Don't forget to vote.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Does the church even recognize "redemption" anymore?
Shame on you, Christian Children's Fund!
Christianity is a story of redemption, isn't it? Throughout the Bible, the stories are about the people of God failing, disobeying, and suffering, only to meet with God's grace...His unmeritied favor...and be redeemed.
Paul, a servant of the Lord, is one of the most famous redemption stories. Saul, a persecutor of Christians, meets Jesus on the road to Damascus, is miraculously blinded, taken to a house, healed miraculously, name changed to Paul. He then runs to the Christian community and says, "Hey, I'm one of you, now! I want to evangelize the Gospel! I have been sent out by our Christ to bring the message of the Kingdom!!!"
What did the community do? First, they were scared spitless. Second, they discussed amongst themselves if this was a trick. Finally, after letting Paul sit for NINE YEARS, they accepted him and he started his missionary journeys as discussed in the book of Acts in the New Testament.
Christian, have you been redeemed? Are you being redeemed? Are you being blessed by God? Awesome, thought, huh?
Now, is it possible to have lived against the will of God and be redeemed? Oh, careful, now. The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Guess who said that? Hee-hee.....Paul.
How should we as Christians manage our relationships with people who have lived, by their own words, outside the will of God, but have turned their lives around? Why is it often hard for us to see redemption in our midst?
So, I got really upset this week by a story I read onilne. Gary Gygax, the creator (co) of the Dungeons and Dragons game, had accepted Christ late in life, had regularly given to the Christian Children's Fund, and then passed away earlier this year. At Gen-Con, the largest gaming convention in the U.S., there was a fundraiser in honor of Mr. Gygax. The money was sent to CCF, and the donation was REJECTED because it was from the gaming community. REJECTED!!! By a community that should be all about redemption! By a community that "sells" redemption for children in poor situations.
I understand their concerns about the values of the people who gave the money, etc. BUT, it was given in honor of a man who believed as they do. A man who had felt the redemptive power of our own CHRIST!!!
By rejecting the money, Christian Children's Fund ostracized, and possibly permanently damaged an opportunity to be Christ to those to whom they would not normally come in contact.
Want to know why people like Jesus, but don't like the church? Yeah, that's why.
TAKE THE MONEY, CONSECRATE IT TO GOD'S WORK, AND WATCH THE BLESSINGS THAT WILL HAPPEN.
Christianity is a story of redemption, isn't it? Throughout the Bible, the stories are about the people of God failing, disobeying, and suffering, only to meet with God's grace...His unmeritied favor...and be redeemed.
Paul, a servant of the Lord, is one of the most famous redemption stories. Saul, a persecutor of Christians, meets Jesus on the road to Damascus, is miraculously blinded, taken to a house, healed miraculously, name changed to Paul. He then runs to the Christian community and says, "Hey, I'm one of you, now! I want to evangelize the Gospel! I have been sent out by our Christ to bring the message of the Kingdom!!!"
What did the community do? First, they were scared spitless. Second, they discussed amongst themselves if this was a trick. Finally, after letting Paul sit for NINE YEARS, they accepted him and he started his missionary journeys as discussed in the book of Acts in the New Testament.
Christian, have you been redeemed? Are you being redeemed? Are you being blessed by God? Awesome, thought, huh?
Now, is it possible to have lived against the will of God and be redeemed? Oh, careful, now. The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Guess who said that? Hee-hee.....Paul.
How should we as Christians manage our relationships with people who have lived, by their own words, outside the will of God, but have turned their lives around? Why is it often hard for us to see redemption in our midst?
So, I got really upset this week by a story I read onilne. Gary Gygax, the creator (co) of the Dungeons and Dragons game, had accepted Christ late in life, had regularly given to the Christian Children's Fund, and then passed away earlier this year. At Gen-Con, the largest gaming convention in the U.S., there was a fundraiser in honor of Mr. Gygax. The money was sent to CCF, and the donation was REJECTED because it was from the gaming community. REJECTED!!! By a community that should be all about redemption! By a community that "sells" redemption for children in poor situations.
I understand their concerns about the values of the people who gave the money, etc. BUT, it was given in honor of a man who believed as they do. A man who had felt the redemptive power of our own CHRIST!!!
By rejecting the money, Christian Children's Fund ostracized, and possibly permanently damaged an opportunity to be Christ to those to whom they would not normally come in contact.
Want to know why people like Jesus, but don't like the church? Yeah, that's why.
TAKE THE MONEY, CONSECRATE IT TO GOD'S WORK, AND WATCH THE BLESSINGS THAT WILL HAPPEN.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Discernment in Community
I am a fan of the writings of Scot McKnight. I also follow his blog at JesusCreed.org.
Given my ramblings on interpretation, certainty, and the like, I was thrilled to read this paragraph in one of Scot's postings:
Given my ramblings on interpretation, certainty, and the like, I was thrilled to read this paragraph in one of Scot's postings:
"Once we are dealing with something not directly addressed in the Bible, we are driven to make discernments the best that we can. I think our discernments can be confident but they must not be confused with what Scripture says directly (like “be holy”).
That means we don’t have “certainty” in this case but instead we have “discernment” anchored in faith and in the good guidance of God’s Spirit, always in the context of the community of faith. I’m nervous about doing this all alone, and the history of the Church clearly teaches us that discernment works best when we work with other Christians who share our general orientations.Discernment works in community."
I like that. It keeps the gist of what I was saying, but lays in an important factor. We can interpret, but interpretation BY OURSELVES ALONE can get us into trouble. (Now, understand, I've seen interpretation in community lead to broken families, broken churches, broken hearts. So, there's a dangerous side to that too.)
Anyway, thanks, Scot!
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Things They Never Taught Me in College
When I was in college, I thought about many things.
Who would I marry? Of course, that was pretty well sealed with my High School sweetheart to whom I've now been married 15 years.
What career path would I have? Once again, pretty well sealed as I had been doing computer sciency kinds of things since I was twelve.
I thought about "business" things.
I thought about "family" things.
I thought about "political" things.
I'm going to change the world. I'm going to make a difference. Life is going to be a wild and crazy ride, but I can be in control.
Then, today, I asked my boss a question. And he sent me this....
"I don't know what you're talking about. So, here's a bunny with a pancake on its head."
Nothing, I repeat, NOTHING in college ever prepared me for that.
You can see this for yourself at: http://heresabunnywithapancakeonitshead.com/
Who would I marry? Of course, that was pretty well sealed with my High School sweetheart to whom I've now been married 15 years.
What career path would I have? Once again, pretty well sealed as I had been doing computer sciency kinds of things since I was twelve.
I thought about "business" things.
I thought about "family" things.
I thought about "political" things.
I'm going to change the world. I'm going to make a difference. Life is going to be a wild and crazy ride, but I can be in control.
Then, today, I asked my boss a question. And he sent me this....
"I don't know what you're talking about. So, here's a bunny with a pancake on its head."
Nothing, I repeat, NOTHING in college ever prepared me for that.
You can see this for yourself at: http://heresabunnywithapancakeonitshead.com/
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Happy National Punctuation Day!!!!
Celebrate National Punctuation Day®
September 24
Now, go forth and read a good book like "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" by Lynn Truss!!!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Inerrant, Infallible: Why We're Not Emergent....
The scripture is inerrant. The scripture is infallible.
Now comes the controversial part. If you have no interest in maintaining a conversation with me or with my friends, stop reading now. If you are purely "sola scriptura" REALLY stop reading now. In fact, here's a link to take you away from this site.
http://www.cnn.com
DeYoung and Cluck, in "Why We're not Emergent" attack this topic and those in the emergent conversation with a fervor. I am exceptionally impressed with their ability to present the issues without dropping to name-calling. They nailed it with the following statement.
"It is possible for Christians to esteem the Bible wrongly and equate the Bible with God, but it is not possible for Christians to esteem the Bible too highly."
The Bible was written by men. I believe, however, that every word was inspired by God. While I horribly dislike committees (today, they are called V-Teams...but they’re still committees.), I recognize the councils that prepared the canon of our modern Bible as divinely inspired.
I, as an emergent Christian, recognize the bible as inerrant. However, thanks to the protestant reformation, and Mr. Guttenberg, interpretation is not inerrant. But, now, let me explain this....from my perspective....
The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth. I'm following. Wesley described his quadrilateral of spiritual growth as Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason. Those of you who read my blog regularly probably tire of me repeating that. So, my experience is that every time I read the Bible, I am given new, fresh, relevant and inspiring insight. My interpretation of scripture is affected by what I read, what I hear, and answers to prayer. I believe that God -- the Holy Spirit -- provides me understanding of scripture based on what I'm ready to understand. Note: Not WHAT I WANT to understand.
I am open to guidance, but I am not open to a piece of doctrinal scripture meaning one and only one thing. There are sections in scripture that are propositional and True. However, there are others that are NOT propositional, but that doesn't mean that they aren't true.
If I told you that the Staples Center is in Los Angeles, that would be a proposition and a truth. If I told you to go there, that would be a command. If that is all I told you, then there has to be some level of interpretation. Do you drive? Take a bus? Plane? Walk? What if you are overseas? Do you need anything before you can follow my command to go? Who defines what those things are? Who defines when you can go? While this is not a Biblical example, it is. Even the "Great Commission" in Matthew requires interpretation. (Oh, by the way, the moniker "Great Commission" isn't actually used by the writers of the Bible, but was added later by men....just thought I'd mention that.) Now, before you all start jumping up and down on me. I believe the GC is very clear about WHAT we are to do...but gives little on HOW. Take baptism...how many controversies are there on whether it has to be full immersion vs. sprinkling...part of the GC, but up for interpretation.
So, if someone tells me they know EXACTLY what a piece of scripture means, I will thank them for their insight. If I disagree, I may enter into conversation with them. If they expect to blindly accept their comments as TRUTH, and will ostracize me if I don't, then they have lost the most valuable thing they can get from me.
Respect.
Now, understand, a disagreement does not mean that I cannot be persuaded. But, persuasion should be gentle, allowing me to ask questions, allowing for Spirit-led compromise. Not, “You’re a heretic, and you’re gonna burn!” That doesn’t persuade me.
So does this make me a relativist. **SIGH** No, it does not. What it makes me is a “Theological Currentist”. My theology matches where I am currently. I am on a journey, and the Spirit has led me to this point on my journey. There are others who are farther along. There are others who are not as far along. The end result, the destination, is an ability to embrace all truth and to share that truth with others to help them along their journey. I am here and Jesus/The Bible is teaching me here. It’s where I’m at.
Am I sincere? Absolutely.
Can I be sincerely wrong? Even more absolutely.
But, I have every belief that if I continue to search, my God will lead me to that place of understanding, and I won’t be wrong. But I have to work out my own salvation with fear and trembling. Is there absolute Truth? You bet there is…and I’m getting there. But, I’m not there, yet. I can’t honestly say that I will ever be there. But there is absolute Truth.
So, what do you think? Those of you who fall into an emergent bucket? Those of you who don’t?
Note, I didn’t put in any examples of propositions I believe to be true. Thus, some will say that I don’t believe any to be true. Let me make this clear. That’s not true. I just didn’t think it added value to this conversation. You want proof-texting? I don’t normally, but I can for what I’ve said. Once again, didn’t think it added value.
Now comes the controversial part. If you have no interest in maintaining a conversation with me or with my friends, stop reading now. If you are purely "sola scriptura" REALLY stop reading now. In fact, here's a link to take you away from this site.
http://www.cnn.com
DeYoung and Cluck, in "Why We're not Emergent" attack this topic and those in the emergent conversation with a fervor. I am exceptionally impressed with their ability to present the issues without dropping to name-calling. They nailed it with the following statement.
"It is possible for Christians to esteem the Bible wrongly and equate the Bible with God, but it is not possible for Christians to esteem the Bible too highly."
The Bible was written by men. I believe, however, that every word was inspired by God. While I horribly dislike committees (today, they are called V-Teams...but they’re still committees.), I recognize the councils that prepared the canon of our modern Bible as divinely inspired.
I, as an emergent Christian, recognize the bible as inerrant. However, thanks to the protestant reformation, and Mr. Guttenberg, interpretation is not inerrant. But, now, let me explain this....from my perspective....
The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth. I'm following. Wesley described his quadrilateral of spiritual growth as Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason. Those of you who read my blog regularly probably tire of me repeating that. So, my experience is that every time I read the Bible, I am given new, fresh, relevant and inspiring insight. My interpretation of scripture is affected by what I read, what I hear, and answers to prayer. I believe that God -- the Holy Spirit -- provides me understanding of scripture based on what I'm ready to understand. Note: Not WHAT I WANT to understand.
I am open to guidance, but I am not open to a piece of doctrinal scripture meaning one and only one thing. There are sections in scripture that are propositional and True. However, there are others that are NOT propositional, but that doesn't mean that they aren't true.
If I told you that the Staples Center is in Los Angeles, that would be a proposition and a truth. If I told you to go there, that would be a command. If that is all I told you, then there has to be some level of interpretation. Do you drive? Take a bus? Plane? Walk? What if you are overseas? Do you need anything before you can follow my command to go? Who defines what those things are? Who defines when you can go? While this is not a Biblical example, it is. Even the "Great Commission" in Matthew requires interpretation. (Oh, by the way, the moniker "Great Commission" isn't actually used by the writers of the Bible, but was added later by men....just thought I'd mention that.) Now, before you all start jumping up and down on me. I believe the GC is very clear about WHAT we are to do...but gives little on HOW. Take baptism...how many controversies are there on whether it has to be full immersion vs. sprinkling...part of the GC, but up for interpretation.
So, if someone tells me they know EXACTLY what a piece of scripture means, I will thank them for their insight. If I disagree, I may enter into conversation with them. If they expect to blindly accept their comments as TRUTH, and will ostracize me if I don't, then they have lost the most valuable thing they can get from me.
Respect.
Now, understand, a disagreement does not mean that I cannot be persuaded. But, persuasion should be gentle, allowing me to ask questions, allowing for Spirit-led compromise. Not, “You’re a heretic, and you’re gonna burn!” That doesn’t persuade me.
So does this make me a relativist. **SIGH** No, it does not. What it makes me is a “Theological Currentist”. My theology matches where I am currently. I am on a journey, and the Spirit has led me to this point on my journey. There are others who are farther along. There are others who are not as far along. The end result, the destination, is an ability to embrace all truth and to share that truth with others to help them along their journey. I am here and Jesus/The Bible is teaching me here. It’s where I’m at.
Am I sincere? Absolutely.
Can I be sincerely wrong? Even more absolutely.
But, I have every belief that if I continue to search, my God will lead me to that place of understanding, and I won’t be wrong. But I have to work out my own salvation with fear and trembling. Is there absolute Truth? You bet there is…and I’m getting there. But, I’m not there, yet. I can’t honestly say that I will ever be there. But there is absolute Truth.
So, what do you think? Those of you who fall into an emergent bucket? Those of you who don’t?
Note, I didn’t put in any examples of propositions I believe to be true. Thus, some will say that I don’t believe any to be true. Let me make this clear. That’s not true. I just didn’t think it added value to this conversation. You want proof-texting? I don’t normally, but I can for what I’ve said. Once again, didn’t think it added value.
Monday, September 08, 2008
The Knowability of God
Okay folks, sorry that I've been away for a while. The new job was eating up a lot of my time. I am not dead. I am not disgusted with blogging.
Everything is fine. More than fine.....more than bent on getting by.....more than fine....more than just okay.
So, I started a book review a number of months ago, and there is still more to finish. It's taken me awhile, simply because I'm really passionate about the topic. I've actually had this essay on my cell phone for 5 months, and am just getting around to posting it. I do a lot of my blog writing on my cell phone. (AT&T Tilt....full keyboard....) So, back to the review....
DeYoung and Kluck (I have difficulty with who wrote what chapters….so I choose to make them both guilty by association…it seems to be “the way it should be done”) claim that “Emerging leaders equate uncertainty with humility.” Wow, that’s a big accusation. Uncertainty is something you can get over. Humility is something you are. I pray that I NEVER get over my humility. In fact, I pray that my humility will increase!!! AND, AND, AND, I will be proud of that day, when I’m more humble than I am today!!!! Wait, scratch that last statement.
They quote from Steve Chalke about a young man who said to him, “If you academics in your ivory towers have lost Jesus, that’s your problem. I’ve not lost him. I know him. I love him. I don’t need to search for him.” Chalke’s comments on the story are telling.
However, as appealing as this kind of certainty might at first sound, it is in fact rather like the presumed familiarity of which Dallas Willard spoke. To assume that we have got Jesus “pinned down” or “summed up” is not simply arrogant but stupid, and in the end inhibits our ability to communicate his unchanging message to an ever-changing world.
Now, I'm not one to personally say that anyone's views are stupid. They are their views. HOWEVER, I have to agree with the arrogance statement.
I understand their concerns, and share them to a point. Certainty is a valiant goal. I think, however, that when I read the Bible and gain a new insight into a passage of scripture, thanks to an analysis of the context of the times….whether location, political situation, cultural situation, or just a study of the original language itself….I cannot arrogantly say, “Now, I understand what this truly means.” My uncertainty of the Scripture makes it come alive for me. My ability to gain new insight, and even to anticipate what God will teach me, excites me. I hope I never get over looking at scripture with the brilliant eyes of a child! DeYoung and Kluck point to a handful of other quotes from Brian McLaren arguing against clarity, and how reality is “fuzzy and mysterious; not in black and white, but in living color.” That living color is what I’m seeking.
Let me give a brief example. We have a group that meets on Wednesday nights and we were looking at one of Jesus' parables last week. (Wed Sept 3rd...yeah, okay, so I didn't edit all of this on my cell phone) Specifically, the parable of the unrighteous steward in Luke 16. Talk about confusing. Let me paint the picture for you...A steward is reported to the master as "squandering his possessions", to which the master nails him to the wall. The steward realizes he's about to lose his job, so he calls in customers who owe the master, and has them all tweak their bills so they owe less. Are you confused yet? Just wait...it gets better....The master then praises the unrighteous stewared for his shrewdness. To which Jesus says (NIV) "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much, and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?" WHAT? It took 4 people sitting around a table, all looking at multiple versions, translations, and even an inter-linear Bible to try and figure out what that means. We finally landed on Eugene Petersen's "The Message" (which I generally don't like) where Jesus says something to the effect that we are to be shrewd like the unrighteous steward but in ways that are "right". Okay, I'm good with that...but the NIV, RSV, NASB don't make that abundantly clear!!!!! Uncertainty...uncertainty...uncertainty....
There is so much talk about “Mystery” in emergent documentation. And critics treat that as thought it’s a bad thing. It’s not. If we truly seek to understand, we will be given understanding. We may not like it, but we will understand it. (Isn’t that kind of what the scientific method is all about?....oooh…don’t go there, Brad.)
Mysteries can be solved. Someday, we will know what causes cancer. Someday, we will know where socks in the dryer go. (Sock heaven, according to Steve Taylor) If a murder mystery novel told us who the killer was at the very beginning of the book, why would we have any reason to read the rest? Why would we have any desire to put together the clues? Now, before anyone thinks that Brad has gone all Gnostic on us. The knowability of God is not some secret knowledge. God reveals his light to us as we are ready. Did you catch that? As we are ready.
I humbly bow to the one true God of the universe who created all, is in all, above all, who gives me new insight. In humility, I accept Jesus’ words that he has many more things to tell me, but I’m not ready for them. My insights will grow and change. Will I misunderstand things? Absolutely. But, the Holy Spirit is leading me into all truth. All I can do is follow.
Everything is fine. More than fine.....more than bent on getting by.....more than fine....more than just okay.
So, I started a book review a number of months ago, and there is still more to finish. It's taken me awhile, simply because I'm really passionate about the topic. I've actually had this essay on my cell phone for 5 months, and am just getting around to posting it. I do a lot of my blog writing on my cell phone. (AT&T Tilt....full keyboard....) So, back to the review....
DeYoung and Kluck (I have difficulty with who wrote what chapters….so I choose to make them both guilty by association…it seems to be “the way it should be done”) claim that “Emerging leaders equate uncertainty with humility.” Wow, that’s a big accusation. Uncertainty is something you can get over. Humility is something you are. I pray that I NEVER get over my humility. In fact, I pray that my humility will increase!!! AND, AND, AND, I will be proud of that day, when I’m more humble than I am today!!!! Wait, scratch that last statement.
They quote from Steve Chalke about a young man who said to him, “If you academics in your ivory towers have lost Jesus, that’s your problem. I’ve not lost him. I know him. I love him. I don’t need to search for him.” Chalke’s comments on the story are telling.
However, as appealing as this kind of certainty might at first sound, it is in fact rather like the presumed familiarity of which Dallas Willard spoke. To assume that we have got Jesus “pinned down” or “summed up” is not simply arrogant but stupid, and in the end inhibits our ability to communicate his unchanging message to an ever-changing world.
Now, I'm not one to personally say that anyone's views are stupid. They are their views. HOWEVER, I have to agree with the arrogance statement.
I understand their concerns, and share them to a point. Certainty is a valiant goal. I think, however, that when I read the Bible and gain a new insight into a passage of scripture, thanks to an analysis of the context of the times….whether location, political situation, cultural situation, or just a study of the original language itself….I cannot arrogantly say, “Now, I understand what this truly means.” My uncertainty of the Scripture makes it come alive for me. My ability to gain new insight, and even to anticipate what God will teach me, excites me. I hope I never get over looking at scripture with the brilliant eyes of a child! DeYoung and Kluck point to a handful of other quotes from Brian McLaren arguing against clarity, and how reality is “fuzzy and mysterious; not in black and white, but in living color.” That living color is what I’m seeking.
Let me give a brief example. We have a group that meets on Wednesday nights and we were looking at one of Jesus' parables last week. (Wed Sept 3rd...yeah, okay, so I didn't edit all of this on my cell phone) Specifically, the parable of the unrighteous steward in Luke 16. Talk about confusing. Let me paint the picture for you...A steward is reported to the master as "squandering his possessions", to which the master nails him to the wall. The steward realizes he's about to lose his job, so he calls in customers who owe the master, and has them all tweak their bills so they owe less. Are you confused yet? Just wait...it gets better....The master then praises the unrighteous stewared for his shrewdness. To which Jesus says (NIV) "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much, and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?" WHAT? It took 4 people sitting around a table, all looking at multiple versions, translations, and even an inter-linear Bible to try and figure out what that means. We finally landed on Eugene Petersen's "The Message" (which I generally don't like) where Jesus says something to the effect that we are to be shrewd like the unrighteous steward but in ways that are "right". Okay, I'm good with that...but the NIV, RSV, NASB don't make that abundantly clear!!!!! Uncertainty...uncertainty...uncertainty....
There is so much talk about “Mystery” in emergent documentation. And critics treat that as thought it’s a bad thing. It’s not. If we truly seek to understand, we will be given understanding. We may not like it, but we will understand it. (Isn’t that kind of what the scientific method is all about?....oooh…don’t go there, Brad.)
Mysteries can be solved. Someday, we will know what causes cancer. Someday, we will know where socks in the dryer go. (Sock heaven, according to Steve Taylor) If a murder mystery novel told us who the killer was at the very beginning of the book, why would we have any reason to read the rest? Why would we have any desire to put together the clues? Now, before anyone thinks that Brad has gone all Gnostic on us. The knowability of God is not some secret knowledge. God reveals his light to us as we are ready. Did you catch that? As we are ready.
I humbly bow to the one true God of the universe who created all, is in all, above all, who gives me new insight. In humility, I accept Jesus’ words that he has many more things to tell me, but I’m not ready for them. My insights will grow and change. Will I misunderstand things? Absolutely. But, the Holy Spirit is leading me into all truth. All I can do is follow.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
An Emergent Review of "Why We're Not Emergent"
I am a blogger. What exactly does that mean? It means I’m a semi-intelligent, computer savvy, and opinionated. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have anything to say. So, let’s toss more into the mix. I’m a Christian blogger. Uh oh. Now, I’m a semi-intelligent, opinionated blogger who, by his very nature, is supposed to be humble.
Doh.
Can one actually be a blogger and be humble? Isn’t part of blogging to toot one’s own horn? **SIGH**
Many of you know that I have claimed to be Emergent in thought and theology. I still claim that. However, I remain humble and realize that my theology is growing, changing, and until I have an opportunity to really work things through, balancing against Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason, I can honestly, sincerely, truthfully be completely and utterly wrong.
But, I don’t think I am.
Emergent is a conversation. Yeah, yeah, yeah…stop that. Well, it is. It’s honest, sincere Christians from all walks of life, and all different communities of Christian faith coming together to talk about what it means to live in the way of Christ. I am proud to say that I have friends who are Catholic, although we disagree on many things. I have many friends who are Episcopalian, although we disagree on many things. I have many friends who are Lutheran, although we disagree on many things. I have many friends who are Baptist, although we disagree on many things. Guess what, if asked, we’d all say that we are emergent. We are a community of people with common interests.
As a part of this worldwide conversation around the Bible and Christian thought, I have to say that there are “voices” in the conversation that I really, really disagree with, and there are others with whom I am greatly intrigued, and would even go so far as to say that I agree with them. So, guess what, it’s okay for me to be a part of this conversation and disagree with others. SHOCKING, isn’t it? Now, are you ready for this next part? I’m not going to tell you who I disagree with!!!! HA!!! Take that!!! It’s up to YOU to talk to me, read what I write, and figure that out for yourself. If you want a vitriolic manifesto of Christian leaders, writers, and philosophies, I can point you to other sites. You won’t get that here.
Many of the critics of the emergent movement and emergent thought fit solidly into that vitriolic bunch that I mentioned previously. In fact, it is rare to find objectivity in the critiques.
Enough prea
mble? This brings me to the book, “Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be)”, the new book by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. These two gentlemen have written an honest and sincere critique of Emergent. And, based on my previous comments, one can be honestly, sincerely, truthfully and utterly wrong. DeYoung and Kluck are not “utterly” wrong, but I will say that I disagree with a handful of their precepts, notions and conclusions.
First and foremost, I disagree with their claim that “Defining the Emergent church is like nailing Jell-O to the wall.” Jell-O is best applied with double sided tape. (Please tell me that made you at least chuckle. I need to know that people have read this far.) Brad Cecil wrote comments on his blog addressing exactly this point….
Numbers 6, 7 and 8 are questionable in my book. I dislike terms like “enslaved”, and a forced push for Reformation, followed by “New” theological thought. However, I do believe that reformation is happening, theology is changing by embracing pre-enlightenment ideas, and that the modern assumptions are being properly framed. So, I can denounce what he’s saying out of one side of my mouth, and partially agree to it from the other side.
That, my friends, is the sound of Jell-O being nailed to a wall. HA HA HA HA.
DeYoung and Kluck do start out their book by explaining that they recognize the sincerity of those that they say are “leaders” of the Emergent movement, and that not all of their theology is bad. The things they want to point out in the book are the things in those peoples’ writings to which DeYoung and Kluck have great concerns. This is where their objectivity impresses me. Instead of turning vitriolic and developing “Christian Tourette’s Syndrome”, shouting out theological ideas, or negative statements about people in the Christian community with whom they disagree, they actually say, “We love Jesus and love the church. We believe emergent Christians love the same. The shape and substance of that love is what we disagree on.” EXCELLENT!!!! Kudos to the authors. Guys, you get it. Welcome to the emergent conversation.
Doh! Sorry, you said you aren’t emergent, yet you’ve openly allowed yourself into conversation with some who you describe as leaders in the Emergent church. (See Dan Kimball’s blog on his review of the book…here.)
One of the most important statements that the authors make is, “One of the hazards of being part of a movement whose only statement of faith says that you don’t believe in statements of faith is that you are bound to be misread and lumped together with some ideas you don’t like.” This statement is a key to what they “don’t get” about emergent. I know NO ONE in the emergent conversation who eschews statements of faith. The Lutherans claim statements of faith. The Baptists, by their very nature, claim statements of faith. I, while growing up Nazarene, but not really claiming all of Nazarene faith, still cling very much to statements of faith. The authors do get it right, though, that we are all lumped in with ideas and people with whom we disagree.
Question: Have you ever read a movie review that was just scathing against a film, then you saw the film and you thought it was incredible? Have you ever read a movie review that was lauding a film with all sorts of accolades, then saw the movie and thought, “What were they thinking?” So, you saw the movie. Uh oh….who are you associated with? The people who liked the movie? The people who disliked it? If you say you disliked it, what happens to the people who liked it? Sorry, just a gestalt – a thought problem. Think about it.
Next post, a continuation of the review, and “The Knowability of God”.
Doh.
Can one actually be a blogger and be humble? Isn’t part of blogging to toot one’s own horn? **SIGH**
Many of you know that I have claimed to be Emergent in thought and theology. I still claim that. However, I remain humble and realize that my theology is growing, changing, and until I have an opportunity to really work things through, balancing against Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason, I can honestly, sincerely, truthfully be completely and utterly wrong.
But, I don’t think I am.
Emergent is a conversation. Yeah, yeah, yeah…stop that. Well, it is. It’s honest, sincere Christians from all walks of life, and all different communities of Christian faith coming together to talk about what it means to live in the way of Christ. I am proud to say that I have friends who are Catholic, although we disagree on many things. I have many friends who are Episcopalian, although we disagree on many things. I have many friends who are Lutheran, although we disagree on many things. I have many friends who are Baptist, although we disagree on many things. Guess what, if asked, we’d all say that we are emergent. We are a community of people with common interests.
As a part of this worldwide conversation around the Bible and Christian thought, I have to say that there are “voices” in the conversation that I really, really disagree with, and there are others with whom I am greatly intrigued, and would even go so far as to say that I agree with them. So, guess what, it’s okay for me to be a part of this conversation and disagree with others. SHOCKING, isn’t it? Now, are you ready for this next part? I’m not going to tell you who I disagree with!!!! HA!!! Take that!!! It’s up to YOU to talk to me, read what I write, and figure that out for yourself. If you want a vitriolic manifesto of Christian leaders, writers, and philosophies, I can point you to other sites. You won’t get that here.
Many of the critics of the emergent movement and emergent thought fit solidly into that vitriolic bunch that I mentioned previously. In fact, it is rare to find objectivity in the critiques.
Enough prea
mble? This brings me to the book, “Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be)”, the new book by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. These two gentlemen have written an honest and sincere critique of Emergent. And, based on my previous comments, one can be honestly, sincerely, truthfully and utterly wrong. DeYoung and Kluck are not “utterly” wrong, but I will say that I disagree with a handful of their precepts, notions and conclusions.First and foremost, I disagree with their claim that “Defining the Emergent church is like nailing Jell-O to the wall.” Jell-O is best applied with double sided tape. (Please tell me that made you at least chuckle. I need to know that people have read this far.) Brad Cecil wrote comments on his blog addressing exactly this point….
I hear comments like: Defining emergent is like “nailing Jell-O to the wall” and “postmodernism means a hundred different things”, I disagree - it isn’t all that hard to describe if you are listening
and reading. Here are the simple basic ideas of what fueled the emergent conversation and friendships:
1. Post modern refers to the period after
modernity. It appears to “us” that a significant epistemological shift is
occurring - the likes of which we haven’t seen in 400 years.
2. Language is limited
3. Human concepts are limited
4. There is no place of irreducible certainty (foundation)
5. Considering the above it would be very difficult to convey absolute meaning using language and human concepts
6. Christian theology has become enslaved to the 1st order assumptions of modernity and is far more Cartesian than Christian and has become ashamed of faith
7. A Reformation of recognition and repentance is needed
8. New theological thought is needed to free Christian theology from the enslavement of modernity and enlightenment assumptions and conversation and friendships would be more productive than
developing imperatives.
9. This is just the beginning of the transition and a great deal of work and theological thought lay ahead for those who desire to join the conversation
Numbers 6, 7 and 8 are questionable in my book. I dislike terms like “enslaved”, and a forced push for Reformation, followed by “New” theological thought. However, I do believe that reformation is happening, theology is changing by embracing pre-enlightenment ideas, and that the modern assumptions are being properly framed. So, I can denounce what he’s saying out of one side of my mouth, and partially agree to it from the other side.
That, my friends, is the sound of Jell-O being nailed to a wall. HA HA HA HA.
DeYoung and Kluck do start out their book by explaining that they recognize the sincerity of those that they say are “leaders” of the Emergent movement, and that not all of their theology is bad. The things they want to point out in the book are the things in those peoples’ writings to which DeYoung and Kluck have great concerns. This is where their objectivity impresses me. Instead of turning vitriolic and developing “Christian Tourette’s Syndrome”, shouting out theological ideas, or negative statements about people in the Christian community with whom they disagree, they actually say, “We love Jesus and love the church. We believe emergent Christians love the same. The shape and substance of that love is what we disagree on.” EXCELLENT!!!! Kudos to the authors. Guys, you get it. Welcome to the emergent conversation.
Doh! Sorry, you said you aren’t emergent, yet you’ve openly allowed yourself into conversation with some who you describe as leaders in the Emergent church. (See Dan Kimball’s blog on his review of the book…here.)
One of the most important statements that the authors make is, “One of the hazards of being part of a movement whose only statement of faith says that you don’t believe in statements of faith is that you are bound to be misread and lumped together with some ideas you don’t like.” This statement is a key to what they “don’t get” about emergent. I know NO ONE in the emergent conversation who eschews statements of faith. The Lutherans claim statements of faith. The Baptists, by their very nature, claim statements of faith. I, while growing up Nazarene, but not really claiming all of Nazarene faith, still cling very much to statements of faith. The authors do get it right, though, that we are all lumped in with ideas and people with whom we disagree.
Question: Have you ever read a movie review that was just scathing against a film, then you saw the film and you thought it was incredible? Have you ever read a movie review that was lauding a film with all sorts of accolades, then saw the movie and thought, “What were they thinking?” So, you saw the movie. Uh oh….who are you associated with? The people who liked the movie? The people who disliked it? If you say you disliked it, what happens to the people who liked it? Sorry, just a gestalt – a thought problem. Think about it.
Next post, a continuation of the review, and “The Knowability of God”.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
D.A. Carson and "Blogging" Experiment
I'm off on my scheduled retreat, and have already consumed 4 books. I will be blogging about them over the next week, but I wanted to try something....
I'm finishing up "Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be)" by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. One of them was driving D.A. Carson around and talking about postmodernism. Carson said:
"The feedback on blogs is immediate, " Carson continues. "You have a thought and then three minutes later, it's published for the world to digest. And then in another three minutes you have anonymous folks posting messages about how wonderful you are. It tends to inflate one's sense of importance."
Okay, all you anonymous folks. You have 6 minutes....make me feel important!!!
I'm finishing up "Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be)" by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. One of them was driving D.A. Carson around and talking about postmodernism. Carson said:
"The feedback on blogs is immediate, " Carson continues. "You have a thought and then three minutes later, it's published for the world to digest. And then in another three minutes you have anonymous folks posting messages about how wonderful you are. It tends to inflate one's sense of importance."
Okay, all you anonymous folks. You have 6 minutes....make me feel important!!!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
To Refresh
Emilie Griffin, in her book "Wilderness Time", writes this about Solitude:
There's more to the discipline of solitude than just spending time by yourself. Wilderness time is your chance to detach from the opinions of others, to forgive some people who have made you angry, to come to grips with the way other people are getting in the way of your relationship with God.
Detach. I have used Emilie's book several times on personal retreats, and detaching is key. When my life gets crazy, I need to detach. Take my current situation, starting a new job that is likely to be high stress. My wife knows that I am better all around when I have a chance to detach. She gets it.
I'm not an introvert. Being around people charges me up. So, solitude is brutal on me. But, over the years, I have learned that I really need it.
It has been a long, long time, more than 4 years, since I last took a personal retreat. We know that I need it. My wife found a handful of Bed and Breakfasts here in the local area, as well as some retreat centers. I have scheduled two nights and a B&B, and will be going off to just detach.
Someday, I would like to do a weekend/week retreat to an actual retreat center somewhere. My friend Natalie has done it, and she swears by it. Maybe next year.
So, what are some of your favorite retreats?
Been anywhere where God could really work on you?
Do you go on a regular basis?
I'm always looking for recommendations.
I will be writing while I'm gone, may even blog about it.
There's more to the discipline of solitude than just spending time by yourself. Wilderness time is your chance to detach from the opinions of others, to forgive some people who have made you angry, to come to grips with the way other people are getting in the way of your relationship with God.
Detach. I have used Emilie's book several times on personal retreats, and detaching is key. When my life gets crazy, I need to detach. Take my current situation, starting a new job that is likely to be high stress. My wife knows that I am better all around when I have a chance to detach. She gets it.
I'm not an introvert. Being around people charges me up. So, solitude is brutal on me. But, over the years, I have learned that I really need it.
It has been a long, long time, more than 4 years, since I last took a personal retreat. We know that I need it. My wife found a handful of Bed and Breakfasts here in the local area, as well as some retreat centers. I have scheduled two nights and a B&B, and will be going off to just detach.
Someday, I would like to do a weekend/week retreat to an actual retreat center somewhere. My friend Natalie has done it, and she swears by it. Maybe next year.
So, what are some of your favorite retreats?
Been anywhere where God could really work on you?
Do you go on a regular basis?
I'm always looking for recommendations.
I will be writing while I'm gone, may even blog about it.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Everything Must Change....and oh, boy, is it changing...
Last weekend, while most everyone else in the greater Seattle area was paying attention to the visit of the Dalai Lama at the Seeds of Compassion event, Brian McLaren snuck quietly into First Free Methodist church in Seattle to present the Everything Must Change tour, in concert with DeepShift, an organization that provides counseling and coaching for churches. Anyone who is anti-emergent or anti-interfaith gathering would have had a heyday. I’m just waiting for some well-known Evangelical Christian leaders to start questioning why Seattle didn’t burn down (again), or fall into the ocean.
My wonderful wife and I have had tickets to the Everything Must Change tour since right after Off-The-Map in November of last year. I was glad to hear that some of my friends from OTM were able to go to the Seed of Compassion event, but was disappointed that I didn’t get to see any of them at the EMC event.
This Brian McLaren event was excellent. I have heard for years that he will not discuss topics about atonement, or the natural exclusivity of Christianity, and will lean toward Universalism at every bent. Boy, that wasn’t the case this time. He talked about Christ. He talked about the gospel. He talked about what his detractors often say, and gracefully said what he truly believes. These topics, however, were secondary to the EMC tour.
If you’ve read “Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope”, much of this was a reiteration of the content of the book. However, it’s different to hear it spoken, see slides, and hear solid real-life examples that weren’t explored in the book. It’s different to be able to ask questions, and receive answers.
I had an opportunity to talk with Brian on Friday night about some things going on in my life. For instance, my wife and I are starting a community of faith in our home for people who have been “burned” by the church, but still want to talk about faith issues. He was engaging, asked great questions, then said, “This is exactly what I was telling the students at Mars Hill Grad School earlier today that they need to be doing, and you’re doing it, Brad! Can you give me your contact information so I can keep tabs on this, and I’d like to give it to someone at Mars Hill so they can maybe have you come and talk?” WOW, I hadn’t considered going to MHGS to talk about a group that we are starting that doesn’t actually start until NEXT week!!!! Brian immediately “got” what we are trying to do, and said that as long as it leads people to the gospel, even experientially, then it’s right. He and I then got into a conversation about the Saturday morning 7:29am session discussing “new” communities of faith and church plants. We went out of our way to make sure we could attend that on Saturday.
One thing Friday night that had a huge impact on me was a “visit” from an old friend. Attending the event was Heidi, whom I had grown up with. Her dad had been the pastor of the church in which I grew up. I haven’t seen her in 23 years. That’s right. TWENTY-THREE years!!!! I didn’t recognize her. However, her youngest sister was there, and she had been in the college age Sunday School class I was teaching several years ago. She pointed me out and said, “You know that guy.”
Saturday was equally as good as Friday, and the resources we received, and the seminars we attended really did show us that Everything Must Change. Conference successful.
So, what else is changing?
I have accepted an offer from a “large software company on the East side of Lake Washington” (Rhymes with ShmicroShmoft) to take on the position of Sr. Technical Product Manager. This was a difficult decision, but there were some key reasons I took the job. First, they came to me. Second, the hiring manager met with me multiple times to make sure I was the right fit. Third, they offered to make serious changes to my “equity crisis”, my “prosperity crisis” and effectively make me more “secure”. (If you haven’t read Everything Must Change…..you won’t get this…..GO READ THE BOOK!!!!) I am taking some vacation time right now to prepare myself to discuss with my current employer that I’m leaving. I should make it clear that this is not my first time working for the company I’m going to. I spent 5 years of my career there, so I’m going back. It’s weird, exciting, and just an all around good thing.
What I’m learning is that I’m not in charge. God is. Everything must change; and it is. I’m also learning, that for once in my career as I transition, I have the respect of my peers, and a company that doesn’t want to see me go, and another that wants to see me come to work!!!
This blog is not meant to be anything about my job, so don’t expect to read anything about new products, conferences I’m speaking at or attending, technical information, etc. But, when there are things that affect me, I will blog about it. For my technical blog, you will want to look elsewhere….it doesn’t exist, yet. But, I have yet to see a Prod Manager at the Empire who doesn’t have a technical blog.
My wonderful wife and I have had tickets to the Everything Must Change tour since right after Off-The-Map in November of last year. I was glad to hear that some of my friends from OTM were able to go to the Seed of Compassion event, but was disappointed that I didn’t get to see any of them at the EMC event.
This Brian McLaren event was excellent. I have heard for years that he will not discuss topics about atonement, or the natural exclusivity of Christianity, and will lean toward Universalism at every bent. Boy, that wasn’t the case this time. He talked about Christ. He talked about the gospel. He talked about what his detractors often say, and gracefully said what he truly believes. These topics, however, were secondary to the EMC tour.
If you’ve read “Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope”, much of this was a reiteration of the content of the book. However, it’s different to hear it spoken, see slides, and hear solid real-life examples that weren’t explored in the book. It’s different to be able to ask questions, and receive answers.
I had an opportunity to talk with Brian on Friday night about some things going on in my life. For instance, my wife and I are starting a community of faith in our home for people who have been “burned” by the church, but still want to talk about faith issues. He was engaging, asked great questions, then said, “This is exactly what I was telling the students at Mars Hill Grad School earlier today that they need to be doing, and you’re doing it, Brad! Can you give me your contact information so I can keep tabs on this, and I’d like to give it to someone at Mars Hill so they can maybe have you come and talk?” WOW, I hadn’t considered going to MHGS to talk about a group that we are starting that doesn’t actually start until NEXT week!!!! Brian immediately “got” what we are trying to do, and said that as long as it leads people to the gospel, even experientially, then it’s right. He and I then got into a conversation about the Saturday morning 7:29am session discussing “new” communities of faith and church plants. We went out of our way to make sure we could attend that on Saturday.
One thing Friday night that had a huge impact on me was a “visit” from an old friend. Attending the event was Heidi, whom I had grown up with. Her dad had been the pastor of the church in which I grew up. I haven’t seen her in 23 years. That’s right. TWENTY-THREE years!!!! I didn’t recognize her. However, her youngest sister was there, and she had been in the college age Sunday School class I was teaching several years ago. She pointed me out and said, “You know that guy.”
Saturday was equally as good as Friday, and the resources we received, and the seminars we attended really did show us that Everything Must Change. Conference successful.
So, what else is changing?
I have accepted an offer from a “large software company on the East side of Lake Washington” (Rhymes with ShmicroShmoft) to take on the position of Sr. Technical Product Manager. This was a difficult decision, but there were some key reasons I took the job. First, they came to me. Second, the hiring manager met with me multiple times to make sure I was the right fit. Third, they offered to make serious changes to my “equity crisis”, my “prosperity crisis” and effectively make me more “secure”. (If you haven’t read Everything Must Change…..you won’t get this…..GO READ THE BOOK!!!!) I am taking some vacation time right now to prepare myself to discuss with my current employer that I’m leaving. I should make it clear that this is not my first time working for the company I’m going to. I spent 5 years of my career there, so I’m going back. It’s weird, exciting, and just an all around good thing.
What I’m learning is that I’m not in charge. God is. Everything must change; and it is. I’m also learning, that for once in my career as I transition, I have the respect of my peers, and a company that doesn’t want to see me go, and another that wants to see me come to work!!!
This blog is not meant to be anything about my job, so don’t expect to read anything about new products, conferences I’m speaking at or attending, technical information, etc. But, when there are things that affect me, I will blog about it. For my technical blog, you will want to look elsewhere….it doesn’t exist, yet. But, I have yet to see a Prod Manager at the Empire who doesn’t have a technical blog.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Someone is wrong!!!
My wife sent this to me. This hits a little close to home. **GRIN**
I will be posting a review of my weekend with Brian McLaren on the Everything Must Change tour, as well as some "life updates". Let me just say, I am being stretched, blessed, and am excited about where "things" are going.
Brad
Monday, March 24, 2008
Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Dunk....
No, I didn't misspell that....
"Driver blames speeding on bad Oreo dunk"
http://www.komotv.com/news/offbeat/16941381.html
A friend of mine mentioned that this is the perfect opportunity for Nabisco to jump in with "pre-dunked" Oreos, specifically for drivers! It's all about safety!!!
"Driver blames speeding on bad Oreo dunk"
http://www.komotv.com/news/offbeat/16941381.html
A friend of mine mentioned that this is the perfect opportunity for Nabisco to jump in with "pre-dunked" Oreos, specifically for drivers! It's all about safety!!!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier - REVIEW (part 2)
Lately, I've been struggling with how Christians relate to their community. More importantly, how I relate to my community as a Christian. In fact, I was talking to my wife about how many Christians turn "it" into a sales pitch...and that's not "good news" to most people.
Tony Jones in "The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier" tells the story of Trucker Frank. Frank, a middle aged divorcee, drives a truck between Minneapolis and Kansas City, and spends a lot of time at a Christian book store, becoming one of their best customers. He would often buy multiple copies of books and give them out. However, the new manager of the store basically banned the employees from spending time with Frank at the store...because of his "unconventional views".
In all fairness, as a business owner, I'd likely be concerned about a loiterer. But that's not the point.
Frank is looking for community. When a discussion arose at church about "exclusivity", Frank had a glorious insight that he shared. Specifically, the scripture being discussed was the section in Matthew 18 where Jesus talked about confronting a brother. I had always been taught that this was a key passage for not hanging out with non-Christians, or taking an unrepentant believer and kicking him out of the church community. Frank, also a retired pastor I should add, had a diferent take. Jesus said that these people should be treated like a tax collector or pagan. The way of Jesus is not one of excommunication, but one of forgiveness and reconciliation. He welcomed tax collectors (Matthew was a TC) and pagans.
Perhaps, instead of ostracizing, love really is the answer for getting someone back on track.
So, a step away from Tony for a second. The ministry of reconciliation that we are called to by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians is harder than it would seem. We (my wife and I) have a friend who was raised as a devout Buddhist. Her parents are still devout, even though she has put her faith in Christ. Her parents have been to "Interfaith" prayer meetings and think "We pray to the divine, they pray to the divine...it's al good." When people think that, what is there to reconcile? How, as follower's of Christ, can we..or should we...point that relativism can go too far? How do we promote belief in an all powerful, all knowing, all present, singular God, without turning it into a sales pitch? Now, the next question....Is it up to us to "sell" it? What is the role of God, or the Holy Spirit?
Back to the book....
Theology, discourse about God, is a central pillar of emergent thinking. Tony states that "theology is talk about the nexus of divine and human action." But, it isn't just talk. Any human endeavor about God..poetry, art, songs..is theology. Because it is experiential, theology is fluid. "As a result, emergent Christians often get labeled as "slippery". It is an attitude of reverence and desire to learn, not to argue. However, many Christians argue that the Bible has very plain and simple meanings. It doesn't. The more I read the Bible, the more I am drawn to its unfathomable complexity...the handiwork of God is evident. Jones says as much.
Jones does not spend a lot of time discussing theories of atonement, or even what is true or what isn't. He simply says that emergents are humble about claiming true understanding. This is not a denial of absolute truth, nor an embrace of full relativism, but landing somewhere in between the two poles.
He does deny Legalism....but, so did Jesus.
Tony spends several chapters describing the thrill of interpretation. I resonate with this!!! If the Spirit leads us into all truth, we must accept alternate interpretation at any particular time. Theology is fluid. There are times that I read a Bible verse and it means something totally different than it did last time. That does not decrease the value of my earlier interpretation; it enhances and increases the depth and complexity. I love it.
"Dispatch 13: Emergents believe that truth, like God, cannot be definitively articulated by finite human beings."
A rigid theology puts God in a box.
He closes the book with several chapters of case studies of emergent congregations, including Karen Ward's "Church of the Apostles" here in Seattle.
I really enjoy this book. Obviously, since it took up two full blog posts, it had an impact. Read it! Discuss it!! Let me know what you think.
Questions:
Tony Jones in "The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier" tells the story of Trucker Frank. Frank, a middle aged divorcee, drives a truck between Minneapolis and Kansas City, and spends a lot of time at a Christian book store, becoming one of their best customers. He would often buy multiple copies of books and give them out. However, the new manager of the store basically banned the employees from spending time with Frank at the store...because of his "unconventional views".
In all fairness, as a business owner, I'd likely be concerned about a loiterer. But that's not the point.
Frank is looking for community. When a discussion arose at church about "exclusivity", Frank had a glorious insight that he shared. Specifically, the scripture being discussed was the section in Matthew 18 where Jesus talked about confronting a brother. I had always been taught that this was a key passage for not hanging out with non-Christians, or taking an unrepentant believer and kicking him out of the church community. Frank, also a retired pastor I should add, had a diferent take. Jesus said that these people should be treated like a tax collector or pagan. The way of Jesus is not one of excommunication, but one of forgiveness and reconciliation. He welcomed tax collectors (Matthew was a TC) and pagans.
Perhaps, instead of ostracizing, love really is the answer for getting someone back on track.
So, a step away from Tony for a second. The ministry of reconciliation that we are called to by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians is harder than it would seem. We (my wife and I) have a friend who was raised as a devout Buddhist. Her parents are still devout, even though she has put her faith in Christ. Her parents have been to "Interfaith" prayer meetings and think "We pray to the divine, they pray to the divine...it's al good." When people think that, what is there to reconcile? How, as follower's of Christ, can we..or should we...point that relativism can go too far? How do we promote belief in an all powerful, all knowing, all present, singular God, without turning it into a sales pitch? Now, the next question....Is it up to us to "sell" it? What is the role of God, or the Holy Spirit?
Back to the book....
Theology, discourse about God, is a central pillar of emergent thinking. Tony states that "theology is talk about the nexus of divine and human action." But, it isn't just talk. Any human endeavor about God..poetry, art, songs..is theology. Because it is experiential, theology is fluid. "As a result, emergent Christians often get labeled as "slippery". It is an attitude of reverence and desire to learn, not to argue. However, many Christians argue that the Bible has very plain and simple meanings. It doesn't. The more I read the Bible, the more I am drawn to its unfathomable complexity...the handiwork of God is evident. Jones says as much.
Jones does not spend a lot of time discussing theories of atonement, or even what is true or what isn't. He simply says that emergents are humble about claiming true understanding. This is not a denial of absolute truth, nor an embrace of full relativism, but landing somewhere in between the two poles.
He does deny Legalism....but, so did Jesus.
Tony spends several chapters describing the thrill of interpretation. I resonate with this!!! If the Spirit leads us into all truth, we must accept alternate interpretation at any particular time. Theology is fluid. There are times that I read a Bible verse and it means something totally different than it did last time. That does not decrease the value of my earlier interpretation; it enhances and increases the depth and complexity. I love it.
"Dispatch 13: Emergents believe that truth, like God, cannot be definitively articulated by finite human beings."
A rigid theology puts God in a box.
He closes the book with several chapters of case studies of emergent congregations, including Karen Ward's "Church of the Apostles" here in Seattle.
I really enjoy this book. Obviously, since it took up two full blog posts, it had an impact. Read it! Discuss it!! Let me know what you think.
Questions:
- How important is the "sales pitch"?
- What excites you about the Bible? Anything?
- Any topics here you'd like me to cover more in depth? I've got blogging ammunition for years with some of this.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier - REVIEW (part 1)
I don't normally do book reviews on my blog, but this is SO important, given what I like to think of as the main subject matter of my blog.
For the last eight years, I have been in a radical transformation in my faith, my worldview, and my interpretations of things of which I'd always thought I was certain. My spiritual mentor at the time told me that I was solidly postmodern. So, this transformation has been to learn (or "figure out") what that means.
It was around that time (2000/2001) that I was introduced to something "new", called Emergent. I found myself reading and absorbing theology in ways that made sense to me. Started reading McLaren, Kimball, Pagitt, as well as rereading classic "church fathers", monastics, and seeing things in a new light. Understand, please, that I do NOT agree with everything I read, so, if you disagree with anyone mentioned in this article, don't paint me with a guilty by association brush, okay. But please, respect the conversation, that's all I ask.
So, for the last eight years my spiritual life has been exciting and vibrant again!!! I have made new friends who challenge me all the time to think in new ways. But, I have also run into the dark side of things Emergent. Many who I respect greatly have been labeled as heretics. Most of these so called heretics are not heretics, but questioners of the status quo..not to disprove, but to deconstruct and understand. That's one of the things that excites me so much. That's my kind of intellectual exercise.
One of the voices in the Emergent conversation is Tony Jones. Regular readers of my blog will recognize the name. Others may not know of Tony. Tony is the national coordinator of Emergent Village, a very loose knit organization coordinating events and fundraising around emergent issues. Please note, Emergent is not a denomination or an organized committee making decisions on what is "Orthodox" or even, necessarily, pointing out flaws in other groups. The closest description is a conversation among friends -- a generative friendship, as it were.
Tony's latest book -- The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier -- is an introduction to the history of the emergent movement, a dissection of the characteristics of those of us who consider ourselves to be "emergent" and, without using defensive language, a logical, and even Biblical, explanation of some of the beliefs that are core to emergents. These are not "Articles of Faith" or a "doctrinal statement" that must be signed in order to join. These beliefs and understandings are commonalities that are displaying after 10 years of this Emergent conversation. It struck a chord with me, and I now recommend it to anyone who questions what Emergent is about.
Tony begins with a description of the issues facing churches on the "left" (i.e. Mainline protestantism) and on the "right". (i.e. Evangelical protestantism) Of course, this separation is classically referred to as Liberal and Conservative. "Both are beholden to a scheme that philosophers call foundationalism." (Defined as the "theory that at the bottom of all human knowledge is a set of self-inferential or internally justified beliefs".) Unfortunately, it is becoming clear, through an infinite regression of questions to find the self-evident foundation, that no such "foundation" exists. Note: this isn't about God...everyone on both sides agree that God is an unshakeable foundation. However, when people often start discussing "iron-clad" beliefs, the questions eventually drop to an answer of "Just because it's true, okay?"
Looking forward to the conversation!!!! I'll post part two soon.
For the last eight years, I have been in a radical transformation in my faith, my worldview, and my interpretations of things of which I'd always thought I was certain. My spiritual mentor at the time told me that I was solidly postmodern. So, this transformation has been to learn (or "figure out") what that means.
It was around that time (2000/2001) that I was introduced to something "new", called Emergent. I found myself reading and absorbing theology in ways that made sense to me. Started reading McLaren, Kimball, Pagitt, as well as rereading classic "church fathers", monastics, and seeing things in a new light. Understand, please, that I do NOT agree with everything I read, so, if you disagree with anyone mentioned in this article, don't paint me with a guilty by association brush, okay. But please, respect the conversation, that's all I ask.
So, for the last eight years my spiritual life has been exciting and vibrant again!!! I have made new friends who challenge me all the time to think in new ways. But, I have also run into the dark side of things Emergent. Many who I respect greatly have been labeled as heretics. Most of these so called heretics are not heretics, but questioners of the status quo..not to disprove, but to deconstruct and understand. That's one of the things that excites me so much. That's my kind of intellectual exercise.
One of the voices in the Emergent conversation is Tony Jones. Regular readers of my blog will recognize the name. Others may not know of Tony. Tony is the national coordinator of Emergent Village, a very loose knit organization coordinating events and fundraising around emergent issues. Please note, Emergent is not a denomination or an organized committee making decisions on what is "Orthodox" or even, necessarily, pointing out flaws in other groups. The closest description is a conversation among friends -- a generative friendship, as it were.
Tony's latest book -- The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier -- is an introduction to the history of the emergent movement, a dissection of the characteristics of those of us who consider ourselves to be "emergent" and, without using defensive language, a logical, and even Biblical, explanation of some of the beliefs that are core to emergents. These are not "Articles of Faith" or a "doctrinal statement" that must be signed in order to join. These beliefs and understandings are commonalities that are displaying after 10 years of this Emergent conversation. It struck a chord with me, and I now recommend it to anyone who questions what Emergent is about.
Tony begins with a description of the issues facing churches on the "left" (i.e. Mainline protestantism) and on the "right". (i.e. Evangelical protestantism) Of course, this separation is classically referred to as Liberal and Conservative. "Both are beholden to a scheme that philosophers call foundationalism." (Defined as the "theory that at the bottom of all human knowledge is a set of self-inferential or internally justified beliefs".) Unfortunately, it is becoming clear, through an infinite regression of questions to find the self-evident foundation, that no such "foundation" exists. Note: this isn't about God...everyone on both sides agree that God is an unshakeable foundation. However, when people often start discussing "iron-clad" beliefs, the questions eventually drop to an answer of "Just because it's true, okay?"
Just because. Part of me wants to say, "That's Faith." Another wants to ask, "Why?" That makes me emergent.
Tony also throws out this challenge. "The church that doesn't challenge its members to face the core ethical issues that confront them everyday at work is the church that has abdicated its responsibility. Many evangelical churches have emphasized the vertical, just-me-and-Jesus relationship to the exclusion of the horizontal relationships with other human beings and with all of creation." He goes on to say that this "individualism" precludes many evangelical churches from affecting the very changes that rally its members." He also makes reference to this attitude being responsible for their inability to diagnose and solve systemic social issues.
Brian Mclaren makes similar claims in "Everything Must Change" and I wholeheartedly agree. This lack of a societal heart change, this missional view, is one core difference between "modern" and "postmodern/emergent".
So, who are emergent Christians. Tony identifies 3 characteristics:
- People who feel great disappointment with modern American Christianity
- A high desire for "inclusion"...openness, non-judgmental..but not necessarily relativistic.
- A hope-filled orientation. (page 72)
Throughout the book, Jones has "dispatches", effectively sidebars with key points. In reference to the emergent view of culture, dispatch 6 says "Emergents see God's activity in all aspects of culture and reject the sacred-secular divide. I struggle with this. I agree, but do not completely reject a sacred-secular divide. I do reject that it is as stringent as the moern church has made it, but I do not, out of hand, reject it.
"Everything we do in the emergent church is surrounded by an envelope of friendship that is based on lives of reconciliation.", Tony writes. He continues with another charge, “In fact, I’m not even sure it’s even possible to be an orthodox Christian if you’re not living a life of reconciliation.” I’m still, personally, trying to get my head wrapped around that one. What does a life of reconciliation look like? Do I live it? Guess what….more blog fodder. Anyway, it is these views of reconciliation and openness that allows most emergents to have conversations around spiritual issues (i.e. atonement, baptism, orthodoxy) and secular issues (i.e. abortion, AIDS, politics) and reconcile them back to the truth of the message of Jesus. It paints a framing story for the conversation.
End Part 1.
Questions for reflection:
· What strikes you as interesting in what I’ve written so far?
· What areas do you want me to attempt to expound upon?
· How do you respond to the claims Tony makes about “lives of reconciliation” and “rejecting the sacred-secular divide”?
Looking forward to the conversation!!!! I'll post part two soon.
Monday, March 10, 2008
The Blind Men and the Elephant?
Alright, I'm working on the blog posting with my review of Tony Jones new book. I'll just say, "It's Excellent" and let you stew on that for awhile.
Meanwhile, I wanted to give everyone an update on my work situation.
It's like the story of the blind men and the elephant. You know, the one where they all feel a different part and have a different perception. Only, this story has a twist.
The elephant left.
So, the blind men are all staggering around, tripping over furniture, and running into each other. They've heard there's an elephant in the room, but no one can seem to find it. Utter chaos.
Welcome to my job. So, what am I in this story? Easy. I'm the fly on the wall watching stunned at the chaos, and shouting with my insignificantly small voice, "The elephant left, Stop, Stop, Stop!!!!" One person heard me, and said, "You're WRONG!!! We were told there's an elephant!! And we will find the elephant!!!" To which I respond, "And what do you intend to do when you FIND the elephant?" The blind man laughs, and says, "We will do what we have always done!"
I really don't know what that means.
Brad
Meanwhile, I wanted to give everyone an update on my work situation.
It's like the story of the blind men and the elephant. You know, the one where they all feel a different part and have a different perception. Only, this story has a twist.
The elephant left.
So, the blind men are all staggering around, tripping over furniture, and running into each other. They've heard there's an elephant in the room, but no one can seem to find it. Utter chaos.
Welcome to my job. So, what am I in this story? Easy. I'm the fly on the wall watching stunned at the chaos, and shouting with my insignificantly small voice, "The elephant left, Stop, Stop, Stop!!!!" One person heard me, and said, "You're WRONG!!! We were told there's an elephant!! And we will find the elephant!!!" To which I respond, "And what do you intend to do when you FIND the elephant?" The blind man laughs, and says, "We will do what we have always done!"
I really don't know what that means.
Brad
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Happy Lunaversary
Anne and I celebrate our Lunaversaries.
What exactly is a Lunaversary? Simple really, we were married on June 26th, so the 26th of every month is our Lunaversary. Usually, we give each other little gifts. Today, I upgraded the RAM in her laptop to 2GB. ("All the better to run Vista, my dear", said the wolf dressed like a grandmother.) And she bought me Tony Jones new book, "The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier".
I'm stoked. I've been waiting for this book for a long time, and the excerpts on Tony's blog look really good.
I'll post a longer entry this weekend. I have some things to talk about, but work got in the way.
By the way, for those of you who are wondering. This is our 176th Lunaversary!!!!!
My wife rocks.
Brad
What exactly is a Lunaversary? Simple really, we were married on June 26th, so the 26th of every month is our Lunaversary. Usually, we give each other little gifts. Today, I upgraded the RAM in her laptop to 2GB. ("All the better to run Vista, my dear", said the wolf dressed like a grandmother.) And she bought me Tony Jones new book, "The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier".
I'm stoked. I've been waiting for this book for a long time, and the excerpts on Tony's blog look really good.
I'll post a longer entry this weekend. I have some things to talk about, but work got in the way.
By the way, for those of you who are wondering. This is our 176th Lunaversary!!!!!
My wife rocks.
Brad
Friday, February 08, 2008
The Flood Has Abated
Okay, Brad, where ya been?
Well, as you’ve been able to extract from my previous two posts, our world at home has been topsy turvy. $3,000 later, our lives have settled again.
When I was growing up, we owned and managed a 27 unit apartment complex across the street from the University of Oregon. My dad and I did most/all of the maintenance. For the most part, I hated it. The apartments were a time sink. When something would break, no matter what I was doing, we had to go and take care of it. I had to cancel dates with my girlfriend (now wife), with zero notice. Often, dad wouldn’t even say, “I’m sorry”, which infuriated me. Well, I was a teenager, everything infuriated me. Once again, when something needed to be done, it needed to be done. What could he be sorry about? I hold very little bitterness toward my dad, because I understand the situation.
I hate toilets. I despise, and abhor their mechanics. Even though I have this deep hatred of Ralph the Porcelain God, I understand how toilets work…..intimately. Dad and I replaced more flappers, towers, tanks, than I think any poor soul should have to do. But, I learned how to do it. I learned a lot about plumbing. I know how washers work, how water pressure actually seals a valve, and how to tell that a valve doesn’t work. (Think of turning the water off under a sink, removing the hot water faucet handle, and having scalding hot water spraying up at the ceiling, removing all the plaster. Dad ended up having to shut off the water at the street.) I have snaked out more drains than I can remember.
Dad and I replaced carpet, not very often, but we did. I learned how to lay down tack strips, stretch carpet, cut to match odd shaped rooms, etc. Which means I also learned about different kinds of carpet padding, and exactly how much water that padding could absorb. Hmmm….water….cat pee….beer…..let me just say “fluids”.
I learned electrical. Switches, outlets, light fixtures, were all common things we replaced. I didn’t mind the electrical work. Electrical is clean. Plumbing is not clean. Plumbing is never clean.
My Junior/Senior year of High-School, dad and I “built” a cabin in Central Oregon. (Silver Lake). We did everything….plumbing, electrical, sheetrock, you name it. It was 70 miles to the nearest hardware store in Bend, so we tried to make as few mistakes as possible. During that time, I spent hours under the house with Grandpa Erion (who died a few months ago) sweating copper pipes. We would lay there on our backs under the house, with six inches between our noses and the floorboards, with a blowtorch on the copper pipes, soldering on t-joints, etc. Hot, sweaty, miserable work. But, I got to be pretty darned good with a blowtorch, flux and tinning solder. I have the experience of busting a hole through a building’s foundation with a sledge-hammer and an old Studebaker tie-rod. (I don’t think that’s a common building activity, but I have that experience.)
So, why the story, Brad?
I know how to do all of these things. If dad hadn’t been right there to show me, and work with me, I wouldn’t. If Grandpa Erion hadn’t been right there with me, I probably wouldn’t know how to sweat pipes as well as I do.
Last week, I did almost all of these things.
I removed carpet. I removed padding. I removed a toilet. I had to turn off the water to the house and drain the lines. I had to auger out a drain. I had to cut off the valve behind the toilet, sweat on a new copper pipe extension (coupled) and put on a new compression valve to fix a leak. I laid down new flooring, laminate. I cut and nailed on new baseboard moulding.. I had to put the toilet back on.
While it was expensive, I can’t imagine how much money I saved. I called a plumber and he said that augering the drain would be a $1,200 job. I bought my own electric 3/8th inch drain auger for $400. Most plumbers charge $55 just to drive out to our place, and then $85 to $98 an hour, with a minimum of an hour of work.
Let me also point out that my father-in-law came up and helped me lay the laminate. I had never put laminate down, but he had. I couldn’t have done it as quickly or with as much quality without him. I’m still learning.
My point in all of this is, I knew what I was doing. I am thankful for my experience. I’m thankful for those who taught me.
I still hate toilets.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Not getting better
My good friend Jerry has a list of statements that he bases much of his career and life on. I have picked up some of this over the years, and have learned to live by them. Example: People know what they like, and like what they know. In the software industry this is an extremely important axiom. How many of you have played with Microsoft Office 2007? Notice anything different? Like, maybe, NOTHING IS IN THE SAME PLACE IT USED TO BE?!?!?! I hate it. I didn't want it to change. (People know what they like, and like what they know.)
I'm feeling a little dejected.
It's cold in our house....lack of flooring will do that. There's a 4 inch wide hole leading directly to our septic tank in the bathroom. The valve from the wall to the toilet won't close properly, so I have a makeshift trough set up to drain the slight trickle into the 4 inch hole I mentioned prieviously.
When it rains, it snows.
Jerry is also fond of saying, "When it rains, it snows."
So, as I wrote in my last post, we've had a sewage backup at our place. (Although, I'm highly intrigued who decided to call it a backup...it is certainly far closer to a "restore". Sorry.....geeky side of me.) We had the septic tank pumped. I've run an auger through the drain.
Three loads of wash later..........gerblooop.......flood again.
I'm very confused.
So, I pulled up the toilet. (I was going to have to anyway, in order to put down new flooring in the bathroom/laundry room anyway.) I then ran the auger through the 4 inch pipe directly, and pulled a hose in from outside through the window, and ran water as hard as I could into the drain.....no problems.
That was Saturday.
Last night, after some more laundry (hey, folks, it's been nearly a week...we have kids.....yeah, there's always laundry) it flooded again shortly before we went to bed.
Then, it started to snow.
My father in law is supposed to be coming up from Oregon to help out...but they have between 4 and 8 inches of snow. We now have about 4 inches at our place, and it's still coming down.
I'm feeling a little dejected.It's cold in our house....lack of flooring will do that. There's a 4 inch wide hole leading directly to our septic tank in the bathroom. The valve from the wall to the toilet won't close properly, so I have a makeshift trough set up to drain the slight trickle into the 4 inch hole I mentioned prieviously.
When it rains, it snows.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Eeek......The Flood!!!!!
"I have walked the edge of the abyss. I have seen your future. And I have learned." - Cortana
It was a quiet night. The kids were in bed. A load of laundry was in the washer, and we sat on the couch to enjoy a cup of herbal tea and watch a bit of a movie.
The sounds from the laundry room shifted, and suddenly the sound of splashing came echoing from the bathroom/laundry room. "That doesn't sound right, does it?", my wife asked. I jumped up from the couch, and ran to the bathroom.
"It's the toilet! Flood!", I dove across the rising water onto a stepstool in the middle of the room, close enough to the toilet so I could reach the valve without actually stepping on the floor. Anne scrambled for towels, as many as she could get from under the sink without stepping into the murky, dark, water.I managed to turn the valve and get the water stopped. How odd. Neither of us had used the toilet in the last hour, and it had just been sitting there. However, I turned the valve the wrong way, and when I used the plunger on the toilet and flushed, I heard the running water. Not the sound I wanted to hear. The flood was about to get worse.
EEEEK!!!!!! Gallons and gallons and gallons of water started flowing from the toilet, even after getting the valve turned the right way. We had fully been invaded by "The Flood".
The carpet in the hallway was soaked through. Anne started mopping with the towels. I started pulling up carpet to get to the padding to stop the damage from getting too far. Spot heaters, fans, towels. I had to cut the carpet at the entrance to the family room to pull it up enough to get in there.
I have a plumber/septic tank guy coming on Friday. **SIGH** Not what I needed. However, we got "The Flood" stopped.
Master Chief would have been proud.
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