>. And we are creatures that are made to love.<br />
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I know this because we are creatures made in God's image. And I know God is love. And I know that nowhere is His love more perfectly revealed than in the cross of Jesus Christ.<br />
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Jesus Christ delights in you. He loves you for who you are. And He has that damning knowledge of you. He looks at you and knows full well what loving you will cost. Will cost <i>Him</i>. And He knows full well that, even if He pays the cost of love, your love for Him might still one day turn. Sour. And betray.<br />
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Yet, He does it anyway. He loves you with a mighty and all-giving love, a love that wraps up damnation and delight alike into the blood-soaked arms spread wide apart and nailed to a cross. He gives all, risks <i>all</i>, because to do less would be less than love. And, having loved you to the very end, He steps back and offers it to you freely. No strings. No manipulation. Just free love, freely given. And no matter what you do with that love--whether you return it, embrace it, or reject it and sour it--no matter what you do with that love, you can never deny that love was given.<br />
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To you.<br />
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In full knowledge of all your flaws and failures.<br /><br />In full awareness of the risks.<br />
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Love. Given. Freely.<br />
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As it should be. As genuine love genuinely is.<br />
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So perhaps you can risk love again. Perhaps I can. Perhaps we all can. Yes, it may hurt. In fact, I'm sure it will, at some point. Not gonna lie. <br />
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But what if it does?<br /><br />Then it does. But that's just it: love--<i>genuine</i> love--<i>costs</i>. There's no escaping that reality. But it's a cost that was first paid by Jesus Christ as He loved you. And in loving you, He gives you the ability to love others with that same fearless freedom. You won't have lost anything, because you can only give love if you've first received it. If nothing else, you will have the knowledge that you freely gave love. And you will have Christ standing behind you, speaking gently, "Yes . . . that is what love <i>does</i>. It gives. It risks. I know. I know, and I'm so glad that I gave my love to you."<br />
<br />"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-82422375173133590482018-04-04T12:00:00.002-04:002018-04-04T13:16:08.348-04:00How to avoid putting limitations on your church<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eOHmnS6cQBgNjqdJ6dbygttWT2zqqAwxzr5MYbRWf-_lBfvxCpYvLJZvLNWCjvMH5Lgc9ZKEhKEl9TQreqWWU3erPsSCr6AjWmBhykI4U6sAkGEw1uYM0Nqs-GQif5I7OVRhag/s1600/No+limits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eOHmnS6cQBgNjqdJ6dbygttWT2zqqAwxzr5MYbRWf-_lBfvxCpYvLJZvLNWCjvMH5Lgc9ZKEhKEl9TQreqWWU3erPsSCr6AjWmBhykI4U6sAkGEw1uYM0Nqs-GQif5I7OVRhag/s1600/No+limits.jpg" /></a></div>
We've all probably seen it at one time or another: A worship leader insists they have something upon their heart that they have been led to share. And for the next however many minutes the congregation is subjected to a personal revelation that fails to communicate; partly because it's unplanned, but more fully because that personal revelation was . . . well, <i>personal</i>.<br />
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Or the pastor leads the church in discovering their vision. And along the way, it becomes more clear that the the "congregation's" vision is, in fact, actually just the pastor's. It's colored by his personality, his experiences, his gifts. It fits him like a glove--because it is his glove, after all--but it's a poor match for the congregation.<br />
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Or even, on a much smaller scale, the one person in the prayer meeting who continually cycles through the same limited scope of prayers.<br />
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Now, it's not as though these things are bad. But we should probably ask why we allow--and often encourage--these things to happen.<br />
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I believe that we have a very basic fear of limiting God's work among us. An aversion to putting God in a box. And somehow, we've developed this understanding that if God has laid something on your heart, you are not merely permitted, but well-nigh <i>expected</i> to run with it.<br />
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And even then, I'm likely to tell you that's a good thing (okay, well . . . I'll tell you it's a good thing if we can remove all the pseudo-spiritual jargonese that we tend to throw in there, but perhaps that's a post for a different time). But here are the million-dollar questions<br />
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If a leader foists their own personality upon the entire congregation . . . is that indeed the freedom the church needs?<br />
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If the church is limited by the gifts of a particular leader . . . is God quite so free to act as we suppose?<br />
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In the name of freedom and spontaneity, we allow--and again, often encourage!--the entire church to be limited by the personality and gifts of a very few. We'd like to believe we're refusing to quench the Spirit, but in fact we're reducing God's movement to the personality of a single individual. We're limiting God's speaking to the whims of one person. And so the gifts, the needs, the desires, the insights of the entire congregation are stripped away, and done in the name of God's ability to work broadly.<br />
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How very, very odd.<br />
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And how very, very common.<br />
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Pay close attention this Sunday in worship. How often do you see the personality or the whims of a worship leader come to the fore? It's very frequent. And the end result is limiting God to how a single person feels that day.<br />
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I've got a solution to offer you, but first we'll need to agree that God certainly does use individuals to bless others. And that He uses their personalities and experiences to further His work in His church. And, finally . . . we'll need to agree that a church can nevertheless be held hostage by a person who doesn't understand how they're allowing their whims to limit the scope of God's work.<br />
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If we're on board with that, then here you go. The solution for broadening God's work among us and reducing the limitations we place upon Him:<br />
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Liturgy.<br />
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Yes, that's what I said. Liturgy. Liturgy is the thing that reduces the limits your church has placed upon God.<br />
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Now, it's at this point that we'll typically divide up into two groups. The one says, "Oh yes, absolutely." I'm not writing for them. So if that's you, thanks for coming this far, but you're free to go elsewhere now and use your time for other purposes. But if you're in the second group, the one that says, "Liturgy???? That's so stifling! It's so formal! There's no way that God can freely work through that!" . . . okay, I hear you, and I'm asking you to hear me.<br />
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What liturgy does (one of the many things it does, but let's focus for a moment on this one issue) is ruthlessly strip away the personality and whim of the individual in worship. The very structure of liturgy refuses to allow any one person's mood of the moment to run the show. There is no place for confusing a personal revelation with something to be spoken to all. The word of God is spoken to His whole church, and that word is not limited by whether the worship leader is feeling free or convicted, joyous or repentant, regardless if the whole church shares their exact emotion or not. Thus in the liturgy, God speaks more freely, because He speaks more wholly.<br />
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In the liturgy, the church's prayers are broad and far-reaching. They range widely over the world, and they also settle intimately on our cares for our neighbor. In the liturgy, the church consistently prays for all whom God asks us to pray: pastors and penitents, government and servants, the ill and the hurting. The all-encompassing nature of the church's prayer ensures that the <i>church </i>prays, and not just one individual speaking their own personal cares in the name of the church.<br />
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And the liturgy shapes the church's vision, as well. The shape of liturgical worship shapes the church's life: it comes, it gathers, it receives, and it goes forth into the world, inviting others to come and gather the next time. There is no question of whether the pastor's gifts are driving the church's vision, because through liturgy the church has been formed around <i>God's</i> gifts.<br />
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Individual personalities limit God's work and speech to a very small sphere. For those limitations to be lifted, the personalities need to get out of the way. And that's one thing liturgy does very well: it gets personalities out of the way, and lets God speak broadly and boldly. Liturgy broadens the church's worship, the church's prayers, and the church's ministry.<br />
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<br />"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-40778795072360940472018-02-28T15:03:00.000-05:002018-02-28T15:03:38.411-05:00You don't need the gospel to have an amazing church<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8I6xcC_QFj1wuvgOzZGNQs2PZtMBfLELZhsv3TC0LFnVLWqvQp5IjqJbHWnPv1zR5L6IXHPVJ55yjM9Y3Z14nfxE7PNRGfUVl-dVKJwy0xEGdGwmVFmvPAGJzmqHNmGgMAKMwNw/s1600/not-concert-grass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="497" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8I6xcC_QFj1wuvgOzZGNQs2PZtMBfLELZhsv3TC0LFnVLWqvQp5IjqJbHWnPv1zR5L6IXHPVJ55yjM9Y3Z14nfxE7PNRGfUVl-dVKJwy0xEGdGwmVFmvPAGJzmqHNmGgMAKMwNw/s1600/not-concert-grass.jpg" /></a></div>
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You don't need the gospel to have an amazing church.<br />
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You don't need the gospel to have a warm, welcoming community.<br />
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Or vibrant worship. <br />
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Or relevant, practical teaching.<br />
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Or a "come as you are" attitude.<br />
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You don't need the gospel to have a vibrant community presence.<br />
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Or a strong, active youth group.<br />
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Or community clean-up projects.<br />
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Or an outward-centered focus.<br />
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You don't need the gospel to have a streamlined, flexible church leadership structure.<br />
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Or a healthy institution.<br />
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You don't need the gospel to have an amazing church.<br />
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But if you don't have the gospel, you won't have "church" in any <a href="https://media0ch-a.akamaihd.net/80/43/babd540ef0d1714da0b6a49ebc77bfde.jpg" target="_blank">recognizable form at all</a>.<br />
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If you don't have and hear "Jesus Christ died on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins" . . . it's not church. It may be amazing. It may be fun. It may be exciting. But it won't be church.<br />
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The church is, simply put, the gathering of the faithful around Word and Sacrament. Around <i>the gospel</i>. Gathering around Christ's gifts of forgiveness of sins, of life and salvation.<br />
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And the church that gathers around the gospel should certainly be mindful of being welcoming, of showing compassion, of mercy. The church that gathers around the gospel should be mindful of inviting others to join them, of looking outside their own walls to see who is on the outside that could be invited to join in the gospel-centered gathering on the inside. <br />
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But the church that has the gospel is also keenly aware that there is only one thing that is gospel . . . and there are many, many, many things that are not. Some of those things are good and beneficial. Some are even Biblical. Some might even be commanded. But the gospel--the forgiveness of sins in Jesus' name and on His behalf--alone stands unique and utterly necessary for the church.<br /><br />You don't need the gospel to have an "amazing church"--whatever that has come to mean.<br /><br />But you absolutely can't have genuine church without gospel.<br />
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<br />"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-77426344976369582802018-02-16T14:09:00.000-05:002018-02-16T14:09:38.817-05:00Of Sacraments and flu shots and whether Church compassion is a thing . . . <br />
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The Church's proper work is Word and Sacrament. That is the work that she is given to do. That is the work that she <i>alone</i> can do. And if she does not do it, nobody else can. It's the stuff of eternity. What the old ones called "the medicine of immortality." <br />
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This work of the church is so central to her very identity that the "church" who doesn't do them cannot rightly be called "church" at all. They may be a spiritually-minded group of compassionate people. They may be social activists intending to change the world. They can be anything but the Church, because the work of the Church is Word and Sacrament. <br />
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But does that mean the Church does no other work?<br />
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In America at the moment, there is a flu epidemic. Many are dying, many, many more are sick from an illness that could have been avoided with a simple vaccine.<br />
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Except that, this year, the vaccine doesn't quite work the way it should. It's not perfectly effective at blocking the particular strains of the flu that are going around. And yet, doctors are still urging people to be vaccinated. Why? <i>Because an imperfect solution is still better than no solution</i>. Even getting an imperfect vaccination against the flu improves the prospect of the flu season's severity being lessened. <br />
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There will never be any shortage of crisis in the world. Sin and brokenness will continue to destroy lives and damage relationships. No matter what is done to help, it will always be an imperfect solution. Temporary. Fleeting. <br />
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And yet the Church will see, and the Church will act. It will act because she has the compassion of her Lord. The compassion that Christ felt over death and destruction, the compassion that moved Him to actions of healing, of restoration, of equity--that is the compassion the Church feels, because she has His heart. She acts in this world, knowing that her aid is temporary, fleeting, imperfect . . . <i>but she acts because a temporary solution is better than no solution</i>. A loving hand in the moment of need may not fix the whole of one's life, but it darn sure helps in that moment.<br />
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But because the Church has Christ's heart, she is always first and foremost about the things that matter not for this life, but for eternity. Think of Jesus Christ: every person He healed ultimately got sick again. Every act of restoration would be eventually overturned by the brokenness of the world. Even those He raised from the dead would ultimately one day again die. But every miracle, every healing, every <i>teaching</i> of Christ had one thing in common: they were fulfilled in His cross.<br />
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The cross alone gives complete healing. The cross alone gives complete restoration. The cross alone is the ultimate, lasting, and <i>perfect</i> solution.<br />
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And nothing that is done on this earth has any lasting value unless we also have the cross.<br />
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So the church engages the world. She offers physical comfort. She corrects injustice. She feeds the hungry. Befriends the lonely. Silently holds the hand of those who mourn. Sits with the afflicted. <br />
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But as she does so, she knows that these are temporary solutions. Band-aids. And so she always and ever does what she alone is given to do. She always and ever treasures her sole and unique possession. <br />
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She treasures the cross. She clings to the gospel. And through her, God gives the cross of Christ through Word and Sacrament. In those--and those <i>alone</i>--we have the complete, perfect, and eternal healing that God would give us. "The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-73090257345726777022018-01-24T13:07:00.000-05:002018-01-24T13:07:34.547-05:00Confessions of a pastor: Why can't I be more like them?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Confession: As a pastor, I get jealous of other pastors. I envy them.<br />
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There. I said it. And I'm glad I did.<br />
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It's not that I envy pastors that preside over large churches. Good heavens, no . . . drooling longingly over church attendance statistics is SO yesterday. And it's not that I envy pastors who preside over really active churches that have dozens of programs or ministries. No, both of those aren't "pastor envy," they're "church envy." And frankly, church envy isn't so much a problem for me. When I see churches that are really doing solid work, I'm glad for them. I praise God for them. And while I'll investigate what they're doing and why, I don't necessarily feel any need to emulate them.<br />
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No, it's not churches I envy . . . it's pastors. Not their ministries, not their lives. But their gifts. I see how God has gifted them, and I envy that. <br />
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I talk with pastors who are always out and about in the community, and I envy their easy way of striking up conversations, their networking skills. I talk with pastors who have decades more experience than I do, and I envy their wisdom and patience. I talk with hard-charging, no-nonsense pastors who just think it, do it, and take no prisoners, and I envy their ability to get things done without worrying about fallout. I talk with learned pastors and envy the depth of knowledge they have. I talk with loving pastors and envy their limitless compassion. <br />
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Every pastor I meet has a special giftedness that I always seem to lack. And for every pastor I meet, I wonder, "Why can't I be a bit more like that?"<br />
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I'm keenly aware of my shortcomings--okay, let's be honest, my <i>failures</i>--as a pastor. I'm aware of them because I keep them all locked in a tight little box and shove that box into a dark corner of my mind so that I muffle their howling accusations. It works, mostly. Until I meet another gifted pastor, and a ghostly echo from that box supernaturally drifts to my mental ear, "See? THIS is what you lack! THIS is what keeps you from being the best pastor you can be!"<br />
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Insecurities. Fears. Failures. It's a constant game of comparison that, if I allowed it, would cripple me with indecision, a scattered ineffectiveness from trying to be everyone else. Either that, or I'd have to deliberately blind myself to my own shortcomings by constantly criticizing everyone else's, unfairly weighing their weaknesses against my strengths simply so that I could feel superior.<br />
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But perhaps there's a better way.<br />
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Perhaps I could learn to better trust in God. Perhaps I could learn to better trust in <i>grace</i>.<br />
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Who has carried me throughout my life, using my experiences to shape and mold my personality? God has, certainly. And who has gifted me with a blend of gifts; some strengths that I can intuitively rely upon, some weaknesses that I must watch over? Again, the answer is God.<br /><br />And who has placed me here, in this place, at this time, knowing full well my strengths and my weaknesses, and said, "Be My voice and My hands here, now, to these people"? <br />
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God has.<br />
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And who is the voice that sows discontent, that accuses, that causes fret and worry and doubt? (Hint: It's not God. Not this time. Oh, no.)<br /><br />But there is one who speaks louder and more true than that smaller, wicked, lying voice. This One is the one who, when He sees my shortcomings become failures--when He sees me being inattentive to my weaknesses, when He sees me trying to rely upon my strengths, when He sees me envy others for their gifts instead of praising Him for theirs as well as my own--this is the one that speaks over me and says, "I know full well your failures, for I have made you. And I fully forgive your sins, for Christ has saved you." <br />
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The grace of Jesus Christ fashions.<br />
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The grace of Jesus Christ forgives.<br />
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And the grace of Jesus Christ calls.<br />
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There's no doubt that we must pay attention to who we are and what we're here to do. Strengths are great to have, but weaknesses can't be ignored without them growing into sin. But envying the gifts God has given to others is nothing other than a failure to trust His gracious wisdom in making you who--and placing you where--you are.<br />
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Perhaps . . . just perhaps . . . we can learn instead to trust Him to use us where we are. To trust Him to use us for who we are. And to trust Him to forgive us for all that we are not.<br />
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<br />"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-34361826257190158282018-01-17T13:35:00.001-05:002018-01-17T13:35:44.521-05:00A call to inaction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Church of Now, if it is anything, is a place of action. It is a force that propels ever forward. It is a rousing call to action, and her members hear that call and obey.<br />
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How often do we hear the increasingly strident calls of "Now!"? Change must happen NOW. Justice must be given NOW. The church needs to grow NOW. Our people need to become missional NOW. "Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel NOW?"<br />
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Now. <br />
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Now.<br />
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Now.<br />
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Now. Before it is too late, act. NOW.<br />
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And yet, what happens when things do not or can not happen now? What happens when the Church of Now is called to be the Church of Wait? "The worldly church . . . wants to see something. Now it wants us to wait no longer. It wants to go to work by itself, act by itself, do by itself what God and the prophet are not doing. What is the use of the priest, what is the use of the church, if they are only left to wait? No, our church ought to have something. We want to see something in our church. We do not want to wait."--Dieterich Bonhoeffer<br />
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The Church of Now cannot abide inaction. It is disquieting. It is unsettling. Now requires action. Now requires busy-ness. Now requires a swarming beehive of activity. It demands that actions be taken, that words be spoken.<br />
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But faith, more often than not, hears the "<i>Wait</i>." <br />
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There are times when our eyes see and our hearts cry, but still the Lord says "Wait." There are times when we long for change to come, for the dawn to break anew, for physical health or for spiritual healing to be finally given, and still the Lord says "Wait."<br />
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"Wait. Be still. I am God. I am <i>your</i> God. I am your <i>good</i> God. And I ask you . . . wait."<br />
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Wait. Listen. Believe. <i>Trust</i>. <br />
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Wait.<br />
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Waiting is not truly inaction, of course. Waiting is fully active: full of a trusting hope, a longing faith, a praying confidence. Waiting faith knows that the Holy Spirit blows when and where He wills, and that His word does not return to Him void. Waiting faith knows that all things work for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His purpose. Waiting faith knows that human strength can force, manipulate, and coerce "good" behavior, but that only the Lord can change the heart.<br />
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And waiting faith knows that, even when we become so anxious that we cannot help but act, jumping ahead of the Lord and summoning action by the very force of our own will . . . that even then God's plans are not thwarted, that His Word still remains secure, and that His promise of grace and forgiveness in Christ still stands, and that His Holy Spirit will manage to carry the church triumphantly down through the ages. And, in the end, despite our follies, our childish wanting of all things <i>NOW</i>, even the gates of Hell will not be able to overcome His holy Church, and He will give us the fullness of His good gifts. In His way. In His time.<br />
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If we will but wait. <br />
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<br />"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-30044122028758628702017-12-29T16:36:00.003-05:002017-12-29T16:36:50.918-05:00Christianity, "Christianity" and Russel BrandRelevant Magazine--a popular and influential shaper of Christianity and the church--recently published an article praising actor Russel Brand's sobriety and the spirituality he discovered through addiction. The article is very much worthy of reading and reflection, as it is a strong indicator of what the Western Church--on the whole--values and believes about religion, spirituality, and Jesus Christ. Link is below.<br />
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<a href="https://relevantmagazine.com/feature/the-second-coming-of-russell-brand/" target="_blank">The Second Coming of Russell Brand Fifteen years after embracing sobriety, he’s now talking about how culture can stop its destructive patterns: by following Jesus.</a><br />
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To start with, I'd like to say that I'm incredibly glad
Brand has gotten clean. No human being should have to live through the hell of
addiction. It is truly a demonic thing. And frankly, whatever method a person can use to get out of addiction is a good thing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Furthermore, Brand--and the article--are spot-on in their assessment
of our Western materialism-addicted culture. In spite of the increasing number
of Americans that claim to be "spiritual but not religious," the
sheer amount of money spent during the Christmas season confirms that, on the
whole, Americans still really, really, REALLY like to have stuff.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But where Brand--and the article--go awry is in their understanding of what "Christianity" is. There are themes that Brand picks up on that are good (such as forgiveness, etc), but on the whole his "Christianity" is little more than a vague and Christ-less spirituality that is expressed through some common Christian terms and practices. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And what is evidenced in the article indicates that what is missing is crucial.
Brand looks upon the "Christianity" of a 12-step program--and thus at
God--as a means to an end. Namely, Brand looks to the 12-step God as the means
by which he can get and stay clean. But
that means what is missing is the cross.
Neither Brand nor the article speaks of the objective reality of
forgiveness won through Jesus Christ, nor of the free gift of life and
salvation in Him. Simply put, Jesus Christ is the means to God's plan of salvation for us, not the means to achieve our plans for ourselves. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Various troubling quotations:<o:p></o:p></div>
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"Instead of focusing on unhealthy patterns centered on
self-fulfillment, the message of the Gospel offers an alternative: caring for
others and helping those in need."--This is flatly, grossly, unbiblical.
The message of the Gospel is free salvation, forgiveness of sins, and eternal
life in Christ. While there is no doubt whatsoever that we have a Biblical
command to care for others, it is not Gospel. Christ does Gospel, we do not.<o:p></o:p></div>
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"And after exploring faith, the teachings of Jesus have
led to a revelation: The Kingdom of God can be ushered in on Earth, but only if
we free ourselves from all of the trappings that distract us from it—the same
ones Jesus Himself warned us about."--Again, this is a gross
misunderstanding of the Kingdom of God. It is more in line with Schliermacher
than the Scriptures. The Gospels present Jesus Himself and His appearing as the
Kingdom. There is no Kingdom without authentic Christ.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The repeated use of the phrase "what this means to
me."--I know that even in the Church we tend to speak like this. But truth
and meaning are firstly objective; Divine reality--what a thing MEANS,
period--and then only secondarily are such things applied to oneself. This is
not so much a failing of Brand as it is of the Church that allows and even
encourages such an emphasis upon the subjectivity of faith.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But the article--and Relevant itself--seems to uphold
Brand's particular spirituality as an authentic and imitation-worthy expression
of Christian faith, rather than a lamentable missing of the mark. And that is,
perhaps, the most troubling thing to me of all.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What Brand well understands, though, is the inherent death
of the world's system. He knows that because he experienced the fullness of it,
and so was given the good grace to see it for what it is. In a very real way,
he repented--turned away--from that system and is now free from addiction. To quote the Scriptures, Brand is "not far from the Kingdom." God be praised for that, and God grant that Brand be given an opportunity to come all the way into it. <o:p></o:p></div>
"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-41784810221717096992017-11-07T11:24:00.003-05:002017-11-07T11:24:58.783-05:00I'm tired<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZjQjbJ9dw1ca3svJhYF8DBVV5MFM4ScmZjTtOT5Miai9cPSaTBDeog9ejV3o02FpUGI8dhrzBwbjNpuUZ0vhVPfJSXLCTd5juhO1JeVObEfC2NkFZL8toGAuDE3cdktWFiZPkg/s1600/weary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="347" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZjQjbJ9dw1ca3svJhYF8DBVV5MFM4ScmZjTtOT5Miai9cPSaTBDeog9ejV3o02FpUGI8dhrzBwbjNpuUZ0vhVPfJSXLCTd5juhO1JeVObEfC2NkFZL8toGAuDE3cdktWFiZPkg/s320/weary.jpg" width="320" /></a>I'm tired.<br />
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I know all the reasons why I'm tired. Some are from necessity and the result of choices I've made and the way in which I've structured my months and weeks and days. Some are the result of requirements of my vocation. Other reasons yet are the result of when I've failed to structure, to plan, to sufficiently control my own calendar. Either way, though . . . I'm tired.<br />
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This is not a complaint, and certainly not a whine. I've been tired before. Much, much, MUCH more tired than I am right now. And I'm certain I'll become wearied again in the future. I don't know of a single person in the world that wouldn't say the same thing. We're all pretty much in the same boat, regardless of our vocation: Things stack up and we'd like it to just stop for a bit.<br />
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And there it is, the thing I'm really thinking about. I'm not so much concerned about being tired, but whether or not I'll be able to stop, to rest, to <i>breathe</i>. Being weary isn't bad at all, but the question that comes unbidden to my mind is, "Yes . . . but for how long?" Honestly, I get a bit selfish and want MY time back, I want MY control. Sure, I'll put in my hours, but then just leave me alone and let me have my free time, like any normal human being.<br />
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Except "normal" people don't get that, either. They volunteer, they serve, they give. Their evenings and weekends get eaten up just as much as mine, and probably more so. They have cares and concerns that weigh on their minds throughout the entire day. And the daily demands and requirements of vocation do not and cannot stop. In other words, there is still good to be done.<br />
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My prayerbook this morning had me pray this: "Enlighten those who teach and those who learn; renew their strength that they may not grow weary in their work; let their lamps burn bright in the days of darkness; and their hearts be strong in times of disappointment." And the Scriptures themselves double down on that in Galatians 6:9, "And let us not grow weary of doing good . . ."<br />
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But when you're tired, you see such things and become more tired yet. You think that, somehow, you must summon the courage and will to keep on doing good, because people need you.<br />
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<i>Except they don't.</i><br />
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Need YOU? HA! They don't need you any more than they need me. It's true. When we start to believe that we have to keep on going because people need US . . . well, honestly, then at that point we have a greatly over-inflated sense of our own worth. We believe that what we need to do is give out a piece of ourselves, as though somehow a piece of me is going to fix whatever issue there is.<br />
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They don't need a piece of me. They need a piece of God.<br />
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And yes, it is true that God uses my hands, my feet, my voice to bless others. It's true that He uses me, and it's true that He uses you. And yes, it's also true that He uses us to give to others. And yes, if that's all there was to it, we'd be giving away ourselves all the time, and be dang tired for it.<br />
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But it doesn't really work that way. What we give to others doesn't come from ourselves, but from God. <i>We only give what we have first been given</i>. And whether that be peace, wisdom, advice, comfort, money, or anything . . . we don't have it to give unless God first gives it to us. I don't have to manufacture some solution or strive to come up with an answer, I only need to give them what God has just placed in my hand to give.<br />
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When I get weary of giving, of doing, of <i>serving </i>. . . maybe it's because I've begun to believe that those things come from me. That the gift from my hand is my time, my presence, my money, my, my, my . . .<br />
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Perhaps instead I should remember that the gift in my hand was placed there by God only moments before. Perhaps I should instead remember that it is He who gives."The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10771467.post-86356711306953652462017-10-06T12:06:00.001-04:002017-10-06T12:06:13.822-04:00Hard, bitter, costly . . . and good?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Fridays my prayerbook leads me to pray for all those who are broken: the sick, the enslaved, the troubled, the dying, and the like. And then it closes that section with this prayer:<br /><br />
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"Relieve and comfort them all, O God, and make us, too, to rejoice in every experience, however hard, bitter, or costly, by which we are schooled in humble faith and in charity with our fellow men."</div>
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I find this last petition to be a prayer I need to have on my lips constantly, as it is the one that is the hardest to learn.<br />
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I can easily pray for those who are broken, that God would heal. I can easily pray for those who are crushed, that God would lift up. And I know that through their sufferings God will work good for them and for others. I know this. This is true. This is Biblical.<br />
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But when it comes to my own sufferings . . . well, I'd prefer to just avoid them. No matter that I can look back and confirm that the lessons God has taught me through trial and tribulation have benefited others many times over. No matter that can guarantee that the memory of my own personal suffering has on multiple occasions caused me to pause my busy day and grieve with another in empathy. No matter that I can assure you that my once proud and haughty faith that sought to dominate others has been refined as through fire into a much more simple, humble faith that seeks to serve others.<br /><br />All of these things I know. All of these things I preach. And yet, when I find myself under duress, I just want it over. Over and done with. No lessons learned, thank you very much. And if you please, God, just return me to my comfortable life. Now, if you don't mind. <br /><br /><br />
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Teach me, O Lord, to trust you in the valley of shadows as readily as I do in the quiet pastures. Teach me, O Lord, to rejoice in the work you accomplish through suffering as readily as I do in the pleasant gifts you give. <br /><br />Teach me, O Lord, to pick up my cross and follow you.<br /><br />Teach me, O Lord, to be a Christian.<br />
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"The Right Rev"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08455816292461279724noreply@blogger.com0