Unchurched Prefer Cathedrals Over Contemporary Church Buildings

Interesting!

Unchurched Prefer Cathedrals Over Contemporary Church Buildings

Unchurched Americans prefer churches that look more like a medieval cathedral over contemporary church buildings, a new study showed.

Although billions of dollars have been spent on church buildings and more contemporary designs, church attendance has declined, said Jim Couchenour, director of marketing and ministry services for Cogun Inc., a founding member of Cornerstone Knowledge Network. The network was thus prompted to ask, "As church builders what can we do to help church leaders be more intentional about reaching people who don’t go to church?"

In a study conducted by LifeWay Research for Cornerstone Knowledge Network, the unchurched preferred more traditional looking buildings by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio over any other option. Given 100 "preference points" to allocate among four photos of church exteriors, the unchurched used an average of 47.7 points on the most traditional and Gothic options.

The other three options were given only 18.5 to 15.9 points.

"Quite honestly, this research surprised us," said Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research and LifeWay Christian Resource’s missiologist in residence. "We expected they’d choose the more contemporary options, but they were clearly more drawn to the aesthetics of the Gothic building than the run-of-the-mill, modern church building."

Stetzer believes unchurched Americans may be drawn to the look of the Gothic cathedral because it speaks to a connectedness to the past.

Young unchurched people particularly preferred the traditional look. Those between the ages of 25 to 34 gave an average of 58.9 of their 100 preference points to the more Gothic church exterior while those over the age of 70 gave that option only an average of 32.9 points.

One survey respondent said modern churches "seem cold."

"I like the smell of candles burning, stained-glass windows, [and] an intimacy that’s transcendent," the respondent said.

"We may have been designing buildings based on what we think the unchurched would prefer," Couchenour noted. "While multi-use space is the most efficient, we need to ask, ‘Are there ways to dress up that big rectangular box in ways that would be more appealing to the unchurched?’"

Most churches that look like a cathedral, however, are in decline, Stetzer pointed out.

"Buildings don’t reach people, people do," Stetzer said. "But if churches are looking to build and are trying to reach the unchurched, they should take into consideration the kind of building. Costs and other considerations will play into the decision, but the preferences of the unchurched should be considered as well."

Survey results showed that more than half of the unchurched said the design of a church building would impact their enjoyment of a visit to church. Twenty-two percent said the design of the church would strongly impact their enjoyment of the visit and 32 percent indicated it would have some impact. More than a third said it would have no impact whatsoever on their visit.

The survey was conducted on 1,684 unchurched adults on Feb. 4 and 5. Unchurched people are defined as those who had not attended a church, mosque or synagogue in the past six months except for religious holidays or special events.

Morning Has Broken

1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

The reality of “morning” has often been used throughout time and place as a metaphor for new hope and new life. There is a pregnant anticipation that the dawn of a new morning dispels the circumstances that prevail in my life today. As the light of the sun rises in the east, the darkness flees. So also, the dark realities of life succumb to the prospect and expectation of new opportunities. This metaphor is used extensively in the Bible. During the days of Isaiah the prophet, the people of Judah lived in the darkness of a great shadow cast by their enemies to the north who threatened them with military invasion and economic disaster. Yet, the Lord communicating to the people through the prophet forecast the dawn of a new day: 1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan—2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Likewise, the writer of Lamentations, even in the midst of his grief can rejoice because the Lord’s compassion and unfailing love are “new every morning” (3:22-23). The morning brings the reality that God’s grace is sufficient to overcome the darkly tragic circumstances he experiences. The psalmist also prays in Psalm 30:4-5: 4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. In the New Testament, the father of John the Baptist, Zechariah, anticipates the birth of the coming Savior. In his song of praise to God for the new work He is about to inaugurate he says in Luke 1:76-79: 76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." He, like his Old Testament forebears, uses the image of the morning to prophecy the new thing that God is doing on earth to bring the hope and reality of salvation to those living in the darkness of their sin.

Beginning at about noon on the Friday before and extending until mid-afternoon, Jerusalem sat shrouded in darkness while mankind’s Savior hung crucified to a cross (cf. Lk. 24:44-45). It would have appeared to the ordinary observer that darkness had conquered the Light. The reality of gloom and darkness would hover over humankind without the prospect of morning ever again to give them hope. It is very appropriate, then, even poetic, to see that God radically interrupts the darkness, the physical darkness of the city of Jerusalem and the spiritual darkness of our world, on a morning. That first Easter morning brought something radically new. Something totally unexpected had happened that would ultimately bring hope and life to those who seek after Him.

When morning had broken on that first Easter day, what did it leave in its wake? What was different that first Easter morning that had not existed the evening before? There are three things that first Easter morning left behind as a monument to the grace of God and a motivation to live in hope.

First, the first Easter morning brought an empty tomb (24:1-3). After observing the Sabbath day in accordance with the Jewish law, the women who followed Jesus during His earthly ministry rose early that Sunday morning and went to the tomb. Their intent purpose was to apply spices to the body of Jesus. While the spices would have been used as an aromatic fragrance to counteract the stench of decomposition, their act was more an act of love and devotion to Jesus. During His earthly ministry, He had made a radical change in their lives. One he had healed of demons. Another he reclaimed from the scandal of prostitution. To another, He met a need through physical healing. To all, He had shown compassion and reflected the grace and love of God in His presence among them. Applying spices to His corpse would be the least they could do to honor the life and memory of a man who had done so much for them.

We can only imagine their amazement as they came to the tomb that morning to see the large stone covering it removed. As they entered in to perform their ritual of devotion, they could not find the body of their Lord. It was missing. The women themselves did not know what to make of it, as Luke records they began to wonder about this reality among themselves. Something radical had happened. Easter morning left an empty tomb in its wake.

The empty tomb brings great hope because it reveals to us that the darkness of sin and death is a temporary reality. The resurrected Jesus has secured for us an eternal morning in which sin is forgiven and death defeated. Paul exclaims in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57: 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Jesus’ resurrection, we no longer have need to fear death, nor are we bound by the power of sin. Death could not keep the Son of God entombed and neither does it have the power to keep you shackled in your sin. Death and sin have been defeated because Jesus Christ was raised from the dead.

As sin and death have been vanquished, the empty tomb also reminds us that Jesus has given us new life. When Jesus arrived at the tomb of Lazarus in Bethany, he told Martha, Lazarus’ sister, 25 "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Not only do we have the prospect of eternal life when this life is over, Jesus provides us new life even today. The apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! The empty tomb is a monument of God’s grace that He has given us new life and a daily reminder to us today that “because He lives, I can face tomorrow”. Life is different: it is lived with hope, with passion, with eternal purpose. Yes, that Easter morning brought something new. It brought an empty tomb to remind us that sin and death are conquered foes and that new life, eternal life is a living reality that shapes and guides my life on earth today.

Second, the first Easter morning brought a fulfilled promise (24:4-7). We see that the women, in their wonder and amazement, begin to discuss among themselves what had happened. In the midst of their conversation, two angelic visitors appear on the scene, fully displaying their heavenly splendor. In response to this divine visitation, they bow down to the ground in humility and fear. The angels pose a question: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” The structure of the Greek makes this interrogation emphatic implying a rebuke: “Why among the dead do you seek the living?” Their question points out the absurdity of looking for one who lives among the deceased. But how do they know that He is alive? The angels reveal this to them. The tomb is empty because their Lord is alive. He has been raised from the dead.

The angels further note that this reality should not have caught them off guard. They should have noticed from the missing body in the empty tomb that Jesus was alive. How should they have known this? Because Jesus Himself had told them this would happen. The angels remind the women of Jesus’ words to them while He ministered among them in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and on the third day be raised again.” The reality that the women have now experienced at the empty tomb is nothing less than the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to them. He had carefully explained to them that His earthly ministry would end with suffering and ultimately crucifixion. The death of Jesus which they had witnessed just 3 short days ago was necessary to bring the salvation that God had promised to mankind. But death would not be the final answer. The tomb would not contain the Son of God and the Lord of Glory. He would rise again to secure the victory He had accomplished on the cross.

Paul writes in Ephesians 1:3-6: 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. You see, God knew before He ever created the world that He would provide salvation for mankind. He knew that human beings, though lovingly created and fully blessed, would choose to live life by their own standards and reject the will of God. It did not catch Him by surprise that mankind would embrace every new thing under the sun and reject His providential love and care. Although God was under no compulsion to do anything for humanity except to let them rot in His just wrath and punishment for their sinfulness, He chose to show grace by providing a way of salvation to them. The story of the Bible is this story of redemption. It is God at work in human history and in the life of the nation Israel to bring about salvation and forgiveness and new life. God determined before creation to send His Son to earth to be the sacrificial atonement that would bring righteousness to those who would believe in Him. The cross did not catch God by surprise. It did not catch Jesus by surprise. This was part of the redemptive plan of God that had to be fulfilled in order for humanity to find a way of escape from the dregs of wickedness and God’s impending judgment.

Indeed, fulfill He does. God is not an empty promise-maker. His words are not like the grass of the field that wither or the vapor that quickly dissipates into the air. His words are bedrock truth. While it might have been hard to see or understand God’s movement through history, the course was unalterably set on this series of events. As the angels told the women, Jesus Himself had said: “‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again’” (Lk. 24:7). The arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection were the fulfillment of God’s word established in heaven before time and revealed in history over time. When the morning broke on that first Easter day, it left behind in its wake the fulfillment of God’s promises. As we celebrate this morning, we remain heirs of that promise fulfilled many mornings ago.

Finally, the first Easter morning brought an unbelievable testimony (24:8-12). Upon hearing the message of the angelic visitors, the Scripture tells us that the women then “remembered his words” (24:8). The word “remember” in the Bible is usually more than a simple mental activity, a mere calling to mind of something already sensed or learned. No, the act of remembering brings a truth to mind that then motivates one to action. It would appear that having the connection between the empty tomb and the saying of Jesus made explicitly clear to them would motivate them to action. And indeed it does. The women return to the gathering of the disciples of Jesus and told them what they had experienced there. They told them of the empty tomb and missing body of Jesus. They told them of the angelic visitors who reminded them of Jesus’ words that foretold His death and resurrection as part of God’s eternal plan. They told them of their initial fear and then of their remaining joy that Jesus had risen from the dead. The women were so changed by this encounter that it resulted in an unbelievable testimony.

Unbelievable it was. The disciples, upon hearing this report, did not believe them. Luke tells us that they perceived the women’s words to be “nonsense” (Lk. 24:11). What the women reported so defied logical experience. People are not raised from the dead. Sure, they like most Jews of the day believed in a final resurrection of the just to eternal life and the unjust to eternal condemnation. This was not that resurrection, or so they thought. Peter, that rustic fisherman, who so valiantly declared Jesus to be the Christ, who so shamefully denied his association with the Lord at his arrest and trial, who so humbly had experienced Christ’s power, was captured by their report. He raced to the tomb. When he got there, he saw the evidence: only the burial linens that enshrouded the corpse were left lying there. Even Peter departs from the tomb trying to figure out the meaning of what he has experienced. It is not until later that Peter too understands. Fifty short days from this day, he would stand up in the Temple courts and loudly proclaim the unbelievable testimony that Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead. When morning had broken that first Easter day it left behind an unbelievable testimony in its wake.

That unbelievable testimony remains our testimony today. It is a testimony that is incredulous to the spiritually blinded. If even Jesus’ own disciples had difficulty believing that He was alive, should it surprise us that those who do not know Him at all would be resistant to our report? They do not understand and cannot understand how this truth can indeed be possible. It defies logic and human ways of thinking. It goes against the scientific standards we have set for ourselves to day. It is outside the bounds of our ordinary, daily experience. Yet, that is the work that God does. He is not like us. He was doing a new thing. He was doing something so completely radical that it cannot be explained other than the activity of a supernatural, all-powerful God at work in our world.

And yet, we know this testimony of ours is also unbelievable. We cannot understand why God would do such a thing as send Jesus Christ into our world, cause Him to suffer and die, and then raise Him again three days later. God has captured our heart. He has revealed Himself to us. He has saved us from our sins. He has made us alive and has given us an eternal destiny. All because Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead. Charles Wesley captures so well this unbelievable testimony that we now have in his wonderful hymn “And Can It Be?”: Long my imprisoned spirit lay/Fast bound in sin and nature’s night/Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray/I woke/the dungeon/flamed with light/My chains fell off/my heart was free/I rose/went forth/and followed Thee/Amazing love!/How can it be/That thou my God/should die for me! We have an unbelievable testimony of God’s amazing love and power. Be like the women on that first Easter when morning had broken: tell others of the unbelievable thing God has done for us.

When morning had broken on that first Easter day, it was truly a brand new day. The morning of God’s light caused the darkness of sin, death, and hopelessness to flee because the tomb was empty and Jesus Christ was risen. The morning of a new day of God’s relationship with humanity was established because the eternal plan of God for salvation and redemption had been fulfilled through the resurrection of Jesus. The morning of a new experience, a spiritual transformation, brought about an unbelievable testimony that would cause us to live in light instead of darkness and issue a call for those living in darkness to come into His marvelous light. Praise be to God that as morning has broken today that we continue to live in the reality of what was accomplished on that first Easter morning.

Lessons from a Dying Thief

[The following is a sermonette I delivered yesterday during the Good Friday service at Forest Heights Baptist Church. The service followed a modified Tenebrae format used in more liturgical traditions. The seven last words of Christ on the cross, as recorded in the gospels, were read, interspersed with music, prayers, and communion. The short homily followed the 4th statement where Jesus speaks to the dying thief crucified next to Him (Luke 23:39-43). I hope this might stimulate you to reflect on the reason why this is a very good Friday for those of us who know Christ.]

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

I would imagine that if we were inclined to seek wisdom or to learn from a great teacher, the last place we would find either would be among hardened, condemned murderers in the halls of Death Row. After all, what wisdom could we gain from them? Isn’t the fact that they are locked up evidence enough that they do not possess wisdom? We could rightfully draw the conclusion that the reason for their incarceration is precisely the lack of wisdom, or at least the lack of exercising whatever wisdom they may possess. No, I don’t suppose we have much to learn from a condemned criminal.

Or do we? The passage before us now suggests otherwise. In fact, many Bible scholars have suggested that this exchange between the repentant thief and his dying counterpart and with the crucified Jesus is perhaps the clearest, most succinct explanation of the Gospel message in all of Scripture. Unaware that he was speaking as a theologian, the dying thief taught those in attendance on that fateful day, and us who sit here nearly 2000 years removed from this scene, some important, eternal lessons that we all must consider.

The first lesson we learn from the dying thief is that we deserve God’s just punishment for our sins (23:40-41). We need to realize once again, if we have never recognized it before, that we stand under God’s holy, fierce, and all-consuming wrath because we are sinners. The dying thief knew this all too well. His counterpart on the third cross spoke first in verse 39 and hurled insults, or more precisely uttered blasphemous statements, against Jesus. He joins the chorus of the Jewish religious leaders in verse 35 and the Roman soldiers in verses 36 and 37 in mocking the Son of God crucified on the center cross. It is clear they have an incorrect understanding of what the Messiah truly is. He cries out sneeringly, “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” He knows that that the Messiah has come to save, but his desire for salvation is centered on physical liberation that will perpetuate his earthly existence and is entirely self-motivated.

The repentant thief rebukes the first criminal. He points out that the sentence of death they now experience has directly resulted from their own misdeeds. While certainly they have broken the laws of the state and are now suffering the consequences for their crimes, the thief sees that the greater injustice has been committed against God. The word “sentence” in this passage in Greek also means “justice”. The dying thief acknowledges that they are suffering the just punishment for their wickedness before God. Because they have refused to acknowledge God (or to “fear” God), they have lived by their own moral standards and are now getting their justice at the hand of God for their failure to be obedient to His ways.

You and I are no different. When we look at the cross we ought to see ourselves hanging there, suffering for the vile wickedness we have committed against God. God is holy and perfect. Matthew 5:48 sets the standard to which God holds us as He executes His judgment: Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Your attitudes, your conduct, your character, your thoughts, your speech, your disposition is to be perfect as God’s. We don’t have to look very far to acknowledge the truth of Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Paul reminds us in Romans 6:23 that the wages of sin is death. That is we justly receive our punishment from God for the things that we have done, just as we receive wages at our places of employment for the work that we perform. For the sinner who bears the weight of his sin, there is nothing but the wrath of God. We cannot blame God for this; we can only blame ourselves. The sentence we receive is the due justice we deserve.

The dying thief also teaches us that Jesus died unjustly to atone for our sins (23:41). In explaining the justice that the criminals jointly receive, the repentant thief exposes the injustice that has been meted out on Jesus. While they suffer justly for the misdeeds they have committed, Jesus suffers unjustly. “This man,” as he says “has done nothing wrong” (23:41). He is innocent of any charges leveled against Him by the Jewish leaders or the Roman government. Furthermore, He is sinless of any act He has committed during His earthly life. He alone has lived in the manner that God calls all men to live.

Yet, Jesus suffers. How much does He suffer? He dies an agonizing death by crucifixion. The Romans adopted the brutal practice of crucifixion from the Persians and modified it making it the worst method of human execution ever adopted. The Roman orator Cicero called it “the most miserable and most painful punishment appropriate to slaves alone,” certainly not justified for the Son of God. Crucifixion was particularly brutal for two reasons. First, it caused a great amount of torture on the body. After a severe flogging, the victim would be nailed to the wooden beams of the cross. The positioning of the body would soon cause it to become out of joint and intense pain would ensue. Second, the victim would die a death of slow asphyxiation. The process of hanging would cause a shortness of breath that would require the victim to push himself up to draw air into his lungs. Fatigue and pain would eventually cause the victim to succumb to death, but very slowly, often over the course of several days. The Jewish historian Josephus rightly calls this “the most miserable of deaths.”

Jesus suffers this excruciating death because He has come to save mankind. In a bit of irony, Jesus does precisely what the first criminal mockingly suggests: He is saving us! Jesus does not save us by coming down from the cross, but he remains on the cross in order to save us. The salvation of mankind did not require the political edict of a king or the military power of a general; it required the suffering, shameful, humiliating crucifixion of God Incarnate, the only perfect one to dwell the earth. He served as the sacrificial lamb to atone for our sins and make God’s forgiveness possible. He fulfills the words of the prophet in Isaiah 53:4-6, 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. His crucifixion was a vicarious atonement, a suffering death expressly made on our behalf. The dying thief teaches us that Jesus’ unjust death was part of God’s eternal plan to bring salvation to mankind.

Finally, the dying thief teaches us that Jesus extends salvation to those who repent and believe in Him (23:42-43). While God offers salvation freely to all, it requires the recipient’s repentance and faith to be actualized in his or her life. After he rebukes his fellow criminal, the dying thief turns to the Lord and identifies Him by his personal name, Jesus. At the beginning of Luke’s gospel, he records an angelic visitation to a young girl to announce that she is pregnant with the Son of the Most High God. He explains to her that she is to call his name “Jesus” which means “salvation”. The baby born to her will bring God’s salvation to all mankind. In this moment of great peril, the crucified criminal calls Jesus by the name that indicates the nature of His earthly appearance. He looks to the Savior to bring him salvation.

The dying thief exemplifies repentance and faith well. We are told, according to Mark 15:32, that initially those crucified with Jesus hurled insults upon Him. At some point, which none of the gospel writers records for us, this thief recognized who the victim on the center cross was and recognized the import of His death. He pleads for mercy from the only One who can grant it. He repents of his sin acknowledging that he is justly receiving what he deserves for his misdeeds. He exemplifies faith by trusting that Jesus is the only one who can provide the salvation he needs. It is in that moment of repentance and faith that Jesus utters the pronouncement of salvation: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.

Jesus’ crucifixion makes salvation possible, but not universal. What God requires of us to appropriate this salvation is repentance and faith. Repentance acknowledges our wrongdoing before God and commits to live in conformity with God’s character and ways. Faith is a full and living trust, a complete dependence and confidence in what Jesus Christ has done for us through his death on the cross. This gift of salvation comes by the grace and love of God extended toward us. We do not deserve it. We have not earned. It is God’s gracious gift, the greatest expression of His love. The cross reminds us not only what it took to receive forgiveness, but it demands our undivided devotion and our unyielding commitment to the One who makes this great salvation so possible. The dying thief teaches us the important lesson that salvation comes through the crucified Jesus to those who repent of their sins and put their faith in Him.

In 1772, William Cowper penned the great hymn “There is a Fountain” that summarizes very eloquently and poetically the great reality made possible by the crucifixion of Jesus. The second stanza beckons us to remember the repentant criminal and to see our participation in the reality of his experience: The dying thief rejoiced to see/That fountain in his day/And there may I, though vile as he/Wash all my sins away. We are indeed vile like that condemned criminal. We deserve the full measure of God’s justice for our wickedness. But, Jesus Christ was crucified in our place, unjustly bearing the punishment that we deserve. Jesus is the living fountain that has cleansed us of our sins by the sacrificial shedding of His blood. In the midst of great suffering and tragedy, there is great salvation and joy for us. Thanks be to God that He sent His Son to die in our place and make this destiny possible for us.

42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." 43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

Christians in the Political Arena

This is part of an article by Gordon McDonald, an evangelical pastor, who shares his thoughts on the involvement of pastors in the political process. The entire article is a good read. (You can find it here). I thought the last bit of the article was an important reminder for the general evangelical population. We often are guilty of wanting the "red meat" without a prayerful and humble consideration of the implications of our core convictions. I have already seen Christians drawing up lines and creating schism over political candidates based upon their "beliefs" without holding fast to the scriptural admonition to unity. Remember, we are followers of Jesus, not Romney, Huckabee, Clinton, or Obama.

The arrogance and smugness of too many Christian spokespersons has cost us greatly. We will pay a price for years to come for their mean-spirited and intemperate remarks. Bible-believing Christians are not usually characterized by the larger world as compassionate, gracious, and thoughtful. Rather, we are typed as angry, win-at-all-costs, insensitive people. How can our higher message—that Jesus is mighty to save—be taken seriously if we are perceived in this way? This is worth weeping for.

It was helpful for me to carefully select three (just three!) issues with which I would identify over a long period of time. The three for me were famine-related issues in Africa, racial reconciliation, and environmental matters.

As a leader, it is all too easy to get involved in myriad issues, to become a "lobbyist" for every decent cause. But I could not afford to be pulled away from my core sense of call: to shepherd a flock of souls and to help them follow Jesus. Obviously, I would—from time to time—illustrate issues of discipleship in terms of their political implications, but extensive, time-consuming, passion-draining involvement in non-pastoral matters was probably for other people, not for a pastor.

That didn't mean I would not occasionally point out political and social applications of the gospel. I had to steel myself against the possibility of losing an occasional friend or church member. In my world I found that I was something of a hero if I spoke against abortion and for the sanctity of life. But I lost my heroic status if I dared to extend the principle of life-sanctity to the matter of capital punishment, or the fact that 27,000 children die every day in our world due to diseases that are treatable.

A sermon that protests gay marriage would be welcomed, I learned. But a sermon that reminds us that, statistically speaking, divorce and spousal abuse is just as flagrant in our congregations as it is in the secular community, is shrugged off.

Perhaps my greatest disappointment with the tradition I consider my "home" is that it wasn't and still isn't a safe place to ask questions, explore alternatives, launch creative ideas of a political or social orientation. It is often overrun by a mindset that puts people in a box after just a few words are said that don't sound safe and familiar.

It has been said that the role of a prophet is never to compliment government but rather to critique it in the name of the living God. The traditional Quaker phrase—"truth speaking to power"—applies here. But how shall we know what to say to political and economic power, if we cannot convey thoughts to each other in respectful dialogue instead of battering each other with labels, disassociation, and slander?

As this national election process determines who will occupy the White House for the next four years, I know that many pastors will struggle to know when to speak and when to remain silent about all of the issues that a national election raises. More than once I have been in conversations where a political or ideological position was far more divisive than a discussion over a piece of orthodox Christian doctrine.

Regularly pastors thread their way through the labyrinth of opinions and debate knowing that a misplaced word can sometimes set a pastoral relationship back many months if not permanently.

But every once in a while, a word well-spoken because it is immersed in prayer, clothed in humility, backed with solid thought and the fullness of God's Spirit breaks through and people see something differently.

Result? They go on to make a God-intended difference in their communities. That is one great moment.

Orange Blossom Song

When I was growing up, Mrs. Donahue, our redheaded and rather rotund music teacher, would lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, a patriotic song (which usually rotated among "God Bless America", "My Country 'Tis of Thee", "America the Beautiful", and "The Star-Spangled Banner"), and the "Orange Blossom Song". The latter was a song about the benefits of growing up in Florida. It's kind of hokie now at 33, but in elementary school it was the bomb.

So, today, I'm writing a piece for our worship folder on Sunday emphasizing our commitment to missions work around the state and I thought of the song. I did a Google search and found the link below. It was SWEEEEEET!!! I have included it for your listening pleasure.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/broadband/orl-blossom-audio,0,7188457.mp3file

Johnny Cash aficianados please note: This is the "Orange Blossom Song", not "Orange Blossom Special" (although that song rules too!).

What a Croc!

I have never really prided myself on fashion, nor have I ever been very fashion savvy. Perhaps the only time fashion entered into my consciousness was during my middle school and high school years where the peer pressure, well, necessitated that you keep up with the times or face the verbal and social ostracism that comes with being jacked up on hormones. I can remember oh so very well my attempts to fit in or the attempts of others to see that I fit in (especially the spike hairdo of 8th grade lore, which elicited the moniker "Surfer Dude Jimmy" by my "way cool" peers). The foremost memory of my attempt at social acceptance using the medium of fashion is my experience with the imitation Converse All-Star high-top sneakers.

I relunctantly reminisced about this experience last week during a conversation with my wife. Seeing that I have been oblivious to fashion trends in the last, oh, 15 years, ignorance reared its ugly head when my wife suggested that we buy "Crocs" for the girls for their spring birthdays. My wife explained to me that girls are now wearing "Crocs," supposedly the most comfortable shoe ever made. The shoes are a kind of enclosed sandals with holes in the top and sides for ventilation. They feel as if they are made a combination of styrofoam and plastic. They come in an assortment of colors. And, the most significant feature, there is a picture of a cartoon crocodile head on the strap. Of course, every girl in America, including the girls at our church, has a pair, except my two. My wife told me that they were about $25 dollars a pair. For a family of four on a part-time wage, they would be prohibitively expensive. While I have never heard them ask for a pair, they, of course, would be delighted to be like their friends and sport the Crocs. Man, peer pressure starts early these days.

So, a dilemma. The shoes are too expensive for us to buy them a pair at this stage of life. I was content to let the thing die. Sacrifice now and help them live fashionably later. (Or really, use this as an opportunity to teach them a lesson they won't really learn for another 20 years that fashion really doesn't matter, especially for the Christian). But with the next words out of my wife's mouth, I knew that we must buy them the Crocs for their birthday or risk emotional scarring for life. She mentioned that Wal-Mart had imitation Crocs for less than half the cost. Of course, they would not have the trademark Croc head that makes the shoes authentic and fashionable.

When I was in the 7th grade, the "in" shoe for guys were the Converse All-Star canvas high-tops. They came in an assortment of colors, though the original (or maybe most popular) was a turquoise color. The shoe had a white sole with a black edge that demarcated it from the canvas covering. On each shoe, facing the outside was a white patch with a blue star and "Converse All-Star" written in red lettering. Everybody had a pair, of course, except me. I wanted a pair really bad. The shoes cost probably $30 which was really expensive in that day. My parents were in the midst of a separation/divorce and we did not have much money to spend on such frivolity. So, to my amazement, we discovered shoes that look just like the Converse All-Stars at K-Mart for 1/3 of the cost. This was my day. After insisting on a pair, Dad bought them for me and I was ready to sport them the next day at school. I had no sooner stepped on campus when the ridicule began. Before first period started I was well aware that my shoes were "imitation Converse All-Stars": they did not have the trademark black line nor the All-Star patch on the high-top. I was devastated. I don't think I ever wore those sneakers to school again.

All this blurred my mind when Crissa mentioned the cheaper "imitation" pair. I was not about to put my girls through that kind of an experience. I believe blurted out "NO!!!" in the midst of her explanation. I told her to shell out the $50 bucks and get them the Crocs.

Lindsey received hers for her birthday last week. She sported them to our small group home Bible study last night. We walked in the door and the first thing out of her friends' mouths (and her mom's too) were compliments on the Crocs. I nearly fell over, but, of course, I was really proud that I made the decision to get the real thing. We also decided that Emma should not have to wait for her pair, since she was the only girl not wearing Crocs so she received an early birthday present today.

Consider the $50 an investment that will save my girls lots of money on therapy when they are my age. I'm still not over the Converse All-Stars.

A (Not So) Simple Sentence (John 19:30)

[The following is a sermonette I delivered last year during the Good Friday service at Antioch Baptist Church. The service followed a modified Tenebrae format used in more liturgical traditions. The seven last words of Christ on the cross, as recorded in the gospels, were read, interspersed with hymns and prayers. The short homily followed the 5th statement where Jesus declares "It is finished" (John 19:30). I hope this might stimulate you to reflect on the reason why this is a very good Friday for those of us who know Christ.]

“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30).

“It is finished.” What a short and simple sentence! Three English words strung together in simple grammatical fashion, so easily understood. In the Greek language, however, it is much shorter, the shortest sentence uttered by Jesus during his earthly ministry. The sentence is actually only one word, the Greek word "Tetelestai." While this sentence might be short, it certainly is not simple. In just one Greek word, Jesus said more about his life and death, its impact on our lives, and God’s plan for the ages than the sum of pages ever written by humankind. This one word sentence which Jesus uttered from the cross spoke volumes on that Good Friday and continues to speak loudly and clearly to us today.

What did Jesus mean, then, when he uttered “It is finished” on the cross to which he was nailed? First, Jesus’ statement indicates that the mission on which God had set him was accomplished. The Greek root from which "Tetelestai" derives literally means “to end,” “to bring to an end,” or “to complete.” Jesus’ death on the cross was the culmination, the ending, to a long established plan that God had set out for his creation. The mission was established long before Jesus’ ministry of preaching, teaching, and healing; long before his birth in Bethlehem; long before the prophets prophesied of his coming; long before God made the covenant with Israel that would prepare the way for Jesus; long before God blessed Abraham and used him to bless all people; long before even the creation itself. The apostle Paul explains in Ephesians 1:4-5 that “before the creation of the world,” before the establishment of time and history, God “chose us [i.e., the followers of Jesus] in him…to be holy and blameless;” and “predestined us to be adopted as his children.” In essence, even before the creation itself, the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ, determined together that they would establish an eternal relationship with their coming creation, but that the cross would be necessary to secure that relationship. They foreknew that, though they would love and bless their creation, mankind would reject their providential care and choose to live life according to its own self-made design. The only way to bring them any hope and re-establish a relationship with them would be for Jesus to go to the cross. And thus the plan was set: God created the world; humanity sinned against God; God shaped the events of history to lead to the coming of Christ; Jesus would be born to an impoverished teenage girl in a humble cattle stable; he would grow up and declare the salvation of God; and finally, he would be nailed to a cross to provide redemption and salvation for all those who would believe in and follow after him. When Jesus uttered “It is finished” on the cross, he declared that the plan of God that had been determined before you or I were born, before the time of our parents and grandparents, before even creation itself, had been completed.

Second, Jesus’ statement “It is finished” indicates that our sins have been forgiven. The Greek word "Tetelestai" which has been translated here “It is finished” was also a technical economic and judicial term in the Roman Empire in which Jesus lived and could be translated as “Paid in Full.” For example, if a man borrowed money from another individual or a “bank,” a contract was drawn up which would dictate the terms of the loan, including the amount borrowed and the date upon which repayment was expected. When the man fulfilled his obligation and repaid the loan, the lender would write or stamp across the note "Tetelestai," “Paid in Full.” The debtor would keep the stamped note as proof that he had repaid his debt. Should there be any question about the fulfillment of the loan or if a nefarious lender would wrongly accuse the debtor of not repaying his debt, the borrower could simply produce his contract stamped "Tetelestai" as proof that his debt was paid in full. Likewise, in the judicial realm, when a criminal was sentenced to his punishment, he was given a paper which specified his crime, the nature of his punishment (e.g., prison), and the duration of his punishment. When the criminal had completed his punishment, his papers were stamped "Tetelestai," indicating that he had paid his debt to society. If he was ever accused of not completing the terms of his punishment, the paper would serve as his proof that he had indeed finished his obligation.

The apostle Paul understood the significance of Jesus’ statement "Tetelestai" on the cross. In Colossians 2:13-14, he states, “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.” In terms of economic language, Paul tells us that we owed a great debt to God because of our sins. Because God is a holy God, he demands that we make restitution for each sin we commit. Because we are spiritually bankrupt, we cannot repay that debt, so we must be punished because of our inability to pay. It is Jesus’ death on the cross, signified by his statement "Tetelestai," that has “paid in full” the debt we owed for our sins. Similarly, in terms of the judicial analogy, Paul says that “the written code,” that is the Old Testament law, has convicted us as criminals. It demonstrates that we have broken God’s sacred law for our lives and as such we deserve eternal punishment for our offenses. But because Jesus declared "Tetelestai" on the cross, our punishment was “paid in full.” Jesus’ death fulfills our sentence; he has paid the penalty for us. And just as in the case of the debtor or the criminal, should anyone, human or demonic, try to accuse us of not fulfilling our obligations, we can point to the cross and say “It is finished,” “Paid in Full,” because of Jesus’ atonement for us. Jesus’ statement “It is finished” indicates then that our sins have been forgiven.

Third, Jesus’ statement “It is finished” reveals that he has made possible the way for us to experience a full and complete life. Jesus’ death was not simply to take our sins away; his death made possible a destiny for us that only he could envision, a completed life that conforms to God’s design for us. When Jesus forgives our sins, he forgives them for a lifetime and he calls us to live in such a way that we will not sin again. But because we are human and we struggle with temptation and selfishness, we are undoubtedly prone to sinning again and again. When Jesus said "Tetelestai," “It is finished,” with his dying breath, he conveyed to all his followers that he had made possible for them the ability to live life the way he intended it, a life without sin, a life full of God’s goodness and grace, a life consistent with his character and his plan for all people. Getting from point A to point B, however, as we can all attest, is not easy. But because of the cross, Jesus has established the course for our lives so that at its conclusion we can experience the destiny he has set out for us.

Because of Jesus, “It is finished.” Thanks be to God that Jesus was faithful to finish the task set before him; that he was forgiving to pay the debt in our behalf which we could not pay; and that he was gracious to set out for us a way to live the life that he destined for us to live.

More Alcohol

I found a couple of links which discuss this issue.

The first is a sermon preached by evangelist Billy Sunday against alcohol. Even though I disagree with his position, Billy Sunday rules.

The other is a blog post by Wade Burleson, a Southern Baptist pastor and trustee of the International Mission Board, who has gained notoriety because of his outspoken criticism over recent Baptist policies which restrict the parameters of missions cooperation among Baptists. He comments here on the Journey, the church recently ostracized for its liberality on alcohol. While Burleson does not focus his attention on the alcohol issue, he does comment on the Baptist reaction to the church's stance.

Beer and the Bible II: A "Theology" of Alcohol

My wife is all the time asking me what we believe about certain issues. The idea here is that if we know what we believe, then we can act accordingly.

This post has been a long time coming, though I have resisted the urge to do so for some time. I have struggled with "what I believe" about alcohol, at least since my seminary days when I had a conversation with a dear friend who was grappling with the issue himself. The quest for an answer has come to a head in the past 10 months. A bit of historical background, if you will permit.

In June 2006, the Southern Baptist Convention issued a resolution that expressed its "total opposition to the manufacturing, advertising, distributing, and consuming of alcoholic beverages" and prohibited the election of those who imbibed to its trustee boards or committees. While the SBC's opposition to alcohol is not a news flash, its public and unexpected resurrection of this issue appeared to be aimed at particular members of the SBC's trustee boards who had fallen into disfavor with the entrenched leadership. Since they had no other permissible recourse to remove them from these positions of leadership, this resolution provided the impetus either to embarrass them and force their resignation or take action to remove them from their seats if they did not cease and desist. Needless to say, this resolution seemed to be to be a red herring, as the singular focus was not on alcohol per se, but on trustees who did not conform to the Baptist party line.

About a month ago, this issue resurfaced in my own life. On a evening out to dinner with some friends of ours, who I greatly respect, I was asked specifically for my pastoral opinion (this was really cool, by the way, because no one ever asks me this, except for my wife) on this issue. While the Christian's use of alcohol has been something I have thought about over time, I realize that I had never really established what "my position" on the subject was. So, I have had the opportunity to turn the issue over in my mind for the last month, but never put forward the time or effort to set it out clearly and in one place.

Then, the issue reared its head at a bi-weekly men's Bible study/fellowship group that I attend on Sunday evenings. Again, another opportunity for reflection and discussion.

The straw that broke the camel's proverbial back, however, was a Baptist Press article I read last week. The entire article is posted (and linked) in the preceding post. I actually think it is a pretty fair piece especially considering it comes from BP. Essentially, the article examines an "emerging" Southern Baptist church in Missouri that takes a more liberal stance on alcohol by meeting for Bible studies in a local brewery and condoning those who imbibe, whether Christian or not. It also reported the resistance it is facing by the leadership of the Missouri Baptist Convention, the church's leading financial supporter and sponsor of the church start. After reading the article, and especially the Baptist response at the end, I realized that I could not be silent any more.

What follows then is my "theology" of alcohol. I do not have the time (though it is my tendency to do so and needs to be done eventually) to do a full exegetical examination of the key passages in the Scripture nor a thorough historical investigation of Christian attitudes toward alcohol through the ages. I think I know a little bit about the Bible and history, enough to make a reasoned (at least I think) assessment of this issue. So, here goes:

(1) Drunkenness is clearly prohibited in Scripture. The Christian cannot in any way justify or rationalize drunkenness as an acceptable state of being. Scripture admonishes us to be self-controlled, or, more properly, governed by the indwelling Holy Spirit, sober (watchful), steady (consistent), and vigilant. To place ourselves under the influence of alcohol is to deny Jesus Christ the full and proper authority he has over our lives, an authority we willingly cede to him when we yield to his Lordship. Because we are his, nothing else should ever usurp that authority, especially a drunken stupor.

(2) Those who struggle with alcoholism (recovering alcoholics, dependency issues, etc.) or who have a some predisposition (genetic, emotional, social, historical) to alcohol that might lead to their moral failure or ruin their authentic Christian witness should abstain at all costs. This is not legalism; it is common sense wisdom. If this has the potential to become an issue that obstructs your discipleship, then why even entertain the possibility of going down this road? We are called to root out those areas of our lives which stand in opposition to the holy calling we have received in Christ. Scripture never commands us to conquer our temptations or to battle them; we are admonished to flee from them and draw near to Christ. Besides, a little legalism might not be such a bad thing after all. God did impart his law in the Old Testament (and confirmed much of it in the New) for the purpose of establishing a boundary that keeps us within the will of God and allows us to experience life the way he intended it. Now, we must beware of the excess of legalism, but that's for another post.

(3) Those who have chosen a life of abstinence from alcohol should be commended. For some reason, there has developed a stigma against teetotalers, perhaps because the perception of secular society has spilled over into the church and been embraced by those who advocate a liberty to drink. There is nothing offensive or repudiating about this commitment. However, the inverse (i.e., those who drink should be condemned) is not true.

(4) While Scripture prohibits drunkenness, I find no explicit injunction against drinking alcoholic beverages up to this point. Paul admonishes Timothy to drink a little wine for his health. Jesus transformed water into wine at the wedding of Cana for his first miracle. Wine was the beverage of choice at the Last Supper in accordance with the Passover custom. By extension, Christians have historically used it in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Ancient societies, including Israel, drank fermented beverages instead of water in order to prevent disease caused by polluted or impure water. There is nothing inherently evil about alcohol or one's choice to drink it. As such, there appears to be a freedom in Christ to drink alcohol and maintain one's authentic discipleship and witness. Though who argue against the believer's "right" to drink alcohol on the basis that it damages the New Testament temple of God (i.e., the believer's body that is home to the indwelling Holy Spirit), are deafeningly silent on other substances which damage the believer's temple (caffeine, saturated fat, white flour, sugar, additives and preservatives, etc). If we are going to follow this line of argument, then I would expect them not only to call for abstinence from these harmful substances, but to also lead the way by making changes in their lifestyle. Incidentally, I think that it is laudable that a church such as the Journey (see article below) would attempt to reach non-believers where they are (i.e., in the brewery). However, I don't think that I would treat the Bible study so cavalierly and advertise it as "Have a brew and share your view." That diminishes the overarching objective, in my opinion at least.

(5) So, now based on my reading of Scripture, Christians have a liberty, because of the grace that come from God through Jesus Christ, to drink alcohol, but not to the point of drunkenness. There is, however, the other extreme that the article posted below dangerously flirts with: an abuse of our Christian freedom. Those who demand their freedom in Christ antithetically oppose the gospel itself. Extreme proponents of Christian liberty, especially those characterized by the emerging church movement, who demand their right in Christ to drink alcohol, forget the basic tenet of the gospel itself: "it's not about me". As I recall, Paul's eloquent declaration on the essence of love in 1 Corinthians 13 identifies love as one that does not buffalo others on its way to express the fullness of one's rights. As Paul mentions elsewhere, we must be sensitive to the needs of others, especially believers who are more immature in the faith so that we do not create an opportunity for them to stumble. The Christian gospel, and its expression in the believer's life, is selfless; it is other-oriented. Before we insist in on the rights afforded to us in Christ, we need to exercise some humility and remember that our lives are to demonstrate an "other-centeredness".

(6) The other objection that those who demand Christian abstinence present regards the effect of drinking alcohol on Christian discipleship and Christian witness. The logic behind this view is as follows: irregardless of the permissibility of drinking alcohol for the believer, the perception of drinking has a damaging effect on Christians and non-Christians alike who associate Christianity with abstinence. In other words, there is the notion among many that drinking is a sin. Those with this mindset, when observing a Christian drink, will judge the drinker as a sinner or hypocrite, thus ruining the witness of the Christian. For this reason, they say, all believers should abstain. Point taken. I would argue, however, that this becomes a teachable moment for the Christian who drinks to articulate what it means to be a follower of Christ. We have an obligation not to capitulate to what others may think Christianity means, but to articulate clearly what authentic Christianity is. The problem here is with generic Christian notions of discipleship and evangelism. We have come to understand a one hour meeting once per week as Christian discipleship. That is not the essence of Chrsitan discipleship as reflected in the New Testament. Jesus didn’t just hang out with Peter, James, and John on Sunday mornings at 9:45. Christian discipleship is a frequent rubbing together of Christian lives that aspires to shape others in the vision, character, and attitudes of our Lord himself under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit. I hardly believe this occurs in the way we conduct our discipleship now. Likewise, our evangelism usually consists of a 5 minute presentation of a gospel tract and few passages of Scripture (what I like to call the Christian version of the one night stand). While the Holy Spirit has and can work in such instances, it seems to me that an authentic Christian life, professed and exhibited over time, has such a powerful impact that it compels others to respond to Christ in kind. With these constructs of evangelism and discipleship, an opportunity exists to share openly and compellingly what the essence of authentic Christianity is. That is how we change the perception of others: an open, honest dialogue under the guidance of the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit. Maybe an example, one actually posed to me, will help here. Suppose a mature Christian volunteers to disciple youth in a local church. There is nothing overtly compromising about this Christian's life that would disqualify him from service; however, he does drink alcohol and this would appear problematic because (1) he's working with youth, and (2) he will serve in a leadership capacity in the church. Some might want to disqualify him for fear that it might send the wrong message to the youth of the church (i.e., that it is permissible for the youth to drink alcohol) or that it might give the specter that the church leadership condones drinking. I, however, would take a different approach. I would not outright disqualify this individual, but I would expect him to (1) make clear that underage students are legally prohibited from alcohol (and tie this in the doctrine of obedience to authorities as part of our Christian followship), (2) teach the Scriptures on alcohol's use and abuse, as well as related issues of caring for the bodily temple and Christian liberty, and (3) genuinely disciple (more than 1 hour/week and in settings outside of church) the students so that they can see his authentic life in action. I would expect that not only would they learn the appropriate use of alcohol in the believer's life, they would be transformed in their own thinking and disseminate the results of their discipleship to the next generation.

(7) The bottomline:

• Drunkenness is a sin.
• Those who struggle with alcohol: DON'T DO IT!!!
• Christians have a freedom to drink alcohol, but not to drunkenness.
• Christians ought not to demand their freedom at the expense of displaying selflessness and humility in accordance with the essence of the Christian life.
• Christians should make full opportunity of Christian discipleship and evangelism to communicate clearly the biblical teaching on alcohol and not capitulate in our speech to erroneous notions of what Christians should and should not do.

By the way, I guess I should confess that I do not drink alcohol. I do not like the smell or taste.

This is it. For now, anyway.

I'd love to hear comments.

"Have Your Brew and Share Your View": Beer and the Bible

I hope to post my own views on this subject soon.

Alcohol, Acts 29 and the Southern Baptist Convention
Published March 29, 2007
Florida Baptist Witness
http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/7170.article

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)—"How about beer with your Bible?"

That's the question NBC's "Today" show host Campbell Brown asked March 4 on national television to introduce a report titled "Beer and Bibles: New Churches Lure Young Members."

Featured in the two-and-a-half minute segment was Darrin Patrick, founder and senior pastor of The Journey in St. Louis—a Southern Baptist church with ties to the emerging church movement, the North American Mission Board and the Missouri Baptist Convention, which loaned the church $200,000 to help start a church planting center.

The emerging church movement is diverse and difficult to generalize. NBC spotlighted The Journey's "Theology at the Bottleworks," a church-sponsored discussion group in a bar where alcohol is available to attendees.

"This isn't just a brew pub, it's a church," NBC reporter Jennifer London said, describing the room where the meeting is held. The "church" in reality is the Schlafly Bottleworks where The Journey reaches out to younger adults who might not consider going to a traditional church setting.

Patrick told Baptist Press he abstains from alcohol and that The Journey "doesn't personally encourage nor corporately promote the use of alcohol."

However, the reporter emphasized the link.

"Followers say they may come for the beer, but they stay for the Bible," London said. "And back at the brew pub, it's about saving souls, one beer at a time."

Some attending the Theology at the Bottleworks gathering also made the connection between alcohol and the outreach effort. Erin Ryan, who accepted Christ at one of the meetings, told the NBC crew, "You sit down over a glass of wine or a pint of ale or something like that, and you can connect with people more."

NBC's focus on the novelty of the methodology obscured the apparent serious approach The Journey has taken in reaching a cultural-generational demographic group. The Journey's strategy has helped the congregation grow from 30 to almost 2,000 since its 2002 beginning. Last fall it planted the Refuge Church in St. Charles, Mo. and it is assessing church start possibilities in Illinois.

Patrick, in e-mails to Baptist Press, was clear that beer was not a tenet of his non-traditional methodologies. Last December, The Journey's website included an invitation to "grab a brew, share your view" when attending the Theology at the Bottleworks meeting. A picture of people raising glasses of beer in an apparent toast appeared adjacent to an essay by Patrick on the church's website. Patrick attributed the content to a secular website design company hired by the church. He told Baptist Press he had the alcohol-related verbiage and picture removed as soon as they came to his attention because "it does not reflect the values of our church."

Still, the church's unconventional means of reaching the lost might be shaping its internal culture as much as the church is shaping others. The bio of The Journey's mission pastor, Jonathan MacIntosh, mentions that he enjoys drinks with his wife "at the almost secret bar beneath Brennan's in the Central West End."

The "Today" show feature about The Journey was not the first time "beer and the Bible" garnered media attention. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran a lengthy article on its Sunday, Jan. 28, front page detailing the alcohol controversy associated with The Journey.

Referring to a Theology at the Bottleworks meeting, the Post-Dispatch article gave this description of the atmosphere: "In a back room at Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood, about 50 people gathered on a recent Wednesday night to talk rock 'n' roll.... Beer-stained wooden tables and the smell of hops complemented a free-flowing, spirited debate among hip young people in scruffy beards and T-shirts."

Patrick stressed that the Bottleworks ministry was a means to reach out to unchurched people in their cultural setting. Asked about negative perceptions and the number of biblical references that warn about the dangers of alcohol, Patrick told Baptist Press, "We don't believe that having a current event discussion at a bar is unbiblical.

"We try to choose venues for these events where un-churched members of our community would feel comfortable," he said. "Others have taken place at restaurants, coffee shops, office buildings and cafes."

Patrick, who is vice president of Acts 29, an association of emergent churches, conceded that as a group, Acts 29 holds a "much more liberal view" of alcohol use than The Journey.
Some website material seems to support his conclusion.

The pastor of an Acts 29 church in San Diego (non-SBC), for example, claims on the Internet: "Beer is one of our core values. We enjoy it and like to drink it." Although the statement appears meant for humor, it seems to show a casualness of attitude about alcohol consumption.

Another Acts 29 church (also non-SBC)-the Seattle-area Damascus Road Church—sponsors a men's poker night for which gamblers are encouraged to bring beer. The website also states: "There is just something about having food on your plate and a drink in your hand that makes fellowship that much easier. Whether the food is healthy or fattening, or the drink is coffee or beer, we desire to follow Christ's example."

The alcohol issue goes straight to the top at Acts 29, whose president, Mark Driscoll—who is pastor of the Seattle-area Mars Hill Church—wrote in his book, The Radical Reformission, that abstinence from alcohol is a sin. In a chapter titled "The Sin of Light Beer," Driscoll explains that he came to this conclusion while preparing a sermon on the Lord's miracle at Cana where Jesus turned water into wine.

According to information published on the church's website, Mars Hill sponsored a New Year's Eve party that included a champagne bar. Mars Hill's website also advertises "beer-brewing lessons ... whenever a large group of (Mars Hill) men get together."

Driscoll is controversial also for once having the reputation of the "cussing pastor." However, as he recounted on his blog, he finally listened to a friend who helped him realize he was becoming known for "good theology, a bad temper, and a foul mouth," and he repented, starting with a public apology.

Patrick's SBC connections include the North American Mission Board. He co-chaired NAMB's Young Leaders Task Force with Ed Stetzer, a NAMB employee who is on the board of Acts 29. The task force last met over a year ago.

Stetzer defends his board member status with Acts 29, saying, "There are a lot of sharp young guys in Acts 29 churches planting theologically driven churches, so I have the opportunity to influence and encourage them in what I believe are positive ways. Honestly, few other Southern Baptists have this opportunity, and I would rather choose to risk and influence than to pass up being a positive force among the guys at Acts 29."

Some of those within Acts 29, Stetzer said, "unfortunately overemphasize what they see as 'Christian liberty.' That dynamic often comes with some younger pastors, and I do my best to remind all involved to think biblically about such issues; and everyone in Acts 29 knows my views.

"Regardless," he said, "I think it is a good thing that there is now an inerrantist wing (Acts 29) of the emerging church with solid theology."

Stetzer, who has stated publicly his opposition to alcohol, told Baptist Press he joined the Acts 29 board after speaking at their conferences, establishing a friendship with Driscoll and also procuring "NAMB upline approval."

"There are, by the way, other more notable evangelicals who've spoken at events and advised Acts 29, such as John Piper, Tim Keller and Joshua Harris," Stetzer said. There are other SBC connections to Acts 29, too.

According to the Mars Hill Church's website, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor Bruce Ware spoke at the Acts 29 annual event known as the Resurgence Conference, March 23-24.

As a loan recipient from the Missouri Baptist Convention, The Journey—because of its practices primarily related to alcohol—has raised controversy within the state convention.

MBC Executive Director David Clippard told Baptist Press that when he heard allegations about possible promotion of alcohol consumption by The Journey, "Within hours, I personally contacted Pastor Darrin Patrick and his response both verbally and in writing was that Journey Church does not promote or encourage alcohol use."

MBC board members Kerry Messer and Ron Turnbull attended one of The Journey's Bottleworks meetings on their own initiative. Both expressed displeasure that a church would sponsor a meeting in a bar.

Still, Patrick insists The Journey is a Southern Baptist church in doctrine and practice. Yet, concerns persist about the theological and doctrinal moorings of both The Journey and the Acts 29 Network. Missouri Baptist and SBC Executive Committee member Roger Moran told Baptist Press: "No Southern Baptist entity or personality should be loaning our denominational credibility to such churches or organizations as The Journey and Acts 29. We simply cannot do that for movements that are dripping with error and expect good to come out of it."

Moran addressed the Executive Committee Feb. 20 regarding his concerns relative to Acts 29, saying in part, "One of the most dangerous and deceptive movements to infiltrate the ranks of Southern Baptist life has been the emerging/emergent church movement. Not since the stealth tactics of the CBF (Cooperative Baptist Fellowship) have we seen a movement operate so successfully below the radar of rank and file Southern Baptists."

After Moran spoke, Executive Committee President Morris H. Chapman suggested that Moran prepare his statements for submission to LifeWay Christian Resources which in response to two referrals from last year's SBC annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C., will be conducting research "relating to Calvinism, the emergent church, elder rule and other topics of interest and discussion in Southern Baptist life."

"Church history confirms what 2 Chronicles 7:14 says," Moran told BP. "Revival comes to a nation when God's people get right—when they return to holiness, purity, obedience, faithfulness, and to the intent of Scripture and the purposes of God."

Lesen Sie Deutsch? I Sure Can't

I've spent the entire day translating a TABLE OF CONTENTS (!!!) from a book written in German (and I'm still not done). Why you ask? Because, part of writing a dissertation is to see what everybody has ever said on your topic, especially those who were not considerate enough to write in English. Dr. Andrea Mayer-Haas decided to make her rather lengthy contribution (730 pages) to the topic in German. There's no way I'm translating the whole thing. So, I translate the table of contents to decide what parts of the book I will actually need for my research. Problem is that (1) the ToC is 5 pages long, and (2) my German is very bad. That would explain my colossal frustration with today's work.

I did find an online translator that looks pretty cool (and has a cool name too), but it's practically worthless with technical vocabulary. In fact, cut and paste the title, ask it to translate from German to English, and you will get a translation. Problem is, the translation has more than one meaning. "Sie" is also the proper, formal pronoun for English "you".

Ich möchte fluchen. (This sounds better in English.)

Lenten Observations

One of the things that I really appreciate about the "high church" religious traditions is the season of Lent. My first exposure to Lent came in an Ash Wednesday service, in either my sophomore year of college. My roommate at the time (Brian Janek) did not frequent many religious services, but he and some of his friends (Crosby, Big John, Steve A., etc.) were considering attending the Ash Wednesday service at the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More Catholic Church. Now, most of my friends in high school were Catholic, so I felt very aware of many of their traditions and often times would attend church with them so they would just go to church. In an effort to encourage them to at least attend church (that was, to me, a step in the right direction), I offered to go with them. No big deal. I'm not sure what kind of experience they had, but I was gripped by the emphasis on repentance and reflectivity in preparation for Passion Week and Easter. Since then, I look forward to Ash Wednesday and Lent (although I don't think I've actually been to another service since that one in 1994).

However, I really haven't been one to embrace the "sacrifice" which normally accompanies Lent ("I gave up X for Lent"). I may have in '94 and perhaps one other time. When I pastored Antioch, I led the church through a 40 day prayer and fasting emphasis for church unity and vision that "coincidentally" correspondended to the Lenten season. This year, however, I decided that I needed a little extra pain to make me more sensitive to Christ's sacrifice for me. So, I gave up sweets. No soda (ugh!!!), chocolate (double ugh!!!), cookies, candy, pie, cake, brownies, donuts... The point is that whenever I "crave" these things, it ought to remind me to (1) reflect on what Jesus went through for me; (2) pray for God's mercy, forgiveness, wisdom, and correction; and (3) embrace the pain, because Jesus suffered on my account. We Christians don't do a very good job at "suffering for the Lord." The sacrifice has really helped me to keep perspective on the meaning of Good Friday and Easter and makes me appreciate so much more the sacrifice that Jesus made on my behalf. And this all from something so trivial as missing sweets. I realized yesterday how trivial my cravings are to the eternal plan of God for the entire universe, much less me.

Somehow, American Christians in the 21st century, especially those of us not connected to high church or liturgical traditions, have underappreciated the significance of the Lenten season. The irony is that this was the most crucial period for Christians in the early church. Catechumens (converts to the faith) were often baptized on Easter Sunday and spent a 40 day period of preparation which included confession and repentance of sin and doctrinal instruction that would prepare these new disciples for a life of authentic discipleship. This particular time was more significant than the celebration of Jesus' birth, which was not even celebrated until the 4th century. We would do well to follow the example of our earliest forebears who made the cross and resurrection their central focus and identity in the conduct of their lives.

Incidentally, there is one lingering problem. When exactly does Lent end? I thought it ended on Easter Sunday. But 40 days from Ash Wednesday is Palm Sunday. So either Lent is longer than 40 days, or Lent concludes on Palm Sunday in order to give attention to Passion Week. I guess I will have to confer with my Catholic brethren on this question. Why the inquiry? Because I gotta have a Coke and I need to know exactly when I can have it. Crissa told me that it shouldn't matter: "You can't fast another 7 days for the Lord?" This was also a moment of insight, but I'll have to save that for another post.

6 Months

I wish I could admit that I have taken a 6 month blogging fast for some super-spiritual reason. But, truth be told, I've been (a) too preoccupied with other matters, and (b) just plain lazy when I have a nugget of time to spare. Even more overwhelming is the fact that I've actually had people ask me to update the blog. They never admitted that they read it, but how else would they know. I did actually start an update post about 3 weeks ago, one night when my wife went to bed early and I couldn't sleep. But it was massive. It would have taken 6 months to read it. So, I'll probably just take my time and do smaller posts (and hopefully more of them). I just hope it doesn't take me 6 months before I post again.

(By the way, I've just learned how to play Minesweeper again and I've won four times.)

A lot can change in 6 months. Here's a sample: I'm unemployed (kind of), we're having a baby, I've started writing my dissertation, I coached 3-4 grade girls in Upward Basketball, I have an iPod (this rules--I will devote a complete post to the iPod), and I've traveled to Washington, DC. There's more stuff, I just can't remember it right now.

Change...I may not always like, but it happens.

More to come later.

Resigned

The following is a letter which I read to my congregation this morning. I am deeply saddened, but have great confidence and peace that this was the right thing to do. Please pray for them and for us in this transition.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

It is with great sadness, but with great conviction, that I am announcing my resignation as your pastor this morning. It will take effect at the conclusion of the Sunday morning worship service on October 1, 2006 unless the church believes that my departure should occur sooner.

First of all, you need to know that I am not resigning because of any conflict or problem in the church. No one, to my knowledge, has been or is seeking my removal. There are also no personal problems, moral failures, or frustrations with the church or its members that have led me to this decision. On the contrary, in the past four years, amazing things have happened in the life of this church to move it forward in advancing God’s kingdom. In the past 18 months alone, we have baptized 10 people, added another 10 in church membership by statement or letter, reached out to over 1000 homes in our city, and met the physical and spiritual needs of others as we have had the opportunity. All of these successes are only attributable to our gracious and loving Father, His Son and our Redeemer Jesus Christ, and His active Holy Spirit working in our midst. My family and I have been blessed simply to be a part to lead you through this remarkable time.

Secondly, you need to know of my deep love for you both individually and corporately. You have allowed Crissa, the girls and I to grow physically, spiritually, and professionally during our tenure. You have sustained us with your love, prayers, and support. You have allowed us to experience many successes during our time here and you have stood with us during moments of uncertainty and despair. For this, we are eternally grateful that you have shared the fullness of your lives with us. You have helped to shape us into who God wants us to be.

Despite all of these good things, the reasons for our departure are twofold. First, I am no longer capable of balancing my calling to complete my education with my responsibilities as your pastor. As you all know, my first and foremost priority for being in Tallahassee is to complete my doctoral degree. Crissa and I feel confident that this is the Lord’s direction to help prepare me for my future ministry. Due to recent changes in my academic department, I will not be able to study as a full-time student after May 1, 2007. Since the financial funding and teaching job with which they provide me is necessary for me to complete my studies, I need to come as close as possible to completing my degree by May 1. This will require me to devote nearly 70 hours per week to reading, research, and writing as well as weekly meetings with my professors to chart my progress toward the degree. Even though the church has been very flexible with me and my time in the past four years, the little time that I do devote to this ministry must be redirected to my educational work and to my family.

The second reason for my resignation as your pastor involves my family. My wife and children have willingly sacrificed their own needs and efforts to support my ministry and the ministry of this church. My children have learned the meaning of serving others even when some of their needs have gone unmet. As a family, however, we are at a place now where those emotional and spiritual needs must be a priority. My girls need to be in a place where they can develop close relationships with children their own age. We have sought and prayed for solutions to these needs both inside and outside the church now for four years. While we are extremely disappointed that the Lord has not answered these requests in the way that we would have liked, we believe He is leading us to take this action for the betterment of our family and for this church.

Please understand that this decision has come as the result of fervent prayer, the counsel of the Scriptures, and a reflection of what God has been doing in our lives over the long term. This decision is in no way a reflection on the church; it is simply the direction of the Lord in ways that we cannot yet fully understand. While we will no longer be able to worship with you regularly, we still want to maintain our close relationship with you. We want to know your prayer requests, your moments of achievement, and the challenges you face in times of difficulty.

Please also remember that the church belongs to Christ. He died to save it and has been resurrected to give it life and purpose. He is your true leader. Look to him in the transition and trust that his wisdom is best. I am reminded of the scriptural truth that where God calls, He provides. God’s plan for you has not changed. He still wants you to worship Him in spirit and in truth. He wants you to grow in your faith as you study the Word and through prayer so that you can live out its truth to the world. He wants you to reach people for Christ with the good news and establish them as faithful followers of Christ. If I can be proud of anything in this time of transition, it is that God has brought in people willing to lead and serve to keep this mission going. And it will if you remain faithful.

We understand that this news will be difficult to accept and more difficult to live out over the next few weeks. Once again, please be assured of our love and prayers for you. I take delight that I can leave this ministry at one of the greatest points in the church’s history and have nothing but great expectations in the Lord for you in the days ahead.

With much love and prayers,

Jim

Brevity Is Not My Middle Name

If you haven't noticed yet, I have a very hard time being brief. This is not confined to my blog.

God's Treasures

While we were away on our family vacation in North Carolina, my mother-in-law had one of her special projects which helps provide a unifying theme for our time together. This year, Kay had a box that looked like a treasure chest with a card that said "God's Treasures" on the outside. Inside the chest, the name of each family member (there are 11 of us) was written on a card. It was a reminder to us that we are treasured specially by God. Each night two names were pulled out of the treasure chest. The two individuals whose names were chosen were would be the special people for the next day. The idea was to bless those two individuals by honoring them with gifts, actions, or kind words. At the dinner table that evening, each of us had to say how the honored individuals had blessed our lives. I remember thinking originally, "This is kind of hokie; these people know what I think about them." But as we did this each night, it not only encouraged the ones blessed, but it also provided an opportunity for us to express honestly our perceptions of others in an edifying way. For me personally, it made me appreciate my family members more. For posterity and gratitude, I am going to list a paraphrase of my comments about each of my family that I spoke to them on their special night. Besides, you can also appreciate why I value these special treasures and how they help to refine me in my deficiencies.

LANCE (my father-in-law): I value your friendship, acceptance, and encouragement. You have been a mentor to me and allowed me to grow as a man by offering just enough advice to be helpful and just enough distance to let me find my own way. You are one of the few people who advice I trust and counsel I seek on the major things in life.
KAY (my mother-in-law): I value your unconditional love and acceptance of me as a son. You truly show a mother's heart, character, kindness, and concern.
DAVE (my brother-in-law): I admire your sense of balance. There is a time for everything. You know when to work and when to play. You know when to be alone and when to be around others.
ALISA (my sister-in-law): I admire your honesty. You are the kind of person where what you see is what you get. You are very real and very you. In a world that values phoniness, you are a breath of fresh air.
DANIEL (my older nephew): I admire your companionship. You can associate equally well with the youngest cousin or the oldest adult. You always want to be around people and you genuinely bring joy when that time is spent.
RUSSELL (my youngert nephew): I admire your action. You are a man who does. I sit around to much. You teach me to act with fervor and passion.
AMBER (my niece): I am grateful for your friendship to my girls. They don't have many friends, so you bring so much delight to their life. To see them happy makes me happy.
CRISSA (my wife): I admire you. You have always challenged me to allow ascend. I greatly respect your sense of commitment and devotion to me, even when I have taken you on a journey you did not ask for.
EMMA (my elder daughter): I admire your sense of fairness and justice. You see inequities in the world and want to correct them. This is a godly value.
LINDSEY (my younger daughter): I am grateful for your free-spirit. There is nothing that holds you back from showing your love for me or others.

What I learned from this exercise is that we need to share with others how they have touched our lives. We have been created for community. No one can make it through life completely alone. Let's share and celebrate how others have shaped us.

Chief Make-a-buck, Cherokee Tchotchke, and Animal Rights

The holy family had the opportunity to retreat to the Great Smoky Mountains last week with the Wife's parents and sister's family. It was a week of peace and relaxation despite the constant bursting of cap bombs. There were some things that I wanted to reflect on, but this has been racking around in my brain since we returned to our cabin last Thursday. I only have had the chance (and stamina) to write about until now.

We stayed in Maggie Valley, NC right on the eastern (I think) edge of the Cherokee Indian reservation. As we were planning the week, the adults determined that we ought to make our token trip to Cherokee so that the children could "see the Indian" and have our picture taken with him. We affectionately, though probably insensitively, dubbed the Indian "Chief Make-a-buck". Chief Make-a-buck sits outside a vast strip mall in a teepee all dressed in traditional Indian garb (at least it looks like it) and waits for the tourists to come to him for a photo op. According to my father-in-law, this is the same Indian whose had this gig for well over 20 years. There is no charge for this privilege, though he does have a tip can where the curious white man is encouraged to place some money in exchange for a picture. We marshalled our children to Chief Make-a-buck, took the picture, and places some money in the basket. What really struck me about this whole encounter though was the lack of passion he had about his own culture. The billboards in Cherokee decry the loss of the native tongue by the Cherokee (according to one only 28% of the population under the age of 50 have fluent use of the native language) in addition to the social ills which plague life on the reservation (including health issues like diabetes, domestic violence, alcoholism, and gambling). Since we were in Cherokee and wanted the opportunity to educate our children about the culture, we asked Chief Make-a-buck what kinds of things we ought to do or see in Cherokee. He responded: "The gift shops." So, we clarified our question; we were looking for educational opportunities. He replied in a kind of Goofy-esque or Gomer Pyle manner: (my translation) "Aw, shucks. I don't know. The museum, I guess. But please go visit the gift shops." My sister-in-law Alisa expressed our disappointment well: "It's kind of sad to see that he couldn't even provide any insight into his culture or point us to where we could get." We quickly learned that the Almighty Dollar rules in Cherokee Nation. [Lance, if you have the pictures of the chief, could you email it to me and I'll post it here. Thanks!]

Of course, we didn't necessarily have to discern that from Chief Make-a-buck, because sitting right behind him was a vast tourist mall filled with Cherokee tchotchke. Everything you could imagine from magnets to dolls to ceramic bells. All of the grandchildren were given $20 by their grandparents to spend on themselves during the entire week. They had saved up for Cherokee. My elder daughter purchased an Indian headress and an Indian drum, while the younger bought an Indian doll. They were giddy about their purchases and of course played with them in the car on the way home. Not 5 minutes out of Cherokee, the doll's leg had come off and the drum was falling apart. As I sit and write this, the drum has already unraveled and the doll has lost both legs and an arm. I have no idea about the headress. Kids will be kids; I don't blame them. Nor do I blame the manufacturer; they're just trying to make a buck (like the chief outside). I just seemed very tragic to me that a people with a rich history and culture could be reduced to survival on the sale of cheap trinkets. And it was all junk. But maybe the most amazing realization...the mall wouldn't be open if the white man was not coming in droves to support it.

While we were shopping in the mall, we noticed that outside next to the store we were in there was a live bear on display in a cage. Part of the allure of the attraction was that we could feed the bear. We had done this 4 years ago when we went to Cherokee and had let our older daughter (who would have been 4) feed the bear. So, I offered this time to take the children to see the bear and feed it. From inside the mall, you could see the bear through the glass that separates his cage from the store. So, as I offered, I pointed to the bear. My elder daughter responded that she did not want to go. A little surprised, I questioned her as to her reason. She simply stated that she did not think it was right for the bear to be caged up. That he was probably not happy. That he should be out in the woods, the home that God created for him. All this from an 8 year old? What was I to say? I was a little dumbfounded and caught myself trying to provide a single legitimate reason. I couldn't think of one. Then I began to worry...my daughter might become an ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST!!! NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! After I lamented my daughter beginning to lose her precocity, I began to think she just might be right. Don't confuse me with Pamela Anderson (PLEASE!!!), but we as the earth's inhabitants and God's managers of the created world have done a deplorable job protecting the natural environments of God's creatures. Perhaps we ought not to cage them up simply so that we can gawk at them. More human arrogance, unfortunately. However, I will continue to eat (and ENJOY) my meat, even if the Wife says I have to eat less of it.

You Gotta Have Faith

I've been reading the sermons of John Chrysostom for my dissertation for the last year. Believe me, I have read a lot. Think 4 pt. font double columned spread out over thousands of pages in King James English. You tend to become immune to much of what he says, especially when you are looking for specific things so that you can write a dissertation. That's why it was quite unusual when my heart felt like it was slashed with a machete when I came across this line from a sermon on Romans:

"You see that this is the chief characteristic of faith, to leave all the consequences of this lower world, and so to seek for that which is above nature, and to cast out the feebleness of calculation, and so to accept everything from the power of God." (Homily on Romans 17)

As Christians, we talk up faith to the point where it has become only a trite word. We acknowledge its place, but this is merely lip service. We declare its essential necessity in the Christian life, and then live as if it did not exist at all. Chrysostom was right: too often we live our lives on the basis of human reason, which he dubs "the feebleness of calculation." We don't trust God with our finances, but acquire and spend on the cause and effect of human logic. We don't trust God with our career decisions because we can't control the future. We like for our lives to be safe, and safety only comes, we believe, when we are in control. Where is our faith then?

To live purely by human reason is feebleness. It saps us of God's power. It denies us the adventure that God seeks to throw us into. We have traded the radical, unpredictable, but abundant life that God has destined for us with the safe, regular, but mundane life that we have created for ourselves. No wonder many people feel a sense of unfulfillment and discontent.

To be completely honest, this is what I want. But to be even more honest, this scares the bee-jeebers out of me. It's like asking to live life blind. And to go a step further with honesty, I can feel that I am going to have make radical faith choices soon. I don't know what or how or when or why. And I'm scared. But where there is faith, there is the power of God.

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." (2 Peter 1:3).

Faith is not an abstract idea; it is an action that "seeks for that which is above nature." It is an action that moves me beyond myself, into the great unknown, where the only certainty is Christ himself. And that must be enough.

Where is my faith?

Another Thought

I have another thought that I need to get out. It has been rolling around in my brain for some time now. Judging. Why do we do it? The Bible is clear that it is not our job. And yet, we continue in our attitudes and self-righteousness. There is no group worse about judging than the Christian homeschool community. I know, because I am one of them! "Don't read that; it will corrupt your child's mind!" "We must wear only _______." "You let your kids go where?"

I love homeschooling, and I love my friends who homeschool. Many of them have challenged me greatly. They have encouraged me to embrace my home and my husband and my children. Most of them only want to follow the Lord and seek to be holy. But when does the search for holiness, the desire to please the Lord, become jaded? When do we take it so far that we become high and mighty, looking down on our poor, pitiful brothers and sisters? How do we balance true holiness ("Be holy, because I the Lord am holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16) and becoming conceited, arrogant, self-righteous and judgmental ("clothe yourself with humility toward one another" 1 Peter 5:5)? How can we reach others when we are sitting atop our giant pedastels?

There must be balance. Should holiness not include humility?

I don't know, but I chew the cud.

The Wife again.

Trying to Get It Out

So, you have a guest blogger today. I don't normally do the blog thing, but I am feeling a bit ornery and anxious and....well, I need an outlet. I need some place where I can be understood.
So here I am. My wonderful husband has graciously offered me some space on Take Up and Read.

Now what? Somehow all my thoughts have left me. On Bennage's blog, our friend Christopher says that his brain is overloaded when he sits down to write. Mine is.....empty. I am a simple person. I wish I could be as witty and thoughtful and deep as some of my peers, but all I can say about myself is that I am simple (and often selfish). My husband is brillant (and an example of self-lessness). I'm hoping some of that will rub off on me, like pixie dust from his brain to mine as we sleep.

This summer has been one of struggle. Battle. Some days I think I am going crazy, trying to figure out the mind of God. And yet, His thoughts are not my thoughts. Still, I keep trying. Here are some things I am pondering now, and if you know me, you know that I am constantly coming up with new ideas (good ideas, not to be boastful) that I think the Lord has for me or for Jim. Funny thing is: my ideas rarely come to fruition. Could that mean that they are not from God?

• Maybe I should put my kids in school.
• Maybe I should go back to school.
• Maybe I need a job.
• Maybe we should adopt or foster children.
• Maybe we should have a baby.
• Maybe we should redecorate or remodel our house. (As if we have $!)
• Maybe we should sell it all and move to....the land that He will show us.
• And on and on.....probably some things I shouldn't post. :)

What does this all boil down to? I'm 31 years old and unfulfilled! Are we doing all God created us to do? Am I living in community? Am I reaching others!? Is this all there is?

Don't get me wrong. I have a good life. I love being a wife and a mother, but as a family I feel like we should be doing more. I want more! (The song from Disney's Little Mermaid keeps playing in my head....although another thing you should know about me is that I NEVER get the words from songs right, so really only the line where she belts out "I WANT MORE!" is going through my head. I digress.) I want to be productive! I want to stop hitting my head against this brick wall.

I don't know. As our friend Mac says, "What do I know?" Who am I to question the mind of God?

Ahhhhh. What's next, God?

Brother Pastor's wife :)