The New Christians 1

In the preface of his book Tony Jones instantly has me intrigued with this quote,"Many in church leadership today - not to mention everyday believers - feel that the church made a wrong turn somewhere in the twentieth century. At the dawn of a new century, the emergents are one of the few groups offering a way out of this mess, and lots of people are listening." Jones then opens up his book on the Emergent church by first of all giving a cursory glance back on the old country that is being left behind as he reflects on the 20th Century.

As Tony Jones looks at the horizon behind him he makes two definitive statements, called dispatches in Chapter 1. He states:

Dispatch 1: Emergents find little importance in the discrete differences between the various flavors of Christianity. Instead, they practice a generous orthodoxy that appreciates the contributions of all Christian movements. (p. 8)

Our church, Epiphany United Methodist Church in Loveland, Ohio did a sermon series a year ago about different denominations. Now growing up in a fundamentalist, evangelical past I wasn't sure where the pastor was going with this. It was my experiences in the past that something like this would be an opportunity to blast the mainlines, Catholics, and charismatics. But instead, Doug took this sermon series as an opportunity to celebrate what we can learn from the emphases that other denominations bring to the table when you consider the entire body of Christ. Needless to say, it was an awesome series.

Dispatch 2: Emergents reject the politics and theologies of left versus right. Seeing both sides as a remnant of modernity, they look forward to a more complex reality. (p. 20)

I have studied church history enough to know about the great divide during the 20th Century between the fundamentalists and liberals. Most of my experiences in churches has been of the Conservative evangelical flavor. I heard my share of sermons demonizing youth culture, Hollywood, rock music, and anything that actually seemed interesting to me. Needless to say, I grew up with a lot of guilt! In fact we had to reject modern culture and immerse ourselves in the counter-Christian culture. You know, that sub-standard, vanilla flavored, bland, boring thing that Christian culture produces when it tries to entertain ONLY a church audience. I actually remember being frightened into saying the "salvation prayer" after a showing of "A Thief in the Night" which was the 70's version of Tim LaHayes amazingly awful "Left Behind" movies. And I also remember one guy at our house who came over for a haircut from my mom ranting about how terrible it was that Amy Grant would dare to sing a "secular" song with Peter Cetera who was the lead singer of Chicago. I remember looking at the guy thinking he was crazy because I didn't understand why Amy Grant should be forced to entertain ONLY US CHRISTIANS!

In the youth groups that I have been a part of it always seemed like the most important thing was to create programs in which we can somehow trick people into hearing the "plan of salvation" and get 'em saved! After they say the pray, sign the card, which was a kind of guaranteed ticket to heaven, our work was done! Unfortunately, no assimilation would occur, no discipleship, no follow up, no caring for the needs of those we manipulated into saying "the prayer". When I was alone with my friends we would often talk about if this was really effective at all and are people really beginning a new relationship with God or are they just repeating some prayer for "fire insurance" under the false pretense that we encouraged, that if you just say this prayer you will be saved. The culture was to be feared and we were to "separate" and wait for the rapture to take us ragtag bunch of Christians home to be with God. It was a very depressing and weak eschatology that drove the evangelical church.

It wasn't until I took a very nervous step into the Methodist church that I discovered some new thoughts and ways of thinking. Mind you, God had to really humble me to enter into the mainline churches. I really had an arrogant view of the mainlines as I was growing up. But it wasn't until the fundamentalists and Baptists told me to find another job that I was finally willing to consider some other alternatives I would have never really considered in my younger years. Now, within the Methodist church I have discovered this thing called "Social Justice" and a view of culture that is transformative instead of condemning and hopeless. Needless to say, this has been like an awakening for me as I discovered a new eschatology that brings hope and courage and God's love that is much more holistic.

But the mainline is not above criticism here as Tony points out some of its glaring faults. During the industrial age,big business and monolithic bureaucracies were the forms that our culture created in the areas of work and industry. Sadly to say, I see that this is a big problem within the church I am in. In the evangelical churches once I was hired I was considered an official pastor. But as I came to the Methodist Church I got the label of Director of Student Ministries and that really bothered me at first. A mere title, I know. I believe that I have been called by God to be a youth pastor. Titles that people put on my door really do not matter. But after some time I did want to pursue becoming clergy within the Methodist church for a variety of reasons. It has been shocking to me to amount of bureaucratic red tape and overbearing process that has been created for someone to serve as a pastor! So many of those coming out of seminary, and not even seminary trained adults for that matter, are realizing that all it takes to start a church is a vision, persistent and passion and with that anybody could pretty much do it, from the gifted to the insane! If the mainline wants to survive they will need to seriously reevaluate the monolithic government that has been created in their denominations.

I am excited about this new thinking outside-of-the-box that Jones is presenting. Instead of accepting that 20th century Christianity was the way it has always been, he is presenting new and fresh ideas that will hopefully shake the foundations of the church and cause so many of us to rethink church, evangelism, discipleship, culture, etc.

Fun Times at Family Christian Bookstore

The other day I was alerted to another book written by two teenage boys about not settling for the status quo but doing great things during their teenage years. Well it just so happened that I was near our local Family Christian Bookstore in the afternoon and I thought I would stop and see if this book was available. Now I have to say that whenever I go to Family Christian Bookstores I typically come out discouraged, disappointed and at times angry that this is what Christian scholarship has dwindled down to.

As I first entered in through their doors there is a huge table of "patriotic" t-shirts and America stuff. And every time I see this, I seriously have a huge problem with this. The whole "God Bless America" campaign just comes across to me as so conceited, arrogant and ignorant. I would feel so much more comfortable if all this stuff said "God Bless the World" or was somehow much more inclusive of people of every nation. Afterall, that was the challenge that Jesus gave us in the Great Commission to make disciples of the world. And in all honesty do people really think that God has a vested interest in blessing the United States? Really, think about it, did the first century Christians have togas that read "God Bless Rome"? Now I will go on record first to say that I love the fact that I have grown up as an American and more specifically a die-hard Ohioan. Yet I can not help to think about the way so many in our country abuse our environment, hoard their wealth, abuse people for their own gain, and market their greed, sex, and violence all around the world. Me personally, I am more concerned about God's wrath on America. We very well might be heading in that direction. Yet when I walk through the doors of Family Christian Bookstore I get the very loud message that Christianity is first and foremost unquestioning patriotism to our country that is God's new promised land. Let us not forget that we gave the presidency to a "professing" Christian and look at what he did to our government and our country. He certainly has me rethinking the Clinton years again. Many of us were good at vilifying Bubba, and his personal life deserved the criticism leveled at him, but he ran the government better than what we got now!

Then my next issue with what is considered a"Christian" bookstore these days is the massive lack of any real scholarship. You would think that Joel Olsteen is the best thing since Paul wrote the book of Romans because anywhere you look you see that shiny, happy Texas grin sparkling right back at you everywhere you turn. In fact, previous to this visit, I was looking for a section on Christian history and at a cursory glance I did not find a section like that ANYWHERE. Then when I asked the clerk behind the counter she look at me with a dazed and confused look not sure where to direct me. I gave up and walked out angry again with the drivel called Christian bookstores. Apparently that must not sell as much as smiley Texans who want me to be a Better ME, or sappy, poorly written books that interpret the book of Revelation literally. Believe me, the Left Behind series had absolutely NOTHING to do with serious Christian thinking other than to manipulate fear to make a buck. And to add to the humor, Falwell dedicates a building to the guy as if his name should be associated with higher learning. I would hate to be LaHaye and have to stand before God and to have to explain his thinking behind those shoddy books based on highly suspect theology that preyed on the fears of Christians that should know better.

Anyhow, as I was visiting this store looking for this book on teenagers (I'm a youth pastor so books like this intrigue me), God smiled on me and gave me a delicious treat during my visit to the bookstore. As I waited in line I began to overhear a conversation that some guy was initiating with one of the store clerks. He was not standing there to buy a book but to sell his wares. It turns out that this guys was a real life ghost buster. I am not saying that he is a priest who performs exorcisms. I mean a "who-ya-gonna-call" GHOST BUSTER! He claimed to be a demonologist and a expert in the paranormal. The poor clerk behind the counter was not amused but was trying really hard to be polite. Just so you know I am not pulling your leg here, as I pulled out of the parking lot, sure enough there was a ghost buster van in the parking lot with all their information plastered on every side of their van. The website is www.soarparanormal.com! Enjoy! It is a delicious site! The fact that they take themselves seriously and somehow seem to financially support this line of work amazes me. But what is scary is why he would think a Christian bookstore would be a place for him to "sell" himself. If I recall we are to be a people of love where perfect love drives out fear. Paul specifically tells us that we are not to conform to the substandard patterns of the world but our MINDS are supposed to be transformed! For centuries the Christian faith has produced some of the greatest intellects, artists, musicians, philosophers and theologians, but when you walk into just about any Christian bookstore you would NEVER know that. In fact some sham paranormal ghost buster thinks this would be a great place to get some business.

Thank God for www.Christianbooks.com! At least they cover all the bases from the pathetic to the profound.

The Amish Way of Life

Over the Memorial Day Weekend I had the opportunity to get together with family up in Amish country in central Ohio. It is always interesting when you spend most of your life in the 'burbs and then take some time off and go off into the country! And not just the country, but Amish country!

A couple observations over the course of this weekend:

1. We have gotten so good at packing our lives so full of things that keep us busy and distracted. When you get a chance to observe a people that try to live by the rule of simplicity it is humbling. It helped me to appreciate where I am at in my life and to stop looking to the next stage of "wanting more in order to be satisfied".

2. Being surrounded by God's creation, listening to the wind coming through the leaves of the trees, animals making noise here and there, and just observing for miles the countryside is just awe inspiring. The artistry of God is just incredible when you stop and soak it in.

3. The animal kingdom is yet another thing that expresses the creativity and beauty of God. It is just an amazing thing to stand and watch horses, sheep, cattle, chicks, pigs, butterflies, and goats as they interact and respond to you (esp. if you have food!).

4. Conversation was at the top of the order when you escape to a place like this. Conversation with your family as well as conversation with the people in the community. I had some brief conversations with people in the community but it definitely left me wishing for more. There was so much about the Amish culture I did not understand and I would have loved to have a few beers with some of the Yoder's and really hear them out about their lives, faith, work, and worldviews. In my observations of them I had both admiration and utter confusion on how they chose to live their way of life. I would have loved to understand them more through conversation and friendship.

5. Diversity of our great state of Ohio is amazing. To be able to visit the rural as well as the urban centers of our state helps to appreciate a wide range of lifestyles and environments. The city and the country need each other.

6. I love discovering humor through observing cultures that are so different that what I am used to. My wife sent me out to find some syrup for breakfast for the following morning. Unfortunately, in a rural town most everything shuts down by sunset. After driving through some small towns I finally came up to a little more modern town that had a convenient store that was open. As my daughter and I were in the store the two songs that melodiously played over the loudspeakers in the store was the theme song to "Dukes of Hazzard" and "Sweet Home Alabama". As I came to the counter to pay for my syrup, the clerk was jiving away to "Sweet Home" and looked at me and said, "This is great drivin' music." I got a big grin on my face because as much as I wanted to NOT like country music, I had to completely agree with clerk guy! When I jumped back in my van I quickly found the radio station playing the southern fried rock song so I could finish out Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama"!

Boomers Beware!

Throughout my college experience and 20's I developed an intense dislike toward the Boomer generation. The way I saw it then was that they were responsible for aborting a third of my generation for their own selfish purposes. Of course now I understand that this is a massive oversimplification of a generation of people as well as the topic of abortion! As I have worked in churches for almost 2 decades now, I have to continually remind myself that we are a multi-generational body that needs to resist the cultural urge to separate the generations and develop hostilities between them. But this book, in a very comical way, brought back all of my Gen-X angst and bitterness. The boomers have now all retired and are killing the Social Security system as all of the debt for their comfort gets passed down to the younger generations. It is up to Casandra Devine to find a solution by creating Voluntary Transitioning a.k.a. euthanasia. This is a brilliant novel that in my opinion very well could be possibly prophetic. It may take about a decade or so to find out, but let's hope that through this comic portrayal of a possible future, we will heed its warning! Christopher Buckley's book ought to inspire us to rise up and fix our government or find alternative ways in which we do not buy into their system and therefore become victimized by its own ineptness. Something is going to have to give before the debt that our government has incurred, through Social Security and the wars that we are in, finally builds up and falls on a generation of people who most likely had nothing to do with creating this mess but are expected to somehow pay for it all! If this lands on my children's or grandchildren's lap I will personally join them when they go off to storm the gated communities and golf courses full of retirees!

unChristian: Sheltered

The Issue: Sheltered

The Perception: Christians are boring, unintelligent, old-fashioned, and out of touch with reality.

Questions and Quotes for Discussion:

Has anyone ever treated you or someone you knew as stupid for believing in God? They state that your faith is just a crutch because you can’t deal with reality? My experience with Mitch as I pursued theatre in college. Mitch would frequently rage against Christianity and all religions as pathetic ways people cope with life because they can’t handle reality.

Listen to Fermi Project Podcast: Episode 11 of unChristian featuring Margaret Fienburg author of “The Organic God”

Did anything that Margaret have to say jump out at you? She mentioned the generational differences in that older generations tend to have a fortress mentality of pulling out of culture seeing it as evil. They escape into the Christian bubble. The younger generations see culture differently by wanting to engage people and be an agent of change within the culture. Local Example: Invisible Children. Would you agree or disagree with this observation? Should our faith have anything to do with our culture?

1. Christianity and its relationship to the WORLD

A. The Impact of Christianity on American Idol

- The typical “Christian bubble” response to the popularity of American Idol would have been to create a Christian version of it. Much of Christian consumerism caters to this: creating a second-rate “Christianized” product of something that is similar to a successful product in the world. Example: Christian coffeehouses, most Christian music, most Christian radio, Christian boat cruises, Christian theme parks, most Christian book stores, some Christian colleges, etc.

- How has Christianity come through the show this season? Group sang “Shout to the Lord”. Dolly Parton sang a song about Jesus, Neil Diamond sang a song about God’s amazing grace, the contestants sang songs by Switchfoot, and several other songs that had spiritual themes. This is a HUGE example of Christianity breaking through into mainstream culture and making a profound impact on one of the most popular shows of our time. Don’t miss this!

B. Read John 17:14-18

- Is Jesus intention for us to separate ourselves from the world like the Amish?
- Why would Jesus pray for our protection? What do we need protection from?

2. Christianity and its relationship to our INTELLECT

A. Read Romans 12:2

- Describe the difference here between Paul’s use of contrast between the words “conform” and “transform”.
- What happens with a transformed mind?

B. Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

- How is Paul encouraging us to use our minds?
- Would he be okay with Christians living out a sheltered, non-thinking faith?
- If we actually use our brains for God’s glory what kind of life does Paul show us we could have?

Just recently we have seen a bunch of books come out speaking against Christianity and promoting the cause of atheistic, humanistic philosophy. Many of the modern-day Christian thinkers of our day have appropriately responded by writing books in response to the arguments leveled at our faith. Check out these books:

The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters By: Charles Colson, Harold Fickett

God and the New Atheism: A Critical Response to Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens By: John F. Haught

The End of Reason: A Response to the New Atheists By: Ravi Zacharias

The Dawkins Delusion? Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine By: Alister McGrath, Joanna Collicutt McGrath

3. Christianity and its relationship to OTHERS

A. Read Matthew 9:12-13 - Who are we supposed to be helping as a response to our faith?

B. Consider this: according to the extensive research

1. Teens have grown up “in a social setting more violent than that of their Boomer parents.” (p. 126)
2. “More than one-third of children born in the United States are born to unmarried mothers.” (p. 127)

3. “Today’s young adults are more likely to view sexually explicit magazines, movies and websites.” (p. 127)

4. “Young adults experience substance abuse more frequently than do older adults.” (p. 127)

5. “One out of seven admits to dealing with an addiction.” (p. 128)

6. “One-sixth recognize they are already in serious debt.” (p. 128)

7. “One-eighth are lonely.” (p. 128).

8. “One-quarter feel unfulfilled in life.” (p. 128)

9. “Nearly half say they are stressed out.” (p. 128)

10. Many “live with an inner desperation that often leads to personal annihilation. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among people aged fifteen to twenty-four.” (p. 128)

- According to these statistics who would you consider those who are sick, those who are sinners in need of God’s grace, love and forgiveness? IT IS THE VERY PEOPLE YOU WALK THE HALLWAYS WITH EVERYDAY YOU GO TO SCHOOL, WORK, THE MALL, WHEREVER!

- Knowing all this, is it right then for us to live safe, sheltered lives or do we engage with those we know, realizing we can be used of God to help transform their lives and ultimately the culture of those around us!?!

CONCLUSION

Read Acts 17:16-34 together.

- What was Paul’s initial reaction to what he saw in Athens?
- What did he do then? Did he put up a big sign saying “HELL IS REAL” and walk away? Did he put a sign of the Ten Commandments in his front yard and a Jesus fish sticker on his car and hope that was enough? Did he level all the people with the charge of being sinners? Did he run and hide with only like-minded Christians thankful he was not evil like the pagans?

- Paul took these steps:
1. He engaged in CONVERSATION
2. He exposed his audience to God’s truth through observations of their CULTURE.
3. He accepted both POSITIVE and NEGATIVE responses to his message.

In a response to this chapter in the book Reggie Joiner states that:

“Eight out of ten students participate in church during their teenage years, but most of them will take a permanent detour from active faith at some point soon after they get their driver’s licenses. That’s right: only two out of ten of those celebrated teenage converts maintain Christian belief and practice between their teens and the end of their twenties. The vast majority will cross over to the other side: pronouncing Christianity boring, irrelevant, and out of touch.” (p. 142)

In his concluding remark he says that “We all know that our faith grows when our faith is challenged to DO something.” (p. 143)

What about your faith? Are you living out a safe, sheltered, boring faith that is lifeless? Or are you willing to step out and engage the culture, use the brain God gave you, and reach out to those how so desperately are searching for something to give them meaning in life?

The NEW PERCEPTION: Christians are engaged, informed, and offer sophisticated responses to the issues people face.

Mother's Day Thoughts

The Pain of Motherhood

1. The Pain of Child Birth: Luke 2:4-7

Mary went through a tremendous amount of physical pain to bring Jesus into this world. All mother's go through physical pain to bring their child into this world. ALthough we have no memory of this time, it is good to reflect on what our mom's went through to carry us through their pregnancy and birth us. For all the times we take our parents for granted, this is a thought that should sit with us during Mother's Day so that we can appreciate what she went through for our sake.

- What did your mother go through to bring you into the world?
- Where there any stories from your birth that made it unique, memorable, special or extraordinary?

2. The Pain of Separation: Matthew 12:46-50
In looking for her son for whatever reason, Jesus made her quest for him into a lesson about the fact that his real family is the family of God. Now Jesus is speaking truth here but I can't help to think of the pain that his remarks might have caused his mother. It was a bold, public statement about the sepreation of a child from his parents as a fully functional inter-dependant adult who has integrated himself into society, in this case, the spiritual body of beleivers. As we grow more independant we must remember that it is our parents who are the primary one's who helped us get to that point, and although they want the best for us, there is still pain in sepreation as we grow through each stage of live, become more and more independant and eventually move away.

- Has your mom ever expressed any sad feelings of you growing up
through stages of life?

- Are you Juniors and Seniors experiencing your parents “pulling-back” on
you to spend time with you because they know you will be moving
out soon?

3. The Pain in Suffering: John 19:26-27

As Jesus was dieing on the cross many of his followers scattered but his mother stood at his feet and absorbed his pain as only a mother can do for her child. Jesus, amazingly through all his pain and suffering, had enough strength to make sure his mother would be taken care of after his death. On Mother's Day I think it is important for us to appreciate all of the times our mother's were there when we went through an emotional or physical pain where in our agony, she was there to empathize, care and love us back to health.

- When was your mom there for you when you were hurt emotionally?
- When was your mom there for you when you were hurt physically?

Idiocracy 1

This is the first of many blogs that comments on areas of our great American culture that, just like the main point in the movie of the same name, shows that we are actually beginning to digress in the process of evolution and becoming more and more, shall I say, less cerebral!

Okay, here is my rant today about recent news. Is it really possible that Maria Carey will actually have more number one songs than the Beatles!?!?!?! The Beatles made music that celebrated the universal truths that made us all human. Their music is timeless, amazing, thoughtful, and fun from generation to generation. Maria Carey on the other hand is cotton candy narcissism at best. My question is: Who actually listens to her? Who will be listening to her music 20, 30, 40 years from now? Is this the best we have to offer in mainstream culture that her music actually makes number 1 again and again? Where is the music that makes us think, that inspires us, that strengthens the bonds of humanity? The most recent song that had a profound impact on me was "If Everyone Cared" by Nickelback. WE NEED MORE MUSIC LIKE THAT! I am ready for a new U2 CD! I am tired of self-centered, narcissistic drivel. It is time for musicians with a brain and a heart to rise up and inspire the world!