Don MIller - Why Doctine is only half the truth

I wasn't reading Don's blog a lot, scanning on the rare occasion, until a friend inquired of me regarding some issues he was writing on. I began scanning it more often. I saw his blog today and it is exactly in line with what I would say... props to Don.

Understanding us, Communitas... Part 4

Two more installments from my friend, Mike Frost from Sydney discussing the priority of mission!

My Faith - By Bent

A quite park in Christchurch, New Zealand, one of my favourite cities.

When living in New Zealand, I spent a lot of time mentoring, coaching, training and equipping pastors, denominational leaders and normal people who wanted to see God move in NZ. In some of that was teaching some formal courses.

In one of those, focused on communication, I had the pastors and leaders wrestle with something I had noted... Denominations and churches have personalities a lot like people. If you know the DiSC, Meyers-Briggs, Eniogram, Personalysis, PF16, etc, you may note that as well. Then when looking deeper, I had them wrestle how their church has their personality, bent, predisposition. Part of it was communication and our biases, part of it was getting them to see their power as leaders, and their blind spots. They resisted, until we put it to the test.

Take for example liberal main line denominations... tends to draw people who are liberal, more civic minded. The Baptists usually are pragmatists, and hence show up at community driven events. The Salvation Army (Yes, it is a denomination, for you Yanks. In more of the dominions and the UK, it is as much a church as the social ministry side and in fact are connected), is social justice, mercy minded. And of course the evangelicals, Calvinists are really into the nitty of theology and can't understand any different, and in fact condemn any who isn't, and are black and white... this carries over into every area of their life and I've never met an exception. And finally, allow me to also offend the Charismatic cousins. Are they not emotively driven, driving the others nuts... They tend to not wrestle the jot and tittle like the conservatives, nor move to action for the social injustices. They are the mystics who emotively actually relate with God. The liberals tend to be democrats, the conservatives tend to be, well, conservative, aka Republicans. The Charismatics don't care much about politics. Make sense? They didn't like it, but they saw my point.

One point I was making in the course was that we need to teach the Word from as much a posture and perspective of what is says and as much as possible, remove our own prejudices, preprocessed views. That's hard to do, as we approach it completely from our own perspective. Hence, the liberals ignore the hard teaching about Jesus, and the conservatives ignore the social justice and gracious side of Jesus. Tell me I'm lying? Yet, God is God, and He is who He is and our presumptive opinions of Him do not change that, though we try to return the favor of being created in His image.

Yet, the fact is that we are attracted to the bent of the church, often before or even more than the reality and complexity of Jesus Himself. Sad, but true. Conservatives would tell the woman at the well to repent, get her act together and get a freaking job. Liberals would never call the young ruler to give it all away, but to share it and be an educated, privileged elite who uses his position to manipulate the system.

Let's look at the first century: Saducees - liberals, Pharisees - conservatives. See, nothing has changed and each approached God from that point of view.

The biological resources of growing the church... having children...socializes them into a bent, a system of approaching God. Often, the children do have the bent of the parents. Often the juxtaposed personality of a child may leave them alienated from God because they eventually come into themselves (they know themselves) and reject the bent of their parents and hence their church. Sadly, they reject God when what they are really rejecting is the socialized bent of the system they were raised in.

If, oh if only if, we would be aware of this in how we approach God. We might be less autocratic in how we handle the Word, narrowing the black and white. Yes, there is certainly black and white... but there are ton of grays, and a lot of the narrower band of black and white is tinted by our own rose colored glasses. We might approach our hard line theological issues (outside of the deity and atonement of Christ and the other core doctrines) less dogmatically and therefore be worried about Satan's demise of the world and the church, and spend less time attacking other Christians. We might have a different approach to politics. We might learn from each other - now there is a different posture! A life long posture of being teachable, being a life long learner - how novel!

I am not the only one who has taken note of this. Christian Schwartz, German Christian author and professor who has done work on several areas of the church, noted this and used the primary color wheel to illustrate it. The further from the center, the more pure the color and less we appreciate the other two colors. The more towards the center, the more balanced and less distinction. He points out that God has all three bents in His personality. When we arrogantly deny the others, we divide the church. Don Miller has also noted this. He leans against the hard line fundamentalist origins of his faith, yes - okay he is still deconstructing a bit, and notes this same phenomena on his blog.

Can I challenge us, the bride, the church, to first love God for who He is? Can I exhort us, the church, to work at minimizing our prejudiced bents from interpreting God, the Word, other saints and churches, and even maybe our politics? Can we see the bents we have and how we dismiss others without listening, being life long learners? Can I challenge you that being a life long learner and giving others a fair hearing is not compromising or diminishing your own convictions? Can I offer that you might actually learn something and therefore approach the complex issues of life, theology, politics (they are all connected and not as separate as you might think) with a touch of respect, a touch of understanding and a pound of grace?

May the Lord Himself break through and help us see Him for who He is, even the sides of Him our created bents, and socialized bents, are not at first attracted to, and may our vision of Him therefore transform our prejudiced bents to be like Him, the real Him. May we treat others in the church, not yet in the church, in every sphere of life the way Jesus would treat them.

Grace and peace,
Mike

Following in the Way of Jesus and not the DNC or the GOP

Politics in the US has gotten ugly, real ugly. Unfortunately, most of the US church has lost site of our calling. Simply stated, referring to Matthew 28.18-20 and a host of other passages, we are (in my own words) called to follow Jesus - and implicit in that, to follow in the way of Jesus. Simple defined, we are called to follow this person - God incarnated for many reasons, including our propitiation, but also giving us a clear model and picture of God's nature and character and an example of how we are to live... Simply stated in so many passages - imitate Him.

Can anyone who is fired up on politics from any angle, really say they are imitating Christ? I've heard agendas, noble as some may be. I've heard rhetoric out my ***. I've also heard personal manta and to be honest, protection of self, and selfishness that does not look like Jesus at all. We've sided with whichever side we see as the least of evils, and the most reflective of God's values... in doing so, we vilify our "opponents" [note jaded choice of words to reflect how so many see others with different views on issues], and ignore our own "side's" sins. Neither side can recognize why and how anyone could ever "side" with the "other side".

May I intentionally indict, hold in contempt, exhort and rebuke ALL saints who identify with the above? I will anyway, so here goes...

We are called - our mandate (Great Commission & hence, Great Commandment) is to follow in the way of Jesus. Jesus loves, but does not compromise sin. Both parties are so blood red guilty, scarlet letters seem trite as a reflection of their marriage with the devil. Maybe crimson suits would be more fitting! The GOP is greedy, protecting "my stuff". The DNC is self righteous, defending "my rights". Damn both to be honest! Yep, the GOP has traditionally in the decades since 1960 been the party that sided with the Christians' values of sanctity of life and the moral slide. By the way, GOP'ers, that was to get your vote, not because they cared. In the past ten years that has eroded though and is absent on the moral stuff. They have held to the life issues, though that is now modified to create a wider umbrella, which I know ticks off many. On the other hand, the DNC has been more charitable with wealth. They haven't always managed that generosity, but there has been more care for the working people and the poor.

I know - save your emails on how the other messed it up and how they are sinful. Save the "my rights" and the "my stuff" speeches. Do you not think I know them? I'm forty-nine years old for the Lord's sake! I know it and could recite it for you - either side.

To both, I exhort you to this, if you call yourself a Christian, a follower in the way of Jesus. First, I exhort you to not be religious, not be self pious (thinking if you do some good sin management, you're ahead... you still need Jesus as much as Hitler), not use Jesus as an ideology. I exhort you to stop shouting about keeping "your stuff" and defending "your rights" and hear me, if you are a follower in the way of Jesus....

"My Stuff": News flash, you aren't taking it with you. News flash, God gave it to you to steward for one purpose - the Kingdom, not you, not retirement, not your kids, not your ego, not your image, not your endless entertainment and lush comfort, nor your self security. He gave it to you make His name renown, to make the world reflect the Kingdom more. If you wrap yourself in red, white and blue, if you claim [falsely by the way] that some how the US has a special dispensation and mandate to be "God's nation", then seems you'd want us to look like the Kingdom, where there is no need. Stop demanding that people not take your stuff. Be glad that you have stuff and are not hungry, are not cold, have healthcare, and the family of origin that made it possible for you to get where you are; from paradigm of life, to education, to contacts and relationships, to the neighborhood you grew up in. Then, do what God said and be generous. Need I quote passages out my butt till you know what I am saying is from God? I remind you of Paul's words, "You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity." [2 Cor. 9.11]

"My rights": If you claim to be a follower in the way of Jesus and you find yourself with the liberal side of the spectrum, just stop it. If you are a Christian, you don't have rights. You can't demand people give and you'll never "fix society" or solve poverty, or solve the narcissistic nature of nations. You can't demand people to adhere and change the world. There are rights in advocating against abuse, sure. BUT so much of the argument is a slathering of "we have rights" as if the US government was a Godly institution. Really? As Paul told the church at Ephesus, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." [Eph.5 v 2]


Both sides - it's simple... Live to be forgotten. Be humble, share generously, live self sacrificingly, serving others. Work within the civil institutions to be the conscience both sides need. Be the example of grace, respect and peace. Don't hate people with different views. Listen to understand, work to points of agreement, work for solutions together...not the power mongering wars. Yep, you'll be beaten. You will anyway, this election, or next. All politics end in defeat. It's the way of things.

Rather, follow in the way of Jesus... imitate Him. Strive to naturally reflect Him in attitude, in thinking, in feelings, in aspirations, in stewardship. Have His character, His nature, His sacrifice. Yes, you'll be taken advantage of. Yes, you'll lose everything. Yes, you'll be exhausted. Yes, it'll cost everything.

Did some one sell you a different Gospel? Did some one promise God will make it all better? Yea, there are a lot of people and churches, entire movements, peddling a Gospel of happiness. It's also known as health and welfare gospel, though most evangelicals would not consciously admit they have that Jesus... the gene Jesus.

No, to follow Jesus, in the way of Jesus, will means we will not prosper and live fat and happy, but poor, servants, with no great honor, and we'll be forgotten. Thank God, cause my inner being wants to promote me. May I have the courage to "follow in the way of Jesus".

⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: ⁶Who, being in very nature^a]">[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷but made himself nothing, taking the very nature^b]">[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! ⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

~Paul to the church at Philippi, Chapter 2, v 5

I recommend this book to you:


It has more to say about your ordinary First World Western life than you think.


May you be ruined and never be happy in your matrix again. May He ruin you for western paradigms of life. May you become a radical "follower in the way of Jesus" and live for Him, expanding the Kingdom with every self sacrificing act of worship you will yourself to make.

Pax et Soli Deo Gloria
Mike

Guess we're Heretics!

Jay, our youngest in a natural moment ...barbaric!












A mate of mine in the UK has a great blog today. Check out
Johnny Laird!

Here is the quote he includes today that caught my eye, my passion and got me excited!

“There is no tribe of normal

People don’t coalesce into active and committed tribes around the status quo.

The only vibrant tribes in our communities are the ones closer the edges, or those trying to make change. The center is large, but it’s not connected.

If you’re trying to build a tribe, a community or a movement, and you want it to be safe and beyond reproach at the same time, you will fail.

Heretical thoughts, delivered in a way that capture the attention of the minority–that’s the path that works.

May we forever be heretics, and the domesticated apathetic normal be damned.

Understanding us, Communitas... Part 3

Frosty says it again... Part 3; Community & Worship

Understanding us, Communitas... Part 2

Here is part 2, the grappling with post-Christendom.



Here is part 2 of this discussion:

Want to understand me, us, Communitas...

Listen to my good friend, encourager and a mentor, Mike Frost. He says it so well!

Citadel or Subversive Virus?

"It is not simply to be taken for granted that the Christian has the privilege of living among other Christians. Jesus Christ lived inthe midst of His enemies... So the Christian, too, belongs not in teh seclusion of a cloistered life, but in the thick of foes. There is his commission, his work."

~Deitrich Bonhoeffer, Martyred Germany 1945 for his courage to resist the Nazi Movement

Living Together, Chapter 1, Paragraph 2

Therefore, let us not center ourselves on "being right", or being religious. Let us not be comfortable with what we like and is familiar to us. Let us leave the citadels of our church subcultures and enter into and start a subversive viral infection that brings about the redemption and salvation of people and our entire society.

Tremé, a new HBO show about New Orléans that actually "gets it"...

You know, when you love, live and are from New Orléans, you spend your lifetime being frustrated at how the media portrays you and your city, your unique culture and especially the unique dialects. They normally have actors put on horrible southern accents, not to mention, absolutely incorrigible.

There is a new show, Tremé, being unveiled this Sunday evening on HBO. This is a show five years in the making, by people from other places who have invested in getting to know and "get it"... to know, understand and desire to accurately portray the people here. How absolutely refreshing!

Today NPR did a super article on it here in the city. I am not sure if it was broadcast nationally or not. In this article they, these "foreigners", made some interesting comments during their interview:

"There are two ways to be a tourist. [paraphrased from memory, but really close to a quote]. One is to get on a tour bus and listen to a guy on a microphone tell you about this and that, stop at a church and take fifteen minutes to walk around, and then you move on to the next country. The other is to start from the bottom up, to walk into a café or bar and get to know the people. We worked to do the latter."

When the interviewer asked about the producers' efforts to not "explain" the unique culture here, he replied, "You know, a people has the right to be who they are and not have to explain or justify it to others, to anyone."

As a person who spends a lot of time sharing my muse with the world, I was ecstatic to hear these people, "get it". These comments are important for anyone who wants to understand a people, but even more crucial for Yanks and others who come to New Orléans. You should have a passport to enter this place. It's not America. You need to know that before you get on the plane or cross a bridge into the metro. And as a person who was born here, the second comment is worth its weight in gold. We get tired of explaining the vortex of our culture, weeks of celebrating and being a unique people, what you know as Mardi Gras, only misrepresented by CNN on one day of the year.

Dinner during Mardi Gras. Note the mix of generations, the food and the relationships. Yes, food is important here. This night was shrimp, crawfish and the assortment of vegetable cooked in the boil.

But back to the show. Take the time to not watch one episode. You can't understand a people with forty minutes of program. Watch a season. You'll become intoxicated by this muse and drawn into her, wanting to know and experience and wonder if it is truly a real place.

Allow me to establish some precursors to this crazy place:
Yes, relationships are truly the center and currency of the culture
Yes, people of all ethnicity's and classes mix and get along, and yes, they are still separated.
Yes, there is great wealth and great poverty.
Yes, people here feel estranged from America and don't trust the government
Yes, Katrina's disaster was the failure of the man made levy system. And yes, 28% of US cities rely upon that same corps to protect them. Recent examples include New England, and upper MIssissippi River states, and the great coastal cities from Boston, New York & DC, to Miami to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. Don't forget Minneapolis, St. Louis and Chicago.

And for those with a sense of humor, check out the producer's interview on the Colbert Report. In it he includes a scene from Tremé with John Goodman, a native and celebrated actror who stars in the program.

And then, come visit. Skip the bus tours, get on a street car, walk into a pub, a café and through neighborhoods in the Uptown, St. Claude, Fauberg Marigny, Mid-City, Bayou St. John, Lakeview, and yes, the Vieux Carré (you call it the French Quarter - the colonial old city) and get to know this place. You may never leave again.

Andrew, Chad's son, and my youngest, Jay, on my shoulders during a Mardi Gras parade this year.

la Nouvelle Orléans - Chez c'est nous!

Two great blog posts from Steve Addison

Hey you need to read these two blog posts regarding the collapse and end of the Methodist Movement in the UK. For those who don't know the origins, you have heard of John Wesley. The impact of his movement goes far beyond stuffy old religious details, but led to massive, massive social reform and deep change into the English culture, and therefore all English cultures, to include the US, and the Dominions of Canada, New Zealand and Australia, and I'd include South Africa.

Take the time to read his blog posts form 8 & 10 April.

Longings. We don't have a clue...

I've been thinking about my longing, and lack of longing for God. God's Word uses great emotive language regarding longing for, loving, adoring, seeking, wanting, desiring God.

To be honest, I don't know many people who do any of that to the point of it moving us emotively. Sure, most of us who try to follow God do so with conviction, resolution, making choices that reflect a true value and will to do what He expects and wants.

Yet, let's get damned honest... we have little understanding about the real longing for God. We suck at it. I say that to Charismatics, Evangelicals, Mainliners, Libertals, Post Moderns, Catholics, etc, etc, etc... We all suck at it. Very few, let's say .0001% have a clue about really longing for God until it moves us, really moves us emotively. I see it in myself and in my own highly committed "intentional", missional community.

No? You disagree? You're offended... Okay. Let's try this on for size... When is the last time you longed for God so much it physically impacted you - really impacted you, or moved your emotions, say like...
1. Desire to do your favorite hobby?
2. Desire for sex ...for the married of course. :-)
3. Desire for a favorite food?
4. Longing for a loved one missed?
5. Longing for stuff, money, position, change, etc.?
6. Longed for the same deep way we long for food when we're starving from whatever craving and not having eaten enough? Very few of us have a clue about a longing past missing one, maybe two meals... the ongoing day in, day out, week in, week out, months long craving for food...

You see, we don't know how to long. When I've had people tell me about fasting, it is to "focus and pray more". Huh? Ever fasted? It's harder than ever to pray and focus on God... you want FOOD - ANY food! When you go hungry, you quickly find yourself obsessed, really moved emotively, physically, mentally... You understand longing.

Anyone ever felt that urge sexually? Sex is probably the second most powerful longing/urge/desire known to the human condition. Some might argue the absolute most driving force, with food being second - just more frequent - to most of us anyway. :-) I know, embarrassing. Read this alone, then. No human adult (or teen guy) can deny this overwhelming, consuming, compelling urge and desire. Harnessing it is like harnessing a whale! It is so fierce, the longing controlling and even driving our thinking, our emotions run a muck... We become obsessed and long. Would it be possible to long for Him the same way. So often God discusses His longing for us, our supposed longing for Him in very strong language. Dare we even discuss Song of Solomon? The powerful imagery, the strong language used is surely about the maturing human marriage relationship, but is a shadow as so much of Scripture tells us about our relationship with God. Note God's language about His hurt over Israel's prostitution worshiping other gods.

Is it possible to know and love God to the point that we are not ideologically driven, but we love Him and are compelled from a love, a longing for? Can we become lonesome for "home" to be with Him. When I read about eternity and the supposed "joy" of being with Him, worshiping, knowing, understanding, and en-joy-ing (en= in) I have often over the years, I confess, not felt that to be a draw card. Sure, the escape from hell. That's a nice retirement bonus, but the after life never held such a draw. Paradise does, but the "being with Him" was a bonus, not the center. Am I the only carnal saint out there? I am not there now, not all the time anyway, but I confess, to "want to worship endlessly", to want to know and be with Him still needs more development in my focus, paradigm, understanding, context, relationship with the Living Creator God. He has my hairs counted.... REALLY!? Wow. I love my wife, my sons, my community... I have counted no one's hairs. Every hair? Wow! That's obsessive compelling love.

Now, when is the last time you really fasted and bridled that longing, that real tangible grip on longing for something and intentionally turned it towards God and longed for Him?

If you don't fast, I suggest it? If you are like me and "Decided to Follow Jesus" but seldom long for Him... Hmm. You know, when God tells us how He longs for us, and our relationship is a personal real relationship, it involves longing.

It's no wonder we long for so much here, and not Home...because at the deep real level, the emotional level, we don't necessarily consider Heaven our home... we don't long for Him and therefore, don't long for "home".

What are you longing for?
A good micro Beer? A nice wine?
A new ____ ?
A boy friend, girl friend, a friend?

Hmm.

Me too. BUT I am aware of it and working on it.