I admit that over the past couple of years watching Jon and Kate plus 8 has been one of my guilty pleasures. It all started off because my wife was watching them and I would sit down on occasion to watch the show. Next thing you know it, I was hooked. The original premise of the show was how this couple coped with the difficulties of marriage and raising 8 kids (twins and sextuplets).
However as the show went on the strain of the marriage came to the front. Now comes word that this celebrity couple is getting a divorce. Not earth shaking news, celebrity couples get divorced all the time, but this celebrity couple is a celebrity couple because they are married and have 8 kids.
Both said that their kids are the most important thing in their lives. But what about their marriage? Wouldn't that in a sense be more important than their kids? It's kind of like saying that the house is more important than the foundation it's built on. Yes you can still have the house but it's much better off with a solid foundation. Same for kids, you can have kids without the marriage but they are better off in a marriage (see here, here and here).
Maybe Jon and Kate should have focused on what was best for their marriage and that would have resulted in them doing what was best for their kids.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Trouble and Promise in the Struggle of the Church in America
In Oxford, England during the year of 1938 the great theologian Karl Barth gave a speech entitled Trouble and Promise in the Struggle of the Church in Germany. In that lecture he spelled out how the Nazi party had offered the Evangelical Church in Germany what seemed like the deal of a lifetime. It was one of those deals that seem too good to be true. The church was offered a favored position in the new state and assured that they would be able to evangelize the 80 to 90 percent of the German people who were not in the church. The only catch was that the church had to recognize that the Nazi party coming to power was divine revelation. And that the church had to put its work, teaching and care under the service of the state, namely the leader of the state. Barth went on to point out how some in the church grasped this offer as if it was from God and others shunned it. He also pointed out that while this trial was out in the open in the German church that a similar but hidden temptation faces every church in every nation. We are able to have favored status among men if we just serve men rather than God.
Jesus faced a very similar set of temptations in Matthew 4. Jesus faced three different temptations; the first was a benefit to his physical appetite, the second was a benefit of personal gain and the third was a benefit of power and glory. Today we will examine the third of these three temptations and how that same temptation still faces us today. Not only does that temptation face us, but there is a very real trouble and promise within that temptation that faces the church in America today.
All too often we as a church seem to be more interested in what God can do for us rather than what we can do for God. We expect God to bless us as a church and a nation. “If we are faithful to God then God will bless us” is our mantra. It’s a mantra that we do not give much thought or the ramifications of what we are truly saying. We have this expectation of God blessing us but our expectation, while we may verbally deny it, is that God will bless us in material ways. We do not think about what we are saying to the non-Christians of our nation nor do we think about what we are saying to the rest of the Christian church in the world when we hold this mantra. Just as a bit of background, the United States has the largest national population of Christians. Yet we only have a little over 11% of the world’s Christian population. And on top of that, the world’s Christian population, which is the largest religion in the world, still only represents less than 1/3 of the world’s total population. So we as American Christians, who are the most visible Christians in the world, need to be very careful about what we say and how we say it.
The United States currently holds the prestigious position of being the preeminent superpower of the world. We are also the overall richest country in the world. Our Gross Domestic Product, which is a measure of the size of our economy is almost double that of the next closest country. We do a very good job of defining status by how much stuff we own. Watch any amount of TV or listen to the radio; both of them make huge amounts of money from advertising, advertising that is designed to get you to buy more stuff. I know that I am particularly susceptible to their wares. Whenever I travel I have a phone, laptop computer, personal game system and an mp3 player that I must bring with me. However did I travel without them? When I was growing up it was rare to ever see a Mercedes or a BMW driving down the street. These rich status symbols meant something. Today it is rare to drive anywhere without seeing multiples of each. While we are not all rich by American standards, most of us are not lacking any real necessity by the world’s standards. In a certain sense, yes God has blessed us as a nation. Yet what does it say to the other nations of the world when we claim to be faithful and therefore blessed? The Christians in Darfur face trials and tribulations that we in America will never even fully understand let alone face. Are they less faithful than us because they are not similarly blessed as we are?
As the richest church in the richest country we have both a position of prestige and power as well as a position of great responsibility. The trouble that faces the church in America today is working hard to maintain and even expand its favored status within our own nation. At times the church does a better job of reflecting the values found in our own country rather than the values found in our Bible. We want to do what is right in the eyes of men rather than what is right in the eyes of God. We are even starting to change some of our core beliefs to better fit into the culture. We fail to speak out regarding politics so that we do not lose our tax exempt status. We would rather save money by not paying taxes than speak to an important issue that is being decided in our political system. Just because the government wants us to keep our faith private does not mean that God wants us to do the same. The trouble is that we come across as greedily wanting to save our own lifestyles rather than our and others eternal lives. While I cannot speak for everyone else, we would all do well to check and see if that particular greedy shoe fits.
However not all is lost. We have been given a position of great wealth and influence which we have a duty to use well. There is a great opportunity for us to do an even greater good than we have already done so far. Churches all across this nation are making a choice to spend their resources on making the world a better place. Now in what is a global recession we have the opportunity to do an even greater good. We have the money and the influence to make tangible changes to problems such as world hunger, the African AIDS epidemic and human rights violations. We should be leading the way in doing these things no matter how unpopular they make us and no matter what they cost us. If we do any less, we are the ones that are less faithful.
Jesus faced a very similar set of temptations in Matthew 4. Jesus faced three different temptations; the first was a benefit to his physical appetite, the second was a benefit of personal gain and the third was a benefit of power and glory. Today we will examine the third of these three temptations and how that same temptation still faces us today. Not only does that temptation face us, but there is a very real trouble and promise within that temptation that faces the church in America today.
All too often we as a church seem to be more interested in what God can do for us rather than what we can do for God. We expect God to bless us as a church and a nation. “If we are faithful to God then God will bless us” is our mantra. It’s a mantra that we do not give much thought or the ramifications of what we are truly saying. We have this expectation of God blessing us but our expectation, while we may verbally deny it, is that God will bless us in material ways. We do not think about what we are saying to the non-Christians of our nation nor do we think about what we are saying to the rest of the Christian church in the world when we hold this mantra. Just as a bit of background, the United States has the largest national population of Christians. Yet we only have a little over 11% of the world’s Christian population. And on top of that, the world’s Christian population, which is the largest religion in the world, still only represents less than 1/3 of the world’s total population. So we as American Christians, who are the most visible Christians in the world, need to be very careful about what we say and how we say it.
The United States currently holds the prestigious position of being the preeminent superpower of the world. We are also the overall richest country in the world. Our Gross Domestic Product, which is a measure of the size of our economy is almost double that of the next closest country. We do a very good job of defining status by how much stuff we own. Watch any amount of TV or listen to the radio; both of them make huge amounts of money from advertising, advertising that is designed to get you to buy more stuff. I know that I am particularly susceptible to their wares. Whenever I travel I have a phone, laptop computer, personal game system and an mp3 player that I must bring with me. However did I travel without them? When I was growing up it was rare to ever see a Mercedes or a BMW driving down the street. These rich status symbols meant something. Today it is rare to drive anywhere without seeing multiples of each. While we are not all rich by American standards, most of us are not lacking any real necessity by the world’s standards. In a certain sense, yes God has blessed us as a nation. Yet what does it say to the other nations of the world when we claim to be faithful and therefore blessed? The Christians in Darfur face trials and tribulations that we in America will never even fully understand let alone face. Are they less faithful than us because they are not similarly blessed as we are?
As the richest church in the richest country we have both a position of prestige and power as well as a position of great responsibility. The trouble that faces the church in America today is working hard to maintain and even expand its favored status within our own nation. At times the church does a better job of reflecting the values found in our own country rather than the values found in our Bible. We want to do what is right in the eyes of men rather than what is right in the eyes of God. We are even starting to change some of our core beliefs to better fit into the culture. We fail to speak out regarding politics so that we do not lose our tax exempt status. We would rather save money by not paying taxes than speak to an important issue that is being decided in our political system. Just because the government wants us to keep our faith private does not mean that God wants us to do the same. The trouble is that we come across as greedily wanting to save our own lifestyles rather than our and others eternal lives. While I cannot speak for everyone else, we would all do well to check and see if that particular greedy shoe fits.
However not all is lost. We have been given a position of great wealth and influence which we have a duty to use well. There is a great opportunity for us to do an even greater good than we have already done so far. Churches all across this nation are making a choice to spend their resources on making the world a better place. Now in what is a global recession we have the opportunity to do an even greater good. We have the money and the influence to make tangible changes to problems such as world hunger, the African AIDS epidemic and human rights violations. We should be leading the way in doing these things no matter how unpopular they make us and no matter what they cost us. If we do any less, we are the ones that are less faithful.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
The Gospel and Culture
When I think about the concept of culture the first thing that comes to mind is the nature versus nurture argument. I see culture as the nurture component of the great development debate. It is the environment that is created by the other people surrounding us. I do not mean to suggest that we are merely innocent bystanders in the creation of the culture that we find ourselves in but that our culture (at large) is so influenced by others that our individual influence is miniscule. This also does not mean that a single person cannot cause drastic changes in a culture but that the required effort is usually so overwhelming that it usually costs that person their life. And even in these cases it is usually not a single person that causes the change but rather that person is merely the most visible person in a swell of support for the change. Someone like Martin Luther King cannot change a culture of inherent racism without the tireless and continuing work of others to bring about the change. Bill Gates, who has profoundly impacted our culture in a very different way, did not act alone but had much help. Both cases had to have a certain amount of the public willing to accept the changes that they were both proposing. Yet while the culture is larger than any one person, it is at the same time what you make of it. Culture is the relational influence that is placed upon us and that we in turn place on others.
I can find myself in an almost limitless number of cultures. I am in the culture of the United States of America but also in the culture of the world. And while the USA culture is just a small part of the world culture, the culture of this country is not a single homogeneous glob. It can be divided and subdivided almost endlessly. Every aspect of my life has very different cultures that I influence and in turn influence me. Certain cultures, if I don’t like them can be easily changeable either through influence or even absence. Other cultures may provide intriguing to me and I can work to join those cultures through membership or conformity. I also have a choice to take from my surrounding cultures that which I want and leave behind that which I do not want. I can even choose to be counter-cultural, which has become such a popular idea that being counter-cultural is becoming a popular norm of our culture. While this may seem at odds with the previous paragraph because culture is based upon our relationship with each other, as the culture gets larger and larger the ability of the individual to affect change becomes smaller and smaller.
The one person that had the ability to completely affect culture on a large scale chose not to do so. Jesus understood the importance of relationship so well that in his quest to make a history shifting impact in the culture of the world that he willingly involved others. The Gospel is simply our relationship with God. This is not to say, as I have heard others proclaim, that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship. I would say that it is both; it is the religion that leads to the proper relationship with God. This relationship with God in turn affects our relationship with others. As I see it, the closer I get to a right relationship with God the closer I get to a right relationship with those that I come in contact with. In this way culture and the gospel are intricately intertwined. Because we are all creatures that were created in the image of God, then every culture contains some influence of the gospel.
While the merits of the argument that our country is, or was, a Christian nation can be debated, what I think is important is not whether or not we try to govern this country as a Christian nation but whether or not we as Christians positively influence the relational nature of our cultures. And because culture is made up of relationships and the gospel seeks to mend broken relationships that the intersection and influence of the two on each other cannot be understated. It is not merely a one way street but rather a very dynamic relationship between the two. I have found the struggles between Christianity and culture throughout the history of the church to be very interesting and how we see different reactions by the church to when culture has more influence on Christianity than vice-versa. I see culture and gospel not just as an interesting topic but rather I see their intersection as what ministry is all about.
I can find myself in an almost limitless number of cultures. I am in the culture of the United States of America but also in the culture of the world. And while the USA culture is just a small part of the world culture, the culture of this country is not a single homogeneous glob. It can be divided and subdivided almost endlessly. Every aspect of my life has very different cultures that I influence and in turn influence me. Certain cultures, if I don’t like them can be easily changeable either through influence or even absence. Other cultures may provide intriguing to me and I can work to join those cultures through membership or conformity. I also have a choice to take from my surrounding cultures that which I want and leave behind that which I do not want. I can even choose to be counter-cultural, which has become such a popular idea that being counter-cultural is becoming a popular norm of our culture. While this may seem at odds with the previous paragraph because culture is based upon our relationship with each other, as the culture gets larger and larger the ability of the individual to affect change becomes smaller and smaller.
The one person that had the ability to completely affect culture on a large scale chose not to do so. Jesus understood the importance of relationship so well that in his quest to make a history shifting impact in the culture of the world that he willingly involved others. The Gospel is simply our relationship with God. This is not to say, as I have heard others proclaim, that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship. I would say that it is both; it is the religion that leads to the proper relationship with God. This relationship with God in turn affects our relationship with others. As I see it, the closer I get to a right relationship with God the closer I get to a right relationship with those that I come in contact with. In this way culture and the gospel are intricately intertwined. Because we are all creatures that were created in the image of God, then every culture contains some influence of the gospel.
While the merits of the argument that our country is, or was, a Christian nation can be debated, what I think is important is not whether or not we try to govern this country as a Christian nation but whether or not we as Christians positively influence the relational nature of our cultures. And because culture is made up of relationships and the gospel seeks to mend broken relationships that the intersection and influence of the two on each other cannot be understated. It is not merely a one way street but rather a very dynamic relationship between the two. I have found the struggles between Christianity and culture throughout the history of the church to be very interesting and how we see different reactions by the church to when culture has more influence on Christianity than vice-versa. I see culture and gospel not just as an interesting topic but rather I see their intersection as what ministry is all about.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
A "Good" Church?
For a class in Congregational Studies we had to think about what it means to be a "good" church. It is an interesting question and here are some of my random and wandering thoughts.
When I think about what a “good” church should be, I think about what the RCA states is their intended results of their efforts to revitalize and multiply existing churches. They say that it should result in the church being a place where “lives (are) being transformed by the love of Jesus Christ as the lost are found, the hungry are fed, the broken are made whole, hurts are healed, and hope overcomes despair. Neighborhoods, villages, towns, and cities (become) healthier, more just, and more gracious for all people as they experience God’s expanding realm of grace, mercy, love, and justice.”
While I may not always agree with Rick Warren’s methods and theology, I have always thought highly of fulfilling the Great Commission as you live out the Great Commandment as being very important. It seems to me that a church will accomplish the RCA goals if it can create fully devoted followers of Christ while loving God and others with all of our heart, soul and mind. Of course this in praxis rather than in theory is the hard part of ministry. It is important for the church, both on a personal level and a congregational level, to grow inwardly while having an outward focus.
I also think that a church needs to be theologically sound and Biblically based, which may seem obvious but as we see mainline churches that deemphasize and even deny traditional orthodox beliefs it is clear that it may not be so obvious.
Adding to the mix of hard to do, a church should also try to be contemporary, relevant and cutting edge (creative) while honoring and respecting tradition. I understand that this will look very different from church to church as each individual church is working within a different local context and has to deal with how contemporary, relevant and cutting edge looks to the people within that context. A cutting edge church in rural Iowa is going to look very different from a cutting edge church in Manhattan which is going to look very different from a cutting edge church in Long Beach, CA.
I do feel that a church needs to keep grounded in the historical beliefs and traditions of the faith as they move forward into the future.
When I think about what a “good” church should be, I think about what the RCA states is their intended results of their efforts to revitalize and multiply existing churches. They say that it should result in the church being a place where “lives (are) being transformed by the love of Jesus Christ as the lost are found, the hungry are fed, the broken are made whole, hurts are healed, and hope overcomes despair. Neighborhoods, villages, towns, and cities (become) healthier, more just, and more gracious for all people as they experience God’s expanding realm of grace, mercy, love, and justice.”
While I may not always agree with Rick Warren’s methods and theology, I have always thought highly of fulfilling the Great Commission as you live out the Great Commandment as being very important. It seems to me that a church will accomplish the RCA goals if it can create fully devoted followers of Christ while loving God and others with all of our heart, soul and mind. Of course this in praxis rather than in theory is the hard part of ministry. It is important for the church, both on a personal level and a congregational level, to grow inwardly while having an outward focus.
I also think that a church needs to be theologically sound and Biblically based, which may seem obvious but as we see mainline churches that deemphasize and even deny traditional orthodox beliefs it is clear that it may not be so obvious.
Adding to the mix of hard to do, a church should also try to be contemporary, relevant and cutting edge (creative) while honoring and respecting tradition. I understand that this will look very different from church to church as each individual church is working within a different local context and has to deal with how contemporary, relevant and cutting edge looks to the people within that context. A cutting edge church in rural Iowa is going to look very different from a cutting edge church in Manhattan which is going to look very different from a cutting edge church in Long Beach, CA.
I do feel that a church needs to keep grounded in the historical beliefs and traditions of the faith as they move forward into the future.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Find Me Guilty
My wife and I were watching a movie the other night called Find Me Guilty starring Vin Diesel. It is based on the true story of Jack DiNorscio and the trial United States v. Anthony Accetturo et al, which was at the time the longest trial in U.S. history. It was the trial of members of the notorious Lucchesse crime family. DiNorscio had just been convicted of another crime and sentenced to 30 years in prison. He was given a chance to testify as a prosecution witness in order to reduce his sentence but refused. Unhappy with his lawyer, DiNorscio decided to defend himself in the RICO case.
The movie portrays DiNorscio as a funny and lovable character and it further portrays the other defendants as the heroes of the story. The telling of the story encourages you to root for DiNorscio and his pals to win the case. Then there is a very telling line from the lead prosecutor Sean Kierney, played by Linus Roache.
Kierney and his fellow lawyers are back in the office talking about how the jury is being swayed by the antics of DiNorscio. He has a long rant about how the defendants are not good people, that things are more expensive because of the corruption and ends with, “and, oh yeah, sometimes they kill people.”
It made me stop and think about how these defendants that are being painted in a positive light are guilty of fraud, embezzlement, bribery, drug trafficking, prostitution, assault, battery, rape and murder. They are not heroes or role models. I would not want any child that I know emulating them yet we glorify these types of people all the time in our entertainment. It is very easy to see that in our society good is now bad and bad is now good.
When the foundation of a building is eroded away it is not long before the rest of the structure collapses. With the erosion of our society’s foundation of values, ethics and laws how long is it before the structure of our society collapses?
The movie portrays DiNorscio as a funny and lovable character and it further portrays the other defendants as the heroes of the story. The telling of the story encourages you to root for DiNorscio and his pals to win the case. Then there is a very telling line from the lead prosecutor Sean Kierney, played by Linus Roache.
Kierney and his fellow lawyers are back in the office talking about how the jury is being swayed by the antics of DiNorscio. He has a long rant about how the defendants are not good people, that things are more expensive because of the corruption and ends with, “and, oh yeah, sometimes they kill people.”
It made me stop and think about how these defendants that are being painted in a positive light are guilty of fraud, embezzlement, bribery, drug trafficking, prostitution, assault, battery, rape and murder. They are not heroes or role models. I would not want any child that I know emulating them yet we glorify these types of people all the time in our entertainment. It is very easy to see that in our society good is now bad and bad is now good.
When the foundation of a building is eroded away it is not long before the rest of the structure collapses. With the erosion of our society’s foundation of values, ethics and laws how long is it before the structure of our society collapses?
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
California Wildfires
I have experienced the aftereffects of a California wildfire first hand. My wife's parents live in Claremont California and the first time that I visited them was in November 2003. A large fire had ravished the mountains behind their house that October. I still have a stirring memory of looking out their back window and seeing the blackness of the charred mountain side. I have since seen those mountains in every season and their beauty is a sharp contrast from that first image. Last Christmas my wife and I went horseback riding through the mountains. The growth over the two years was beautiful but our guide told us of how the effects of the fire could still be felt.
Every time I see the reports of wildfires in California I always ask my wife how close they are to her parents’ house. Most are not that close but the latest fires are only 60 miles away. These fires were deliberately set and have so far cost the lives of five firemen. The damage to the land and wildlife cannot ever be fully measured. My wife always seems less worried about the fires than I am. While I have experienced the aftereffects of the fire, she has experienced the fires. She and her family have had to hose down their fence and roof while the fires burned in the mountains.
This first hand experience gives her a different view. It is not that she is less concerned about the fires or the ensuing devastation; it is that she knows how close the fire can be without posing an immediate threat. She also knows to be very wary and ready to act because there is a point where the fire is close enough to turn quickly and create a very dangerous situation.
Sometimes as Christians we start worrying too early about the wildfires of life getting too close. This prevents us from living and interacting with those around us as we should. We want to keep certain wildfires from getting too close which, in and of itself, is not bad. We run into a problem when keeping the wildfires at a distance prevents us from helping those in danger of the wildfires. It is a problem when we keep a distance from those that reek of the acrid smoke, those that are covered with the foul ash, and those that are blistered raw from the burns.
Firemen never fight a fire without the proper training, equipment and experience and we should do likewise. We need to get the right training, get the right tools and partner with those that have the right experience and start saving people from the wildfires of this life so that they will also be saved from the fires of the next life.
October 2003 Wildfires.
Claremont is a little more than half way from the Los Angeles arrow point to the San Bernardino arrow point. It is almost straight west from San Bernardino.
Every time I see the reports of wildfires in California I always ask my wife how close they are to her parents’ house. Most are not that close but the latest fires are only 60 miles away. These fires were deliberately set and have so far cost the lives of five firemen. The damage to the land and wildlife cannot ever be fully measured. My wife always seems less worried about the fires than I am. While I have experienced the aftereffects of the fire, she has experienced the fires. She and her family have had to hose down their fence and roof while the fires burned in the mountains.
This first hand experience gives her a different view. It is not that she is less concerned about the fires or the ensuing devastation; it is that she knows how close the fire can be without posing an immediate threat. She also knows to be very wary and ready to act because there is a point where the fire is close enough to turn quickly and create a very dangerous situation.
Sometimes as Christians we start worrying too early about the wildfires of life getting too close. This prevents us from living and interacting with those around us as we should. We want to keep certain wildfires from getting too close which, in and of itself, is not bad. We run into a problem when keeping the wildfires at a distance prevents us from helping those in danger of the wildfires. It is a problem when we keep a distance from those that reek of the acrid smoke, those that are covered with the foul ash, and those that are blistered raw from the burns.
Firemen never fight a fire without the proper training, equipment and experience and we should do likewise. We need to get the right training, get the right tools and partner with those that have the right experience and start saving people from the wildfires of this life so that they will also be saved from the fires of the next life.
October 2003 Wildfires.
Claremont is a little more than half way from the Los Angeles arrow point to the San Bernardino arrow point. It is almost straight west from San Bernardino.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)