There is a bush in front of my house. It looks awful. This is my fault, because I had to go in with a saw and try to reclaim an unruly portion of our yard. Because of the lack of upkeep this particular plant has faced it kept on growing and looked like a massive entaglement of foliage. As I searched through the inner portions of the plant I noticed that much of it had died and was beginning to choke itself to death from the inside. All of the greenery that was showing came from just a few living branches that were struggling to survive. So I began to hack away at this plant with all hopes of a more sane and picturesque bush as a result.
When I had chopped away all of the dead parts, the bush itself looked really awful because now it was incredibly lop-sided and had no apparent shape or design to it at all. The only way I could begin to make this shrub into something nice was to prune the still living portions - some were pruned back a bit and some were pruned out entirely. Needless to say, I had quite the pile of lawn refuse lying behind me when I finished chopping away at this bush. Upon seeing such an outrageous sheering, my neighbor from next door came to survey the work and commented, "That bush really needed that! Last spring it hardly bloomed at all because it was choking itself out."
That made me feel better about the whole project.
One does not need to look far to understand the spiritual implications found in this little story, as pruning is a very simple and common biblical metaphor. However, I couldn't help but notice the amount of good stuff was being thrown out with the bad. It is as though the living portions of the bush had to be pruned because they were too intertwined into the dead shrub and were thus being choked out. This is why pruning can be a difficult process.
To remove a dead part wouldn't be that bad. . .because it's dead. The problem comes when we take spiritually dead parts of our lives and try to create something fruitful from them. We may be able to grow (for a while), but ultimately our core is being choked out. And we can never bloom in the season in which we are to do so.
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. . ."
~Jesus
Sunday, July 31
Monday, July 25
echoes of reflection
I have often pointed out that one has a better chance of being right all of the time than being wrong all of the time. You would have to know too much to be wrong all of the time since there are often versions and incomplete variations of what is right. This is a simple knowledge problem which basically means that in just about anything and everything there is some form of truth. This doesn't mean that it is the whole truth or even that it is the truth found in its proper context. I have often noticed this in studying other worldviews and world religions - every now and then we find truth in an otherwise erroneous perspective.
I found a couple of lyrics that illustrate this point rather well. The first is by a long-time Christian artist, David Meece:
I'll be waiting for you
When you open your eyes
And the light fills the skies
I'll be waiting for you
When the day's fresh and new
I'll be reaching my arms out to you. . .
The second by far-from Christian, Elton John:
Someday out of the blue
In a crowded street
Or a deserted square
I'll turn and I'll see you
As if our love were new
Someday we can live again
Someday soon
Different perspectives given on the same hope which is found deep within each and every heart. It is called a 'soul' and seeks to be reunited with its Creator, even when the person is not particularly aware of it. As St. Augustine once said, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee." At times there is passion and truth which needs to be redirected.
It is important to see these echoes, that we might see God in the reflection.
I found a couple of lyrics that illustrate this point rather well. The first is by a long-time Christian artist, David Meece:
I'll be waiting for you
When you open your eyes
And the light fills the skies
I'll be waiting for you
When the day's fresh and new
I'll be reaching my arms out to you. . .
The second by far-from Christian, Elton John:
Someday out of the blue
In a crowded street
Or a deserted square
I'll turn and I'll see you
As if our love were new
Someday we can live again
Someday soon
Different perspectives given on the same hope which is found deep within each and every heart. It is called a 'soul' and seeks to be reunited with its Creator, even when the person is not particularly aware of it. As St. Augustine once said, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee." At times there is passion and truth which needs to be redirected.
It is important to see these echoes, that we might see God in the reflection.
Tuesday, July 19
chutes and ladders
Well, I'm not one to be overly critical about religious gatherings. Those close to me know that I would never be like that. This being said I would also like to say that the heart of this particular post came not from me, but from a fellow observer in a recent gathering. I just came back from a church conference meeting in which the speaker was incredible but not as much can be said for the rest. . .aaahhh, conference.
At the end of the speakers session, so moved was the worship leader (and various others) that they extended the final song and invited the many pastors and elders and lay leaders to come forward in order to rededicate their lives and ministries in such a way as was relevant to the evening message. This went on for a bit and there was the usual late-inning chastize, ". . .this is the final verse, now there are so many of you who know that you ought to be here. . ." And there was a number of pastors who came forward.
And it probably was a revitalizing time. And it was probably very meaningful. And. . .
Then the meeting ended.
And everyone went about their business. And the yip-yap level increased dramatically. And. . .
This is when the man next to me (who is from my church) leaned over and captured this sentiment to overly manufactured mountatintops when he said, "Now this should be one of those times when everyone leaves silently and thinks about the message. I mean, everybody here seemed real moved by the Spirit but now they are acting as though they've already forgotten it!"
Then I'm pretty sure that God applauded.
At the end of the speakers session, so moved was the worship leader (and various others) that they extended the final song and invited the many pastors and elders and lay leaders to come forward in order to rededicate their lives and ministries in such a way as was relevant to the evening message. This went on for a bit and there was the usual late-inning chastize, ". . .this is the final verse, now there are so many of you who know that you ought to be here. . ." And there was a number of pastors who came forward.
And it probably was a revitalizing time. And it was probably very meaningful. And. . .
Then the meeting ended.
And everyone went about their business. And the yip-yap level increased dramatically. And. . .
This is when the man next to me (who is from my church) leaned over and captured this sentiment to overly manufactured mountatintops when he said, "Now this should be one of those times when everyone leaves silently and thinks about the message. I mean, everybody here seemed real moved by the Spirit but now they are acting as though they've already forgotten it!"
Then I'm pretty sure that God applauded.
Monday, July 11
feeling smaller
When I consider how many American evangelicals in the early 21st century believe that praying over wallets and for parking spaces is a way to combat demonic powers rising against the church, this particular letter made my world grow amazingly big:
"We have seen the hand of the Lord at work all these years. Lives have been transformed, leaving everything to follow Christ. In our church we have 61 home groups that meet weekly, and this has been glorious for reaching the lost. The work has been hard in all these years, with many problems and struggles, but God has given us the victory, and he will always hear our prayers. God has also blessed the presbytery. We started with seven churches. Now we have 18 churches and 25 missions. We are bombarding the devil from every direction."
-A.G., Cuba
From "The Voice of the Martyrs", Special Issue, 2005.
*emphasis mine, so its perspective would be less easily ignored
"We have seen the hand of the Lord at work all these years. Lives have been transformed, leaving everything to follow Christ. In our church we have 61 home groups that meet weekly, and this has been glorious for reaching the lost. The work has been hard in all these years, with many problems and struggles, but God has given us the victory, and he will always hear our prayers. God has also blessed the presbytery. We started with seven churches. Now we have 18 churches and 25 missions. We are bombarding the devil from every direction."
-A.G., Cuba
From "The Voice of the Martyrs", Special Issue, 2005.
*emphasis mine, so its perspective would be less easily ignored
Saturday, July 9
appropriately appropriating
taken from Charles Colson's Breakpoint Commentary:
July 6, 2005
Real Problems, Real Solutions: Fighting Poverty and AIDS Effectively
Could last weekend’s “Live8” event, rock concerts worldwide raising the awareness of poverty in Africa, be considered a success? That depends on how you define success. Putting aside my misgivings about the self-congratulatory nature of the event, Sir Bob Geldof and company did indeed focus the world’s attention on the desperate needs of the African people. And the organizers were determined to put pressure on the G-8 nations meeting today in Scotland to pump billions into Africa.
Now, I don’t want to rain on Geldof’s parade. But as good as his intentions are, I doubt that his approach would work. That’s why I did not sign the recent letter circulated by religious leaders, urging President Bush and the G-8 members to give massive sums to Africa and indiscriminately cancel all debts for the poorest countries.
My view about what needs to be done is more like the approach taken by New York Times columnist David Brooks. Brooks recently visited Africa, accompanying Mike Gerson, one of President Bush’s assistants. Here’s what Brooks, who is a self-described Jewish agnostic, said about helping Africa fight poverty and AIDS: “If this were about offering people the right incentives,” Brooks writes, “we would have solved this problem. But the AIDS crisis has another element, which can be addressed only by some other language. . . . The AIDS crisis is about evil. . . . It’s about disproportionate suffering. . . . It’s about these and a dozen other things—trust, fear, weakness, traditions, temptation—none of which can be fully addressed by externals. They can be addressed only by the language of ought, by fixing behavior into some relevant set of transcendent ideals and faiths.” Brooks later went on to write that the Bush Administration’s approach “is built upon the assumption that aid works only where there is good governance, and good governance exists only where the local folks originate and believe in the programs.”
Prison Fellowship’s ministry members in Africa, and other mission groups I know, all confirm what Brooks says. The hard fact is that African poverty will not be solved through international concerts by celebrities or by pressuring the G-8. Money alone won’t work any more than an alcoholic can be cured by giving him money. To dump limitless funds into corrupt governments does nothing more than create more multi-million dollar dictators who stash their funds away in Swiss bank accounts—good for the Swiss bankers, bad for the African people.
The key to the African crises is to find ways to target the aid to the people who need the funds. This is what Christian ministries do best—and what we should all be supporting.
And we should be asking our public officials not simply to open the treasury, but to use funds to encourage freedom, the rule of law, and good government. Otherwise, we’ll simply be propping up corrupt regimes that take the food out of the mouths of the poor.
So thank you, Sir Bob and company, for reminding the world of the tremendous problems in Africa. Now maybe you’d like to come and visit some of those mission outposts where you’ll see organizations like World Vision that have been doing this for years, quietly getting goods and food to the people who need it most. And yes, maybe you would even like to give them a hand.
July 6, 2005
Real Problems, Real Solutions: Fighting Poverty and AIDS Effectively
Could last weekend’s “Live8” event, rock concerts worldwide raising the awareness of poverty in Africa, be considered a success? That depends on how you define success. Putting aside my misgivings about the self-congratulatory nature of the event, Sir Bob Geldof and company did indeed focus the world’s attention on the desperate needs of the African people. And the organizers were determined to put pressure on the G-8 nations meeting today in Scotland to pump billions into Africa.
Now, I don’t want to rain on Geldof’s parade. But as good as his intentions are, I doubt that his approach would work. That’s why I did not sign the recent letter circulated by religious leaders, urging President Bush and the G-8 members to give massive sums to Africa and indiscriminately cancel all debts for the poorest countries.
My view about what needs to be done is more like the approach taken by New York Times columnist David Brooks. Brooks recently visited Africa, accompanying Mike Gerson, one of President Bush’s assistants. Here’s what Brooks, who is a self-described Jewish agnostic, said about helping Africa fight poverty and AIDS: “If this were about offering people the right incentives,” Brooks writes, “we would have solved this problem. But the AIDS crisis has another element, which can be addressed only by some other language. . . . The AIDS crisis is about evil. . . . It’s about disproportionate suffering. . . . It’s about these and a dozen other things—trust, fear, weakness, traditions, temptation—none of which can be fully addressed by externals. They can be addressed only by the language of ought, by fixing behavior into some relevant set of transcendent ideals and faiths.” Brooks later went on to write that the Bush Administration’s approach “is built upon the assumption that aid works only where there is good governance, and good governance exists only where the local folks originate and believe in the programs.”
Prison Fellowship’s ministry members in Africa, and other mission groups I know, all confirm what Brooks says. The hard fact is that African poverty will not be solved through international concerts by celebrities or by pressuring the G-8. Money alone won’t work any more than an alcoholic can be cured by giving him money. To dump limitless funds into corrupt governments does nothing more than create more multi-million dollar dictators who stash their funds away in Swiss bank accounts—good for the Swiss bankers, bad for the African people.
The key to the African crises is to find ways to target the aid to the people who need the funds. This is what Christian ministries do best—and what we should all be supporting.
And we should be asking our public officials not simply to open the treasury, but to use funds to encourage freedom, the rule of law, and good government. Otherwise, we’ll simply be propping up corrupt regimes that take the food out of the mouths of the poor.
So thank you, Sir Bob and company, for reminding the world of the tremendous problems in Africa. Now maybe you’d like to come and visit some of those mission outposts where you’ll see organizations like World Vision that have been doing this for years, quietly getting goods and food to the people who need it most. And yes, maybe you would even like to give them a hand.
Tuesday, July 5
/in·'dik·ə·tiv/
"So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers."
-Acts 16:5
Building upon my previous post, I continue in my challenge to those who believe that our attendence, buildings and cash are primary indicators of a healthy church. Throughout many Christianbookstores today there are growing sections devoted to church growth and pastoral leadership while the areas related to in depth Bible study seem to diminish rapidly (you can ask my wife what a headache I am to take along these days).
And while I can make my best case(s) for our approaches to growth and spiritual maturity within the local church, there is still a sentiment that can quickly respond with Acts 16:5 - a "clear claim" that growth is a sign of a healthy church. Suppose we accept that logic. . .if we allow this verse to be so simply applied to our current situation why not refer to Mark 13:6, "Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will decieve many." This seems to be more appropriate to the issue at hand and actually helps us to see the difference between many and many.
For so many are so quick to claim their growing numbers as a sign of the New Testament church. . .yet one can hardly find one who is ready to prepare themselves as did the early church. In other words, seeking the ends without working through the means. So what are we to conclude from such a situation? Perhaps it is that many will come. . .and will decieve many. Numbers are not so indicative as some would have us believe.
Relationships and maturity and Christ-like love are the marks of a healthy congregation. And instead of building a community on earthly wisdom we seek and find the word of God, which will not pass.
"There was no confusion in the minds of the first Chrsitians about what to proclaim. There was no searching for new and novel messages. The plain gospel that they heard form Jesus their Lord was considered entirely adequate."*
*Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997), 105.
-Acts 16:5
Building upon my previous post, I continue in my challenge to those who believe that our attendence, buildings and cash are primary indicators of a healthy church. Throughout many Christian
And while I can make my best case(s) for our approaches to growth and spiritual maturity within the local church, there is still a sentiment that can quickly respond with Acts 16:5 - a "clear claim" that growth is a sign of a healthy church. Suppose we accept that logic. . .if we allow this verse to be so simply applied to our current situation why not refer to Mark 13:6, "Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will decieve many." This seems to be more appropriate to the issue at hand and actually helps us to see the difference between many and many.
For so many are so quick to claim their growing numbers as a sign of the New Testament church. . .yet one can hardly find one who is ready to prepare themselves as did the early church. In other words, seeking the ends without working through the means. So what are we to conclude from such a situation? Perhaps it is that many will come. . .and will decieve many. Numbers are not so indicative as some would have us believe.
Relationships and maturity and Christ-like love are the marks of a healthy congregation. And instead of building a community on earthly wisdom we seek and find the word of God, which will not pass.
"There was no confusion in the minds of the first Chrsitians about what to proclaim. There was no searching for new and novel messages. The plain gospel that they heard form Jesus their Lord was considered entirely adequate."*
*Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997), 105.
growing
This past week I was challenged by a particular thought about escaping the tyranny of busyness. It is no big secret that our culture and society are busier than ever, especially the rate at which our children move between various activities. Yet all of this running about does not really make us less lazy, nor does it bring us any real fulfillment. Nevertheless, we are still overloading ourselves with so many activities.
Although this is no shocking revelation, it did cause me to think of our churches. Have we become to busy in our spiritual activities that we have lost our basic ability to think straight and consider spiritual things? I believe that we have, and that such an approach to our churchtime is becoming one of the fundamental flaws within our early 21st Century evangelicalism. Not only has it become a problem in and of itself, it is actually being prescribed by many church leaders and church growth "specialists" who believe that people must be very active less they fall away.
While I do believe that activity within the body is vital for the community of faith, an overemphasis on Christian activity can be equally destructive to the well-being of the church. When our lives become so full of activity and noise, it is easy to lose the ability to think straight. The same is definitely true of spiritual activity, which is why Scripture advocates the need to isolate oneself from activity and wait upon the Lord (Psalm 46:10).
It has been the philosophy of many church leaders and so-called "experts" that we must take new converts or members and plug them in to various activities of responsibility within the church so that they will be able to foster their growth and feel an "ownership" of the community itself. This, we are told, will ensure their ongoing participation and spiritual growth. I believe this might be wrong. For if we are to accept the premise that our lives are already filled with so much activity and that our culture has lost the ability to wait patiently upon the Lord, then it makes little sense that we should try to combat overactivity with more activity!
For some reason, this approach believes that slapping a "Christian" label onto the front of "activity" will make it a magical practice that does not have the same effects as little league, soccer games, bake sales, band concerts, etc. . . Yet the primary problem still persists: we are running around without reflection. In all of this, Christian activity is being promoted at the expense of Christian reflection and spiritual maturity. Church-centered activities may be well and good, but without the proper priority given to engaging God one-on-one then our activities are worthless (from a more Kingdom-oriented viewpoint).
What to do, then, with our newest and youngest in the faith? I propose that, along with everyone else in the faith, they follow the model presented by Jesus. As Mark presents Jesus' preparation before his public ministry, he emphasizes the fact that Jesus goes into the wilderness and is alone with God for an extended period of time (Mark 1:12-13). The only phrase that is repeated in these few words are "in the desert" which shows the emphasis Mark is giving to this aspect of the story (since he takes no time to develop or emphasize Jesus' showdown with Satan). It should follow that since no servant is greater than his master, we should not expect that we can be effective apart from the Spirit and ready for activity until we have spent time alone with God - just like Jesus.
A church cannot be built upon activity, yet we always try to do so. This often results in activity centers rather than churches, or churchy groups that have high attendence, impressive buildings, and much cash - all of which will fade away, none of which will be of any benefit before our Master. In fact, Jesus modelled a continuous participation with the Spirit even when he was in the midst of his ministry (Mark 1:35). To grow a church we need a community that is characterized by love: for God and for each other. Out of this our ministry will grow and be effective as well as drawing persons to a more mature relationship of faith.
Our numbers are not indicative of our effectiveness. . .
Although this is no shocking revelation, it did cause me to think of our churches. Have we become to busy in our spiritual activities that we have lost our basic ability to think straight and consider spiritual things? I believe that we have, and that such an approach to our churchtime is becoming one of the fundamental flaws within our early 21st Century evangelicalism. Not only has it become a problem in and of itself, it is actually being prescribed by many church leaders and church growth "specialists" who believe that people must be very active less they fall away.
While I do believe that activity within the body is vital for the community of faith, an overemphasis on Christian activity can be equally destructive to the well-being of the church. When our lives become so full of activity and noise, it is easy to lose the ability to think straight. The same is definitely true of spiritual activity, which is why Scripture advocates the need to isolate oneself from activity and wait upon the Lord (Psalm 46:10).
It has been the philosophy of many church leaders and so-called "experts" that we must take new converts or members and plug them in to various activities of responsibility within the church so that they will be able to foster their growth and feel an "ownership" of the community itself. This, we are told, will ensure their ongoing participation and spiritual growth. I believe this might be wrong. For if we are to accept the premise that our lives are already filled with so much activity and that our culture has lost the ability to wait patiently upon the Lord, then it makes little sense that we should try to combat overactivity with more activity!
For some reason, this approach believes that slapping a "Christian" label onto the front of "activity" will make it a magical practice that does not have the same effects as little league, soccer games, bake sales, band concerts, etc. . . Yet the primary problem still persists: we are running around without reflection. In all of this, Christian activity is being promoted at the expense of Christian reflection and spiritual maturity. Church-centered activities may be well and good, but without the proper priority given to engaging God one-on-one then our activities are worthless (from a more Kingdom-oriented viewpoint).
What to do, then, with our newest and youngest in the faith? I propose that, along with everyone else in the faith, they follow the model presented by Jesus. As Mark presents Jesus' preparation before his public ministry, he emphasizes the fact that Jesus goes into the wilderness and is alone with God for an extended period of time (Mark 1:12-13). The only phrase that is repeated in these few words are "in the desert" which shows the emphasis Mark is giving to this aspect of the story (since he takes no time to develop or emphasize Jesus' showdown with Satan). It should follow that since no servant is greater than his master, we should not expect that we can be effective apart from the Spirit and ready for activity until we have spent time alone with God - just like Jesus.
A church cannot be built upon activity, yet we always try to do so. This often results in activity centers rather than churches, or churchy groups that have high attendence, impressive buildings, and much cash - all of which will fade away, none of which will be of any benefit before our Master. In fact, Jesus modelled a continuous participation with the Spirit even when he was in the midst of his ministry (Mark 1:35). To grow a church we need a community that is characterized by love: for God and for each other. Out of this our ministry will grow and be effective as well as drawing persons to a more mature relationship of faith.
Our numbers are not indicative of our effectiveness. . .
Tuesday, June 28
pendulum
The Supreme Court is back in the news again, after releasing its newest judgments regarding courts and Ten Commandments and Christmas scenery. And the evangelical community responds with its predictable bellyache as though it were waiting just offstage reading a copy of the script. As I said, it is a respondent bellyache to a situation way out of control rather than taking some initiative to induce change and make the situation right.
After some thought on this particular situation it has occurred to me that we have the proverbial pendulum at swing. If we take this image to be a fixed weight hung so that it can swing freely back and forth (say, a clock pendulum which swings anywhere between the 9 and the 3), then we can envisage how trends and ideology moves from one extreme to another. This is largely based upon action and reaction. What if the points between 3 and 9 were submerged, as though it were underwater? This would mean that both extremes were rather shallow and that the correct balance of both could be the deepest option.
This is not true in all things, mind you, but it can be a very important axiom to have in mind. Evangelicalism has popularized itself into an extreme of Christianity (mostly refered to as 'Christianize') which is very shallow, displaying its intellectual depth in various bumper stickers and abounding "self-help" books (RABBIT TRAIL: why self-help and not Spirit's guidance?). One of the effects of this pop-Christianity is that it has disengaged the message of Christ from the arena of public ideas. And then it becomes easier for churches to gripe about the situation than working to offer alternative, biblically based solutions.
However, if we swing the pendulum to the other extreme we find an overly fundamentalist view that reads Scripture only as a condescending and judgmental. This position seems only to view the biblical text as a list of rules to be followed and spends little time reaching society on its own level - in terms it can understand. Our culture often refuses to see this situation as valid (can we blame them?), even though many of the positions can be viewed as biblically accurate in its foundation.
Where is the pendulum right now. I suppose it depends on who you are; it is quite subjective. While there are pockets of both extremes in our own evangelicalism today, most persons fall under the easy (lazy?) position of popular Christianity, with more CD liner notes memorized than Bible verses and more reading devoted to Christian dating than how we can be the most effective salt and light as possible.
Let the pendulum swing when it must and rest when it can. That might be a :micverb (I think I'll send it to clave on a bumper sticker).
After some thought on this particular situation it has occurred to me that we have the proverbial pendulum at swing. If we take this image to be a fixed weight hung so that it can swing freely back and forth (say, a clock pendulum which swings anywhere between the 9 and the 3), then we can envisage how trends and ideology moves from one extreme to another. This is largely based upon action and reaction. What if the points between 3 and 9 were submerged, as though it were underwater? This would mean that both extremes were rather shallow and that the correct balance of both could be the deepest option.
This is not true in all things, mind you, but it can be a very important axiom to have in mind. Evangelicalism has popularized itself into an extreme of Christianity (mostly refered to as 'Christianize') which is very shallow, displaying its intellectual depth in various bumper stickers and abounding "self-help" books (RABBIT TRAIL: why self-help and not Spirit's guidance?). One of the effects of this pop-Christianity is that it has disengaged the message of Christ from the arena of public ideas. And then it becomes easier for churches to gripe about the situation than working to offer alternative, biblically based solutions.
However, if we swing the pendulum to the other extreme we find an overly fundamentalist view that reads Scripture only as a condescending and judgmental. This position seems only to view the biblical text as a list of rules to be followed and spends little time reaching society on its own level - in terms it can understand. Our culture often refuses to see this situation as valid (can we blame them?), even though many of the positions can be viewed as biblically accurate in its foundation.
Where is the pendulum right now. I suppose it depends on who you are; it is quite subjective. While there are pockets of both extremes in our own evangelicalism today, most persons fall under the easy (lazy?) position of popular Christianity, with more CD liner notes memorized than Bible verses and more reading devoted to Christian dating than how we can be the most effective salt and light as possible.
Let the pendulum swing when it must and rest when it can. That might be a :micverb (I think I'll send it to clave on a bumper sticker).
Monday, June 20
but I don't know how to swim
"When we talk of 'finding God's will' we generally want divine guidance on specific choices, but it should be noted that this specific term is never used after the Holy Spirit came upon the church at Pentecost. The apostles, upon whom the church is founded, did not teach that we are to seek God's will in this way. Instead, the New Testament offers us a program of the Father's guidance that is based upon having a close relationship with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit."*
This quotation is taken from a challenging book which was produced ten years ago but has largely been unnoticed by evangelicalism as a whole. Waltke's premise is obvious from reading his comments, and it points out the tendency of today's Christians who want little more than quick answers to any and all of their problems. His argument is quite good: this type of activity is closer to pagan divination than Spirit-driven lifestyle.
Why this matters is that it explains very much how our spirituality at the turn of the century has become so shallow and self-serving that it cannot see beyond our immediate need/wants (most of which are quite insignificant in view of worldwide need and in light of eternity - i.e., praying for parking spaces). We refer to this as knowing God's will for our lives, but in reality we are just looking for pat answers to common headaches.
What we are called to is a realationship with the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit which guides and directs our lives. It is not for us to appease the Spirit so that we might have a "get out of jail free" card or some cosmic umbrella to keep out the rain, but a relationship that joins the Lord of Creation at his table of fellowship because we have been invited to join him and find our rest and completeness. And yet we take such an invitation for granted and slap another bumper sticker on our cars in order to find that preordained parking place.
So instead of overspiritualizing everyday events and reading into random events of life that happen to just about everyone and 'decide' that it is God's will at work, perhaps we ought to do the unthinkable: wait upon the Lord and renew our strength that we may know his will through the Spirit's constant work within us. Jesus never asked for God's will, for it flowed through him constantly as did the Holy Spirit which facilitated his communion with the Father. And since he is our paradigm for faith, we might find a more constant and deeper understanding of God's will by having his Spirit more constantly and deeper through us.
For this to happen, we will need to want to go deeper. . .
*Bruce K. Waltke, Finding the Will of God: A Pagan Notion? (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), 10-11.
This quotation is taken from a challenging book which was produced ten years ago but has largely been unnoticed by evangelicalism as a whole. Waltke's premise is obvious from reading his comments, and it points out the tendency of today's Christians who want little more than quick answers to any and all of their problems. His argument is quite good: this type of activity is closer to pagan divination than Spirit-driven lifestyle.
Why this matters is that it explains very much how our spirituality at the turn of the century has become so shallow and self-serving that it cannot see beyond our immediate need/wants (most of which are quite insignificant in view of worldwide need and in light of eternity - i.e., praying for parking spaces). We refer to this as knowing God's will for our lives, but in reality we are just looking for pat answers to common headaches.
What we are called to is a realationship with the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit which guides and directs our lives. It is not for us to appease the Spirit so that we might have a "get out of jail free" card or some cosmic umbrella to keep out the rain, but a relationship that joins the Lord of Creation at his table of fellowship because we have been invited to join him and find our rest and completeness. And yet we take such an invitation for granted and slap another bumper sticker on our cars in order to find that preordained parking place.
So instead of overspiritualizing everyday events and reading into random events of life that happen to just about everyone and 'decide' that it is God's will at work, perhaps we ought to do the unthinkable: wait upon the Lord and renew our strength that we may know his will through the Spirit's constant work within us. Jesus never asked for God's will, for it flowed through him constantly as did the Holy Spirit which facilitated his communion with the Father. And since he is our paradigm for faith, we might find a more constant and deeper understanding of God's will by having his Spirit more constantly and deeper through us.
For this to happen, we will need to want to go deeper. . .
*Bruce K. Waltke, Finding the Will of God: A Pagan Notion? (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), 10-11.
Thursday, June 16
somebody take a stand. . .now go away!
This particular post is going to be more of a rant than I've ever attempted on this site before. For quite a while I have been watching the Christian community as it continually whines and cries over the fact that nobody ever takes a real stand in the public forum for the ideals and ways of the church. In the past few years this sentiment has revolved around our president, who categorizes himself as a believer but is forced to constantly defend himself - mostly from other Christians.
It never ceases to amaze me how evangelicals keep calling for lambs that roar (quite the overused metaphor), and then running back to the house to find the shotgun at the first hint of disagreement. I have to say that this is not the picture of grace that one envisages from all of the biblical talk about community. Nor does it sound like the attitude of commitment and edification that comes from those who are true and devoted followers of Jesus.
One of the more ongoing favorites for personal attacks is Dr. James Dobson (founder of Focus on the Family). And I just caught another "theo-"blog kicking up some dirt in his direction. Although this individiual has provided such an incredible impact for the ethics and morals of the kingdom of God, he is frequently attacked by churchgoers (a rather ambiguous term) who couldn't theologize their way out of a wet paper sack. Yet they feel the need to take someone who has stepped out to make a difference and fire shots at his back.
Not that it has made much of a difference. For those who are about the Father's business will not be taken down, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven and they work through the empowerment of the Spirit. Of all of the attacks, supposed exposes, insider trashing and constant annoying the work of the kingdom moves forward through such incredible individuals.
There are lessons to be learned:
1) to take out a person of faith is to take out the Spirit at work within them (which is quite impossible)
2) to be a part of a community demands commitment and a call to edify
Are we commited?
This might be something along the lines of our identity being wrapped up in our love for each other or something like that. . .
It never ceases to amaze me how evangelicals keep calling for lambs that roar (quite the overused metaphor), and then running back to the house to find the shotgun at the first hint of disagreement. I have to say that this is not the picture of grace that one envisages from all of the biblical talk about community. Nor does it sound like the attitude of commitment and edification that comes from those who are true and devoted followers of Jesus.
One of the more ongoing favorites for personal attacks is Dr. James Dobson (founder of Focus on the Family). And I just caught another "theo-"blog kicking up some dirt in his direction. Although this individiual has provided such an incredible impact for the ethics and morals of the kingdom of God, he is frequently attacked by churchgoers (a rather ambiguous term) who couldn't theologize their way out of a wet paper sack. Yet they feel the need to take someone who has stepped out to make a difference and fire shots at his back.
Not that it has made much of a difference. For those who are about the Father's business will not be taken down, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven and they work through the empowerment of the Spirit. Of all of the attacks, supposed exposes, insider trashing and constant annoying the work of the kingdom moves forward through such incredible individuals.
There are lessons to be learned:
1) to take out a person of faith is to take out the Spirit at work within them (which is quite impossible)
2) to be a part of a community demands commitment and a call to edify
Are we commited?
This might be something along the lines of our identity being wrapped up in our love for each other or something like that. . .
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