Category: Random Thoughts

Whoring after other gods…

“Pastors are abandoning their posts, left and right, and at an alarming rate. They are not leaving their churches and getting other jobs. Congregations still pay their salaries. Their names still appear on the church stationary and they continue to appear in pulpits on Sundays. But they are abandoning their posts, their calling. They have gone whoring after other Gods. What they do with their time under the guise of pastoral ministry hasn’t the remotest connection with what the church’s pastors have done for most of twenty centuries.” (Eugene Peterson, Working the Angles, 1987, p.1)

As a pastor it is very easy to become obsessed with ideas, programs, and vision which seeks answers to how the church might, as Peterson laments, “keep customers happy, how to lure them away from the competitors down the street, how to package the goods so the customers will lay out more money” (1987, p.2). A culture of consumer driven, success orientated religion is very appealing for any minister, especially myself! All pastors want a successful church that they can point to and say, “Look what I have built”. However, argues Peterson, “The Pastor’s responsibility is to keep the community attentive to God. It is this responsibility that is being abandoned in spades”.

Why do we as pastors so rarely ask: What does ministry look like in the light of Jesus Christ risen and ascended and empowered by the Holy Spirit? Are we pastors being  faithful to the holiness of the vocation into which we are ordained? Why? Because it is easier to fashion a god of our own than worship the one we have. It is easier to ask God to move aside so we can get on with gospel work in his name than live with mystery. It is easier to keep the customers happy than remain faithful in the mundane. At the end of the day I guess it is easier to whore after other gods than remain faithful to the one who loves us!

Just my 2 cents.

Take these Sabbath weeks…

Just a quick note to let people know I won’t be around Near Emmaus for the next 3 weeks! It is holiday time for my family and I (I believe Americans call it ‘vacation’). The plan is a couple of weeks in the garden getting our patch ready for its winter crop and a week by the sea. It sounds like the perfect sabbath to me!

On my reading list for this time is a book by Robert Benson entitled Digging in. Benson’s books on prayer, Living Prayer and In Constant Prayer are two of the best books on liturgical prayer I have ever read. The person who introduced me to Robert’s work discovered how much I like gardening and handed me a short story he has written about the garden! Over the past few years gardening has become a place of sabbath rest and prayer for me. It is the one single activity that has led me to a more faithful sabbath and reflection on God and the Christian life. It is great to get out in the garden with my wife and kids. Benson has been a huge part of this journey, as has Eugene Peterson.

Apart from that book I am not sure what I will read. I have started rereading Eugene Peterson’s memoir, this time much more slowly. I may also begin Simon Chan’s “Liturgical Theology” which caught my attention recently. The Pope’s latest book on Jesus continues to captivate me and I have a few other books on their way from the USA (No wonder Aussie booksellers are going broke). Upon returning I will continue my review of Dave Black’s “Why Four Gospels?” and my series entitled, From Pentecost to Resurrection.

Peace be with you.

I am a student no more…

[This post may not interest everyone as it is a bit of personal news about myself and my own journey]

My Ordination

My Ordination (Me in the middle)

 

As of today (22nd March 2011 Here in Australia) I am no longer a post-graduate student. I had been working towards my Master of Theology at Tabor Adelaide (The same seminary where I did my undergraduate studies). My recently acquired freedom is not the result of me having  completed my course of study rather I have decided that it is the wright correct thing to be doing in the wrong season of my life. I have been studying for over 7 years now and I am weary. Also, having a young family has made in next to impossible to find the time (and I’d much rather spend time with them).

After wrestling with this decision over the past 12 months or so (with many changes of mind) at 4am this morning (much to my surprise) I knew what I had to do. I was lying awake in bed when I remembered the story of David and Saul’s armour in 1 Samuel 17,

38 Then Saul dressed David in his ownq tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 1 Sa 17:38–40.

I have felt this way  in ministry twice before (about different matters) and both times I knew it was time to resign or change direction. Both times I was right to do so. I beleive I am this time as well. One day I hope to return to undertake Post-Graduate studies, but not now. My primary vocational goal is not to be an academic but to be a faithful pastor. One who pays attention to God in his Word, in prayer and in the people before me. It is to these tasks I will now commit myself fully…as well getting to read whatever the heck I want to! :)

I would like to thank four people in particular who have been a sounding board in this matter over the past  year or so: Jim West, Joel Watts and Doug Iverson as well as my supervisor and friend, Rev Dr Greg Elsdon. Thank you!

Who do you say that I am? Part 4

So, who do you say that I am? At the beginning of this series I posted a poll asking people to honesty judge whether I was theologically conservative, theologically moderate or theologically liberal. It was interesting to read that the majority of people thought I was moderate. A few either side of that said I was conservative or liberal. I wonder what led you to make your judgement about my theological tendencies?

We should be passionate about what we believe and affirm. We should not allow ourselves to be tossed to and fro by every wave of doctrine from the left of whoopy! However, we should also remember to hold our views lightly and respectfully. We could be wrong. We are also supposed to treat all human beings, especially those with whom we disagree respectfully and with dignity.

As for me? Picking up on something my  friend Doug said on Facebook; I consider myself “Theologically Happy” or as Karl Barth was known, a theologian of Joy!

On Divine Friendship

Christianity isn’t about a set of do’s and don’t. It’s not about a strict abstinence/asceticism or a boundary-less freedom, either. Christianity is about friendship with the God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

A friendship is based on intimacy, and friendship with Jesus is simply intimacy with Jesus, the one both fully human as well as fully divine. Friendship with Jesus begins with knowing the person of Jesus from the perspective of His humanity, for no one first began to truly know or follow Him apart from His human existence.

As one grows in friendship with Jesus, the result is the desire to do away with sin—one realizes that such a lifestyle amounts to nothing. Then a life of true and pure holiness takes form—not a holiness based on a particular group’s definition of holiness derived from reaction to certain cultural elements, but a holiness that stems from the heart in love of Christ, His Father, and His Spirit. This holiness is the fruit of friendship with Jesus and made possible by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and gives glory to the Father.

Whoring after other gods….

I just watched the promo video for the Global Leadership Summit and threw up in my mouth a little…

For those who may not get my humour I am joking when I say I threw up in my mouth as I watched this video. What I am not joking about is this: How does this conference relate to faithful gospel vocation? If one desires to run an organisation or manage a religious convenience store then I can understand how the material might have relevance to leadership and management. However, when Bill Hybels says in the opening words, “I really do believe the church is the hope of the world” I have grave concerns. Is not Christ the hope of the world? I find it concerning that the church would need to walk this kind of road in order to achieve God’s plan for the world. In fact, I would ask; where did we ever get the idea we need to achieve anything for God? Do we not participate in the ongoing ministry of Christ in our world? Is the the eschatological future of the people of God really tied to our achievements? I digress…

I understand what I am saying may sound negative. It is. And it is meant to. Eugene Peterson says in the opening lines of his wonderful volume, The Contemplative Pastor,

“Pastors are abandoning their posts, left and right, and at an alarming rate. They are not leaving their churches and getting other jobs. Congregations still pay their salaries. Their names still appear on the church stationary and they continue to appear in pulpits on Sundays. But they are abandoning their posts, their calling. They have gone whoring after other Gods. What they do with their time under the guise of pastoral ministry hasn’t the remotest connection with what the church’s pastors have done for most of twenty centuries.” (Eugene Peterson, The Contemplative Pastor, 1987, p.1)

Many will not agree with me or Peterson and argue that churches are organisations which need to be managed and lead in the same manner that corporations are. Nevertheless, as Peterson states strongly, I wonder if such an approach merely encourages pastors to abandon their true calling and take to religious shopkeeping. It is very easy to become obsessed with ideas, programs, and vision that merely seeks answers to a how the church might, as Peterson laments, “keep customers happy, how to lure them away from the competitors down the street, how to package the goods so the customers will lay out more money” (1987, p.2). A culture of consumer driven, success orientated religion is very appealing for any minister, especially myself! All pastors want a successful church that they can point to and say, “Look what I have built”. However, our responsibility is to keep the church attentive to God. This is, I fear, a responsibility being abandoned in spades.

Until someone can convince me otherwise I will endeavor to resists the temptation to attend success based workshops such as the GLS. By convince I mean argue coherently from Scripture (in context) why this approach is required or justified. However, if all one can do is point to bottom lines and end results as reasoning, I’m staying put! :)

To forgive is human…

“To err is human to forgive is divine” Alexander Pope

My sermon text this Sunday is Matthew 5:38-48 (the last two antithesis statements). Verse 44 says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” When I read this passage at the start of the week I felt comfortable with what it said. Forgiveness and loving ones enemies lie at the heart of the Christian message. However, as the week progressed I began to think pastorally about what Jesus was saying. Could he be serious about loving one’s enemies? It sounds like the right thing to do but in reality is it too much to ask? What about those amongst us who has suffered abuse or neglect? Furthermore, how do we reconcile this kind of passive approach to those who oppose us (for whatever reason) with our commonly held belief in boundaries and personal rites?

The problem with Pope’s quote is it removes any human obligation to forgive and places everything on God’s side of the ledger. As Jesus reminds us, forgiveness is in fact a human act as much as it is divine.

Forgiveness is at times easy, but for many, it is a hard and difficult road to travel. Emotions, memories, issues and history all need to be untangled as part of the ongoing process of forgiveness and healing. Although Jesus raises the bar and requires of his disciples that they love and pray for their enemies he does not seek immediate perfection. He simply asks that we begin the journey. A journey we know he takes with us…

 

Just a thought…

I’ll explain this in more detail in an upcoming blog post but for now, let me say, sometimes it is difficult being a Barthian in an Arminian world…

 

(“Living in in an Arminian world and I am and a b b b barthian guy…” Now for this to work you have to imagine me singing this to Madonna’s ‘Material Girl)

A Rather Muddled and Muddied Ramble….

[Sometimes when I get writers block while sermon writing and in order to overcome it I write what comes to my mind. This stuff has been on my heart for a long while and I think I just needed to get it out. It may sound negative, and it is. But that does not mean it isn't true! All I ask is you forgive the awkwardness of the style - they are just random unedited thoughts. :) ]

I cannot remember a time when I knew so many Christians disenfranchised with church. Angry ex-Pentecostals, disgruntled Baptists, faithless Catholics and even the odd Church of Christ person in the mix. It appears to be at almost epidemic levels. Young people, older people and all of those in between.

What has happened? Why have so many grown so weary? Why do so few seem to want to stay the course? All of those I know who have taken themselves out of the fellowship of other Christian’s would not hesitate to identify themselves as Christian. Some make the rather lame argument that they are able to worship God outside of church. To me this seems like a feckless spirituality and the argument has no biblical basis. Sure, there are seasons in which people may need to step away from the church but it should not be the norm. My wife and I did this for a season but always with the conviction that we would return.

Is it entirely their fault? What has happened? Why do so many Christians burn out and leave church?

There has been a growing trend in churches over the past 3 decades to model the organisation on big business. The picture of the quiet parish has been replaced by the big wheels of industry. Prayer meetings and Bible studies have given way to strategic meetings and leadership development. The church has become a machine. As one person is spat out another enters the machine and keeps the big wheels turning. The person is rarely missed. Is it any wonder they never return?!?!

It seems to me that the ‘project’ to make the church more professional, more slick,  more appealing and relevant, has failed (At least by gospel standards). While big churches get bigger and smaller churches get smaller are we seeing any discernable changes in the way Christian’s live their lives? Are we seeing Christians’ make the radical decisions to lay down their life and follow Jesus and become disciples of him? I am sure we are but the attrition rate is much more noticeable. The standards by which we judge the ‘success’ of Christian mission are not the same as those applied to bottom lines of fortune 500 companies. Big or small it does not matter. What matters is how we live as God’s people. How we live as disciples of Jesus.

It seems to me the church is disorientated. For far too long we have been asking the wrong questions (Or maybe I have). Jesus never asked the questions that are being asked in the church today. He asked us to come follow him; to lay down our lives and pick up our cross. He asked us to worship him in spirit and truth, to remember the poor and disadvantaged, to follow the Law and, to be a witness in the world. Why is this so hard to achieve?

 

At least hear me out?

This long post started off as a response to Fr. Robert. So I thought it would be better as its own post.

Fr. Robert, for some reason I really like you.  Maybe it’s your kind forwardness that you have, sometimes I think you jump to conclusions and hear things we are not saying, but thus is the challenges of writing ones thoughts. I use blogging as a way to sort out my thoughts, and build friendships with other thinking Christians as I have no friends personally that have these similar interests.  Brian enthusiastically welcomed me to his blog and be a cowriter.  I consider him a great friend in Christ though we have never met personally.  

Now I think that theology should be done within the Christian community of which I feel that I belong too, and not in isolation. If I’m judged prematurely on subjects that I either don’t understand, or I’m exploring then I think that we do an injustice to the Christian community by not allowing one to voice their conclusions.   Right or wrong, dialog will only strengthen our belief in the Almighty, and help us to better articulate our doctrines.  But one must have the courage, and the humility to articulate his views or understanding without fear of being cast out.

There is so much I have to learn, I’m a late bloomer in my formal theological education, coming from a church that was anti-seminary I never studied in the way I would have preferred.  Instead I studied engineering and worked professionally as a mechanical design draftsman, a trade I dearly loved and enjoyed.  I then continued my education in computers through intense courses which the companies I worked for sent me.  For a person who never completed his degree I have had major professional accomplishments in my life. I have worked for some great companies and even held positions in Sr. Management where I reported directly to the CTO of the company and this was no insignificant company.

Through the years I have done my best to theologically educate myself through reading, mostly reformed authors if for nothing else I knew no better.  I never have embraced the “Calvinist” position on election, but have no fight to pick.  I’m not called to fight I understand that now.  Don’t get me wrong I’m ready to defend the great faith that we have in our Lord Jesus Christ.  But now that I’m in my early forties, my daughter is grown up and moved out, my son is sixteen and a thousand times smarter than me, I see it fit to get a proper theological education.  I now have the time and the financial ability to do so.  In my journey as a Pentecostal I have question many of my views, some I have abandoned other I have embraced with a new fervor having found sound reasoning to support my practices.

We don’t talk much about our personal experience with Christ for reasons I don’t understand.  But I’ll say this, before I ever journeyed in my theological quest I was already highly convinced and transformed because Christ revealed himself to me.  My life is a testimony of the power God to change lives.  Prior to coming to Christ my life was a reckless drug induced selfish existences.  So no matter where my theological journey takes me, I will never be dissuade from my personal encounter with the living God. Christ matters more to me than anything else in life.  I don’t study because I’m trying to convince myself, but simply trying to understand what I have already embraced.  As the old saying goes “faith seeking understanding”.

I value your wisdom, but the body of Christ is much bigger than just the reformed tradition, of which I consider myself a part of.  But I also understand that not every Christian is going to side with my Pentecostal sense abilities, but that does not discourage me nor do I feel compelled to reject my Christian brothers and sisters who do not see it my way. I hope that this openess helps you and those that visit our meager blog to at least better understand me.

Lessons Learned

Last year I decided to go back to school and complete my B.Th at King’s Evangelical Divinity School.  I only enrolled in one class as I have not been in school in over 20 years, I am currently 44 years old.  I know that I was going to have to reacquire some discipline skills in order to complete my courses.  It is vastly different to read and study for academic research than it is for sermons, or personal enrichment.  For one nobody has to read my sermons, I just need to properly deliver them.

There are some internal changes going on at the school at the moment so that gave me some time to work through this first course.  As I figured, discipline ended up being my greatest challenge.  Overtime I began to focus, and finally setup regular times where I would read, study and write.  I have chosen three days that I do my studies, Tuesdays & Thursdays evenings and Saturday mornings.  It took me quite some time to commit to these dates.  Part of the challenge is that since these courses are done on-line I don’t have the same demands to complete them as those that attend on campus.  If you are thinking of taking on-line classes and really lack self-discipline, I don’t recommend this method.

The second thing that was challenging was my inability to focus on what I needed to learn in order to write my paper.  I was trying to grasp every thought, idea, memorize time periods, all of which had little to do with the paper I needed to write.  Although, there are definitely some concepts that I needed to grasp I wasted too much time in these areas, that in the end weren’t as significant.

Lastly, I learned that I’m not that old and that I still have lots of determination, and ambition left within me.  It caused me to rethink other areas in my life where I am just wasting a lot time doing insignificant things.  It also reminded me of when I was younger when I would push myself beyond my limits.  As I have become older I have sort of settled in my accomplishments in life and really stop pushing myself.  I was preaching on the life of Kind David the other night, and how later in life he began to settle in his accomplishments, and instead of going to war with his generals, as Kings should he was hanging around his throne and found himself committing the greatest error of his life.  I cannot tell you how convicted I was, because that is exactly what I have allowed my life to become, just settling.  I had this awkward silences as I was preaching, but I had to finish it so I did.

I spent most of my life working, raising a family, being involved in ministry and earning a degree in theology is something that I have always wanted to do.  I am really glad that I decided to go back to school.  My 16-year-old son is very supportive of this as is my wife.  They know how much this means to me on a personal level.  I do believe that this will enable me to be a better person, and to ultimately bless and better serve His Kingdom, as that is my greatest desire.