REVIEW - Conquering Fear: Living Boldly in an Uncertain World

Rabbi Harold S. Kushner’s latest work, Conquering Fear: Living Boldly in an Uncertain World is a timely book that dares to confront the fear that so infects American life. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is full of exhortations to “be not afraid.”

Despite reading from (mostly) the same Book and our agreement that God wants us to be courageous, I found myself disagreeing with Rabbi Kushner’s conclusions time and time again. This is the first of Kushner’s books I’ve read, though I’m familiar with his bestselling “Why Bad Things Happen to Good People.” What I’ve learned secondhand about that book is consistent with what I find in “Conquering Fear.” Our chief disagreement (outside of my commitment to Jesus Christ and his non-commitment to Jesus) is over the nature of God’s power: Kushner thinks that God simply isn’t able to stop bad things from happening. I, on the other hand, believe that God is able to stop bad things from happening but doesn’t always do so, for reasons I won’t elaborate on here.

This may seem like an academic footnote to Kushner’s book but I think it’s essential to understanding his advice. Chapter by chapter, Kushner confronts fear after fear: terrorism, natural disaster, change, world annihilation, loss, old age and death. Kushner makes many good points. For example, he reminds us that though the fears of others may seem silly to us (in this example, children afraid of imaginary monsters), the fear itself is quite real and must be taken seriously. He also has some uniquely Jewish insights into the Bible that I, as a Christian, have been unfamiliar with but appreciate now knowing.

Some of the advice seems tepid and mundane, the latter not being a real vice just an observation. The unoriginality of some of his insights may be because Kushner was asked to write this book; it was not a text he, so far as he explains, longed to write.

The gist of his confrontation of fear seems to be “grit your teeth (or grin, if able) and bear it.” Kushner dismisses life beyond death as unhelpful or unrealistic. In fact, I was quite surprised to hear a Rabbi defend the idea that Death is not really an enemy of human life. He states:

“To me, the vision of God destroying Death offers no the promise of physically living again or of living forever but a poetic expression of confidence that there are some things about a person who links his or her life with God – deeds of kindness, medical breakthroughs, great works of art – that permit that person to outlive even his or her own death” (151).

Again, grin and bear it: “The best way to defeat death is to live fearlessly and purposefully” (152).

This would come as quite a shock to most Jews in Jesus’ lifetime! The Christian hope for the future – the age to come, God’s new creation – lies precisely in the victory of God over death in Jesus’ resurrection. The earliest Christians (the very earliest being primarily Jewish) dared to believe that God was putting the final nails in the coffin of Death in the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. They also dared to believe that they would one day get to share in this glorious hope of bodily resurrection to enjoy “the new heavens and the new earth” because Death is the great enemy of God’s good creation (cf. the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15). N.T. Wright explains and develops this Christian hope in his excellent book Surprised by Hope. Bishop Wright articulates what I, as a Christian, find a much more satisfying rebuttal of fear, especially the fear of death.

If nothing else, Rabbi Kushner is a timely and well-spoken dialogue partner. He confronts an issue that is largely sidestepped in public debate over issues of terrorism, healthcare, etc. What are we really afraid of? “Conquering Fear” is a good conversation starter but certainly not the last (or best) word.

*This review refers to the Advanced Readers edition provided by the publisher.

REVIEW - America's Prophet: Moses and the American Story

In “America’s Prophet: Moses and the American Story,” Bruce Feiler chronicles the sometimes surprising influence of Moses within American history. “Prophet” strikes me as a fun, trivia-filled jaunt through American history with a little more depth than the History Channel but less than an academic textbook. The Exodus motifs, he argues, of deliverance from oppression toward a “there on the horizon” Promised Land emerge again and again at key moments in the story of the United States.

Feiler, a gifted wordsmith, carries us from the landing of Puritan pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts through the American Revolution, the American Civil War, the immigration boom of the early 20th century to the Civil Rights movement. Some parts of the story bog down in historical minutae but Feiler generally balances detail with scope, an important balance in a work of pop-level history. Yet some of those details are quite memorable. I had no idea that the largely Deist Founding Fathers – John Adams, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson – proposed the drowning of the Egyptian army during the Israelite exodus as the Great Seal of the United States. The rich use of Exodus imagery used by slaves in the 18th century was no surprise, but the exploration of Mosaic themes during the boom of immigration to the U.S. in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was new territory. I appreciated the connections Feiler made between the biblical concern for outsiders and strangers (everywhere evident in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible ascribed to Moses) and the assimilation of immigrants into America, symbolized in the erection of the Statue of Liberty. Feiler doesn’t often preach in “Prophet,” but at points such as this he can’t resist: “A society must gauge its worth not by power, the statue insists, but on how it treats its strangers” (192).

Though this is an entertaining and informative book in the cast of Stephen Prothero’s “American Jesus,” I kept asking myself that all important question: so what? As a preacher, I must wrestle with that question every week I sink myself into a biblical text. It’s incredibly difficult for me to resist that question when reading someone else tackling a biblical figure, even if his aim is somewhat different than my own.

In the final chapter, Feiler steps into the pulpit, if only briefly. He argues, “You can’t understand American history, I now believe, without understanding Moses. He is a looking glass into our own soul” (298). He names three themes as to why this is. First, Moses inspires “the courage to escape oppression and seek the Promised Land” (298). Second, Moses’ story exemplifies “the tension between freedom and law” (299). Finally, the story of Moses and the liberated Israelites emphasizes “the building of a society that welcomes the outsider and uplifts the downtrodden” (300). Perhaps with exasperation and hope, Feiler finally exclaims, “We are as much a nation of strangers today as at any time in our history, and more in need of the unifying call Moses offers to free the suffering, build a nurturing community, and befriend the stranger” (302).

For all its good, “Prophet” ultimately left me more informed but frustrated. What I see in Feiler’s Moses-inspired chronicle of American history is a nation-state struggling to appreciate its past while moving toward that vaguely defined Promised Land of a brighter tomorrow. As Feiler and many others have shown so clearly, the American understanding of “the common good” has been significantly shaped by Jewish-Christian values and the sacred books of those two religions, the Old and New Testaments. And its clear that this so-called “Judeo-Christian” tradition still shapes the moral assumptions of many Americans. However, there’s also a clear move away from letting these traditions explicitly shape public policy and a shared sense of what the common good look like.

Feiler uncovers an important American ambiguity about the role of religion in public discourse. Americans still use a religious motif – Moses and the Israelite Exodus – to tell the story of American progress, even as that story transgresses a biblical notion of the common good. In other words, many of us like the general themes of the Exodus as long as we don’t take that God stuff too seriously.

Feiler obviously has great admiration for his Jewish tradition, but I get the frustrating feeling that his commitment to American ideals threatens to whitewash the rich nuance of the Bible. Worse yet, this way of telling history subtly submits the broad sweep of God’s salvation history throughout the Bible to American history; the Bible becomes one more important piece of the great American pie. The biblical God is replaced with the (American) “universal God” (238).

When the biblical story becomes one stream feeding into the American river, Moses overshadows God and becomes the prototype for “human possibility” (308) or the prototypical leader (302). For example, Feiler wonders in amazement why Moses is actually such a small part of the Torah (i.e. the first five books of the Bible). We shouldn’t be surprised by Moses’ absence. The story, after all, isn’t about him! The whole biblical story, including that of Moses, is about God, the one God bound and determined to save people. That’s why there’s an Exodus. That’s why Moses was called – to be an actor (albeit an important one) in the drama of God’s saving grace. And that trumps the American story every time.

“America’s Prophet” is a worthy read. It doesn’t clear away the American ambiguity surrounding “religion,” but it does give a clearer picture of the past while holding out hope for a future Promised Land.

*This review refers to the Advanced Reader’s Edition made available by the publisher.

REVIEW - It's Really All About God

Trevor Hall’s recent musical hit, “Unity,” captures the essence of Samir Selmanovic’s “It’s All About God.” Both are odes to the wonders of religious pluralism (if not syncretism) and laments over the divisions of world religions. Both have a catchy melody; they’re likable. But both also share a fundamental flaw: the rationality of their arguments is self-defeating.


Selmanovic migrated from Eastern Europe to the US. Raised in “atheistic” Muslim family, he converted to Christianity, eventually becoming a Seventh-Day Adventist pastor. He has been a voice within the Western Christian movement known as the "emerging (or emergent) church." But the focus of his largely urban ministry has been interfaith dialogue.

Samir Selmanovic's book is challenging and moving but frustratingly imprecise. He wrestles with many of the same questions that many within 20th century liberal Protestantism (and I use those terms descriptively, not derogatorily) have debated. "How can there be one true religion and all the others be wrong? How do we justify the shortcomings and sins of 'institutionalized religion'?" Though he claims to be challenging all three of the so-called "Abrahamic" monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - he directs most of his challenge toward the Christianity of which he has been part.

I don't begrudge Selmanovic for asking these questions, but I do find his answers and methodology unoriginal and uncompelling. Like many universalists, he takes an inductive approach to religion: we can sift out from these various religions their common denominator about "Ultimate Reality” (or “God," or, Selmanovic’s preferred descriptor, “Life”) along with the ethics we currently find palatable.

Philosophers of religion have challenged this approach as demeaning and deliberately short on details. It demeans the various religions for refusing to take them at face value. His method does not engage the religions' respective truth claims as they present themselves. Just because some people, uncomfortable with religious difference, declare, “We’re all the same!” doesn’t make it so.

Selmanovic’s loose use of religious language is also problematic. Early in his text he emphasizes poetic religious language at the expense of technical religious language (i.e. theology). I find this disingenuous. If poetic language is more descriptive of reality, than why not write an interfaith book of poetry? Why write a book in which you are advancing an argument? I'm certainly not against the use of creative language, even within an orthodox Christian worldview, but to use that language in place of more carefully crafted language is problematic.

Finally, I was regularly baffled while reading “It’s All About God” about Selmanovic’s description of religions as “enclosure(s) for God.” He first defines “religions” as “any systems of meaning” (xiv, which could of course refer to anything), yet regularly wants to deconstruct any religion that would claim to have too ordered a system of meaning. Yet the irony – that fundamental, self-defeating flaw I mentioned above – is that Selmanovic is advancing the case for a new system of meaning!

By elevating “empathy, cooperation, and forgiveness” as the urgent virtues of a people who want a religion-free god, I cannot see how this is not another religious option. In fact, it’s a “system of meaning” that I find less appealing precisely for the reasons he seems to find it appealing. This is, by Selmanovic’s own admission, a god “people want” (92). I may get the god I want, but is He/She/It alive? Is this the Living God? Is this the True God? What makes Selmanovic’s system of meaning more true than the Big Three he smashes together? He assumes a privileged position of objectivity that simply doesn’t exist.

That’s my worry about the popularity of “go along, get along” religion. It’s too easy. It’s a god we want, crafted in our image, not a God who wants us and so has crafted us in the divine image. Interfaith dialogue is a valuable and valiant effort. But I’d prefer to do it as one deeply committed to a particular god, namely, the one who revealed himself in Jesus Christ.

Sunday's Text

This Sunday's message is called "God Is Liberal." Of course it has caused some speculation and debate among my Facebook friends (I just hope that the church marquee, which has the title, survives till Sunday in my Republican county!).

It's not about politics per se, though the ancient philosopher Aristotle reminds us that anything having to do with human action and how human beings interact in society is really "politics."

The focus is the life-giving practice of "extravagant generosity." Here's the text from the apostle Paul's second letter (so-called) to the Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 8:

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people. And they went beyond our expectations; having given themselves first of all to the Lord, they gave themselves by the will of God also to us. So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.

Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: "The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little."

Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of others.

In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.

Blueprints & Buildings

The last two Sundays I've preached about "intentional Christian growth," my own turnabout on Robert Schnase's "intentional faith development." Both times I played with a building metaphor.

The first Sunday I preached from the Gospel of Matthew 7. As Jesus concludes what we call the "Sermon on the Mount," he adds this:

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

I explored the three words - intentional Christian growth - through this passage of Scripture. You can download and listen to the message here. In that message, Blueprint for Success, I stress the fact that Jesus, in his own life and teachings, provides us with a blueprint ("my words") for a "successful" life, a fruitful life overflowing with the new and never-ending life of God. This is Christian growth because we're seeking to become more like Jesus, the Christ.

And there definitely must be growth. That was the push in last week's message, Beyond the Blueprint. You can download and listen to the message here. The Scripture text was Hebrews 5:11-6:12, a difficult passage about
maturity and the consequences of chronic immaturity. The preacher of Hebrews certainly celebrates having Scripture and the unique example of Jesus, but he cautions us not to "lay again the foundation" but to "move forward toward maturity."

Christian faith is neither about "trying to be good," nor is it about slapping on the label "Christian." There must be real maturity happening. The apostle Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians that every student of Jesus must "become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13)." To label ourselves "Christian" without the process of maturity is like ripping the label off generic syrup and sticking "Mrs. Butterworth's" on in its place: you can call it name brand but the taste test will fail.

That's not the best analogy, but the point is simple. It does us no good to have the blueprint for a fruitful life if we never build anything with it. I worry that church-goers too often give off that vibe. Maybe we wave around our great "blueprint," the Bible (since the Bible is our access to the life and words of Jesus), but don't build a life with it. You may claim to be "saved," but can what kind of salvation forgives you of all wrong-doing but doesn't heal you of the disease of sin?

And so we seek to build a life with our blueprint. We seek to grow up. We seek maturity. We celebrate God's forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ, but we don't stop there. We seek to be saved from ourselves. We daily seeking God's healing of our sin. We open ourselves to God, asking God to remove sinful thoughts, habits, desires and attitudes. We seek the heart, mind and character of Jesus in its place. We intentionally - on purpose, deliberately - seek to mature. We seek Jesus.

Authority for Building Up

"So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it."

I was digging around doing some sermon research when I came across these words of the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:8. Paul's defending his God-given responsibility as an apostle to a church that has been stirred to resist him by new leaders.

I struck by how Paul talks about authority. Paul was not a quiet guy, if his letters are any indication of his personality. He gets worked up, even angry. He has confidence. He's convinced that God has set him apart with a special job - being a messenger (the meaning of the word "apostle") for the risen King-of-the-world Jesus to the non-Jewish people of the world. When that authority is challenged, he even admits (above) to boasting about his authority.

But Paul describes the purpose of "authority" as for "building up" the Christian community. Too often leaders want to correct others by tearing down. I'm sure I've been guilty of it. And Paul certainly doesn't hesitate to correct people. But he says to correct and guide people with the goal of building them up, leading them for their good. Wield authority for the good of the other person; don't get on a head trip because you have power. Good words.

Christian Maturity

My sermons through the end of November are focusing on Robert Schnase's book The Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. One of the practices, or spiritual disciplines, he focuses on is "intentional faith development." The phrase is a bit fuzzy for me, too much like the vague word "spiritual" that I often try to avoid, so I've replaced it with "intentional Christian growth." This is a ten part series as I'm trying to give two weeks to each practice.

Last week I looked at intentional Christian growth through Matthew 7:13-29, focusing on Jesus' image of the wise builder vs. the foolish builder. I explored each of the three words of the practice: intentional Christian growth (cf. sermon "Blueprint for Success).

This week I'm trying to build on that image (pun intended?) through Hebrews 5:11-6:12. This text upbraids the original listeners for their lack of Christian maturity. The preacher (and what we call the "Letter to the Hebrews" likely was an early Christian sermon) then warns those Christians about the consequences of failing to advance in the Christian life. He then urges them to advance in maturity, which includes "moving beyond the elementary teachings about Christ" (a great translation from the TNIV) and learning how to discern "good from evil."

I'm playing with that building image some more. Jesus gives us, in his own life and in his teaching, the blueprint for a good life - not a life free of trouble, but a life that can withstand the storms of life. Hebrews, however, calls us to build beyond the blueprint. In the preacher's words, we should not be "laying again the foundation." The blueprint is not a building.

This begs a few questions:

1. What does everyday Christian immaturity look like? What does it look like to run around "laying again the foundation?"

2. How do we build up from the foundation into that sturdy house that Jesus promises?

I'll try to explore these in Sunday's message on 18 October 2009.

Don't Touch!

"If it's not yours, don't touch it." That was to sum up my mandatory four hour sexual ethics training last week. All United Methodist pastors are required to take this training every four years. This was approved by our denomination as a whole some years back in response (so I'm told) to the growing number of sexual abuse cases perpetrated by clergy.

If that's the case, then I think the seminar missed the mark.

The seminar missed the mark for two main reasons. First, the sexual ethics were mostly absent. Second, the training was really about how to save you and your church from legal hot water, not how to be pastoral about, and in light of, sexual issues.

The training opened with a video of our bishop, Gregory Palmer, offering some theological reflections on the relationship of love to this seminar. While I have nothing but respect for our bishop, appreciate his leadership and always find myself moved by his preaching, I missed the connection. It was never made explicit what exactly we were being trained about. Sexual harassment? Other kinds of sexual misconduct? Legal protections against misconduct?

The bishop was correct to ground our time together with the command to “love one another.” Indeed, he could hardly go wrong given the fact that both Jesus and early Christian writers make love the ground of Christian action (Matt 22:37; John 13:34; Rom 13:8-10; 1 John 3). One clear biblical example that brings love and sex together is provided by the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-9:

As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.

It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.

Paul makes an amazingly appropriate recommendation in verse six, that no Christian “wrong or take advantage” of someone else in matters regarding sex. That is the fundamental issue behind so much sexual abuse that unfortunately occurs within the Church – someone takes advantage of someone else.

In addition, if our quadrennial training is in fact focused on specific behavioral issues arising from specific abuses, then shouldn't the training specify what behaviors are out of bounds? I was bothered by the fact that the presentation never once referenced this or any of the other numerous biblical texts about sexual immorality. Why? Is it possible that the disagreement and confusion about Christian sexual ethics among United Methodists has so muddied the water that we can’t say anything conclusively and authoritatively about sex? Maybe it’s uncouth for us to refer to people as “the pagans.” Maybe it’s unthinkable for us to imagine a life not lived in passionate lust.

One PowerPoint slide that intentionally drew laughs attempted to sum up Christian sexual ethics in the phrase, “If it isn’t yours, don’t touch it.” What exactly is that phrase saying? If we’re losing any common assumptions about sexual morality in the Church (to say nothing of Western culture), what can such a phrase mean?

As my wife and I were discussing the seminar, she pointed out that all of her pastoral care training, especially Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), emphasized the need to touch. Human beings are creatures of touch. We like it. We want it. Not all the time and not from everyone but we need touch. We had to engage some case studies during the seminar and discuss them with fellow pastors. In every case, touch between the pastor and the parishioner was dangerous. “Don’t touch!” The motivation behind that command did not appear to be love for my neighbor but love for my own derier. This was legal self-protection. I’d say “cover your tail” would’ve been a more appropriate catchphrase.

The entire biblical letter of 1 Corinthians, a letter all about the bodies of Christians, was swirling through my mind as I listened to this. Certainly the advice not to touch doesn’t apply to husbands and wives since Paul has said that their bodies belong in some way to one another (1 Corinthians 7), though I’m sure the presenter did not have spouses in mind.

But St. Paul isn’t done hurling monkey wrenches into ideas about sex and bodies. In 1 Corinthians 6:13, Paul says, “The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” This from a man who begins every letter he writes with the words, “Paul, slave of the Lord Jesus.” How do we abstain from touching what isn’t ours when, according to Christian Scripture, my own body doesn’t even belong to me!

That’s the real question: how do we do sex and sexual ethics as Christians when our bodies do not belong to us but to God? There’s no easy answer, and I do appreciate the hard work of those who travel around the country to address these issues. But I would suggest that if United Methodists want to avoid clergy sexual misconduct, we should stop focusing on the legal consequences and fix our eyes again on Jesus who owns us, body and soul.

Installation of District Superintendent

Though our two kids were having a difficult day, we made the brief trip to Peoria yesterday to see our new District Superintendent, Rev. Dan Harry, officially installed as such. I've had a few opportunities to meet with Dan, both formally and informally, and look forward to serving together in ministry.

Though this was Dan's day, I'm always excited to hear our bishop, Rev. Gregory Palmer, preach. I've had a real hunger lately for some black church worship and yesterday didn't disappoint. We were lead in some moving songs by Bethel UMC's choir and Bishop Palmer rocked the house! It's great to see a preacher - especially one with such a keen intellect - get worked up in the pulpit. Palmer now has a podcast on iTunes, though the conference has been slow to post new recordings.

Joseph or Jesus

I had the privilege of spending time in Chicago this week with a former div school professor and friend, J. Warren Smith. We attended the North Park Theological Seminary Symposium which focused on conversion. Warren presented a paper on Ambrose of Milan, a 4th century Italian bishop. Warren focused on Ambrose's reading of the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis. His essay, along with all the others, will be published in spring 2010 as the next volume of the journal Ex Auditu.

Ambrose read the life of the patriarch Joseph as they best "forerunner" of Jesus Christ to be found in Genesis. There are many parrallels between Joseph's life and the theological sweep of Jesus' life. Warren's paper drew some of these rich images out from Ambrose's text, On Joseph. This paper has had me thinking about how to preach Joseph as Jesus in today's context. This could make a number of great sermons, not to mention some interesting artistic pieces...

Ordination: One Down...

Angel and I went back before our District Committee on Ministry today. This is one step further toward our ordination as Elders in the United Methodist Church. We had to complete some answers from the UMC's Book of Discipline and be interviewed by the committee. It went great!

We have some more steps to take, however: psychological evaluations, background checks, and several courses on UM history, polity, and doctrine (to be completed by next spring, God willing). Thanks for your prayers. Now we have to pray for the funds to take these courses and tests!

Conversion Symposium

I'm in Chicago for a day and a half visiting former professor and friend, J. Warren Smith, a scholar of early Christian studies at Duke Divinity School. We're at North Park Seminary in Chicago for a symposium on "conversion." The topics are supposed to be more church related than standard academic conferences. Thus far, that's been true.

The first night featured a paper delivered by revered evangelical New Testament scholar Scot McKnight of North Park Seminary. He posed the question, "Was the apostle Paul a convert?" Perhaps you're thinking what I thought - so what? Once you start poking and prodding the question, you do begin to find some practical relevance. For example, I was thinking about how big a deal the "when" of salvation is among evangelicals. So if Paul was a convert (and McKnight drew in some helpful sociological distinctions about conversion to make his case), when did he convert? And what difference does that make?

I may post more about the conference. The articles will be published in spring 2010 in the journal Ex Auditu.

Thirsty

I'm in between series right now. Last week I preached on Isaiah 55, message entitled "Thirsty." You can download it here.

I'll be starting a 10 part series on fruitful living beginning Sept 27 called Bloom: Living a Fruitful Life. We'll also be reading and discussing Bishop Robert Schnase's Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.

REVIEW - The Forgotten God

Francis Chan reminds of John Wesley, the 18^th century pioneer of Methodism. John Wesley wrote a sermon called “The Almost Christian,” yet another of his attempts to convert cozy church people into risk-taking, born again Christians who are steadily growing in holiness. Like Wesley, Chan believes that the same dynamic experience of Christian faith of the New Testament is available to the present day followers of Jesus Christ.

Like his first book, “Crazy Love,” Chan’s second book, “The Forgotten God: Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit,” challenges readers to take some risks. Whereas “Crazy Love” might be considered a primer on the doctrine of God (with a distinctly Reformed undertone), “Forgotten God” obviously focuses on that mysterious third Person of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Chan writes in the Introduction:

“From my perspective, the Holy Spirit is tragically neglected and, for all practical purposes, forgotten…There is a gap between what we read in Scripture about the Holy Spirit and how most believers and churches operate today. In many modern churches, you would be stunned by the apparent absence of the Spirit in any manifest way. And this, I believe, is the crux of the problem.”

Chan wants us to experience the Holy Spirit in power, not merely get some good theology about the Holy Spirit.

I couldn’t find a well-reasoned order to the chapters of this short book. Each chapter seems more like devotional reflections rather than a progressive building from chapter to chapter. Brief biographies of people who strike Chan as “Spirit-filled” end each chapter.

Nothing in “The Forgotten God” struck me as new. I did mark out a few passages that struck me as insightful reminders. Overall, I would characterize Chan’s theological pedigree as Reformed and evangelical. He doesn’t delve deep enough into issues like speaking in tongues to label him as Charismatic. Much of his work seems friendly to a Wesleyan tradition, too. I should note that I don’t attempt to label Chan theologically to “peg him” so as to dismiss him; it’s simply an exercise of awareness.

Because Chan is so frustrated by American Christianity – its ease, wealth, and comfort – his tone can be a bit of a downer. Of course we should be careful of dismissing hard to hear messages simply because they make us feel bad, but this tone stood out to me in both of Chan’s books. His favorite adverbs (“really,” “genuinely,” “honestly”) indicate a distrust with the glittery ease of American Christianity. It’s not an always positive message Chan offers, but it’s good to hear a popular evangelical leader who pastors a megachurch wrestling with the implications of his church’s wealth and power.

I should also note that I’m likely not the intended audience. Chan’s writing for popular Christian readers, not Mainline pastors like me who spent a good chunk of seminar reading the Church Fathers (including St. Basil the Great’s “The Holy Spirit”). This wouldn’t be my first recommendation to one of my parishioners if they were seeking to not only learn more about the Holy Spirit but also to experience the Holy Spirit more.

In that case, I’d recommend one of Jack Hayford’s books (his Spirit-Formed Life is great). For delving into theology of the Holy Spirit, I’d recommend the above work by St. Basil the Great. John Paul II’s encyclical on the Holy Spirit (available on the Vatican’s website) is also good, as is the Roman Catholic Catechism. I’d also recommend perusing some of John Wesley’s sermons (freely available online), as well as John Calvin’s section on the Holy Spirit in The Institutes of the Christian Religion. But if you get this far, you likely won’t find much need for “The Forgotten God.”

Full Inclusion and Full Communion: Lutherans and Methodists

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America recently voted to change their policy toward their Lutheran clergy. The Christian Post reports, "ELCA's highest legislative body voted to lift the denomination's ban on noncelibate gay and lesbian clergy." As I understand this action, this means that Lutheran clergy who identify themselves as homosexual and are sexually active (obviously with someone of the same sex, and obviously outside of marriage) are perfectly within the bounds of the ELCA's ethics. To read the ELCA's own reports on their legislative gathering, go here.

The ELCA also voted to have "full communion" with the United Methodist Church. My own bishop, Gregory Palmer, was on hand to preach during worship in the midst of this move. While a joint ELCA/UMC coordinating committee will form to decide how this will look in action, my conference news service reported this as the meaning behind the event:

In essence, full communion means that each church acknowledges the other as a partner in the Christian faith, recognizes the authenticity of each other’s baptism and Eucharist, observes the validity of their respective ministries and is committed to working together toward greater unity. While it does not mean there are no differences or distinctions between the churches, the differences are not church dividing. A full communion agreement is not a merger of the two denominations, but a recognition of each other’s ministry and mission.

In simple terms, the pact means that United Methodists and Lutherans will formally partner in matters of worship, mission and clergy. United Methodist pastors may preach from Lutheran pulpits and vice versa. In addition, congregations in local communities might combine resources for a range of ministries, such as mental health services, missionary outreach or domestic violence prevention. Members of both denominations may also participate in each other’s Holy Communion observances.

My question: what do these two actions entail for the United Methodist Church? The UMC does not formally condone homosexual activity, nor do we appoint or ordain as clergy anyone who engages in homosexual activity. We can now share clergy. Bishop Sally Dyck of the UMC implies that this could mean shared appointments between ELCA and UMC churches.

I suppose this will work on a case by case basis. I suppose it's only a matter of time before these two actions become fuel for the fire in the UMC's debate over homosexuality.

What do you think?

New "United Methodist" Bible

The Wesley Report (TWR) recently featured an entirely new English translation of the Bible to debut in the next 2-3 years called The Common English Bible. This translation is affiliated with the United Methodist Publishing house in some fashion. Whether this includes funding is unclear.


TWR gives a number of reasons why a new English translation from the original language texts makes sense, especially for United Methodists. You can read TWR's post here. TWR cites how Zondervan "threw the TNIV under the bus," which is unfortunate because I daily use this gender-inclusive version of the NIV (NOTE: TNIV is "Today's New International Version" as opposed to the NIV, "New International Version"). But the TNIV is not likely to gain traction. Moreover, a new translation promises to be cheaper on United Methodist publishing resources and more "lively" than the United Methodist default translation, the NRSV. (NOTE: Though the NRSV has been shoved upon since college, I've never cared much for the translation. As my Greek skills grew, the NRSV diminished in front of me).

I was happy to see that two translators hail from my alma mater, Duke Divinity School (though neither are United Methodists). I'll keep my eyes out for more info on the CEB.

A Pain in the Neck

So this morning I get up at 5:15, set up in bed, turn my head right/left like every morning with just a slight pop...but had the WRONG pop on the left turn. The back of my neck froze up. The pain was surprising and awful. I started to get light-headed and a little nauseous. I blacked out for a few seconds. I woke Angel up and made it to the bathroom in case I got sick. Then I had trouble breathing. Sweat was pouring down my body. Angel called 911. EMT's arrived moments later and took me to the hospital.

Long story short: neck sprain. A muscle from the base of my skull into my trapezius and upper back is very sore and very tight.

Thanks to all my Facebook well-wishers and for the prayers offered up. I can't tell you how frustrating this has been to happen this weekend. Though we've moved all the big stuff from the old parsonage to the new, I still have a few odds and ends to move. Worst of all, the doctor says I can't run my 5K on Saturday morning! I've been training with a group for 8 weeks, have overcome knee injury and shin splints to run....and I'm sidetracked the day before. Oh, and did I mention that I volunteered to lead up a group of muscle-bound individuals Sunday afternoon to move sanctuary pews to have the lights rewired? Very inconvenient.

This last week or so, I've been chewing on and memorizing Philippians 4:4-9. It's been very appropriate, but I need the extra prodding on days like this to rejoice in the Lord (not in the crap that happens) and to pray in every situation. The result? A heart and mind guarded by God's peace. Pray for this frustrated pastor, please!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Kidz Camp - Final Days

By this time, Kidz Camp has drawn to a close. It was exhausting but an awesome experience! We had 20 total kids throughout the week and averaged 17 per night, DOUBLING our average attendance from last year! Here's my favorite part: about half our volunteers were unchurched or semi-churched adults and, from my best reckoning, around 75% of the kids in attendance could be described in the same way! It was fantastic to see relationships being forged through the week.

Several families appear to be forging or strengthening relationships with our church because of their Kidz Camp experience. We'll continue to be in prayer for the volunteers and families. Here's a few more pictures. We shared about 8 minutes worth of these with the worshiping congregation on Sunday in a video I put together.

Kidz Camp - Day 3

We're over the hump! We survived 19 kids last night, which is about our average number (a great number!). We still had a few glitches here and there - my mic dying and our slideshow missing pictures, but things still went great. We had so many kids we had to create a third crew (we could use a fourth but we've run out of leaders).

Kids learned last night that "God does what he says he'll do." Adults have learned to let pre-K kids run around a lot as long as they don't kill themselves or each other. It was a blast. Two more nights left!

Kidz Camp - Day 2

On Day 1 of Kidz Camp, kids had a blast, adults were stressed and worn out. Day 2 saw even more kids having a blast and adults less stressed. Through it all, we're seeing relationships develop among 20 or so kids from our community, along with the relationships they're building with adults, and the relationships adults are building. It's great to see God work through the craziness of silly string, crafts, and a live-action Pharaoh!

I'm so pleased that we've drawn in a handful of adults to serve who are either marginally connected to a church or not at all (along with the great volunteers who are already part of LSUMC). The "belong before you believe" principle (attributed to Brian McLaren) has a lot of promise in our culture. In a previous generation or two, it seems some (definitely not all) were accustomed to calling themselves "church members" without contributing much. My Gen-X generation seems fine getting their hands dirty in service with a church before formalizing a relationship with it. Whatever method works is fine with me, as long as new people - kids and adults alike - are connecting to Jesus and his people.

Kidz Camp - Day 1

We survived Kidz Camp, Day 1! It was a bit of controlled chaos (especially with a very young group of pre-k), but things went well with about 15 kids. There were some bumps and potholes along the way, but we managed. We now have a list of "what to improve" for the remaining nights.

The best part is getting to know new kids and their families. Again, no surprise but many young families who spent some time in church while kids themselves are curious about reconnecting with a local church. Here's some pics from day 1.

Kidz Camp!

I haven't written in a long time but I'm working at getting more regular at this. Our "Kidz Camp" (i.e. vacation Bible school) has kept me more than busy. Our goal is to reach out to families without a church home. We've ran ads in the paper, directed people to our church website (www.laconumc.com) via our church marquee (a underutilized advertising source for most churches), and I've gone door to door hanging up flyers for the event.

We've had a great team of volunteers - small in number but determined! I'm grateful for their hourse of preparation. I've learned that something hands-on really gets some of our people motivated. We remodeled a nursery space a few months back and are trying to staff it now. Kidz Camp has allowed us to reclaim (or at least clean!) some long neglected spaces in our building.

Our sanctuary now looks likes a swamp, complete with moldly old shack and animals! If you're in the Lacon, IL area, come check it out, August 9-13 @ 5:30-8:30pm.

Holiness as Resource

I came across a refreshing insight while reading Jack Hayford's Living the Spirit-Formed Life. I've heard of the holiness/wholeness connection before, but somehow his description strikes me in a new way:

"Holiness is shown in the Bible as relating to God's completeness (italics original). That is, God's holiness essentially acknowledges that He is complete; there is nothing lacking in His person, and nothing needs to be added to make Him 'enough.' This meaning of holiness holds a promise: Because God's holiness is complete and because it is His nature to give, He wants to share His holiness with us to complete us! His holiness, then, is not an obstacle to our acceptance but rather a resource for our completion and fulfillment as persons. God is ready to pour Himself into us, to complete those areas of our lives that are lacking, or unholy, because of our sin (Hayford, 203-204)."

So many people consider God's holiness as an obstacle - a hindrance - between us and God. How refreshing to see it as our most prized resource!