What is relevance?

I am disturbed that the modern contemporary church and “mega” churches are doing nothing more than creating “Christian subcultures”. We have traded in our role as counterculture for subculture.

Let me elaborate for a moment on what I mean by a Christian subculture. You see it when you go to a Christian music Festival, most people there aren't non-Christians they are Christians there to hear their favorite Christian band. Look at some of the shirts people are wearing, they are usually taken from secular marketing which we usually condemn and replaced with Christian themes (think "A Breadcrumb and a Fish" instead of "Abercrombie and Fitch"). There is a growing concern in the church that we have what is called "Christian consumerism" due to the marketed approach of most companies to appeal to only Christians. Our churches no longer look like churches rather a theater or auditorium doing away with religious symbols. I could go on and on...

What is our responsibility? To be blending in our message with that of the culture only with a "Christian label" making us nothing more than a subculture? Or are we meant to be an active counterculture in our society? Something that doesn't look or feel like anything else. Something genuine. What does that look like for you?

A fellow sojourner... finally!

For those of you who grow tired of today's Contemporary Christian Music scene with all it's false unity and "feel good Christianity" then I invite you to check out a fellow troubadour for the Lord.

Derek Webb used to be a member of the group Caedmon's Call, but in 2003 became a solo artist and has written many poetic/prophetic songs about the Church and her struggles. His albums are:

She Must and Shall Go Free (2003)
I See Things Upside Down (2004)
How to Kill and Be Killed (DVD - 2005)
Mockingbird (2005)

He has become one of my favorite artists. Check out his stuff... you'll be encouraged and offended. But all the while, will see Jesus in the places you would dare not look.

Pieces of the Puzzle

Each lifetime is the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
For some there are more pieces.
For others the puzzle is more difficult to assemble.
Some seem to be born with a nearly completed puzzle.
And so it goes.
Souls going this way and that
Trying to assemble the myriad parts.

But know this. No one has within themselves
All the pieces to their puzzle.
Like before the days when they used to seal jigsaw puzzles in cellophane.
Insuring that all the pieces were there.

Everyone carries with them at least one and probably
Many pieces to someone else's puzzle.
Sometimes they don't know it.
Sometimes they don't know.

And when you present your piece
Which is worthless to you,
To another, whether you know it or not,
Whether they know it or not,
You are a messenger from the Most High.

[Used from Lawrence Kushner's book "Honey from the Rock" pg. 69-70]

We are all doing the the work of God whether we realize it or not. I hope that my "worthless" pieces will be blessings in your life and yours in mine.... let's not wander about unless we do so with grace and mercy!

Rethinking our Oaths

In September, a federal judge from California declared that the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional because the pledge's reference to one nation "under God" violates school children's right to deny the existence of God. This is just a continuation of the previous decisions by the 9th District Court as well as other courts calling for us to really look at how the church and state are intermingled.

First off, I must let you in on where I fall in regards to this issue. Growing up in the denomination that I did and the way that I was raised didn't allow for much of a debate here. I simply chose not to say the Pledge of Allegiance because of a religious conviction. In my tradition (Church of the Brethren) we do not swear an oath or allegiance to anything or anyone but God (see Matt. 5:33-37). So to swear an oath to the United States is by default violating the very intent and (for the literalists) words of Christ. We also, at least historically, have been radical in our advocacy for the seperation of church and state. So you can imagine the kind of looks I got this summer when Brenda and I had to get our marriage license and I refused to swear an oath to the state of Illinois. This caused some confusion on the part of the clerks there and served as a witness to our faith.

Since you have my apparent "bias" in the whole scheme of things I wanted to elaborate on this issue. It should be noted that the words "under God" were not added to the Pledge until 1954 by Congress in response to a vigorous campaign by Knights of Columbus. Since the Pledge of Allegiance was first adopted in 1891, we said it for 63 years without the words "under God." Did God choose not to bless us before we invoked his name? I hardly think so. So why would we be so shocked if a group proposed that it return to its original form?

Here is one possible solution: If Christians are to take Jesus seriously then we should heed the call to pledge our lives to no one but him. That's right no more oaths, no more pledges, no more swearing; this may get us in trouble in this country for not swearing our loyalty to America... but trust me the end reward is much greater. But if this feels too much like treason for you then I propose this: the true measure of our loyalty to God lies not in the "under God" portion of the pledge but rather in the last phrase "justice for all." Maybe we as Christians need to examine that portion of the Pledge and when we do we will come to the horrific conclusion that we as Americans do not seek justice for everyone... only the privileged, popular and wealthy. We impose our sense of justice upon others who are less fortunate.

We need to be reminded of what the prophets in Israel told the people of what God really wants (see Amos 5:24, Micah 6:8). We need to be remided that maybe the Greatest Commission is found in Matthew 25:31-46. The Christian Right wants to become a Christian nation again by posting the Ten Commandments on government property, reinstating prayer in schools and keeping the "under God" in the Pledge all the while neglecting the weightier matters of the law; being justice, mercy and righteousness. Not just on an individual basis but in the framework of the whole community.

How can I begin to critique something that I don't profess in. Simple... for the same reasons those who are offended by the Pledge seek to return it to its original form.

Which is more important to you? The proper words or the proper actions? In doing so you'll find out who the God is that you worship and serve.

Have mercy!

Life has been full of grace in the past few months with the only pitfall being that I have not had an outlet to feel like I can worship in my own way... not by myself but rather in the context of a community. I am certain that most pastors deal with this from time to time. In our planning the worship and preaching from week to week, it becomes difficult to really immerse yourself in the experience of worship. So for me the outlet has become reading the scriptures and the devotional classics. This renewed interest has come from the actualization that I have not had the most fulfilling devotional life of late. Maybe it is a chain reaction of sorts, if you are feeling less than worshipful then you may be just as willing to neglect the care of your soul through devotional reading of the scriptures and great writers of yesteryear. In this reading, my focus has been to attempt to see the "intent of God" beyond simply the "word of God." Sometimes we give the words so much power that we can't see what lies beyond them.

Walter Brueggeman once said that "the greatest theme in all of scripture is that God continually breaks his own rules," this is known by another name as well: mercy. The reoccuring theme of God breaking his rules to show us mercy is astounding. What we crucify God will resurrect. What we hate God will love. We need only to see Jesus to really "get this". Maybe I need to be more intent on thanking God for that mercy. Maybe I need to begin to demonstrate that in my own life. Why do we play by the rules? In society? In our faith community? Maybe because we have begun to create God in our image. We forget to see the mercy that is poured out on us all. I want to be that kind of mercy... maybe through reconnecting with the scriptures this mercy will unfold.

In defense of real Christianity...

My response to Augsburger's 3rd issue.

If we try to use religion to aggrandize the self, we're on the wrong path. - Richard Rohr

If America ever becomes a "Christian Nation" again, I just might have to apply for citizenship in Canada. Don't get me wrong, there are many things about America that I do love (even as often as I say I don't). Free speech, the right to practice whatever religion I want etc... But I have a struggle with what Augsburger defines as "Traditional Conservatives" and their plight to mandate and sanctify the state. It is the mentality that America is this autonomous nation that is somehow divine in it's noble pupose. I've been told by folks from other countries that they cannot help but to chuckle when the phrase "God Bless America" is spoken or sung because of this hallucinatory image that God actually favors any particular nation. I would be interested in looking at the Hebrew language in the Old Testament and see how the word "nation" is actually translated. It is my understanding that the concept of a nation is something that really did not come into being until around 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia. Any history folks out there please help me out here!

We are living in an age where Christianity is continually being shaped in the image of how we choose to define it. It is precisly what is happening in the U.S. as "actors, wrestlers, people who have no sense of public service, moneymakers and cowboys are the personalities who are elected heads of state..."1 It is a definition of Christianity that is far from Christ's example and is only pissing off more and more extremists. Quite simply, Traditional conservatives have blurred the true identity of the church. Why haven't we in the church stood up to say something in the defense of Christianity. We are moving away from a movement that sought to transform the lives of every human on earth to a nationalism that is neither healthy nor transformative.

When we in the church stand up for the biblical principles like pro-life issues (anti-abortion, anti-death penalty & anti-war) those in power choose to proof-text the scriptures and only identify with issue that Jesus doesn't feel the need to address. The U.S. who has a history of wars, seems to only really thrive on the emotion of patriotism when we are in a time of war... which seemingly has to occur about every 10 years.

Simply put, to be a Christian living in America today is to be living under a microscope... maybe just as much as our Muslim brothers and sisters. This God who is beyond our comprehensions yet present within our souls calls us into a compassion for the whole of humanity and to hold governments responsible for the fair treatment of all humanity. It is part of Jesus' call to repentance and transformation. If we are content to allow the Traditional conservatives in our churches and government to hi-jack Christianity then we will have to make do with an ever broadening expansion of a nationalist religion. If that should ever happen in my lifetime... then I can hear the sweet music... "O Canada!"

1 - from Richard Rohr's book Adam's Return, pgs. 75-76.

Quarter of a century

I am 25 years old today. If I have learned anything in my short 25 years, it is that I don't see the world as it really is... I only see it as I am. I'm working on that... trying to put on the mind of Christ in all that I do. I hope that you can help me because God knows I didn't make it this far on my own (really it's not that far) ... I had a little help... Will you continue to help me? I may only be 25... but I am.

Are we life-giving or life-draining?

I just returned from a truly life-giving weekend with my fiancée, Brenda. We were encouraged to attend a Mennonite/Brethren Engaged Encounter weekend retreat. This was a time for the two of us to reflect, pray, discern and write together.
It was led by a Mennonite “Senior Couple” who had been married 40 years and two “Junior Couples” who had been married 5 and 9 years. The format was quite simple and easy to follow, I will not elaborate more than I should for dread that I would give away more than is needed; I mean the experience itself should still be a bit mysterious.
I must admit that I was a bit skeptical at first for two reasons: 1) in our 4 ½ years together how much of the content would my fiancée and I have already addressed or discussed? 2) even though it was with our fellow Mennonites (who are Anabaptists just like us Brethren) I was fearful because the setting was at an evangelical Bible College, which to me meant that there would be a strong emphasis (or even guilt trip) on certain morals or values that maybe Brenda and I did not hold in common with the presenting couples.
Needless to say, none of those doubts were still in tact by Saturday afternoon, I had fully surrendered to something greater than myself. I had encountered the two great loves in my life; Jesus Christ and Brenda. I honestly cannot remember a time where I felt more loved! There is also something to be said about being in community during such a time. It helped to have other couples around who were discerning the very things we were, we could lean on each other, pray, eat and laugh together.
I will be an advocate for Engaged Encounters for the rest of my life. It was because if this experience that I know that Brenda and I are called to share this journey called marriage for the rest of our life together!
There are all kinds of different Engaged and Marriage Encounters that span between denominations and you could easily use a search engine to access any number of them.

It wasn’t until I got back home that I began to think about how the connection to Christ and the Church is much the same. The relationship of the Church and Christ has been often referred to as the bride to the bridegroom. My struggle is that what happens too often today is that the bridegroom is standing in the front awaiting his bride, the back doors are opened, the processional music is started and all the attendants are standing waiting with gladness. And the bride is nowhere to be found.
The imagery in Revelation (which by the way I rarely, if ever preach from) is so palatable for my circumstance today that I cannot overlook its importance. Have we really left Christ standing at the altar? Yes, we have. Does he ever leave? No, he waits like a child for the return of his bride. We would quickly begin the blame game for who is at fault rather than waiting.
I also had a greater awareness that sometimes I am too critical of the church and am always emphasizing the need for change. What would have happened had my mentality been the same towards Brenda this weekend? We might have called off the relationship had either of us done that! I realized that it is often just recognizing the very things that the church does do well that I need to better emphasize and love. I can give the space for change if Brenda wants to, the same goes for the church. One of the ways we really begin to reconnect is when we don’t demand such an emphasis on the change but simply love the church for what it is, faults and all, like we would our husband or wife.
There is a link between the high divorce rate in this country and the church losing members. What we do to each other, who we can see; is just as easily done to someone we cannot see (or choose not to see). That is why I identified so much with what was happening during the weekend; Brenda and I went so that our relationship and upcoming marriage would be stronger and more centralized in Christ. This is precisely the same reason that we attend retreats that cater to our spiritual needs. This is why I have a calling to lead retreats someday. It’s the ability to help repair or strengthen the relationship before divorce becomes the only option. We should all be such agents!

It's what's in here, not out there

This is the second post in response to Augsburger’s reflection on the Kingdom of God.

So much of our lives are lived in what I call the “when I…” stage. We tend to live out our deepest desires and our goals in an anticipation that says very boldly “when I get to this place in my life” or “when I am here I’ll be able to do this”.

Maybe we pattern ourselves in the same fashion in our understanding of the Kingdom of God. If the Kingdom of God is at hand as Jesus readily proclaims (see Mark 1:15) then how can it be something “out there” or looming on the horizon? If it is, then there is really no point in paying attention to the reality of our circumstance now. Everything suffers; our work, our marriage, our relationships, our churches and our faith. It is renewing us and transforming us daily; the Kingdom of God is inside you and all around you (see Gospel of Thomas 3rd pericope). It is easy to get lost in the modern interpretations and apocalyptic writings that sit atop the “Bestseller List” that would paint the picture of the Kingdom coming as a great battle that will take place between Christ and Satan. People who say “yes” to the previous observation most likely will not see the unfolding revelation of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ in their own lives today. Indeed the Kingdom of God is at hand… through the works of our hands. Not some distant future… but in the present that is… us.

Incarnational Pattern

I’m beginning to pray that we can eradicate our propensity to categorize people or put them into appropriate “camps”. Labeling has become such an insipid form of placing people into our perceptual boxes, no wonder they and we actually start to reside in those spaces. As often as I attempt to avoid using a label for a person, administration, movement, etc..; I can’t help but to find myself falling back into the very thing I am running from. So I hesitate, mumble under my breath and use those words that have become so empty, words like “conservative”, “traditional”, “liberal”, “progressive” and better yet attach a fitting prefix such as “Neo-” or “Ultra-”. It just doesn’t do the person or my sense of understanding any justice [see Luke 6:37], in fact, it actually hinders my own comprehension of that person’s character. This is probably most prevalent in regards to theological, social and political contexts. It is true though, we eventually start to live up to our labels (if we agree with them). And those labels never do so much harm as they do in the midst of our congregations. This is why I believe that Myron Augsburger’s article best identifies with this Third Way that should be present in our faith journeys; even though I don’t necessarily agree with his labels. I, considering myself to be a lib... (dammit I’m doing it again)! Oh never mind! Here is my response to his first issue: New Birth.

Where in scripture is there an emphasis that our salvation is a sign-sealed-delivered one-time experience? Is not our journey of faith a daily surrender and transformation to the image and identity of Jesus? When did it become such an emotional and one-time event as so prevalent the thought in today’s church? I read once that the term “born again” was a phrase that was not used hardly if ever before the 19th century, it became a prominent “catchphrase” in the American South starting around that time. It seems that for the modern church and it’s understanding of “rebirth” should in some form parallel our physical birth, full of blood, sweat, pain and tears. Is this the only “authentic” conversion experience? Does it get any more emotional than to be in the delivery room at the moment a child is born? Maybe not, then again I wouldn’t know, since I have not yet experienced this joy and grace as a father. Why are people who are raised in the church, who don’t have a conversion moment (even though most would probably say that there were a series of moments) viewed with some skepticism? I wholeheartedly believe that our conversion and transformation into the image of Christ is something that happens initially once (or better said when we become aware of it) and then is a regeneration process for the rest of our lives. If we ever believe that we have truly attained our salvation then maybe that is precisely when we are in danger of losing it (Luke 5:31-32). For truly Paul understood it when he said that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12). Not just once, but for our whole lives!

Biblical conservatives try to follow Christ in every way, which sometimes makes them liberal.

This is an article in Mennonite Weekly Review written by Myron S. Augsburger, entitled “The Kinds of Conservatives We Should Be”. I will be commenting and posting on this article for my next couple of posts, for now I wanted to post this so that you could read it and be better prepared for my responses.

February 14, 2005, page 7

“Dividing people into two categories, liberal and conservative, fails to recognize those who try to follow a third way, accepting some things and rejecting others from both the left and the right. I believe we should be biblical conservatives-that is, Christians who seek to be faithful to God in his Word written. This will make us theologically conservative. But it does not require us to be politically or socially conservative. When we take Jesus’ commands to love our neighbors as ourselves and to love our enemies, this discipleship will mean that a truly biblical conservative will be a social liberal. Many Mennonites and other Anabaptists, many African Americans and many ‘progressive’ evangelicals will be a social liberal. One characteristic of our humanness is that we submit to Scripture’s authority, we must recognize the presuppositions we bring to Scripture. Often what divides Christians is not what the Word says, but what we understand it to say. A commitment of being honest about what we bring to scripture distinguishes authentic conservatism from unhealthy traditionalism. The latter is bondage and legalism. The former allows freedom to interpret and contextualize while being true to Scripture’s meaning. Traditional conservatives, I believe, are not conservative enough. They do not stand firmly for the whole of scripture nor let it actually be the authority in correcting a given base. I have selected seven issues that illustrate differences between biblical conservatives and traditional conservatives. These differences are stated in terms of what we should do to be biblical conservatives.”

1. “We must understand the new birth as beginning a daily walk with Christ, not as an emotional, one-time experience. Traditional conservatives, emphasizing the new birth as a crisis experience, often fail to emphasize the life of discipleship with Jesus. Biblical conservatism means walking with Jesus in life, being conformed to his image. One cannot be truly a Christian and live by a private piety. Nor can one assume that being saved means that one’s convictions are automatically conformed to the will of God. Our regeneration is a work of the Holy Spirit recreating us to true selfhood. We are to ‘work out’ [our] salvation with fear and trebling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Phil. 2:12-13).”

2. “We must give priority to God’s kingdom in life relationships now. Traditional conservatives tend to see the kingdom of God only as a future happening. They read the Bible as a flat book and miss the unfolding revelation to its full expression in the Incarnation. They tend to take many biblical statements in a literalistic way, except those that don’t fit their presuppositions. Often they minimize being members of the kingdom of God now. We are born into the kingdom. This is a new relationship and order of life in the present. Eventually Jesus will complete building this kingdom and will turn it over to the Father (1 Cor. 15:24). Paul writes that we are citizens of heaven now (Phil. 3:20)”

3. “We need a biblical understanding of the state. Traditional conservatives fall prey to “God-and-America” ideas that neglect caring for the whole human family. Rather than being a Christian influence in the social order, as salt and light, they give the impression that they want to sanctify the state and have it mandate religious ideals… Biblical conservatives seek to be in the world but not of the world, living as resident aliens, seeking to express the will of God in society rather than trying to impose our convictions on others. Interestingly, traditional conservatives seek to confront the state with a higher will on issues such as prayer in public schools and abortion, but they become critical when biblical conservatives confront the state on additional issues such as war. God has ordained government to secure order in society. God has not ordained any specific government or leader, but government in general. Our witness to government should be to call it to be fair and just in its treatment of all people.”

4. “We need to follow Jesus’ command to love our enemies. Traditional conservatives apply this teaching to personal relationships but not to the social and political order. They claim to serve God even when carrying out the state’s violence. If one believes war can be just, it would seem logical that one should carefully examine whether a particular war is just or not. But such a judgment would be seen by many traditional conservatives as unpatriotic. Biblical conservatives are pacifists simply because we want to follow Jesus. Our pacifism must be clearly distinguished from a liberal pacifism based on humanism. Contrary to what some evangelicals believe, pacifism does not weaken America, or any other nation, but enriches it. Love must be our way of life.”

5. “We must be better stewards of material resources. Traditional conservatives tend to elevate capitalism as though it is the Christian approach to the material order. Many seem to measure God’s blessings by material prosperity. Some imply that God guarantees financial success to the faithful and that this is an essential aspect of true faith. Biblical conservatives emphasize dimensions of stewardship that promote equity and mutuality to meet human need. Jesus taught that we are not to hoard wealth but to share with the needy. Felix Manz said, ‘What is mine is the church’s if my brother has need.’ God has promised to supply our needs, not out wants. Christians should live at the median level of their community of residence rather than at a superior level. We should not spend on ourselves to the extent that we neglect the needs of our world.”

6. “We need to take a service approach to mission as we share Jesus’ message. Many traditional conservatives are so focused on ‘getting saved’ that they fail to model discipleship or to pursue evangelism that engages people in discipleship. The result is a conflict between religions and arguments over religious values rather than an emphasis on a covenant response to God. Our mission and evangelism must follow Jesus’ teaching that we are to relate to others by being servants. We need to serve in the spirit of Jesus, serving others as they need to be served and not as we want to be served. The Master has given us the ministry of reconciliation and has called us to be ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:18-20). If we go with Western arrogance, power, dominance and immodesty, we invalidate the gospel. Paul writes that we should not let the world squeeze us into its mold, but by the transforming grace of God demonstrate his good and perfect will (Rom. 12:2).”

7. “Our mission must be global and beyond nationalism. The traditionalist conservative finds it easy to endorse Zionism-establishing and preserving, at any cost, and Israeli state. The biblical conservative follows Paul’s teaching that Jesus broke down the wall to make of Jew and Gentile one new humanity, so making peace (Eph. 2:14-16). The biblical conservative sees the Incarnation as the final word of God and does not see a return to the Old Testament Jewish practices as a way of salvation in the future. The presence of the Jew anywhere in the world is a sermon for Jehovah. It is for us, by a spirit of grace, to help Jew and Arab, Jew and Gentile, to understand that God is creating ‘One new community’ in Christ. ‘For other foundation no one can lay that is laid, which is Jesus Christ’ (1 Cor. 3:11).”

Crazy?... or just faithful?

This is an article that I wrote about the congregation that I serve as pastor of and their story and courage of faith; it was in the Spring '05 Church of the Brethren Young Adult Newsletter "Bridge".

“You’re wasting your time and your breath!” was one response. “There is no way we can afford to do something like this,” replied another. There are a great number of items, ideas and agendas that could surely provoke such responses in our churches today. It isn’t too far fetched to think that most individuals, congregations, districts and the denomination haven’t done something in the past five years that has led people to think they’re crazy, depending on which side of the aisle you’re on.

At the South/Central Indiana District Conference last fall, the West Manchester Church of the Brethren and its average 35 weekly worshipers made a challenge to individuals, congregations, the district and the denomination that to date has not been matched by any other congregation. What did they propose? At the church’s fall council meeting, one brave soul dared to challenge the congregation’s members in such a time of financial woes to double their annual giving to the Church of the Brethren General Board… double! Crazy? Maybe. Waste of resources? Possibly. Act of faith? Certainly (see Hebrews 11).

At a time when the denomination has experienced a downward trend in budget, cutbacks to staff, not to mention a gradual decline in membership, such a decision to do something about it seems… well... crazy. This church chose to lift up and place their faith in the denomination in their struggle to bring forth the Kingdom of God on earth. It seemed that the response of “Are they crazy?” was one that the congregation didn’t seek but can rightly reply “No, not
crazy… just faithful.”

It seems that we can no longer take the unpaved road unless we choose to miss life’s central and transformative pattern. It would have been all too easy to do nothing about this “crisis,” to put it simply. Our denomination at best can level off right now with little hope of real growth (I am speaking of a numbers game here not necessarily spiritual growth, though it is not limited what growth can be). West Manchester is awaiting a response from another congregation to their challenge so that they may partner together for the benefit of the denomination and the glory of God. The congregation acted on the statement that was made by one Annual Conference Steering Committee member that said, “We do not have a money problem we have a tithing problem.” This comment motivated the church to do something about it as best as they could. Most every individual or congregation has a story of how “in faith” they set out to do something and then acted on it, and God responded to their faith with faithfulness. What’s your story? “This is hopefully the start of many good things to come,” said one member after the decision was made to double their giving. It is not a boastful statement that was made, rather a faithful one; it’s the ability to trust in something or some One greater than yourself. That is precisely what the call to faith is.

If conventional Twelve-Step wisdom has taught us anything, we have to be sick and tired of being sick and tired before recovery can begin. Simply put, the Church of the Brethren is sick and tired. And the question remains, like a mirror on our wall that won’t let go of our “image,” what are we going to do about it? Only when this question is asked will recovery, or maybe better said, transformation (which is what the Gospel is all about) begin to take place in us, our congregations and our denomination.

An Authentic Church? What would that look like?

One meaning of the word authentic is: to be true to one's own personality, spirit, or character. It is a word that I have wrestled with quite literally during my college years. There is nothing about me that, when I engage people, seeks to be conformed to some preconceived notion. It is my hope that people are touched by my quest to be a person of authenticity, integrity and conviction. In my own naiveté, I realize that isn’t always the case, as long as they can, people will continually pigeon-hole anything about me.

So I wonder if my struggle to be authentic is seen as an extension of the church that I belong to, is there a sense of authenticity within the modern church today? Is there something that sets it apart from all the other institutions on the earth? Or has the church become so mainstream that there is nothing about it that appeals to people’s needs or interests?

The Church of the Brethren has become a mainstream church that has lost its heritage that was specifically from an Anabaptist and Pietist background. Maybe it is because we sought to become more ecumenical and lost sight of what made us different from other churches. If we are in an age that is beginning to respect diversity then we must remind ourselves that it is alright to be different from other groups. Unity became the goal so we took our eyes from the path that brought us to the place we are. We’ve severed our roots and grafted them with others. If we are to survive it will be returning to our “spiritual ancestral birth.”

The “contemporary church movement” has attempted to do a new thing by adapting to the age it lives in; in doing so it has lost it’s authenticity by choosing to be no different than the culture. We would rather wear a mask and cover the true identity and image of the Body of Christ. We have worship services that resemble concerts and appeal to nothing more than a spirituality seemingly based on emotion. Our evangelism efforts have become little more than a salesman who is no longer familiar with the product he is selling. Discipleship has become a warehouse where disciples are no longer formed but manufactured to have a set of fixed ideas, theology or correct head answers to heartfelt questions. Any emphasis on asking questions is subdued by the fact that our culture and churches are persistently answer-oriented (just see how often the phrase “Jesus is the Answer” is used today). Any kind of spiritual formation is viewed with suspicion & hesitation and generally regarded as something New Age. We no longer have the “elder” office within the church and replaced it with the professional pastor that is often asked to be more like the CEO of a Fortune 500 company than the spiritual leader of a community. A shift must occur to the bi-vocational pastor who has a foot firmly planted in the church and the world the church seeks to serve. We have mega-churches that appeal to our one-stop-shop mentality. Ironically enough, it is the churches that are choosing to become “contemporary” by blending themselves with the culture, are the ones that are growing in leaps and bounds. Further proof that we really do not want a new thing, we’d rather have the familiar and comfortable. At the present rate if all we do is become mega churches, we could in theory have large houses of worship with massive amounts of worshipers who are more content to worship Jesus than to follow him. Thus, we never really mature into an adult faith. The other end of the spectrum is those congregations that are quite content with the way things are; they fear the new thing.

The Post-Modern Church is about marking a returning to the very things that have become lost. This new thing that God is doing isn’t going to be recognizable; rather it will be distinctly ancient, yet not so far removed from the longing of our hearts. It will be familiar only by our connection with the tradition that surrounds it. I believe that in our culture today we are experiencing another renaissance. One in which we cannot deny the vast number of innovations and intellectual thought that seem to be emerging within the culture. We are no longer as dependant upon one another as we once were. We let machines do our thinking and working for us. We are experiencing a new kind of ‘humanism” in the world today that is vastly different from the term that was used 600 years ago. This has led to an increase in eschatological thinking, blaming the modern humanists or other people who do not “have it right” for the wrath of God. Quite simply, we no longer offer hope… only fear; the one thing that is contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Be not afraid!!).

On the heels of that renaissance will be another reformation. Not one that seeks to divide (even though the reformers would say that it was never their intention to divide the church) but rather a reunification of the church. It will not establish some new denomination or church rather it will be a reclaiming of what has been lost in the pace of our culture. This will occur within the North American Church as people who refuse to identify themselves with the emerging mystique that has become increasingly more “Americanized.”

If the church is to ever regain its authenticity it will be by returning to the things that make the church distinctively different from the surrounding culture. I will elaborate on some of the ideas contained in a letter written by Paul Grout who is currently working on the formation of “A Place Apart”, an intentional Christian Community that seeks to train people to be truly alive. Listed below are a sample of things that must be rediscovered if we are to ever reclaim what has been lost:

- We will no longer give lip service in our proclamation and worship of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior; it will be our identifying with his life, teachings, miracles, suffering, death and resurrection; this is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
- The empowerment and guidance of the Holy Spirit will once again take precedent in our lives.
- A return to and love for simplicity and creation.
- Daily worship that seeks to bring together heart, soul and mind (Deut. 6:5).
- Daily conversion and transformation that surrenders our will to God.
- Promoting a lifestyle of working for peace and justice.
- Silence and solitude will not be feared but enjoyed.
- Reading the Holy Scriptures through the lens of faith and with sheer wonder and awe.
- The healing of our wounded ness and souls.
- The casting off of fears that so govern our daily lives and choices, and transforming it into pure joy and thanksgiving for life.

If we really are at a crossroad in the life of the church then it is my belief that we must come full circle in regards to what we have tried and succeeded at, as well as what we have failed at. For both are full of the grace of God. If we are to ever become true to our own spirit and character we may have to follow the path that T.S. Eliot so wonderfully ascribed, “The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.”

Be perfect

Anthony De Mello tells a story of a little town in America where people gathered in the evening to make music. They had a saxophonist, a drummer, and a violinist, mostly older people. They got together for the company and for the sheer joy of making music, even though they didn't do it very well. So they were enjoying themselves and having a good time, until one day they decided to get themselves a new conductor who had a lot of ambition and drive. The new conductor told them, "Hey folks, we need to have a concert for the whole town." Then he gradually got rid of some people who didn't play very well, hired a few professional musicians, got an orchestra into shape, and they got all their names in the newspaper. They eventually decided to move to the big city and play there. But some of the older people had tears in their eyes. They said, "It was so wonderful in the old days when we did things badly and enjoyed them".

Our culture is one that, at our birth, has instilled in us the impulse to continually never be satisfied with ourselves. There are times when this can be healthy for us, but most often it is one that destroys our esteem. Under the multitude of fads and obsessions are people who want to be simply themselves... completely, wholly, broken. Maybe that is what Jesus meant by saying "be perfect", or complete. God wants us to be whole humans, even as badly as we fail to be!

Living with Interruptions

This is a copy of portions of a sermon that I preached last year during Lent, I got to thinking this year about how "the interruptions" are ruling my life again. It is good to remember the cross...

Living with Interruptions
Isaiah 58:8-9a
March 24, 2004
North Section CoB Lenten Series

I have a disclaimer for this evening’s message. And it is this: You can never play the role of a prophet until you have discovered in yourself that which you accuse others of.

It’s called the “But-First” syndrome. You know. It’s when you decide to do the laundry. So you start down the stairs with the laundry, but then you see the newspapers on the table, ok you’ll do the laundry.
But first, you decide to put the newspapers away. So on your way in to put the newspapers away, you notice the mail on the table. Ok you’ll put the newspapers away. But first you’ll pay that bill that needs to be paid. So you look for the checkbook. Oops... there’s the baby bottle from yesterday on the floor. Ok you’ll pay the bill.
But first you need to put the bottle in the sink. You head for the kitchen. Oh man, there’s the remote for the TV. What’s it doing here? Isn’t that normally attached to my husband’s hand? Oh well! You need to put the bottle in the sink. But first you need to put the remote away. Head for the living room and you step on the dog and the remote control flies out of your hand. The dog limps over to the remote and tries to eat it. You then remember that the dog needs to be fed. Ok you’ll put the remote away. But first you need to feed the dog....
So here’s what happens at the end of the day... laundry not done, newspapers on the floor, bottle on the table, bills unpaid, checkbook still lost, dog ate the remote control, and husband can’t watch television without the remote.... And when you try to figure out how come not a thing got done all day, you are baffled because... you know that you were busy all day!

“Your light shall break forth like the dawn”, says the author of Isaiah. You know, maybe not! I mean not with all these distractions and interruptions in our lives, can our light ever truly break forth? It depends, I believe, on our mentality.

Maybe we are as Richard Rohr says “in the middle of a 2nd Copernican Revolution. The first Copernican Revolution was during the 17th Century and was the realization that the earth is not the center of the universe; it is merely just a small dot in the mix of something much bigger. The second Copernican Revolution is the realization that I am not the center of the universe and that the world does not revolve around me”. And if we are honest with ourselves, anything that gets in the way of our “self” becomes the distraction that keeps us from ourselves.

Then Jesus, as he always does which is always too much for us, tells us what it means to be a follower. “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who will lose their life for my sake will find it.” You see our life was never really ours, it is God’s. Yet we cling to our “selves” in fear that the image of God may indeed begin to reveal itself in us.

Here it is. The great interruption, the cross of our life, the thing that asks us to give up our own lives, which sadly enough most of us have never done or are willing to do. Sure many of us have given it up in our heads, but as we know this isn’t a spirituality of the head rather of the heart, the gut. In our culture and in the church today it is too much to ask of us to take up our cross and follow the victim, the lamb… and if we were honest we really wanted a lion. We can never take up our cross or deny our selves without first letting go of our lives. We tend to put off the interruption even in the language we use. We have chosen to only worship Jesus rather than to also follow him, because we know that the moment we choose to follow him, we will be asked to lose everything. And that my brothers and sisters is too much of an interruption in our lives. Therefore, it becomes safer to just worship Christ, which he never once told us to do, than to follow him which he told us to do seventeen times.

Henry Nouwen tells the story of a time when he visited the University of Notre Dame. He met an older, experienced professor who had spent most of his life there. The professor said with a certain melancholy in his voice, “You know my whole life I have been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted, until one day I discovered that my interruptions were my work.”

Has the cross… maybe better said has your cross become a part of your work? A part of your life? Or has it merely become another interruption in your life, one that gets put off ‘til the next day then the next and so on. Your vindicator has gone before you, set his face to Jerusalem, and bore his cross, died so that you/we may live.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus’ death allows for us to live completely and wholly in the presence and love of God. And here comes the paradox: In order to live this abundant life we must move toward the fringes of our lives so that we may truly live from the center. So prepare… to live with the interruption. It’s about letting that great interruption become a part of who you are and who you are becoming in Christ. Then maybe just maybe your light will begin to break forth like the dawn. Rest assured…. It won’t be your light but the light of Christ that dwells within you.

Will they (Global Community) ever trust us again?

The following post comes from an edited analysis that I did for class. This post is simply notes that were taken with some of my own thoughts. So it might seem a little scattered but I felt that it is an important conversation that American's need to be engaged in if we are to ever be effective in the international community again.

What is America’s role in the world? Depending on who you ask, you might get a variety of responses with many variables. In spite of what the United States government and the media may project, there is a growing concern on campuses; in communities and globally that the U.S. is not taking a responsible role with its supremacy, resources and foreign policy. This perspective is one that is seen through the eyes of those who have more international ties and not conducive to our own opinions, beliefs and persuasions.

I will be reflecting and commenting on notes that I took on presentations that took place during Manchester College's tradition of Discussion Day with the 2005 topic "America's Role in the World - An International Perspective". The first will be Dr. G. John Ikenberry’s speech on “American Power and the Future of World Order”, in which Ikenberry discusses America’s power in regards to foreign policy and global responsibilities. The second will be the Rev. William Sloane Coffin’s “A Lover’s Quarrel with His Country”, in which Coffin discusses ways in which we define patriotism and what the real “axis of evil” is and how to fight it.

Dr. Ikenberry, Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University, as well as, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs’ presentation dealt with the subject matter in which his life has been immersed in, foreign policy and international affairs.
His presentation discussed such items as the military golf courses that are abroad, 123 of them to be exact; to using such realistic quotes as “The U.S. and Europe only have about 20 years left to have their hands on global influence before countries like China and India become major players as well”. As far as the U.S. foreign policy he said that if we could just be willing to become an equal exchange partner when it comes to fair trade, soldiers wouldn’t have to cross borders.
He named five shifts that are taking place in today’s world that were not present following the Second World War. They are in order: a decline in old threats, a rise of new non-national threats, the privatization (and rhetoric that gives power) of war, the rise of the U.S. as a single superpower (unipolarity), the rise of new power centers such as China and India and the rise of religious extremism. These have led to such events as 9/11 and the War on Terror.
He also listed three arguments that reinforce the shifts taking place within the U.S. government and its policies. Such reasons as looking to the past to see what the future will be like, the Bush Revolution that gives power to neoconservatives that want to solve the world’s problems and that long term shifts play a major part in the role of change. “If the U.S. does not have a positive impact on international relations, then we will fail as a superpower and a nation. And if we fail as a superpower we will be supplanted by a stronger one.”
In conclusion, Dr. Ikenberry made a strong claim that “if the United States does not have a positive impact and bind itself to the international community we will be unsuccessful as a superpower and a nation”. He closed his presentation with a quote from Paracletes that said “I worry less about strategies of my enemies than I do of my own estate.”

Rev. William Sloane Coffin, an advocate for progressive Christianity and long-time supporter for an end to the nuclear race, had a video presentation that discussed how we can better fight the “axis of evil” by naming what exactly that is as well as defining exactly what are the true/false notions of a patriot in the United States.
He encapsulated the emotion that Americans felt following 9/11. “The insecurity produced by 9/11 is responsible largely for the fresh militancy in this country… We have a self-righteousness now that comes from feeling unfairly hurt… a lot of people in the world are being unfairly hurt. But we closed in on ourselves and now the most powerful nation in the world became the victim of victim-hood… after 9/11 we had the world’s good will and we have squandered it!” He then describes the response to that “felt” sense of insecurity that we expressed to the global community, “The United States that has become “a victim of victim-hood”.
Rev. Coffin had a wealth of quotes such as: “My pride swollen face has closed up mine eyes” from St. Augustine; “To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men and women”, by Abraham Lincoln; and the French philosopher Pascal that said: “Human beings never do evil so cheerfully as when they do it out of religious conviction.” All of these anecdotes heightened the awareness of our current circumstance in America that Rev. Coffin asked the audience to identify with.
He continued to discuss the U.S.’s foreign policy and apathetic tendencies when it comes to poverty, pollution and warfare. “Our military budget alone is greater than the next 15 military budgets combined… we’re acting like winners that couldn’t care less about the losers.” He continued with what most Americans would counter as anti-American, “We know that dissent is not disloyal. What is unpatriotic is subservience.”
According to Coffin there are three kinds of patriotism. “The two bad ones are “uncritical love of your country” and “loveless criticism”. While the good patriots are “those who can carry on a lover’s quarrel with their country… as a reflection of God’s eternal love quarrel with the entire world.” We as citizens can address the flaws of the country in such a way that we are “true patriots”.
“We need a single standard… there must be either universal permission or universal prohibition”, as it pertains to the nuclear arms race and those countries that have chosen to practice a nuclear apartheid. Rev. Coffin’s conclusion that most impacted the audience was his claim that “the axis of evil is not Iran, Iraq and North Korea. A much more formidable trio is environmental degradation, pandemic poverty, and a world awash with weapons”. The moment we start to focus on these evils, our world will be better suited to take care of, and not destroy one another.

I would conclude by saying that we must allow truth to invade our being, truth that at the same time gives us reassurance that we effectively preserve our own stances while still able to cry at the wrongdoing that takes place within the very fabric of our society. Both Ikenberry and Coffin would say that we can not go on as we have been, otherwise we are sure to see doom that spans not only our nation but the world. What effect will this have on our lives today? How can we be true patriots? How can we better bind ourselves to one another? What will happen when we finally do?

Engagement Announcement

Duane & Linda Simler of Lena, IL are announcing the engagement and upcoming marriage of their daughter Brenda Sue Simler to Randall Lee Westfall.

The bride-to-be is a 1999 graduate of Lena-Winslow High School in Lena, IL and a 2003 graduate of Manchester College in Indiana, with a degree in Non-Profit Management. She is currently employed as Evening Program Coordinator with the YWCA Self-Sufficiency Program in Fort Wayne, IN, working with domestic violence intervention for women and children.

The groom-to-be is a 1999 graduate of Greenville Senior High School in Greenville, OH and is currently a junior at Manchester College in Indiana pursuing a degree in Religion & Psychology. Currently, he is serving as pastor of the West Manchester Church of the Brethren in North Manchester, IN. He is the son of Jerry & the late Connie Westfall of Greenville, OH.

The couple is planning a wedding for the 30th of July 2005 at the Freeport Church of the Brethren in Freeport, IL.

Our Wedding Webpage is:

http://weddings.theknot.com/pwp/view/co_main.aspx?coupleid=3244317169327836

I know ... no I don't

I find myself saying a lot these days "I know" which really might be because I am back on campus and being away for sometime tends to provoke that in the wayward sojourner. So much of my life is extracted from the things that I claim to see. The truth be told, I am seeing the world as I am, not from reality. And if prayer is as Evelyn Underhill states "turning to reality", then maybe I could see much better by closing my eyes. In reading the John 9 story maybe we can begin to "get this". I say "I see" and "I know", so my sin (or whatever word best describes your "falling out") remains.

Maybe this whole journey of faith really is about "not knowing", isn't that precisely what faith is? To have a beginner's mind (see Luke 18:17) as the Zen Buddhists would say, means that we can never really claim to know anything and the moment that we do... we become dangerous. Something that you could find in both spectrums of the liberal/conservative divide. I'm not advocating any kind of genuine idiocricy (though if you look up the word "idiot" in its original Greek meaning you would find that it is a man who has not held together the masculine & feminine aspects of his soul), but there is something to be said of people who can continually run the gambit of saying even though I may claim to know this, what is it teaching me or asking of me?

I believe our Western minds has not created any real room for possibility that we don't know. I understand this especially since I am a Type 5 personality in the Enneagram. Which means I am a "Perceiver" and the source of my greatest strength and weakness is attaining knowledge. I soak up as much information and knowledge as I can in hopes that it will take me somewhere. It will eventually, in America, take me somewhere, however that somewhere my not be where my soul really finds rest. If we can only begin to learn or un-learn that we really don't have it all figured out then I believe that grace can really be present in our lives and as we become present for others.

Connie Sue

when you drew your last breath
a part of me left as well
I know I must go on living
my heart cannot bear this farewell

here I stand at your grave
with so much I wanted to say
I can feel you here
as though my breath were yours

all I can do is release....

A Place to Start...

I believe that my life in recent years has been one of liminality. You know, not quite to the next phase of a journey or in the hallway but not into the next room that you want or need to be in. This has been my life for the better part of the last 3 years, knowing that I can't quite get to the room that I must be in, from the room I just came from. Struggle, anger, tears and loss were the catapult that had to thrust me from the "threshold" into the place I am now in. It was precisely those things that I couldn't do anything about that ultimatley did something to me. Liminal space can best be defined as "between" or even on the "cusp" of something new.
So it made sense to me when it came time to start thinking about posting my own blog that I would aptly name and claim it in this fashion. I hope that this space can be one that keeps us in the "threshold" of Christ together, after all isn't that where true transformation takes place? (see Matthew 4:2).
It has been said that the great saints and mystics of the church attempted to live their whole lives in this "teachable" space (see Matthew 7:13). I trust that we can begin to live our lives in this place that feels almost counterintuitive, only then can we begin to sense the intuition that is the Holy Spirit.

[Parts of this blog contain ideas that sprang forth from Adam's Return, by Richard Rohr]