The Church – Cowardly or Courageous?
“A church that doesn’t provoke any crises, a gospel that doesn’t unsettle, a word of God that doesn’t get under anyone’s skin, a word of God that doesn’t touch the real sin of the society in which it is being proclaimed, what gospel is that? Very nice, pious considerations that don’t bother anyone, that’s the way many would like preaching to be. Those preachers who avoid every thorny matter so as not to be harassed, so as not to have conflicts and difficulties do not light up the world they live in. They don’t have Peter’s courage, who told that crowd where the bloodstained hands still were that had killed Christ: ‘You killed him!’ Even though the charge could cost him his life as well, he made it. The gospel is courageous; its the good news of him who came to take away the world’s sins.”
Archbishop Oscar Romero – 1978
A Few Reasons a Short Term Mission Trip Might Change Your Life
Are 18 hours of travel, a temperature jump from 0 degrees to 81, a missed connection courtesy of Delta, a mad dash from Ft. Lauderdale to Miami, a divine intervention with LAN & TSA worth it for 8 days in a foreign city in a foreign nation where I can’t drink the water? Bucaramanga, Colombia, a city of 1.2 million people is not a vacation spot or a tourist destination but that’s not why I went. I went to see God at work and I was not disappointed!
During our 8 days, we visited a women’s prison (including some babies and kids), a neighborhood school (where the visiting “gringos” were treated as celebrities and asked for pictures and autographs), a church sponsored day care, 3 local churches and went house to house in a nearby town praying for people. We were also able to pray for pastors and leaders. I was amazed by the openness to God and the willingness to receive prayer even in the street. The worship music was loud & enthusiastic but passionate. The leaders are young and I was impressed by our interpreters who helped us – they are college students and emerging leaders in their nation. Most special to me was to see them stretch themselves and watch God work through them.
I could make a long list of how God showed up with his power and love. A few examples will suffice: 2 women we prayed for felt sadness leave them. A young lady with pressure in her right ear reported it disappeared. 2 older men with little vision said they were seeing much better after prayer. Serious back and abdominal pain left. In contrast to usual results in the U.S. these happened quickly, easily and were repeated in the testimonies of other team members and many had far more dramatic healing to report. In contrast, praying for people in the U.S. is tough & visible answers are rare. Why that is of course the million dollar question. The U.S. Church is still so dominated not only by skepticism and unbelief that stems from the legacy of Western enlightenment rationalism, but the entertainment oriented pro-technic “big show” way of church expected by consumers leaves little room for God to act, besides show up.
There is nothing quite like being in an environment where God is visibly active & people are being transformed by his power. While I went to see what God would do for others, God was working on me. My heart is all too easily weighted down by people’s seemingly intractable problems, the lifelessness and sterility of the church, my ragged track record of leadership, my own struggle with self-worth and my myriad other short-comings. So even as I watched others encounter the living God, I did as well.
There is also real need in Colombia. I know a few days does not make me a missiologist and forgive me if I’m presumptuous but I saw quickly that new believers need to be grounded in the faith. There is a need for an understanding of how God heals the wounded heart since there is a sad legacy of all kinds of abuse and abandonment from the distorted masculinity of “machismo.” However, God’s Spirit is burning brightly and the fire will grow and intensify.
Sadly, there are some self-appointed critics who feel they need to pontificate about the short comings of short-term mission trips & feel their calling is to discourage anyone from trying one. I believe the benefits far out way the supposed detriments. The blessings of short-term mission trips include:
-establishing unity in the body of Christ in different nations;
-breaking down stereotypes and walls between believers of different cultures;
-exposure to the realities of life outside the comforts of the First World;
-enabling more effective prayer for the church in the nations after first hand experience;
-challenging one’s faith beyond consumer churchianity;
-awakening an understanding of the reality of spiritual conflict and the victory of Jesus Christ and his power and authority;
-encouraging and assisting emerging leaders in stepping out of their comfort zone;
and last but not least…
– doing the stuff Jesus did.
Don’t let the nay-sayers stop you from what most likely will change your life!
Let the Games Begin!
One of our family’s current TV show favorites is “Chopped” in which top chefs compete to make the best meal for a panel of judges. Those whose dishes are not up to par are “chopped” or eliminated from the competition. I thought maybe some kind of similar competition for preachers would be fun – something along the lines of the old Gong Show format. I’m not sure what to call it though – preachers out of favor in the old days would be stoned, beheaded, jailed, exiled, or dismissed but none of those sound good for a show name.
A bigger problem is what criteria for judging would be used? On “Chopped” the criteria are creativity, presentation and technique. No such criteria are agreed upon for preaching – though more & more its seems hair, dress, laughter and “hipness” seem what grabs popular attention. In contrast, John the Baptist was the first wild man with a perpetual bad hair day, Jonah preached covered in whale vomit, and the apostle Paul was dismissed as unsightly & boring. Probably no telegenic smiles in that bunch!
Charles Spurgeon in his “Lectures to My Students” reviews some of the pitfalls of preaching styles and mannerisms oh his own day. While my meager observations don’t come near his classic work, here are a few styles & pitfall I’ve noticed:
“The Hobby Horse Rider” is the preacher that has one or two favorite subjects and no matter the text or the season returns to them again & again. Sadly, these are usually pet peeves such as politics, the End Times, moral issues or what ever is the obsession of the month. Is it “Communion Sunday”? Gog & Magog dominate the message. Christmas? The evils of Federal Bureaucracy dominates. Easter Morning? A refresher course in dispensational theology is offered up. The gospel of the cross and the victory of the resurrection is buried beneath what ever irks the preacher.
“The Machine Gun Preacher” – This is the preacher that unloads at full volume, full speed and full load. He takes no hostages and hardly a breath as well. Its hard to follow what’s been said because the delivery is overwhelming. This specimen is rare but still around – if you encounter him – duck!
“The Marshmellow Preacher” – A marshmallow is sugar plus air & this preacher’s message is about the same. Stories, jokes and a nice feel good moral make up the bulk with the emphasis on “make ’em laugh” or “make ’em cry.” Just like a marshmallow provides no nutritional value, so the message of the marshmallow preacher is hard to remember 5 minutes after consumed.
Preaching has always been considered foolishness (1 Cor. 1:21). Its futility, obsolescence & eventual demise has been repeatedly pronounced from generation to generation in favor of the techno-gadget innovation of the moment. Yet, God chooses the foolishness of preaching and preachers to deliver the good news of his saving power.
How is it possible to judge success the success of preaching or a preacher? What criteria would be used? Popularity? Applause? Crowds? The prophets of old were told that their message would be ignored & rejected by listeners with deaf ears, blind eyes and hard hearts. It is a work of grace and the Holy Spirit to change the blind, deaf and hardened to hear and believe God’s truth. God could have chosen so many other ways to get his point across – but he didn’t. God chose the foolishness of preaching to deliver the saving message of the cross. While a gong show for preachers might be entertaining, it would miss the point. Its not about the messenger – its about the message, Jesus, the glory and revelation of God’s saving power.
“The preacher of the gospel is like the sower. He does not make his seed; it is given him by his divine Master…He has to leave the seed in the care of the Lord who gave it to him, for he is not responsible for the harvest, he is only accountable for the care and industry with which he does his work…Our duty is not measured by the character of our hearers, but by the command of our God.”
Charles Spurgeon
The Word became Flesh (not plastic)
Some churches, tired of their Nativity “baby Jesus” disappearing, stolen by local Grinches, have installed GPS trackers so they can track his whereabouts. The real Jesus is not so hard to locate or so easily lost. Though the darkness of sinful man or the wrongly directed affections of the human heart may at times obscure his light and glory, he is always present in the saving power of the Gospel the angels announced and he came to proclaim & entrust to his disciples. He is always present by the eternal Spirit in his people and in his ongoing work of calling and transforming people into citizens in his kingdom. Those who confess faith in him do not worship simply a baby in a manger but rather the incarnate, crucified, resurrected, glorified Son of Adam, Son of Abraham, Son of David and the eternal Son of the Most High – he is True God & True Man.
“Let earth receive her King!”
A few things I have learned being a “bi-vocational” pastor
For the last 2 years I have been a “bi-vocational” pastor – I work at least 40 hours a week as a substance abuse counselor and pastor a church “part-time.” I have found it rewarding and challenging but it has required me to think about the assumptions, myths and distortions about what constitutes pastoring and ministry.
I began working part time initially because our family needed more income that our small church could not provide. Our family home schools and my wife and I have felt that since that is our priority we have tried to have only one of us employed outside the home. I also needed a different challenge. I have always chaffed at traditional limitations, thinking & expectations in regard to pastoring, the church and ministry when they are limited to Sunday morning building oriented activities or inward focused, pleasing member demands. I’ve seen too much of what God is able to do to limit his power or reduce the Gospel to that.
I was able to dust off some counseling skills and found that I enjoyed my new job and was getting good feedback from my employer, eventually leading to full time employment & certification. I understand a lot better how it feels after working all day and then to try to find the energy for a board meeting. I also have learned a lot about people from all walks of life who have wreaked havoc with their lives from addiction but who would never think about walking into a church building and talk with “the Pastor.” I have listened to the stories of women & women who have been assaulted as well as men and women who have done the assaulting and served time for it; who have stolen medications and money from their family for a fix, who have neglected or abandoned children for another high. I work with parole & probation officers, child protective services and court officials. You could say I ran into life in the raw and not the Sunday morning “put on a happy face to go to church” variety.
I have also seen God work in people’s lives – Holy Spirit directed words of comfort, wisdom and encouragement, the forming of real community as burdens and tears and “breakthroughs” are shared, and the birth of hope – the realization that there is another way to live and a future that is more than a repeat of the past.
However, I as a result of my new official ecclesiastical status, I have run across a number of myths, assumptions and distortions. The first is that a bi- vocational pastor is not a “real” pastor or successful – real and successful defined as compensated fully or employed full time by a congregation. I wanted to go to a retreat years ago and applied for financial assistance but was told by the ministry in charge that I was not eligible for the aid since I worked another job. I guess the Apostle Paul wouldn’t have qualified either since he made tents to support himself!
I have also run into “church shoppers”who look down their nose at a congregation with a bi-vocational pastor. The underlying assumption may be that a real or successful congregation is one that can afford the salary and benefits required for a full time employee who will then take care of member’s needs. However, most pastors, if full time, survive if married, by their spouse working. Despite the claim of “family friendly,” (and unless your Steven Furtick) many congregations provide a low level income that requires extra income to survive and qualifies for food stamps.
Another distortion that usually tags along with the assumption that successful = full time is that the pastor is the only real minister since they are “the professional.” Besides the mistaken belief that a degree alone makes one a capable and godly leader, this undercuts developing the spiritual gifts and ministry of other members of the local body. It prevents the development of quality spiritual leaders whether deacons or elders. It also usually leads to leadership boards that do not lead and do not serve but manage and control. It often joins with the distortion that “real” ministry occurs only on the church property or during Sunday morning or office hours or other stated times of gathering on church real estate. The truth is that real ministry occurs where ever Spirit filled, Christ loving believers go. A truly functioning body requires that all its members exercise their God ordained function – a wonderful opportunity to develop a multi-gifted eldership that can expand and diversify the work and service of a congregation.
There are real benefits for the bi-vocational pastor and the congregation they work with. These include understanding the pressures and demands of people and families instead of becoming myopic about what defines ministry and mission; freedom from control and manipulation when the big givers try to use their financial clout to stop change or control true leadership; freeing up money spent on high cost benefits such as health insurance & the opportunity to influence the community to a higher level by being “salt” in everyday life.
There are also challenges – the most obvious is time. I have less time to study and write. I have to manage my minutes. I have less time to waste. As has been pointed out by numerous spiritual giants of yesteryear, pastoral ministry can provide a temptation for sloth. It is all too easy to confuse and justify “busyness” and a full calendar with genuine spiritual progress. I have to delegate and share the load of caring for people instead of trying to indulge my own need to be needed. I have to challenge my own assumption that “its all up to me” or that ministry doesn’t happen unless I show up. In other words the challenges of being bi-vocational are tough on my own sinful self but good for my sanctification & I pray ultimately good for the mission of the church.
Will I continue serving this way? Only God knows. Some believe”bi-vocational” ministry will become the norm for the future in our post-Christendom age. Its not for everyone. I see fruit in what I am doing. I don’t see think its realistic that society or the church will return to how it used to be 40 or 50 years ago. The missional status of the church is clearer than ever. What is needed is an apostolic spirit to match – and that requires thinking beyond how how pastoral or congregational ministry and success has been defined – by employee status.
Only words?
I am thankful for many things. This Thanksgiving I am particularly thankful that over the years I have encountered many men & women who were able to “speak to my condition.” There have been many. Some names I recall, others I don’t but here are a few…(first names only so as to protect the identity of the innocent)
Ruth
Paul
Anton
Joe
Sammy
Al
Charles
Gary
Hobart
Leon
Steve
Don
Ken
Gary
John
Jim
Steve
Josimar
Your words were important but more so your presence. God worked through you to give me encouragement, life and hope especially when I felt I had little to offer or little faith. I try to pass the blessing on.
“Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the taste and healing for the body.” Proverbs 16:24
Mr. Bumbleworth Ponders…
I come across church ads that boast of their “authentic worship” –
In distinction to what – “inauthentic worship” ?
And how is that defined?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Out of Step
My first official dance lesson was a rite of passage as well as part of 1970’s grade school tradition. It was exciting as well as scary – the female of the species seemed to have lost their “cooties” and taken on a strange alluring, magnetic attraction. Our teachers acting as chaperons kept a close eye on the proximity of our hormone laden bodies that seemed to have the instability of nitroglycerin. The awkwardness of physical contact eased after repeated attempts to get in step with the instructions of the teacher & the rhythm of the music, eventually, 2 pairs of adolescent feet found an uneasy synchronized pattern. Missteps and falling out of step were often but given the simplicity of the Foxtrot getting back in step was easy along with an awkward smile. After time, the fox trot became routine, the watchfulness of the chaperons relaxed, and as music changed keeping in step gave way to circulating in proximate orbits of movement.
Keeping in step was easy for the fox trot but it has rarely been so for me in regards to anything else. Bandwagons have had little appeal. I tended to be the one who in the midst of a wave of group think raised his hand and asked “but what about…?” which is usually as popular as a skunk at a picnic. Having tried to be an institutional, denominational pastor for over 20 years still hasn’t changed me that much. Movements, revolutions and reformations run out of steam, money or hype. As it seems to have turned out most of us were not history makers or nations changers. Having tried to pastor for over 20 years still hasn’t changed me that much. I still let ecclesiastical bandwagons pass me by – these days they look all too familiar – recycled with a fresh coat of paint that doesn’t look like it will hold out under the bright sunlight or a heavy rain. I’ve seen this part of the parade before and it usually leads to the same end – distracting detours, deceptive dead ends and doctrinal disasters.
As far as I can tell, Jesus was never concerned about dancing to the tune of his generation. When it comes to faith, it’s easy to get side tracked. Peyton Jones, in his book “Church Zero” calls the mistaken priorities of the church as a dance with 5 easy steps:
1) Get more people
2) More people = more money
3) More money = more toys
4) More toys = More ways to get more people
5) Get more people (rinse & repeat)
That’s like replacing an entirely different dance with different steps – you end up a tangle of feet or dancing alone. However, there are a few things I recall from my early dancing days that correspond with which tune church dances to today and the missteps that are possible:
1) It’s not about the building – Dance lessons were not in a mirror lined studio with polished wood floors but in the school lunch room, with the tables pushed to the side and the aroma of that day’s lunch of tater tots and mystery meat lingering in the air. So much for ambience and atmosphere! But it didn’t matter. We didn’t need a lot of techno-wizardry or designer dazzle. That wasn’t what we were there for.
2) It’s not about the music – I remember some of the bands such as “Bread, “The Guess Who” and “America” and even some of the song titles that were spun on the 45 rpm record player. We listened to the same tunes on the radio at home. That’s not what we were there for.
3) It’s not about getting more feet in the door or on the floor – We weren’t keeping count. We were on the look out for that special someone to dance with and more bodies just got in the way.
What were we there for? For the encounter – to be with the other -even if for a few moments – even a choreographed one – with the person of our desire. Most young men in their early teens wouldn’t be caught dead expressing an interest in dance for dance sake. But this was different. We were willing to be stretched out of our usual comfort zone, to even look like clumsy fools simply for an encounter with that special other.
A dance has basic steps that form the pattern for movement. Faith does as well. Faith is more than knowing certain facts or performing certain actions. First and foremost faith is an encounter with the Triune God. Being a disciple of Jesus means first and foremost not following principles but a person. Preachers of another age used the term “experiential” or “experimental” because faith involves an interaction with each member of the Trinity. Patristic theology uses the Greek term “periochoresis” (to dance around) to describe the interrelations and interactions of the persons of the Trinity. Peter Leithart points out that the word’s verbal form, besides providing the root for the English word “choreographed” was also used as a metaphor of how the members of the Godhead dance around and with one another, what St. Maximus called the “eternal movement of love.”
Through the sacrifice of the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit, the Father has made it possible for us to join in their relationship in a way that is beyond metaphor – to join in the divine fellowship. In John 17:21-13, Jesus prayed for his disciples that “all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.” This is a unity in which the uniqueness of persons is not absorbed or erased but allows them to interact with one another in genuine communion or “koinonia” and with one another. A holy, circling dance is a fitting image.
I know for some that dance is not going to be a popular or appealing picture especially if you hold to the old-time adage “the praying knee can’t belong to a dancing leg” (of course thankfully, Miriam & King David did not know that!). Other metaphors of the spiritual life that focus on warfare or conflict or battle are far more appealing especially to the male of the species especially when fueled by images of “Brave Heart,” Gladiator” or those who think the church’s confession of faith should sound like “THIS IS SPARTA!”
God’s not asking us to stretch our awkward frames into pink tutus but we are commanded to “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5: 16) which speaks of following the lead of the 3rd member of the Trinity. If I as a pastor or leader or believer am trying to dance to the tune of my or another generation or the demands of institutional priorities or the expectations of the current cultural despisers of the faith then I am not following the right steps. I will be moving to a foreign tune that will be out of step with the Holy Spirit.
The Triune God has made it possible for us to join in his eternal movement of love. It also means we join with other believers as part of the divine choreography as we encounter the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That’s worth staying in step with.
Atheism of the Practical Kind
An inadequate view of sin indicates an inadequate view of God. In light of the Supreme Court decisions this last week redefining marriage, consider Stephen Charnock’s (from “Practical Atheism – The Existence and Attributes of God”) view of human sin as a denial of God’s sovereignty.
In sins of omission we own not God, in neglecting to perform what he enjoins; in sins of commission we set up some lust in the place of God, and pay to that the homage which is due to our Maker. In both we disown him ; in the one by not doing what he commands, in the other by doing what he forbids. We deny his sovereignty when we violate his laws ; we disgrace his holiness when we cast our filth before his face ; we disparage his wisdom when we set up another rule as the guide of our actions than that law he bath fixed; we slight his sufficiency when we prefer a satisfaction in sin before a happiness in him alone ; and his goodness, when we judge it not strong enough to attract us to him. Every sin invades the rights of God, and strips him of one or other of his perfections. It is such a vilifying of God as if he were not God; as if he were not the supreme Creator and Benefactor of the world ; as if we had not our being from him ; as if the air we breathed in, the food we lived by, were our own by right of supremacy, not of donation. For a subject to slight his sovereign, is to slight his royalty ; or a servant his master, is to deny his superiority.
Preaching…in Real Time
Heading back home via Lansing in early June, I was able to stop and worship at University Reformed Church. The pastor, Kevin DeYoung is a prolific writer (Why We Love the Church: In Praise of Institutions and Organized Religion; The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness; The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism) and having heard him preach at “Together for the Gospel” in 2012 I was looking forward to hearing him again but this time in a church setting. I was not disappointed. He preached through Acts 12 and handled the text with precision, care and detail as well as humor in his delivery. The church also ordained their new elders and deacons that morning. Its one thing to preach a message or listen to one at a large gathering. It’s far more challenging to preach week by week in the worship & life of the local church. Despite all the panic in the blogosphere about resurgent Calvinism, Pastor DeYoung is part of a historical Reformed denomination and does not seem to be aiming for celebrity but faithful service. He is a fine example of how to meet the challenge of regular preaching and as far as I can tell real pastoring. May his tribe increase.
“I believe in the doctrine of election, because I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen him; and I am sure he chose me before I was born, or else he never would have chosen me afterwards; and he must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why he should have looked upon me with special love.”
Charles Spurgeon
A Veteran of a Different Stripe
I recently finished an older book entitled “Blood and Fire: The Story of William and Catherine Booth and the Salvation Army” by Roy Hattersley (Doubleday, 2000). I have wanted to learn more about the Booths, the founders of the Salvation Army since (as family history tells it) my maternal, Scottish great grandfather, Moncrieff Galloway, signed the “Articles of War” or “Soldier’s Covenant” of belief and practice after surviving the Boer War in S. Africa in 1902. He later moved to the U.S. in 1909 and worked in a factory as he continued to preach and serve in “the Army” as a Sgt. Major. I have a small pocket New Testament of his with one of his sermon outlines written in pencil on the inside of the cover.
While best known today for their social work and the storefront Christmas bell-ringer and change bucket, in their times, the Booths were unconventional, radical and shocked the stolid church establishment. They were routinely attacked by the press and church leaders as rude, crude, and socially un-respectable even as their adherents from the working classes, once decimated by crime, poverty, prostitution and alcohol were physically attacked by mobs and gangs organized by liquor manufacturers and bar owners. Like many trailblazers and leaders they were autocratic, insensitive and demanding but worked with a clear sense of drive and mission that was almost apostolic in spirit.
Reviewer Wendy Smith writes, “They preached in the streets of London accompanied by brass bands, appropriating the methods of ungodly popular entertainment to draw working-class sinners to righteousness. They founded soup kitchens and people’s halls to feed the hungry and give them a place to congregate other than the tavern. William Booth (1829-1912) and his wife, Catherine (1829-90), outraged polite society with the establishment of their Christian Mission in 1865. Rechristened the Salvation Army in 1878, the organization challenged the smug Victorian status quo by insisting that sin sprang from unjust social conditions. British writer and Labour Party stalwart Roy Hattersley vividly conveys the political and religious context within which the Salvation Army operated without scanting the forceful (not to say peculiar) characters of its founders. William was authoritarian and self-righteous, yet he often deferred to intellectual, strong-minded Catherine, whose instinctive sympathy for the poor and belief in women’s equality before God shaped their ministry. They were hardly warm people, yet their marital love was unshakable and absolute. The Salvation Army survived their autocratic leadership to flourish into the 21st century: ‘It is not necessary to believe in instant sanctification,’ writes Hattersley in a characteristically balanced summing-up, ‘to admire and applaud their work of social redemption.”
Of course social change is always controversial these days to some – such as former-Fox News TV show hosts who reduce all issues to chalkboard comic characters and produce nothing but hot air. However, the work of mission and evangelism are false to the good news of the kingdom if they ignore the sad reality of the conditions of the real 99% and majority of the 7 billion of the world. The Booths grasped that the Gospel is truly transforming – a person who is new creation because of the Spirit of God will bring change to their family and community. The Booths weren’t the first to grasp that truth of gospel transformation and thankfully they weren’t the last. Ministries that address practical solutions to child labor, prostitution, grinding poverty & unhealthy living conditions due to substance abuse as well as economic inequality are thriving from Guatemala to Tajikistan, from all corners of the earth because sin still is the source of human misery and the atoning work of Jesus Christ, his blood brings freedom from its consequences.
As the author Roy Hattersley points out, one does not have to agree with all the Booths believed (I certainly don’t) to applaud what they attempted and achieved. Hattersley is honest about their faults and the challenge for all strong, founding leaders – what happens when your gone. The Salvation Army survived family member defections as well as the inevitable process of a spiritual movement organizing into an institution. There had to have been something of the fire of God’s grace at work to reach a battle weary soldier’s heart in South Africa over a hundred years ago that led to a true confession of saving faith and brought blessings to his family for years to come . My great grandfather was promoted to glory in 1953. I am told that he prayed for many years for his family both born and yet un-born. I am thankful he did and I am thankful there was someone there that day in S. Africa, even if dressed in what was considered an odd & unconventional uniform, to point him to his Savior.
Some of the Galloway Family – John, Crief, Mary, Lilas and my Great-Grandfather, Moncrief
Beyond the Wall
The film work of M. Night Shyamalan (Signs-2002; Unbreakable-2000) has always caught my attention. His 2004 film “The Village” (Warning -plot spoiler just ahead!) tells the story of a group of villagers who seem to be living an idyllic life centuries ago but are threatened by hostile and frightening creatures who live in the forest at the edge of the village. The fear of the creatures and what is beyond the village keeps the children in line, afraid and prevents them from exploring – for awhile. When one young girl must go beyond the village into the forest for a medical emergency she finds what she thought were the limits of her world are not real but only imposed by the village elders out of their fear. She comes to a wall and finds the rest of the world beyond it – strange, frightening but far more than she ever imagined.
Shyamalan’s story connects to the experience of people who are raised in highly controlled families, social groups or communities that use fear to dominate & control members such as Jim Jones’ “Peoples Temple” or the Hare Krishna commune of New Vrindaban, “The Message” adherents of William Branham or numerous others of all types and persuasions whose numbers are legion. They paint the world beyond the group as dangerous, threatening or evil and departure from the group means loss, exclusion, excommunication or worse (in some cases murder has actually been the result). The group member who strays or wanders beyond the control boundaries usually finds that beyond the walls of the group the world is a much different place than described. Such an experience is liberating as well as disorienting. Old definitions of one’s self, roles and rules are modified or abandoned. The uncertainty of the future can make one yearn for the certainty of the past – yet the past cannot be returned to any more than the knowledge of what’s beyond the wall can be erased from memory.
Another parallel I have noticed is with the person emerging from drug or alcohol dependence. The nature of addiction is like a self-perpetuating, self-reinforcing and self- limiting feedback loop that drowns out or covers over other options or possibilities. While the examples above are more about controlling groups, with addiction, the control comes through the combination of the addictive nature of the substance, and the feelings, thoughts, behaviors that feed it or feed off it, the consequences of dependence and the forming of manipulative and exploitive relationships exclusively based on supplying and getting more of the substance. The end result is very much the same – the person is convinced that the limits of the “village of substance dependence” is the only possible world and beyond is danger – even in the face of the ever-increasing destructive consequences that addiction brings with it. This is even truer for the person who was raised in a family where substance dependence, criminal thinking, anti-social activity or survivalist living was considered normal.
What moves a person beyond the limits of the village? That’s the million dollar question! For the person in a controlling group sometimes it’s a crisis or when time after time the behavior of leaders doesn’t match their sermonizing. It may be when emotional and cognitive dissonance between “the ideal community” builds and the advantages of belonging to the group wears thin. For the substance dependent, sometimes it’s when the promises of the substance are seen for what they are –empty or the negative consequences outweigh the supposed benefits. It may be when one encounters the first nibble of freedom and wonders what’s beyond the wall. Sometimes it’s the experience of true grace and real love that are neither conditional, performance based or require checking one’s freedom or brains at the door as the price of admission. There is life beyond the wall. And if you see someone who has just climbed over and looks somewhat dazed and disoriented it can be an act of love to stop and lend a supportive hand.
Important People in Church History (April Fools Version)
Dear Pastor – I’ve heard you refer to Pelagius. Who was Pelagius?
Pelagius was an Irish monk (390-418) who invented Guinness Stout. One day he got into a dart game with another monk named Augustine (who was from N. Africa) that escalated into fisticuffs when they disagreed whether a person was able to change the way they played darts. Augustine, a rather pessimistic sort, said no, not without divine assistance. Pelagius said yes, that human ability to change was sufficient on its own. After Pelagius unloaded his handful of darts at Augustine’s posterior, he was declared a heretic for not following the rules.
Then what’s a Semi-Pelagian?
A Semi-Pelagian is a follower of Pelagius who drives a semi. John Wesley drove one from town to town in England and its rumored Charles Finney did too in New York though what he was driving may not have been a semi.
Um…what is Guinness Stout?
It is a very, dark, heavy alcoholic beverage that was used for fuel to light homes in Ireland during the dark ages and also given to Irish warriors before battle so they wouldn’t know what hit them. It’s also been used as power steering fluid and makes a great industrial floor cleaner.
How come you know this?
I’ll pass on that one on the grounds that I may incriminate myself. Plus, if I answered every question right away, I wouldn’t have anything to think about during the week.
Worth Quoting…
“Without the gospel
everything is useless and vain;
without the gospel
we are not Christians;
without the gospel
all riches is poverty,
all wisdom, folly before God;
strength is weakness, and
all the justice of man is under the condemnation of God.
But by the knowledge of the gospel we are made
children of God,
brothers of Jesus Christ,
fellow townsmen with the saints,
citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven,
heirs of God with Jesus Christ,
by whom
the poor are made rich,
the weak strong,
the fools wise,
the sinners justified,
the desolate comforted,
the doubting sure, and
slaves free.
The gospel is the Word of life.”
(From John Calvin’s preface to Pierre-Robert Olivétan’s 1535 translation of the Bible.)
When its All Said and Done, More is Said than Done
“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”
Luke 6:40
The disciples of Jesus followed him, observed him, questioned him and learned from him. Then they were sent out to do what they had seen him do with the same message and method (see Luke 9:1-2; Luke 10:9). American churchianity asks you to park your posterior in a pew, sing in the choir, sit on a board, bring a covered dish, support the budget and show up a few times a month on a Sunday morning.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Does God Do “Retro” ?
Thanks to Netflix and Amazon I am able to indulge in a little nostalgia by watching my old TV favorites like “Andy Griffith” and “Dick Van Dyke.” While obviously dated, there are many times the comedic genius and writing skill shine through. I enjoy the classics in movies as well but realize that the “good ol’ days” are usually more imaginary than reality. Nostalgia used to be considered a psychological problem for sailors and soldiers away from home for long periods of time. “Retro” is now its own brand – Cracker Barrel specialize in providing the candy and toys from the childhood of it patrons. However enjoyable “Double Bubble Gum” or playing with a wooden glider may be, the problem with nostalgia is that it focuses on the past to the neglect of the present, distorts one‘s memory by becoming selective and ignores the potential of the future.
The generation freed from Egypt learned the hard way that nostalgia is dangerous. Though divinely supplied by the Lord, when thirsty, hungry and weary, the former slaves began to reminisce about “the pleasures” of Egypt – “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic” (Num. 11:5) and ended up desiring to return to slavery. In reality, the pleasures of Egypt were anything but (unless decades of toil, deprivation and hardship qualify!). Nostalgia distorted their memory, they forgot what the Lord had done for them and chose to reject the future they had been promised. Their nostalgia resulted in their slow death by wandering in the wilderness.
The generation that re-settled and rebuilt Jerusalem and the temple under the leadership of Nehemiah and Ezra faced the same choice. On the day of the “groundbreaking” of the new temple, the shouts of joy are mixed with tears especially for those that had seen the Temple of Solomon before it was destroyed (Ezra 3). When the enthusiasm for the building project lags the prophet Haggai diagnoses what seems to what’s hindering the effort – the memory of the old temple’s glory “back in the day” seems to make the new project paltry in comparison. Yet the prophet declares (Haggai 2:3, 9): “Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now…Is it not as nothing in your eyes?… The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts.”
The Lord seems to have no interest in a nostalgia that causes his people to lose sight of their future, remain stuck in what has been or desire to return to what used to be, no matter how wonderful or glorious at the time. The Lord never even promises a return to the garden of Genesis, as wonderful as it was & despite the yearning (as Jodi Mitchell put it) to “get ourselves back to the garden.” God does not work backwards but forwards into the future he has planned, promised and is working to bring about. The Lord does not promise a return to the old creation but a new creation and a new heavens and new earth. He does not promise to reform Egypt but “a city to come,” not a restored temple of Solomon but a temple of surpassing glory, his people as living stones, a dwelling for the Spirit. The God of our redemption does not work in reverse but forward, to the future which is far promised to be greater than the past.
Preachers will often invoke a return to the 1st century apostolic church or a repeat Pentecost as an ideal. While such sentiments are often used to whip up the crowd or express a desire for something more than the current status quo of the church’s condition or experience, ultimately they point us in the wrong direction. There is no such thing as a spiritual time machine that can return us to the days gone by. While the church is rooted in its history its future is not found there but in the unfolding of God’s purpose for his people. There is a maturity that will be made reality, a fullness in Christ that will come to complete fruition (Eph. 4:13) that will surpass apostolic days. As wonderful as the day of Pentecost was there is a greater glory to come. While the resurrection of the Son of God was earth shaking, the raising up of millions of God’s saints will amaze heaven and earth. As precious to me is to me is the day of my conversion the day of my transformation and glorification will far surpass it. When it comes to what God will do “you ain’t seen nothing yet, folks!”
Nostalgia can be an enjoyable trip down memory lane but it has its drawbacks – as some “reunion tours” of ageing rock stars reveals – some things are best left in the past! Nostalgia in God’s people can be debilitating when the rose tinted glasses of yesteryear blind us to what God is up to in the present and what he has promised for the future. God’s people are called to remember – his nature, his mighty acts and his promises. But this remembering is to strengthen our faith in the same God for the present and to anchor our hope for the future. The Lord of past, present & future has no reverse gear. He does not work backwards. He is not into “retro.” The Lord is working forward according to his promises and drawing those who trust in him to walk with him towards the future he is bringing to pass.
(This post is an adaptation of a sermon I preached Jan. 27th, 2013)
“Of all hypocrites, grant that I may not be an evangelical hypocrite,
who sins more safely because grace abounds,
who tells his lusts that Christ’s blood cleanseth them,
who reasons that God cannot cast him into hell, for he is saved,
who loves evangelical preaching, churches, Christians (conferences?),
but lives unholily.”
A “Bah Humbug” Moment…
The hue & cry about the “war on Christmas” is in the news. However, Christmas was not always as popular as some believe. Under the influence of Puritan preaching and clout it was banned by the English Parliament in 1647. It was “banned in Boston” due to the same influence in its Colonial Congregational version until 1856. So while currently the villains are supposedly a nefarious cabal of multiculturalists even Christians have had “bah humbug” moments! The grievances that are listed because the U.S. is no longer a country with a monolithic unofficial civic religion don’t really add up to a significant attack upon the Christian faith. Consider the following:
On a scale of 0 to 100 how important is the public display of a tree (whether called Holiday or Christmas) to the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ? Zero
On a scale of 0 to 100 how important is being greeted with “Merry Christmas” vs. “Happy Holidays” at the local store to the discipling of every nation? Zippo
On a scale of 0 to 100 how important is the production of special programs (whether called Christmas or Holiday) to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in the people of God? Nada
The so-called “war on Christmas” may be good for talk show ratings and for fund raising for reactionary political agendas but is “much ado about nothing” as far as God’s work in the nations. The Son of God never said his disciples would be known by their public nativity scenes or decorating a pine tree. He said they would be known by their love, demonstrated in concrete actions that will benefit others. Love is different from compiling a list of grievances because one’s own cherished traditions no longer exclusively dominate popular culture. The Gospel – the glad tidings of great joy – is more than equal share of religious advertising space. If as much energy & fervor was expended in defending the gospel by the simple preaching, teaching, worship and service of the gathered church as is wasted in enlisting evangelical market share for a war about nothing, the purpose of Christ’s incarnation might be clearer to a world in spiritual darkness.
There – my Scrooge moment is over.
Our new praise band tuning up for their big debut as we do our best to remain trendy & competitive in the crowded religious franchise market!
Election Matters
(The County Election by George C. Bingham)
Election Day is near at hand. We have endured the debates, the mud-slinging, the distortion and demonization of positions and opponents and the warnings of apocalyptic terror to come after. Soon it will be time to make one’s choice. To choose leaders by voting is a cherished constitutional right. To choose in matters even less significant than an election is an un-questioned assumption of consumer culture (including Christian) & woe to the one who would dare interfere! Consider a few of the multitude of choices presented to us every day: regular, unleaded or ethanol, smoking or non-smoking, rare-medium or well-done, latte “venti” or “grande”, Mac or Windows, traditional worship or contemporary music, KJV, NIV, ESV or Message Bible? Yet for all our choices and all the drama of a national election there is a greater & more significant election that lasts far longer than 2 or 4 years. The Bible is full of examples of God making choices – of people, places, nations, of priests, kings, disciples and apostles. Yet to discuss God’s choices (or election) is considered by many strange, antiquated, divisive or dangerous. However, consider the following:
“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” Deut. 7:6-8
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” John 15:16
“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 1:26-31
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” Eph 1:3-6
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10
Whatever theological stripe or brand you consider yourself, God’s loving, gracious election or choosing of a people for himself may not be ignored without disregarding his word. So also our own choices in response to what God has done present each of us with a choice:
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” Deut. 30:19-20
“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15
“Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” 2 Peter 1:10
The Presidential election theatrics are almost over. God’s work of election is eternal. Consumer choice is based on the whims and egotism of the self that change with the passing of fads and time. God’s election is rooted in his eternal love and grace and results in our thanks, praise and glorifying of his faithfulness. Whether Tuesday’s election results make you mad, sad or glad, God’s election is the eternal foundation of the confidence, hope and joy of those who trust in Jesus Christ.
Off the Book Shelf
One of the pleasures of getting older is reading what I enjoy rather than what is supposed to the fad of the month in Christendom. I have only turned a few pages of “A Puritan Theology-Doctrine for Life” by Joel Beeke & Mark Jones and have found it an impressive treasury of Reformed thought that demonstrates the depth of spirituality & practice of the Puritan era which is perhaps the high point of Reformed theology. Here you will find no branded bullet points or tweet sized pragmatism but depth, wisdom and serious consideration of the greatness of God and his saving power. I have used it already to help in preparation & quoted it in a sermon. It will also introduce you to the less well known of the Puritans as well as their consideration of hot topic that are still items for controversy today such as hell – who would have known that Christopher Love (1618-1651) took on Rob Bell centuries before “Love Wins” ? I highly recommend it for anyone who is tired of the recycled pablum that passes for Christian thought today.
A Whale of a Pulpit!
Pulpits come in all shapes, styles and sizes.
There is the traditional:
The “cool-contemporary” that supposedly shows the preacher’s transparency
(but at times is mere exhibitionism and more information than necessary):
And the symbolic, such as found in the Seaman’s Chapel in New Bedford, MA which recalls Henry Melville’s famous words in Moby Dick “for the pulpit is ever this earth’s foremost part; all the rest comes in its rear; the pulpit leads the world. From thence it is the storm of God’s quick wrath is first descried, and the bow must bear the earliest brunt. From thence it is the God of breezes fair or foul is first invoked for favorable winds. Yes, the world’s a ship on its passage out, and not a voyage complete; and the pulpit is its prow.”
Then there’s the “whale” pulpit of Sts. Peter & Paul in Duszniki Zdrój, Poland that remind preacher & listener (as Jonah knew all too well) that delivering and hearing God’s word is a risky and dangerous activity.
I don’t know about you but preaching in that one would be unnerving!
But far more important, is the message than the material or design of the pulpit. After all Jesus taught from a boat, Philip used a chariot and Wesley preached from a gravestone. The greatest pulpit of all is the cross. Echoing Romans 5:8 “but God demonstrates (proves) his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us,” Augustine said “the cross is the pulpit in which Christ preached his love to the world.”
extraecclesiam... 
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