So I'm hanging out at our local coffee shop typing out a completely new essay for my application to Syracuse University. A very interesting cross section of folks come though on any given evening, but tonight I have a special treat: a christian college open mic night. I am tempted to just leave, but I actually get a lot of work done in here, a different type of distraction than at home. Joanna doesn't get it, but it works for me down here.
So I decide to stick it out. Unfortunately my worst fears are realized. No open mic, just some christian pop quasi-worship cd about being a delicate flower fading. What's up with the Jesus-is-my-boyfriend music these days? Marketing, that's what.
So the coffee shop should be closed, but instead it is just like Wednesday night youth group. Instead of hanging out together in a public place mixed in with (gasp!) the unsaved, they wait until everyone goes home to congregate.
So I'm trying not to have a bad attitude, but they make it so hard. I mean if they do a lot of outreach during the week and want to relax together, then great, but I have the distinct feeling that doesn't happen. It only breeds complacency and indifference to the people on the outside.
I'm waiting to see if anyone comes up and just says hello to me. I'm sure they are just being polite since I am typing, but if others were in here, would they approach them? Not with a message mind you, but with genuine, nonjudgemental love. I hope. I really do.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
A Personal Schism From The Church
So I was flipping through my CD collection (which is starting to date itself as purchasing music has taken a backseat to groceries and diapers) the other night and found a great CD that called out to me again.
Bill Mallonee and The Vigilantes of Love's Audible Sigh
An old friend from working at Kentucky Underground gave me this CD with a lot of enthusiasm, but it really didn't strike a chord in me until months later.
If you haven't heard of these guys, think Tom Petty with a bit of steel guitar and more of a folk sound. Maybe not the best description, but I only have the one CD and that is the impression I get. Emmylou Harris guest stars on the song I want to comment on and the link above directs you to the lyrics.
For whatever reason I find the song Resplendent deeply moving, especially as I have taken steps in recent weeks of moving away from calling myself a Christian and the status quo church.
I'm not sure how people will take my publicly announcing my departure. I'm sure some will meet it with relief and many others with the thought that I am completely misguided and lost. I can't help what people will think, nor does it affect me much anymore.
What I see, have seen, and experienced outside of the church compared to what I see, have seen, and experienced within the church are vastly different and I can only take so much hypocrisy.
The church as most of the world knows it has been sleeping with the wrong partners for centuries all in the name of trying to fix the world. It has become so ingrained in our (read Christian) psyche we can't see that religious power and political power go hand in hand and both are wrong. Both are systems of power that are over people and are to a greater or lesser degree systems of oppression, no matter how benevolent. Both are kingdom of the world power systems and have nothing to do with the Kingdom of God, no matter how loudly they say differently or how polished their message may look and sound.
Like Luther, Bonhoeffer, and Mother Theresa, I feel I must take a more public stand against those types of power systems. I must also start doing the work Jesus commanded us to continue, the work of lifting the up the oppressed. I have a sneaking suspicion there has always been a true church, an underground church that continued the work of Jesus, but did the work quietly.
I'm starting to wonder if the church we see today took the deal the devil offered Jesus in the wilderness, dominion over all the kingdoms of the world. While Jesus would have made this place a utopia, it would have been a utopia with a power system over people. The Kingdom of God is about creating a power system that supports people. I can't claim that idea for myself, Greg Boyd talks about this in his book The Myth of a Christian Nation. The link will let you read the preface and the first chapter.
To be sure, I think various religious leaders throughout time advocated becoming involved with whatever political structure was in place to hopefully change the world for the better, but as we have seen time and time again through our history just the opposite is true. The Kingdom of God will never be able to merge withe the kingdom of the world, its like oil and water, no how matter how hard you shake, it may look blended together, but it will eventually separate.
As I keep looking back at Luke 17 and Jesus warning those who want to be his disciples to consider the cost of doing so and also the mention elsewhere of the narrow path that few find, I saw neither of those things happening when I was involved with a status quo church.
What I did see was the opposite of those things. Why? Because going to a status quo church is something everyone does. Doesn't sound like the narrow path few find to me. Sounds more like the eight-lane superhighway meant to hold those Ford Expedition churches with 1000s of members. I'm just saying...
What I can't stomach anymore is what my friend calls the plausible deniability of the church. Basically, the vast majority of its members do as they are told, do not research for themselves or even study much about their faith. Such blind devotion is good at keeping the masses coming through the doors because nothing is required except their membership dues of 10%. How many people know there was more than one tithe in the Hebrew tradition? And why is it that the tithe is the one command that happened to not get washed away with the old laws?
And why is fear used to get people to get 'saved'? Turn or burn? Turn to what? A prayer and then on with the same old life? Football and consumerism with a pinch of church attendance throw in as 'fire insurance'? I don't read about Jesus using that tactic or recommending indifference as a good policy of comforting the oppressed and downtrodden.
Peace and wisdom,
Mike
_____________________
Resplendent
yeah i remember the dark clouds
raining dust for days on end
blew all the earth out to california
and just left us here with the wind
in desperate times you know everybody's part
but it's your own lines you're like to forget
'til what you were meets what you've now become
grins and says "hey, haven't we met"
lost my firstborn that winter
and my wife on the first day of spring
and so i poured my sweat into the earth
yeah to see what that harvest would bring
and i remember howling fury
just like a plague of locusts
egypt's punishment for sins of pride
is that now what has come over us
how much of this was meant to be
how much the work of the devil
how far can one man's eyes really see
in these days of toil and trouble
honey we're all resplendent
yeah honey we are all thrift store
i'm like a wino with a twenty dollar bill
yeah forever and eternally yours
i can make you promises
if you don't expect too much
yes and i will run the distance
if you'll please please excuse my crutch
how much of this is failing flesh
how much the course of retribution
my my how loudly we plead our innocence
long after we've made our contribution
Written by Bill Mallonee for CyBrenJoJosh (BMI) �2000
Bill Mallonee and The Vigilantes of Love's Audible Sigh
An old friend from working at Kentucky Underground gave me this CD with a lot of enthusiasm, but it really didn't strike a chord in me until months later.
If you haven't heard of these guys, think Tom Petty with a bit of steel guitar and more of a folk sound. Maybe not the best description, but I only have the one CD and that is the impression I get. Emmylou Harris guest stars on the song I want to comment on and the link above directs you to the lyrics.
For whatever reason I find the song Resplendent deeply moving, especially as I have taken steps in recent weeks of moving away from calling myself a Christian and the status quo church.
I'm not sure how people will take my publicly announcing my departure. I'm sure some will meet it with relief and many others with the thought that I am completely misguided and lost. I can't help what people will think, nor does it affect me much anymore.
What I see, have seen, and experienced outside of the church compared to what I see, have seen, and experienced within the church are vastly different and I can only take so much hypocrisy.
The church as most of the world knows it has been sleeping with the wrong partners for centuries all in the name of trying to fix the world. It has become so ingrained in our (read Christian) psyche we can't see that religious power and political power go hand in hand and both are wrong. Both are systems of power that are over people and are to a greater or lesser degree systems of oppression, no matter how benevolent. Both are kingdom of the world power systems and have nothing to do with the Kingdom of God, no matter how loudly they say differently or how polished their message may look and sound.
Like Luther, Bonhoeffer, and Mother Theresa, I feel I must take a more public stand against those types of power systems. I must also start doing the work Jesus commanded us to continue, the work of lifting the up the oppressed. I have a sneaking suspicion there has always been a true church, an underground church that continued the work of Jesus, but did the work quietly.
I'm starting to wonder if the church we see today took the deal the devil offered Jesus in the wilderness, dominion over all the kingdoms of the world. While Jesus would have made this place a utopia, it would have been a utopia with a power system over people. The Kingdom of God is about creating a power system that supports people. I can't claim that idea for myself, Greg Boyd talks about this in his book The Myth of a Christian Nation. The link will let you read the preface and the first chapter.
To be sure, I think various religious leaders throughout time advocated becoming involved with whatever political structure was in place to hopefully change the world for the better, but as we have seen time and time again through our history just the opposite is true. The Kingdom of God will never be able to merge withe the kingdom of the world, its like oil and water, no how matter how hard you shake, it may look blended together, but it will eventually separate.
As I keep looking back at Luke 17 and Jesus warning those who want to be his disciples to consider the cost of doing so and also the mention elsewhere of the narrow path that few find, I saw neither of those things happening when I was involved with a status quo church.
What I did see was the opposite of those things. Why? Because going to a status quo church is something everyone does. Doesn't sound like the narrow path few find to me. Sounds more like the eight-lane superhighway meant to hold those Ford Expedition churches with 1000s of members. I'm just saying...
What I can't stomach anymore is what my friend calls the plausible deniability of the church. Basically, the vast majority of its members do as they are told, do not research for themselves or even study much about their faith. Such blind devotion is good at keeping the masses coming through the doors because nothing is required except their membership dues of 10%. How many people know there was more than one tithe in the Hebrew tradition? And why is it that the tithe is the one command that happened to not get washed away with the old laws?
And why is fear used to get people to get 'saved'? Turn or burn? Turn to what? A prayer and then on with the same old life? Football and consumerism with a pinch of church attendance throw in as 'fire insurance'? I don't read about Jesus using that tactic or recommending indifference as a good policy of comforting the oppressed and downtrodden.
Peace and wisdom,
Mike
_____________________
Resplendent
yeah i remember the dark clouds
raining dust for days on end
blew all the earth out to california
and just left us here with the wind
in desperate times you know everybody's part
but it's your own lines you're like to forget
'til what you were meets what you've now become
grins and says "hey, haven't we met"
lost my firstborn that winter
and my wife on the first day of spring
and so i poured my sweat into the earth
yeah to see what that harvest would bring
and i remember howling fury
just like a plague of locusts
egypt's punishment for sins of pride
is that now what has come over us
how much of this was meant to be
how much the work of the devil
how far can one man's eyes really see
in these days of toil and trouble
honey we're all resplendent
yeah honey we are all thrift store
i'm like a wino with a twenty dollar bill
yeah forever and eternally yours
i can make you promises
if you don't expect too much
yes and i will run the distance
if you'll please please excuse my crutch
how much of this is failing flesh
how much the course of retribution
my my how loudly we plead our innocence
long after we've made our contribution
Written by Bill Mallonee for CyBrenJoJosh (BMI) �2000
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
I can live with this rating
Sure I only post somewhere along the lines of once every couple of months, but I'm haapy to report my words seem to be intelligent. And we all know how accuarte online wigets are...
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Is there something better than the name 'Christian'?
So a little background info before the link. I'm not sure if one can say I have no faith left because I have questioned so much, or if I have more faith, but few outward signs that would indicate that I am a 'christian'. The more I dive into the muddied waters of church history, the more I am realizing how flawed the church has become. Many would argue against me with great passion, but in a world that uses passion as a replacement for truth in an attempt to win an argument, I don't put much stock in passionate talking points without truth to back them up. My concern comes from the fact that it seems we have built flaw upon flaw or human ideas upon human ideas so that there is little foundation left that we can say is secure without scrutinizing and inspecting every aspect of it. Obviously, and I hope this to be the case, much will be found sound and solid, but I fear more may be weak and unsupportable than we realize.
I am reading a book that is attempting to look at the Christianity between the death of Christ and the writing of Paul. There is about a 2 decade gap that the New Testament has no record of; nor are there many historical documents in general. Dominic Crossan, the author, brings up one question that has haunted me almost daily, especially since I have so much time on my hands driving. The question is this: "What was there in the first church/fellowships/gatherings of the followers of Christ that warranted the persecution of Paul?"
Seriously, what do we know about those first groups of believers right after the execution of Jesus?
I have found myself exhausted by the search for truth to the point of giving up, of turning away and embracing a benign life of 'good living' instead of being associated with all that has been done in the name of 'christianity'. I am searching out something more than a title or label.
One of the things that has concerned me is the general lack of knowledge that most people have concerning their faith. So much has been taken for granted. So little is known about our origins that we could be fed anything, and think it was truth. I think that is why it feels like I have no faith; I have torn everything down past the foundation in order to build it up again.
With that being said, and if it opens up questions and dialog I am truly glad for the company. I watched this video and I saw a glimpse of what it might have been like for those early believers. Let's face it, when Jesus was doing his thing and he had followers, he was a rabbi, so a vast majority of his followers were Hebrew. I'm not necessarily saying we all need to become Jewish, but I wonder if you too see a glimpse of what that first group faced; being shunned, ridiculed, mocked, and generally looked down upon.
Without further ado:
Peace,
Mike
I am reading a book that is attempting to look at the Christianity between the death of Christ and the writing of Paul. There is about a 2 decade gap that the New Testament has no record of; nor are there many historical documents in general. Dominic Crossan, the author, brings up one question that has haunted me almost daily, especially since I have so much time on my hands driving. The question is this: "What was there in the first church/fellowships/gatherings of the followers of Christ that warranted the persecution of Paul?"
Seriously, what do we know about those first groups of believers right after the execution of Jesus?
I have found myself exhausted by the search for truth to the point of giving up, of turning away and embracing a benign life of 'good living' instead of being associated with all that has been done in the name of 'christianity'. I am searching out something more than a title or label.
One of the things that has concerned me is the general lack of knowledge that most people have concerning their faith. So much has been taken for granted. So little is known about our origins that we could be fed anything, and think it was truth. I think that is why it feels like I have no faith; I have torn everything down past the foundation in order to build it up again.
With that being said, and if it opens up questions and dialog I am truly glad for the company. I watched this video and I saw a glimpse of what it might have been like for those early believers. Let's face it, when Jesus was doing his thing and he had followers, he was a rabbi, so a vast majority of his followers were Hebrew. I'm not necessarily saying we all need to become Jewish, but I wonder if you too see a glimpse of what that first group faced; being shunned, ridiculed, mocked, and generally looked down upon.
Without further ado:
Peace,
Mike
Friday, September 07, 2007
So I'm not a big fan of christian skits or dramas but...
Joe White sent this to me. It took me a few seconds to get over the representative costumes, but if that is something that bugs you too, give it time. All of the comments talk about sharing with other Christians, but I wonder why we don't share it with those who are unaware of who Jesus truly is and what he truly has done?
The first 1:20 I have had brief encounters and glimpses.
From there to 3:45 has probably been most of my life growing up. (Yes, pretty much all of it.)
From there to about 4:30 has been most of my experience trying to follow Christ.
From there to the end of the video has probably been the last year of my life, though the 'dusting off' part has taken a lot longer.
It's on YouTube as well.
Let me know what you think.
-mike
The first 1:20 I have had brief encounters and glimpses.
From there to 3:45 has probably been most of my life growing up. (Yes, pretty much all of it.)
From there to about 4:30 has been most of my experience trying to follow Christ.
From there to the end of the video has probably been the last year of my life, though the 'dusting off' part has taken a lot longer.
It's on YouTube as well.
Let me know what you think.
-mike
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
One Punk Under God
I'm the type of person who likes to have my ideas challenged and stretched so when One Punk Under God showed up from Netflix I was hope for some good material.
I was not disappointed, but while I was secretly hoping for some jabs to be taken at the mainstream church, what I got was an emotional, humbling, and ultimately hopeful experience.
I don't want to write a synopsis, but rather whet your appetite to watch this series from the Sundance Channel.
For those of you who don't know who Jay Bakker is, he is the son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. After the collapse of their ministry, he became jaded with the church, got a bunch of tattoos, hung out in the punk rock scene, and ultimately came back to God and started Revolution in Atlanta.
The series is about his move to NYC and his life in general. The first episode doesn't seem all that great, just a lot of background info, until the last 5 minutes and you are in it for the whole series.
A couple of quotes:
Jerry Falwell clip talking to Jay's dad in front of the world. This is one of the guys Jim Bakker was hoping would restore him:
"...And Jim I must tell you that I would be doing a disservice to God. As much as I love you and care for you and will pray for you. I would be doing a disservice to God and to the church at large to allow you to come back here now or ever."
Nice, huh? So much for restoration. Gotta love the Radical Wing nut Religious Right.
These quotes are from Jay:
Speaking of becoming pro-gay marriage:
"Because if we serve a real God and the Holy Spirit is real...if...if you think its a sin then don't you believe the Holy Spirit will convict the person?"
The implications of that statement reverberated deeply in me. While I'm not necessarily pro-gay marriage, I'm definitely not anti-gay person which seems to be how the mainstream church has lined up.
And finally speaking of his dad and his parents:
"...The point is how do we handle it when people make mistakes. you know, I mean we can't follow human beings. I think that's the problem people made with my parents. You know I thought it was about Jesus and what Jesus did; not about what we do and I thought that, you know, we're gonna make mistakes but thank God we have Jesus."
Amen, I say. The 'head pastor' model is such a skewed idea from the gospel. It only sets people up to be unnecessarily burdened, and other to lose site of following Jesus.
Peace and love in His name!
MR
Seen it? Let me know what you thought.
I was not disappointed, but while I was secretly hoping for some jabs to be taken at the mainstream church, what I got was an emotional, humbling, and ultimately hopeful experience.
I don't want to write a synopsis, but rather whet your appetite to watch this series from the Sundance Channel.
For those of you who don't know who Jay Bakker is, he is the son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. After the collapse of their ministry, he became jaded with the church, got a bunch of tattoos, hung out in the punk rock scene, and ultimately came back to God and started Revolution in Atlanta.
The series is about his move to NYC and his life in general. The first episode doesn't seem all that great, just a lot of background info, until the last 5 minutes and you are in it for the whole series.
A couple of quotes:
Jerry Falwell clip talking to Jay's dad in front of the world. This is one of the guys Jim Bakker was hoping would restore him:
"...And Jim I must tell you that I would be doing a disservice to God. As much as I love you and care for you and will pray for you. I would be doing a disservice to God and to the church at large to allow you to come back here now or ever."
Nice, huh? So much for restoration. Gotta love the Radical Wing nut Religious Right.
These quotes are from Jay:
Speaking of becoming pro-gay marriage:
"Because if we serve a real God and the Holy Spirit is real...if...if you think its a sin then don't you believe the Holy Spirit will convict the person?"
The implications of that statement reverberated deeply in me. While I'm not necessarily pro-gay marriage, I'm definitely not anti-gay person which seems to be how the mainstream church has lined up.
And finally speaking of his dad and his parents:
"...The point is how do we handle it when people make mistakes. you know, I mean we can't follow human beings. I think that's the problem people made with my parents. You know I thought it was about Jesus and what Jesus did; not about what we do and I thought that, you know, we're gonna make mistakes but thank God we have Jesus."
Amen, I say. The 'head pastor' model is such a skewed idea from the gospel. It only sets people up to be unnecessarily burdened, and other to lose site of following Jesus.
Peace and love in His name!
MR
Seen it? Let me know what you thought.
Monday, June 11, 2007
So where do you fit in?
A friend of mine sent me this quiz. I'm not sure what to think about the results...Does this mean I need to bleach my hair to look like Rob Bell's?
You scored as Emergent/Postmodern, You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this.
What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com
You scored as Emergent/Postmodern, You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this.
Emergent/Postmodern | 86% | ||
Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan | 64% | ||
Classical Liberal | 61% | ||
Modern Liberal | 57% | ||
Neo orthodox | 39% | ||
Charismatic/Pentecostal | 29% | ||
Roman Catholic | 21% | ||
Reformed Evangelical | 18% | ||
Fundamentalist | 11% |
What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
What do we do now?
So last night I watched Garden State and for some reason the last couple of scenes really stuck out. Zach Braff and Natalie Portman are sitting in the airport waiting on Braff’s character’s flight. Portman is trying to convince him not to go.
Andrew: “This isn’t…This isn’t a conversation about this being over. It’s…It’s… I’m not like putting a period at the end of this you know. I’m puttin’ like an ellipsis on it…”
So he finally gets on the plane. Cut to Portman crying in a telephone booth in the airport.
Samantha, incredulously: “What are you doing here?”
Andrew, out of breath: “Look. You remember that idea I had about working stuff out on my own and then finding you once I figured stuff out?”
Samantha: “The ellipsis?”
Andrew: “Yeah. The ellipsis. It’s Dumb. It’s dumb. It’s an awful idea. And I’m not gonna do it, okay? Cause like you said, this is it. This is life…and I’m in love with you Samantha. I think that’s the only thing I’ve ever been really sure of in my life. I’m really messed up now, and I got a whole lot of stuff I gotta work out. But I don’t wanna waste any more of my life without you in it, okay?”
Samantha: “Yeah.”
Andrew, with growing excitement: “And I think I can do this! I mean, I want to. We have to, right?”
Samantha, very happy: “Yeah!” (She starts laughing nervously.)
Andrew: “Right?” (He starts laughing too, though a little more relieved.)
Samantha: “Yes!”
They hug.
Andrew: “So what do we do?”
She starts to shake her head.
Andrew, with a bit of desperation: “What do we do?”
They kiss, the camera pulls back and then fade to black.
There are few couples we know who have slowly extricated themselves from the mainstream church. We used to get together pretty regularly, but we all had either crazy schedules or events going on in our lives and so we only get together sporadically, and rarely all at one time. So earlier in the evening we had one of the couples over for dinner and Ryan helped me put in a ceiling fan. We were sitting around talking after working and dinner and I felt the need to steer the conversation toward God. I always feel like there should be some sort of momentous dialog or prayer or something every time we get together.
I get various pieces of mail addressed to me from my time in the church. I got a glossy flyer for some sort of upcoming conference for teen girls and we started talking about it. I mentioned Steve Sensenig’s post about the music industry and some of the comments about intertwining money and business with things of God. It was obvious who the target demographic was and I said I understood what they were trying to accomplish, but it seemed so far removed from real life. Conferences like this create this false impression of living life only on the mountain tops. Once these kids get back into the real world all they start looking for is the 'peaks', thinking the 'valleys' mean they are doing something wrong.
Ryan mentioned how church was like that and he was tired of trying to seek the next 'high' in his walk with God. Annie said she has never been this guilt-free since she has stopped attending the I.C. (Institutional Church). They talked about learning about real life and maturing and growing up.
The last lines of the movie really resonated with me concerning church and seeking God. When all of the busy work of the I.C. is taken away, we start to ask, "So what do we do? What do we do?"
We start to see how immature our faith and walk really are and we start to grow up and trust in God. Or we don't.
Any thoughts?
Andrew: “This isn’t…This isn’t a conversation about this being over. It’s…It’s… I’m not like putting a period at the end of this you know. I’m puttin’ like an ellipsis on it…”
So he finally gets on the plane. Cut to Portman crying in a telephone booth in the airport.
Samantha, incredulously: “What are you doing here?”
Andrew, out of breath: “Look. You remember that idea I had about working stuff out on my own and then finding you once I figured stuff out?”
Samantha: “The ellipsis?”
Andrew: “Yeah. The ellipsis. It’s Dumb. It’s dumb. It’s an awful idea. And I’m not gonna do it, okay? Cause like you said, this is it. This is life…and I’m in love with you Samantha. I think that’s the only thing I’ve ever been really sure of in my life. I’m really messed up now, and I got a whole lot of stuff I gotta work out. But I don’t wanna waste any more of my life without you in it, okay?”
Samantha: “Yeah.”
Andrew, with growing excitement: “And I think I can do this! I mean, I want to. We have to, right?”
Samantha, very happy: “Yeah!” (She starts laughing nervously.)
Andrew: “Right?” (He starts laughing too, though a little more relieved.)
Samantha: “Yes!”
They hug.
Andrew: “So what do we do?”
She starts to shake her head.
Andrew, with a bit of desperation: “What do we do?”
They kiss, the camera pulls back and then fade to black.
There are few couples we know who have slowly extricated themselves from the mainstream church. We used to get together pretty regularly, but we all had either crazy schedules or events going on in our lives and so we only get together sporadically, and rarely all at one time. So earlier in the evening we had one of the couples over for dinner and Ryan helped me put in a ceiling fan. We were sitting around talking after working and dinner and I felt the need to steer the conversation toward God. I always feel like there should be some sort of momentous dialog or prayer or something every time we get together.
I get various pieces of mail addressed to me from my time in the church. I got a glossy flyer for some sort of upcoming conference for teen girls and we started talking about it. I mentioned Steve Sensenig’s post about the music industry and some of the comments about intertwining money and business with things of God. It was obvious who the target demographic was and I said I understood what they were trying to accomplish, but it seemed so far removed from real life. Conferences like this create this false impression of living life only on the mountain tops. Once these kids get back into the real world all they start looking for is the 'peaks', thinking the 'valleys' mean they are doing something wrong.
Ryan mentioned how church was like that and he was tired of trying to seek the next 'high' in his walk with God. Annie said she has never been this guilt-free since she has stopped attending the I.C. (Institutional Church). They talked about learning about real life and maturing and growing up.
The last lines of the movie really resonated with me concerning church and seeking God. When all of the busy work of the I.C. is taken away, we start to ask, "So what do we do? What do we do?"
We start to see how immature our faith and walk really are and we start to grow up and trust in God. Or we don't.
Any thoughts?
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Just who's 'vision' is it anyway?
These excerpts are a bit longer, but raise some interesting questions in regards to how 'church' is done in America and maybe more importantly, how it is lead.
Sarah Rooney posted a link to her husband's blog that really snapped me back into reality today. It is a video excerpt of people trying to escape from North Korea into China.
I have been mulling over this post for a while, so hopefully it comes out right.
Bonhoeffer writes in Life Together :
"It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the Kingdom of God that any day may be taken from us..."
"One who wants more than what Christ has established does not want Christian brotherhood. He is looking for some extraordinary social experience which he has not found elsewhere; he is bringing muddled and impure desires into Christian brotherhood. ...Christian brotherhood is threatened most often at the very start by the greatest danger of all, the danger of being poisoned at its root, the danger of confusing Christian brotherhood with some wishful idea of religious fellowship, of confounding the natural desire of the devout heart for community with the spiritual reality of Christian brotherhood."
"Innumerable times a whole Christian community has broken down because it had sprung from a 'wish/dream. The serious Christian, set down for the first time in a Christian community, is likely to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life together should be and try to realize it. But God's grace speedily shatters such dreams... By sheer grace, God will not permit us to live even for a brief period in a dream world. He does not abandon us to those rapturous experiences and lofty moods that come over us like a dream... A community which cannot bear and cannot survive such a crisis, which insists upon keeping its illusion when it should be shattered, permanently loses in that moment the promise of Christian community. Sooner or later it will collapse. Every human wish/dream that is injected into the Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be banished if genuine community is to survive."
"He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even thought his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial. God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visionary idea of community demands that it be realized by God, by other, and by himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own law, and judges the brethren and God accordingly. He stands adamant, a living reproach to all others in the circle of brethren. He acts as if he is the creator of the Christian community, as if his dream binds men together. When things do not go his way, he calls the effort a failure. When his ideal picture is destroyed, he sees the community going to smash. So he becomes, first an accuser of his brethren, then an accuser of God, and finally the despairing accuser of himself."
I really don't have much to add, but what Bonhoeffer has to say does raise a lot of questions.
For example:
If the churches of Bonhoeffer's time became mired in the political arena and ultimately had to swear allegiance to Hitler, then where does that leave the churches in America who have bound themselves so closely to the Republican/Conservative Party? Does that mean the churches endorse killing, torturing, and holding prisoners to fight terrorism? Even if the torturing and imprisonment scandals turn out to be false, is that what the Kingdom of God and Jesus should be considered advocating?
If Bonhoeffer is right about God not being a fan of visionary dreaming, where does that put the visionary pastor? What happens to the pastor who has a vision or mission statement when it doesn't work out?
Of the multiple churches that have split while I have attended, Bonhoeffer's words are spot on.
At what point did we become so arrogant that we thought we had a better plan than Jesus modeled?
I think it happened when the church leaders wanted their numbers to grow internally, instead of equipping to go out into the world.
I think maybe it happened because the more people who are inside the walls doing things means more money in the coffers instead of out with the people who need to hear about God the worst. If the people are trained up to go out and work on their own, what happens to the professional church staff?
I'm sure you have your own questions and maybe even answers to mine. I would like to hear them, so fire away!
Sarah Rooney posted a link to her husband's blog that really snapped me back into reality today. It is a video excerpt of people trying to escape from North Korea into China.
I have been mulling over this post for a while, so hopefully it comes out right.
Bonhoeffer writes in Life Together :
"It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the Kingdom of God that any day may be taken from us..."
"One who wants more than what Christ has established does not want Christian brotherhood. He is looking for some extraordinary social experience which he has not found elsewhere; he is bringing muddled and impure desires into Christian brotherhood. ...Christian brotherhood is threatened most often at the very start by the greatest danger of all, the danger of being poisoned at its root, the danger of confusing Christian brotherhood with some wishful idea of religious fellowship, of confounding the natural desire of the devout heart for community with the spiritual reality of Christian brotherhood."
"Innumerable times a whole Christian community has broken down because it had sprung from a 'wish/dream. The serious Christian, set down for the first time in a Christian community, is likely to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life together should be and try to realize it. But God's grace speedily shatters such dreams... By sheer grace, God will not permit us to live even for a brief period in a dream world. He does not abandon us to those rapturous experiences and lofty moods that come over us like a dream... A community which cannot bear and cannot survive such a crisis, which insists upon keeping its illusion when it should be shattered, permanently loses in that moment the promise of Christian community. Sooner or later it will collapse. Every human wish/dream that is injected into the Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be banished if genuine community is to survive."
"He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even thought his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial. God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visionary idea of community demands that it be realized by God, by other, and by himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own law, and judges the brethren and God accordingly. He stands adamant, a living reproach to all others in the circle of brethren. He acts as if he is the creator of the Christian community, as if his dream binds men together. When things do not go his way, he calls the effort a failure. When his ideal picture is destroyed, he sees the community going to smash. So he becomes, first an accuser of his brethren, then an accuser of God, and finally the despairing accuser of himself."
I really don't have much to add, but what Bonhoeffer has to say does raise a lot of questions.
For example:
If the churches of Bonhoeffer's time became mired in the political arena and ultimately had to swear allegiance to Hitler, then where does that leave the churches in America who have bound themselves so closely to the Republican/Conservative Party? Does that mean the churches endorse killing, torturing, and holding prisoners to fight terrorism? Even if the torturing and imprisonment scandals turn out to be false, is that what the Kingdom of God and Jesus should be considered advocating?
If Bonhoeffer is right about God not being a fan of visionary dreaming, where does that put the visionary pastor? What happens to the pastor who has a vision or mission statement when it doesn't work out?
Of the multiple churches that have split while I have attended, Bonhoeffer's words are spot on.
At what point did we become so arrogant that we thought we had a better plan than Jesus modeled?
I think it happened when the church leaders wanted their numbers to grow internally, instead of equipping to go out into the world.
I think maybe it happened because the more people who are inside the walls doing things means more money in the coffers instead of out with the people who need to hear about God the worst. If the people are trained up to go out and work on their own, what happens to the professional church staff?
I'm sure you have your own questions and maybe even answers to mine. I would like to hear them, so fire away!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Roses and Lilies
Steve, over at Theological Musings, wondered aloud about what it truly means to live like Jesus. I recommend watching the Tony Campolo video he links to and also reading Greg Boyd's The Myth of a Christian Nation.
Bonhoeffer writes in Life Together, "It is not simply to be taken for granted that the Christian has the privilege of living among other Christians. Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him. On the Cross he was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. For this cause he had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God. So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes. There is his commission, his work."
If you watched the video, then you might have heard the term 'Red Letter Christians' mentioned.
That's the background information. Now here's my two cents.
It has been a slow process, extricating myself from the mainstream church, but I believe it has been worth the pain and confusion and fear. This not about my frustration with the church, thought initially it was. Rather, I found it was about the amount of noise in my life. Not the noise of everyday life, but the noise of superficially seeking out God 'plan' for my life within the context of Christian community.
From the pew to the couch, I left the mainstream church model in favor of starting a small house church.
From the couch to the chair, I felt led to no longer gather at our house in favor of small discipleship groups meeting in coffee shops and other places.
From the chair to my heart, I backed away from the discipleship groups in desperation of seeking God out myself.
Bonhoeffer talks about the "cloistered life". The cloistered life isn't about being alone, but rather it is living in some sort of Christian bubble world that is completely disconnected from the rest of the world. Nothing could be further from Jesus' life or even from what he called us to do.
Just check out Matthew 10. Now I'm not going to compare myself to the 12 disciples, but do think we are meant to heed his words as we go about our lives and what we should be doing with the time we have. Lets see, flogging, arrest, family betrayal, being compared to Satan, and after all of that, death.
Let's go back to that Martin Luther quote, "The Kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies. And he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the Kingdom of Christ; he want to be among friends, to sit among roses and lilies, not with the bad people but the devout people. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had done what you are doing who would ever have been spared?"
Jesus came to show a better way, he came to advance the Kingdom of God, we are called by him to do the same. The kingdom of the world simply doesn't not like the way of God because instead of having power over people, the Kingdom of God is about having power under people, to lift them up, to meet their needs, to show them the love and grace and mercy we have been shown.
Therefore Christian community is not a hierarchy, but a simply a group of people that should be associated by only one thing, Christ and the furthering of his kingdom. If it is anything more, if has anything man-made in it, then it loses its potency. We are to be meek and humble towards one another. Forgiving of one another, sometimes to a fault, just as we have been granted mercy by God.
It can take many different shapes, if in an atmosphere of no religious persecution, then it will flourish, but beware, in a time of flourishing, it is very easy to get caught staying in the roses and the lilies. If in a time of religious persecution, when the branches are pruned and the roses and lilies are gone, what happens?
In Bonhoeffer's time the church, in order to keep its power in the kingdom of the world, bowed to Hitler, approved of his dictatorship, and in effect approved of his Master Plan. Do not think I am comparing our government to Hitler's in this next sentence. I am comparing the churches of the two time periods however. Now, the church sees a chance to maintain and even gain great influence in our country by pushing for the conservative party. Over the past 6 years we have seen the results. Christians have gained great influence, but at what cost?
People are less open to the love of Christ. The church is now synonymous with the conservative party and therefore is considered a proponent of war. The church is not seen as a very good example of Christ.
Now, in regards to living like Christ. I recommend taking time to go into the wilderness, to read the red letters, to seek out God, to leave the clutter and noise of the cloistered life in order to find God's purpose for your life. Do not think this is a weekend trip to the mountains. This is a long, hard, arduous trip. You will find that Jesus' words in Matthew 10 will resonate more and more with your life.
It will make that whole 'narrow path' comment take on a whole new aspect.
After all of this, community starts to take on a different shape. Just the mere presence of someone seeking after God earnestly is enough. You don't have to sing, you don't have have a building, or go and get coffee. An email, a letter, a phone call means so much more. I carry around a letter from Shane Claiborne as a bookmark. While there is nothing profound in it, the letter is like a connection to something more out there, it is like a reminder that I am part of something, that I am called to something greater, even if it isn't a place I can visit on Sundays.
I travel a lot for my job. I eat many of meals alone while I am on the road. Once when I was in Philly, I went over to see some friends, Chris and Lara Lahr. Now we aren't the best of friends as I had only met them a few times while Joanna was attending Asbury College, but you would never guess it to see us together. Genuine love radiates from that family, genuine. Anyway, I told him I was going to be in the area and maybe we could grab some dinner. Laura thought that maybe I would like something home cooked since I had been on the road so much. We ate lasagna around their table. Yes, it was great. But more importantly, that time of community has sustained me during other periods of travel. I can be sitting in Subway, alone, and still relish that time.
That is the community Christ brought to the world when he ate with the outcasts of society. He validated their worth, by sharing a meal with them. Look how central eating is to his time, to the accounts written about him. It wasn't about politics, or who said what prayer, or any of that man made stuff we have to deal with. It was about validating people, showing them they are worth something.
Community then for us, should be about Christ, about loving people where they are with no hidden agenda to 'fix them', or 'help them get saved'. We can talk all we want, we can create the most bulletproof doctrine, we can have the greatest set of programs, the slickest graphics, the tightest worship team, the most impressive building, but if only supports a cloistered life, then really, what do we have?
Bonhoeffer writes in Life Together, "It is not simply to be taken for granted that the Christian has the privilege of living among other Christians. Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. At the end all his disciples deserted him. On the Cross he was utterly alone, surrounded by evildoers and mockers. For this cause he had come, to bring peace to the enemies of God. So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes. There is his commission, his work."
If you watched the video, then you might have heard the term 'Red Letter Christians' mentioned.
That's the background information. Now here's my two cents.
It has been a slow process, extricating myself from the mainstream church, but I believe it has been worth the pain and confusion and fear. This not about my frustration with the church, thought initially it was. Rather, I found it was about the amount of noise in my life. Not the noise of everyday life, but the noise of superficially seeking out God 'plan' for my life within the context of Christian community.
From the pew to the couch, I left the mainstream church model in favor of starting a small house church.
From the couch to the chair, I felt led to no longer gather at our house in favor of small discipleship groups meeting in coffee shops and other places.
From the chair to my heart, I backed away from the discipleship groups in desperation of seeking God out myself.
Bonhoeffer talks about the "cloistered life". The cloistered life isn't about being alone, but rather it is living in some sort of Christian bubble world that is completely disconnected from the rest of the world. Nothing could be further from Jesus' life or even from what he called us to do.
Just check out Matthew 10. Now I'm not going to compare myself to the 12 disciples, but do think we are meant to heed his words as we go about our lives and what we should be doing with the time we have. Lets see, flogging, arrest, family betrayal, being compared to Satan, and after all of that, death.
Let's go back to that Martin Luther quote, "The Kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies. And he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the Kingdom of Christ; he want to be among friends, to sit among roses and lilies, not with the bad people but the devout people. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had done what you are doing who would ever have been spared?"
Jesus came to show a better way, he came to advance the Kingdom of God, we are called by him to do the same. The kingdom of the world simply doesn't not like the way of God because instead of having power over people, the Kingdom of God is about having power under people, to lift them up, to meet their needs, to show them the love and grace and mercy we have been shown.
Therefore Christian community is not a hierarchy, but a simply a group of people that should be associated by only one thing, Christ and the furthering of his kingdom. If it is anything more, if has anything man-made in it, then it loses its potency. We are to be meek and humble towards one another. Forgiving of one another, sometimes to a fault, just as we have been granted mercy by God.
It can take many different shapes, if in an atmosphere of no religious persecution, then it will flourish, but beware, in a time of flourishing, it is very easy to get caught staying in the roses and the lilies. If in a time of religious persecution, when the branches are pruned and the roses and lilies are gone, what happens?
In Bonhoeffer's time the church, in order to keep its power in the kingdom of the world, bowed to Hitler, approved of his dictatorship, and in effect approved of his Master Plan. Do not think I am comparing our government to Hitler's in this next sentence. I am comparing the churches of the two time periods however. Now, the church sees a chance to maintain and even gain great influence in our country by pushing for the conservative party. Over the past 6 years we have seen the results. Christians have gained great influence, but at what cost?
People are less open to the love of Christ. The church is now synonymous with the conservative party and therefore is considered a proponent of war. The church is not seen as a very good example of Christ.
Now, in regards to living like Christ. I recommend taking time to go into the wilderness, to read the red letters, to seek out God, to leave the clutter and noise of the cloistered life in order to find God's purpose for your life. Do not think this is a weekend trip to the mountains. This is a long, hard, arduous trip. You will find that Jesus' words in Matthew 10 will resonate more and more with your life.
It will make that whole 'narrow path' comment take on a whole new aspect.
After all of this, community starts to take on a different shape. Just the mere presence of someone seeking after God earnestly is enough. You don't have to sing, you don't have have a building, or go and get coffee. An email, a letter, a phone call means so much more. I carry around a letter from Shane Claiborne as a bookmark. While there is nothing profound in it, the letter is like a connection to something more out there, it is like a reminder that I am part of something, that I am called to something greater, even if it isn't a place I can visit on Sundays.
I travel a lot for my job. I eat many of meals alone while I am on the road. Once when I was in Philly, I went over to see some friends, Chris and Lara Lahr. Now we aren't the best of friends as I had only met them a few times while Joanna was attending Asbury College, but you would never guess it to see us together. Genuine love radiates from that family, genuine. Anyway, I told him I was going to be in the area and maybe we could grab some dinner. Laura thought that maybe I would like something home cooked since I had been on the road so much. We ate lasagna around their table. Yes, it was great. But more importantly, that time of community has sustained me during other periods of travel. I can be sitting in Subway, alone, and still relish that time.
That is the community Christ brought to the world when he ate with the outcasts of society. He validated their worth, by sharing a meal with them. Look how central eating is to his time, to the accounts written about him. It wasn't about politics, or who said what prayer, or any of that man made stuff we have to deal with. It was about validating people, showing them they are worth something.
Community then for us, should be about Christ, about loving people where they are with no hidden agenda to 'fix them', or 'help them get saved'. We can talk all we want, we can create the most bulletproof doctrine, we can have the greatest set of programs, the slickest graphics, the tightest worship team, the most impressive building, but if only supports a cloistered life, then really, what do we have?
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Why Bonhoeffer?
After several failed attempts at creating a blog, I thought maybe I didn't need to bother. After all, isn't blogging just a bit conceited, if not egotistical? The idea that the whole world, or at least the world connected to the Internet, has the opportunity to read what you have to say or even worse, the whole world should read what you have to say is a more than a bit self-aggrandizing, right?
To publish one's opinions or thoughts is a bit of an ego stroking activity, no matter what anyone says, right? Maybe, maybe not. We want to be heard, noticed, recognized. We want people to rally around our words, to agree with us, we don't want to be part of the silent majority. We want to make a difference, to help, to enlighten. We want to provoke, incite, rant, and rave.
Ultimately, we want human contact. We desperately need someone to see more than the false exterior we wear in public. We want to shed the filters society imposes on us. Be it work, school, family, political correctness, church, or any other social institution that forces us to bottle our true thoughts and questions. We want people to see us for who we are...and accept us, faults and all.
We want community. We want real relationships. We look for real connections everywhere. Some better than others.
And that is where Bonhoeffer comes in.
So many have tried to find refuge and some sort of connection within the structure known as 'church', but few have found true, unconditional acceptance or true community within those four walls. Some have never stepped foot in a conventional church, and that may actually be a good thing, because of the hypocrisy.
I think this is a blog for those seeking out something more.
Something more than the daily grind.
Something more than religion.
Something more than empty relationships.
Something more than church as usual where everyone pretends to be O.K.
Something more than bashing 'Christians' for their flakiness and double standards.
This is a blog for those who don't follow a particular set of man-made rules concerning God and church and 'all that stuff'.
This is a blog for those who do.
This is a blog for those who hate church and God and Jesus and have been hurt or burned by someone within its walls.
This is a blog for those who haven't.
This is a blog seeking out true community.
And truth.
And love.
And God.
To publish one's opinions or thoughts is a bit of an ego stroking activity, no matter what anyone says, right? Maybe, maybe not. We want to be heard, noticed, recognized. We want people to rally around our words, to agree with us, we don't want to be part of the silent majority. We want to make a difference, to help, to enlighten. We want to provoke, incite, rant, and rave.
Ultimately, we want human contact. We desperately need someone to see more than the false exterior we wear in public. We want to shed the filters society imposes on us. Be it work, school, family, political correctness, church, or any other social institution that forces us to bottle our true thoughts and questions. We want people to see us for who we are...and accept us, faults and all.
We want community. We want real relationships. We look for real connections everywhere. Some better than others.
And that is where Bonhoeffer comes in.
So many have tried to find refuge and some sort of connection within the structure known as 'church', but few have found true, unconditional acceptance or true community within those four walls. Some have never stepped foot in a conventional church, and that may actually be a good thing, because of the hypocrisy.
Bonhoeffer's writings, many of which were written while under the oppressive regime of the Third Reich, questions mans' motives and visions for church/community. If it weren't for the pressure and heat of the earth, the impurities of coal would never be purged to create a diamond.
So it is with the church.
If Bonhoeffer had not lived out his faith under the intense persecution of Hitler's rule, then it is doubtless his writings would not show us what true church/community would look like with man's impurities removed.
In Life Together, Bonhoeffer quotes Martin Luther,
"The Kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies. And he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the Kingdom of Christ; he wants to be among friends, to sit among roses and lilies, not with the bad people but the devout people. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had done what you are doing who would have ever been spared?"I think this is a blog for those seeking out something more.
Something more than the daily grind.
Something more than religion.
Something more than empty relationships.
Something more than church as usual where everyone pretends to be O.K.
Something more than bashing 'Christians' for their flakiness and double standards.
This is a blog for those who don't follow a particular set of man-made rules concerning God and church and 'all that stuff'.
This is a blog for those who do.
This is a blog for those who hate church and God and Jesus and have been hurt or burned by someone within its walls.
This is a blog for those who haven't.
This is a blog seeking out true community.
And truth.
And love.
And God.
This is a blog for those with something to say, and ultimately, we all have something to say.
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