Devotional Books...and Static Spirituality

I was recently invited a Men's Devotional, but I didn't know it was a devotional.  I thought I was going to hang out with a bunch of guys and do a particular activity.  But, after everyone arrived, and before anything began, the leader of the group called out for the reading of a devotional.  Immediately, several in the group started shouting, "Our Daily Bread," "My Utmost for His Highest," and several other well known daily devotionals, and then they began loading the day's content on their phones. A minute later, one guy just started reading off his phone...and then the next guy...and then the next guy.  Big huge words and ideas were thrown around and the Apostle Paul was reference more than any other biblical character.  No matter what the starting/prompting text was in any of these devotionals, the concluding idea was the same: awe of the Cross.  When the readings finally concluded, the leader of the group said a prayer and we went about with the scheduled and expected activity.  I was left confused and wondering, "What the heck was that?"

I have a really hard time watching well meaning people, with a great deal of awe, respect and love for the Christian faith and Scriptures, settle for such rote practices and worship.  It was literally as if they were all about checking the proverbial box.  Again, I am not supposing that each person there did not consider the words and message being conveyed to them, but where was the engagement?  Where was the tie in to daily details of these men's lives?  Did anyone have a question?  Did anyone feel challenged, or want to challenge the ideas being presented?  I know I did.  And what about "the Cross (a word that appears only 13 times in the Epistles)?"  How are we understanding the salvation of God, today?

Here is what I don't understand: Reverence without Engagement.  How is this even possible; and, why is it so widely practiced...particularly among the Evangelicals who so often accuse all other expressions of being 'empty?'

I think that there are a lot of reasons for this, and for why the "cross" has turned into what it is today, but for now, I just want to focus on Static Spirituality.  Why have we become so 1-dimensional?  And, again, I'm not just talking about the 'religious' crowd.  You know, the ones who have a 'traditional' faith and do not use electric guitars and light shows for worship.  Sadly, the light show crowd may be the most 1-dimensional of us all.

Here is the deal: no matter how hard we try, we really are lazy creatures.  We do just enough to plateau, "arrive," whatever, and then we rest on our laurels.  We see people do it in sports, in their careers, and even in their spirituality.  They are so passionate, dedicated, sacrificing, etc. when they first begin, but then they arrive at a place where they 'know' they are secure and it's cruise-control from here on out.  Knowing these men that I was with on this most recent occasion, and from what I have observed in my own life and pastorate, I know this all to be true.  Well intentioned and sincere, but the 'engagement' (again, not the passion) has receded, because it is no longer necessary. They know they are 'saved,' they know the Bible narrative, and they know their faith's baseline.  Ugh!

This is why communal engagement is so vitally important!  Community challenges us because it forces interaction with others: their behaviors, thoughts, opinions, and experiences.  Community not only provides us an opportunity to be affirmed, but to simultaneously have our forms and beliefs considered against another's.  But you say, "Aren't these men engaging in community? Are not the Sunday worship services 'communal?'"  They are, but only in the sense that their is a community present.  There is no ENGAGEMENT.  Come in, sit down, show up, listen and leave.  The only interaction I ever see is personal worship and listening without questioning or response.  That is NOT community, that's a 'drive thru.'

One of the best parts of being a pastor is having people talk to you after the service.  Sure, it sucks when a person only wants to tell you that all your points were crap or that they didn't like the songs, but in almost every occasion there was an opportunity for me to learn, grow and affirm my faith and duties as a Christian.  (Let's not forget that to be a Christian means to be a contributing member of the Church.)  I love engaging with others, especially when the subject is my faith and relationship with the "Lover of my soul."  And, man, if you can't handle that...then how 'saved' are you?

Again, I am quite sure there are many reasons for a static (1-dimensional) spirituality, but from my vantage point, the #1 reason is certainly individualism.  Do not hide your life, beliefs and practices under a bushel.  Do not hide them under the guise of church, small groups, or 'dynamic' worship.  If you are not engaging with others, and if your faith is not permeating every aspect of your being then you are truly 1-dimensional, and at odds with the very Text you claim to adore:

Hebrews 10:23-25..

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Spirit Matters: Worship and The Other(s)

Our spirit needs to engage with His Spirit.  He needs to break through our theology, our limitations and emotions, and permeate the deepness of our being.  If He doesn't, then do we really belong to Him?  Is He really our Lord and Savior?  If He hasn't saved all of us, have we experienced His presence in any of us?  Deep, but true.

I love being a part of the Evangelical church, and, specifically, the Pentecostal community.  As I have already stated in a previous post, there is something about this particular expression of Christianity that innately understands and attempts to encourage spirit-worship.  We intentionally create atmospheres of intimacy with God, speak of God in very personal and individual analogies and teachings, and we praise and highlight 'heroes of the faith' who have notably connected with the Spirit in a very deep and existential way. (Just go to your local Christian bookstore and note all the Christian books.  They are about individuals with passionate, all encompassing engagements with God.)  It's all good, but only to a point....

I can't seem to worship at my local church.  The worship team is great.  The atmosphere is relevant and engaging.  The song selections are good, and where I find it lacking they always make up for it in their creative use of 'space.'  But, ultimately, I'm just stuck standing there and maybe singing to myself.  Why is this?  Is it because I have a bad attitude?  Perhaps (and this is what my wife thinks).  Is it because no matter how hard I try, I still find myself in every church service thinking..."this is what I would do..."  Again, perhaps.  But, even when I eventually get over myself and look to engage, I find myself with no one to engage with.

"Engage with God" you might say. But is that really the only point?  A vertical relationship between He and I.  If that's the case, then why even go to church?  I can just slam on a Praise and Worship CD and do that in my own time...which I already do.  But "nothing beats live worship."  Really.  Again, that's what really saying/expressing? Why do we go to church and sing in corporate worship?

The answer should be (I believe) because we are One, and we affirm our faith and experience as One.  And this is why I struggle in my local church, because I don't feel at one with the congregation. The church is a great church, but it's just like every other church in the USA.  It's a group of individuals getting together for an hour a week to listen to someone preach to them and affirm their presuppositions. It is almost entirely vertically arranged: music - He and I, sermon - He and I, church - He and I.  I get it, because this is how the church has been doing church since the Enlightenment, but that doesn't make it right or adequate...especially since most of the other elements of Christianity that existed in the past are no longer present today.

Today, we are a more individualistic and 'cut off' from community than at any other point in history.  Few families eat a meal together, and the ones that do are joined with TVs and iPhones. Schools are babysitters, not places where local families gather for the education of their children.  Kids are dropped off and that's that.  America's favorite pastime currently is Facebook and YouTube...individual efforts in a psuedo-community.  I could go on, but I bet you get my point. The present church is an individual experience, and so is its worship, which isn't good enough no matter how good our theology.

I long to worship God in both the vertical and the horizontal...during the sermon, after the weekly meeting, and, especially, in corporate worship.  I want to affirm my faith and understanding with those who are physically able, and present, to accommodate, aid, correct and enhance my understanding and experience with God. Does this mean that I want to go 'old school' and do away with choruses, intimate lighting, and 'free expression.' Not at all. I don't think that ANYTHING needs to GO AWAY from what is currently being offered.  Instead, I am merely suggesting that we ADD to our worship a horizontal dimension.  We need to engage with the Christ and Spirit who is in US (plural, collective).  And this requires a complete rewrite of how we understand and do church in America.

If we really want a living Christian church that is more than a building or social construct, then we need to embrace the presence and ministry of God in both the vertical and horizontal relationships.  Yes, the church will be more social, but not socialist.  Yes, the church will experience more of the miraculous, but more will come through the tangible. Yes, church services may become more frequent, but they will also become more meaningful and essential.  And Yes, worship will become more dynamic and Spirit-ual, as both the fullness of the person's being and community are engaged in the influence of the Spirit.

Spirit Matters: Loving Worship, but having a hard time doing it

This is not going to be an 'excuse' post.  I promise.

So, if you know me, then you know that I can be a little emotionally-driven, as well as intellectually critical.  It's a rare gift, but it suits me just fine.  I love to look at the things of this world with a healthy cynicism and then deconstruct and reconstruct in an effort to get the most meaningful, purposeful, and 'pure' experience.  And I take this approach to just about everything, which is perhaps why I am so deeply into the things of God and the 'spirit,' since this approach demands an existential ("Must go deeper!") understanding and interaction.

Now, on to the matter at hand, and the thing that occupies much of my thoughts lately: worship.  As a Christian, I greatly appreciate the church's fundamental incorporation of a given time to worship God through music in every gathering.  I've been to other religions' corporate worship experiences, and despite being meaningful, I always found the lack of music and explicit 1-1 "free" interaction with God to be a fundamental 'mistake.' Religions have always had a musical element, because it not only helped tell (and remember the story/beliefs), but it also allowed an emotional element to come forward within the faith and the individual.  And, Christianity has always excelled in this area...even more so then our Jewish/Catholic forefathers (past and present)...and maybe it's because of our doctrine on the 'Spirit.'

Orthodox Christianity affirms not only the presence of the Holy Spirit, but also the spirit/soul of man.  We confess that man is not merely flesh and bones, but something more.  Now, some say we are a dichotomy of flesh and spirit, while others argue that we are "three:" body, mind and spirit, and, still, others go all "Jesus" and say that persons are body, mind, soul and spirit.  Whatever.  The point is that we are more than matter...gray or otherwise.  We have a spirit (soul, whatever) and it operates both with, and independent, of the flesh. While the Jewish scriptures affirm this notion and the practice of 'spirit worship' (see the Psalms), the idea and practice really took off with the aid of Greek philosophy and the Jesus story (and the two need each other).

According to the NT account, Jesus was a man empowered by, and interacting with, God's Spirit from within His spirit.  And, because of such, His experience with God can/should become our experience.  He said as much (especially in John), as do the other NT writers.  Paul really nails this idea in Romans 8, where he tells us that our spirits have not only been set free from sin to be empowered by the Spirit to do good works, but also that this interaction with the Spirit will also allow our spirit to cry out 'Abba Father' in worship and submission to God.  Hence, Christianity is not be understood as fundamentally philosophical or law-driven, but willful/soulful submission/adoration of God in all things and expressions.  That's a big deal!...and, because of such, we (the Church) have excelled in 'spirit' worship, and have gotten even better with time and dispensations both inside and outside the church(the Reformation, the Enlightenment/Modernism, the Great Awakening, the Holiness Movement, and...even the Charismatic Renewal/Postmodernism).

Almost all churches today invoke the use of technology and contemporary music in an effort to not appeal to culture, but also the doctrine of the Spirit.  It's good, right, and proper, and, yes, some do it better than others.  But, this is not my problem. The church I attend with my family has a dynamic and genuine worship team that produces quality sound, a meaningful 'set' each week that conveys our Christian beliefs, and even allows opportunity for 'free' worship (you know, when the musicians just play a few riffs over and over to allow you the opportunity to talk to God on your own).  It's legit and its of high quality without being a freakin' production.  But, I still can't worship...and there's a reason, I fear, that is beyond the surface elements...

Immanent and Immediate God...in Context

Following up from the last post, we need to clear up what exactly we are suggesting when we affirm that God is both immanent and immediate.  In other words, if God is with me in every situation, then why doesn't every situation immediately change, experience an encounter, or improve through His uninterrupted/non-mediated means?  (Good question, by the way!)  What I would like to suggest is that God is with us, but His method and intentions are often misunderstood or completely ignored.

God is Communal
First, we need to understand that God is communal.  This means that the God of the universe is not only sovereign and perfect (without need or weakness), but He exists in community with His creation (everything other than Him, which includes angels and the like).  God doesn't need to be with us or anything else, but He does want to be with us.  Perhaps (no, definitely), this is why God is said to be revealed through LOVE (I John 4:8).  Love requires (cannot exist) without an object to love and a source that gives love.  The trinity affirms this notion, and so does the Bible narrative of God and His interaction with creation.  From the beginning (Genesis), God shows up without invitation or prompting to interact with His creation.  Pretty cool, and pretty encouraging...for us.

So, not only can we rightfully affirm that God is, in fact, with us, but also that His doing so is not only a result of His will, but also His love for us.  BUT, then why doesn't He perfectly fix every problem immediately, if at all?  Crappy (lazy) theologians have suggested this is because God doesn't want to fix every problem, but wants us to know pain/suffering so we might learn from it...or at least know His perfect goodness.  That's dumb.  I don't allow my kids to play with fire so they can know the pain of a burn.  That's abuse.  God is not an abuser.  If we look a little more comprehensively at the Bible, instead of simply looking at an isolated verse or passage, we will find the answer is quite clear.

We are Communal
Almost every scientist agrees that human beings are social creatures.  Physically, emotionally, and psychologically, we need the interaction of another human being.  (I know there are a few people who live and think otherwise, but the very fact that they tell people they don't need people is evidence that that they need other people in their life.)  As a Christian, we can also easily affirm this truth because our Bible tells us that human beings are all created in the 'image of God.'  This means that we share some of God's qualities...which, includes the capacity to love and be loved, want and need community.

Since Genesis 2, man has been seeking out a community and object/source of his love.  This takes place in marriage, family, nationhood and, ultimately, in and through the church.  But what about God?  Exactly.  You see, Biblically speaking, all of the examples and means of man's loving community (marriage, family, nationhood and church) are derived from God.  He gave Adam, Eve; Abraham, Isaac; Jacob, the Nation of Israel; and, the world, the Church.  These are all God's gifts to us so that we might know love, satisfy our need for love, and, in no small feat, live an immediately improved life.  But, there is an even better truth...

God exists in Community
God not only gives us community, He exists within the chosen community.  God declares that He is present in the community, and this is to be understood both literally and representatively. When the tabernacle was present before the nation of Israel, God was with them.  When the ark occupied the Temple, God was with them.  When Jesus walked the earth and ministered to the people, God was with them.  Where the church is present today, God is with us.  This is consistent, this is content, this is truth.  God is immanently with us in all of our situations and, therefore, He is immediately available to meet our needs, directly and through the community.

I believe that God not only dwells with us, but that He also wants to aid us in every situation.  He may not deliver us from every situation, but He does want to aid and comfort us.  Yes, we should expect help, and immediate help, when we pray.  God may directly intervene, but from the Scriptures and church history, His primary means of presence and aid is His representative 'body,' the Church.  That means that you and I, as Believers and representatives, need to make ourselves available as the literal 'hands, feet, expression' of God's power, aid and presence to those in need.  People may be looking 'up' for their solution, but, according to the context of Scripture, you and I should be looking to our left and right.

The Immanent or Immediate God

I've been thinking a lot lately about the term, 'immanent.'  It is one of our hallmark beliefs and hope as Christians.  We affirm a sovereign being who created everything, and is above and outside of everything.  We are not pantheists (meaning that God IS in everything); nor, are we deists (a God who is absent from His creation), either.  We equally affirm a Creator and Sovereign who is present and involved in our world and His creation.  But, what exactly should be we expect in terms of His immanence (presence)?

For the past century, the Evangelical camp has taken a uniform position, if not a hyper-position.  In short, Christians have come to believe that the immanent God is right here in the room and is involved in every detail of his/her personal life, thought, and emotion.  So far, so good; but, we've applied this belief to mean that God is ready to make an immediate difference in every aspect, thought, and emotion, directly.  If we pray for it, and because God is immanently present, then He should, therefore, be willing and able to change everything in an instant.  Or so, at least, our present thinking goes.  There is Biblical ground for this belief (miracles), but does the text and our experience actually affirm this position and expectancy?  Maybe, maybe not.

Maybe we've gone too far in understanding and interpreting God's immanence and, perhaps, we've confused it with the idea of God as 'immediate?'

Biblically-Speaking
Often, the best passage for God's immanence is Psalm 139, particularly verses 7-12.  As a whole the Psalmist affirms that no matter where he goes, God and His Spirit are already there...with him, preemptively, and with complete foreknowledge.  But, that is the point: God is with Him via His concern, care and interest, not that He will change the psalmist's conditions or immediately respond to them with an intervention.  God is immanent (with him), and that is the miracle and hope.

But, what about the miracles passages and stories within the Old and New Testament?  Don't they suggest an immanent God who responds immediately?  Does not the Bible command us to pray with a sense of expectancy (Matthew 7:7-8)?  Absolutely it does, but it is also telling us a lot more than this.

In a follow-up Post, I will suggest that what God has promised to do in His immanence, He may do in the immediate, but, He will certainly do in His appointed context.  (Just a 'head's up,' I PROMISE this explanation will not be Christian voodoo or 'mystery.'  In fact, the answer will be so obvious that it is precisely why we so often miss it.)

Why I Don't Post Bible Versus (and I don't think you should either)

I hate seeing Bible verses on bumper stickers, Facebook posts, tweets, desktops, etc.  And it's not because I hate the Bible or I'm embarrassed to share my Christian faith.  On the contrary, it is because I LOVE the Bible and I LOVE my Christian faith.

You see, here is the problem...
(1) The Bible is Contextual
The Bible is a literary form of language, which means that is not only conveys an idea from a particular person/culture/vantage-point, but it also can be translated by a different person/culture/vantage-point in a way completely different from the original intention of the transmitter and still be "true."  This is a great feature because it ensures the legitimacy and relevancy of the Bible for eternity, so long as people read it and attempt to adapt and apply what they interpret.  However, on the flip-side, this ability to be contextualized also makes the Bible susceptible to abuse, misinterpretation (different, and sometimes even contrary to the author's intent), and idolatry (psuedo-absoluteness, i.e. "The Bible says so...").

(2) The Bible has been Given Away
You might be saying, and rightfully so, "Well, Jesus, Paul, John the Baptist, and all the other NT guys quoted Scripture.  Why can't I?"  First of all, "You can," but if you don't do it like they did, then you've lost your argument. The NT characters, and the NT writers, understood that their audience was a particular audience.  They were not writing for "all the world to hear" without a very specific presupposition regarding the ownership and intention of their writings.  Their story was, in fact, their community's story.  In our day, we've given ownership and the intention of the Bible away to "whosoever."  This is wrong, in my opinion, and for good reason.

OK, so here is the deal....
(1) The Bible needs the Bible
Because the Bible can be contextualized to mean anything a particular interpreter wants it to mean, the best way to guard against this is to only attempt interpretation of a verse, chapter, story, in light of the whole.  John 3:17 is great, but it means something completely different when you interpret in light of John 3:18...and the difference is huge!  (The same for Romans 10:13 in light of Romans chapter 11.)

But what about the Psalms and Proverbs?  They're one-liners.  Surely, I can post those by themselves, right? No.

(2) The Bible Needs a Specific Audience
Here is where you might get upset, but that's OK.  The Bible is a specific story, written by a specific group, to achieve a specific result - a shared faith.  When the Bible story was being transmitted orally (Old and New Testament times), it was being shared by people who shared the same presupposition that the stories were true and were to be used to confirm and enrich an already intended faith.  When it came time to write these stories down, the intentions remained the same: this is OUR story.  There existed an shared and intended filter for all interpretation, single verse or complete story.

Evidence of this exists throughout both history and the Bible. (a) Internal evidence: the Gospels and the Book of Acts.  "These things are written that you may believe..." John 20:31; Mark 1 gives no evidence on who or why Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, or what the Gospel is.  He just assumes the reader already knows and believes.; Acts 8:30-31 tells of an unbelieving Eunuch who cannot interpret the Scriptures, despite being a learned man.  Only Phillip, who believes, can give him the answer!; The missions of Paul in Acts consistently demonstrate that despite all of Paul's genius reasoning, the unbelievers still don't get it.  The point is that you must FIRST believe in order to understand!

Now, I know this irritates all of us Western Enlightened folks, but get over it.  We all would be just as irritated if someone from another family came to our house for Thanksgiving and began interpreting our family stories, traditions and behavior's in light of their own.  Rightfully, we would refute their interpretations with our own shared and presupposed intentions/meanings.  The point is that only the Bible community can rightfully interpret.  Outsides might have clever insights and interpretations, but they will never fully replace the proper interpretation of the intended community.

So, how can we share our faith and the Bible?  Easy.  Tell the whole story with the specific intention of a shared, historical (meaning agreeing with all believers of the past), and active faith!  In other words, live it out in community and express it in community.  Invite people INTO your faith and story....don't broadcast generic quips.

The Election and the Church's Response: An Open Letter

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CHURCH: To my fellow ministers, I greatly appreciate the challenges you face as a local minister and pastor in today's age. The culture continues to shift, and we are tasked with the burden of remaining faithful to our tradition while still finding relevance and opportunityin light of our context. It is not an easy task, especially with increasing social pressures, expectations and budgets. However, I am disheartened by how so many of chosen to respo...nd to these circumstances.

While I could cite various specifics, i will stick to the one most relevant and immediate: the present election. I do not care your politics, and I applaud you for not allowing your personal opinion to overide your responsibility as minister of the independent Gospel. What troubles me, however, is how many of you either stayed silent on our civic responsibility to vote or downplayed the implications of voting or the election, in general. I do believe that the Bible calls to not only be engaged in the religious community, but also the community as large. The majority of us are not Mennonite/Anabaptist.


But perhaps the greatest offense I have witnessed, from so many, is your, again, those who have attempted to downplay the implications of elections and human choices. Your "prophecy" to predict months in advance "what will happen on Nov 9" were trivial and dangerous. Of course, "God will still be on the throne. The Bible will still be true. And we, the church, will still need to proclaim the Gospel in an uncompromising way with 'Truth and Love.'" Amen. But, there will be a host of other 'truths' tomorrow, and some not so pleasant.


If I may...on Jan 30, 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany. I'm pretty sure all your prophecies will still true on Jan 31, 1933, but life and society took a drastic downward spiral, too, and the consequences were horrific for generations! I am not comparing the present election of 2016 with 1933, completely. My point and emphasis is that ELECTIONS and human behavior do have consequences...and sometimes those consequences are huge! Do not downplay or dismiss them. You are called to be leaders, influencers, and persons who contribute to a better society. What do you appear to compromise or shy away from your task?


For the love of the Gospel and your calling, and for the sake of the people you have been appointed to care for, correct, build up, and affirm, do not compromise, my friends. Stay strong. Preach the Word. Hold true. Live out the faith of martyrs. Make a difference.


We are all counting on you.


VR,
JS

Pop Culture Christianity

"Pop Culture Christianity" is a term I use a lot, because I think it is the perfect term for what Christianity is today.  It is a hyper-contextualized demographic that has bought into a mainline, non-Christian specific, ideology.  Seriously.  When you hear how Christians describe their faith and practice, it is very different than how any other person of a different faith would describe their belief system.

Examples:
- I'm not perfect, I'm a sinner.
(May, or may not, include "saved by grace," but that doesn't matter.  The point is simply that they are justifying their 'normal' flaws and mistakes without distinction.)
- I'm not religious. 
(In other words, "Don't count me in with those people who follow rules and identify with other groups.  I want to be identified with all of "you.")
- I believe in "love." 
(This sounds so good, but so does everyone else.  There is nothing distinguishing about this statement.  In fact, it doesn't even attempt to define this 'love' as Divine, or as coming from God.  To simply believe in 'love' is to believe in the world's demonstration and practice of love, which has little in common with the Biblical example and proclamation.)


Listen, Christianity has, and will, always be contextualized in its current culture and language.  There is nothing wrong with this.  In fact, it's necessary and ensures the faith will continue!  The problem is that rather than distinguish, or proclaim, its message and identity to the world, today's Christianity is seeking the world's approval.  Rather than calling people "out," Christians are trying to run "into" the identity of the world.  It's really pathetic.


Christianity is about being different - completely different.  It's not about defensiveness and cowering for easy acceptance.  Historically, Christianity has been about triumphant declaration of a 'better' way of living than what the world has to offer!  (Now, truthfully, this has also led to radical moments of 'triumphant-ism' that has played out in empiricism and the 'Prosperity Gospel.' That's not what we are shooting for either.)  We are a faith that believes in the redemption of man, both eternally and instantaneously.  Yes, we will sin, but we will NOT make excuses for it and we give our every efforts to cease from it (including appealing to the residing Holy Spirit)!  We do believe in a living relationship with God, rather than rote functions and empty words; but, we are a RELIGION, and a really good one at that!  We proudly identify with over 2,000years of people following Jesus the Messiah and believing in the message and practice of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  If we are not a religion, then we are nothing!  And, Yes, we believe in 'Love,' but our love is divine and holy.  It does not compromise because it is pure and sacred.  It clings to what is good and hates what is evil.  It is not neutral, because real love and can never be neutral. Christianity is distinct.  It is real.  It is better.  And, it is transcendent and permeable to every culture.


Please stop selling out.  Pop-culture always has an expiration date.  Don't let your faith expire, too.

What motivates me?

I was thumbing through a recent minister's magazine and came across an advertisement for missionary activity.  The headline was "blah, blah, blah...so all can hear."  The point was being made that we, as Christians, will do anything for someone to hear the Gospel.  And while that is true, the headline/tagline did not resonate with me the way I think it was supposed to.


Honestly, I am not motivated by a compelling/urgent emphasis of preaching a sermon or telling a Jesus story to a stranger so that they can 'hear' before they die.  I know this was the understanding of early Evangelicalism, and I shared it pretty early on in my ministry years. I was motivated by the thought (presupposition) that the people of the world were in desperate need to hear and respond to the "Sinner's Prayer."  There was this narrow, passionate belief in this 'silver bullet' approach to missions/ministry...and it drove our practice of missions/ministry.


Whether it was formal sermons, street preaching, humanitarian aid, etc., Evangelicalism's approach has been, and continues to be, driven by doing whatever is necessary to get people to hear and respond to the 'altar call' or 'Sinner's prayer.'  But, I'm not on that bus anymore....


Sometime during the later part of our church planting years in NYC, I noticed a slight shift in my theology on salvation.  Reading through the Bible (Old and New Testament), I noticed that salvation was not a single-moment event.  Yes, it had a beginning, but it was hard to define and there certainly wasn't a moment of completion this side of eternity.  Those who were 'saved' in Scripture, knew it; but, they didn't take it for granted or assume that the privilege was without consequence or commitment.  Those who did make that mistake, always suffered and lost.  In short, I came to understand that 'salvation' in Scripture was the gift and ministry of the church: the covenant community of God.  Salvation 'began' with participation/identification in the local body of believers, and was enjoyed so long as the members maintained right relationship with God's law and each other.  A sermon or prayer might get you in, but it was certainly not the 'end' by any stretch.


The result of this understanding changed everything for me.  Instead of preaching or teaching to lead people to a point of individualism, every message and event was geared to an invitation to join the church community.  Yes, repentance was the first and major emphasis, but I didn't end with 'REPENT!'  It was more like "Leave that, and join this."  And the effects of this were awesome!  Now, instead of preaching or doing outreaches only for the "lost," we were doing things that spoke to both the Lost and the Saved (the church).  Everyone was being called into, encouraged, corrected, and given opportunity to respond to our message.  Additionally, people understood that 'church' was no longer an option, but the means of their salvation!  You couldn't say to yourself, "Well, I prayed a prayer;  Repented and asked Jesus in my heart; so, I'm good," cause that wasn't the message or evidence of what we were saying or doing.  People knew that if they wanted to 'do' Christianity, then they had to join with the "Christians" in worship, life and practice.


As a minister, I'm still motivated by the understanding, need, and burden to proclaim the Gospel to the world around me; but, how I interpret the words, "so all can hear," is radically different than what it once was.  I'm no longer motivated by individualism, but by the opportunity and reward of community. And I am so very, very glad for the change.

Introducing Theology in 60

My hope is to draw us all closer to a more practical and legitimate understanding of what it means to 'believe.'  I do not attempt to presume to have it all figured out, all I hope to accomplish through this series is to spark ideas, share observations, and get each of us (self included) toward a better "Belief.'

It's Coming