Category: theological rant

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ChronoSnobbery.

One of the most shocking things I encountered while reading Brian McLaren’s A New Kind of Christianity was the subtle assertion that Moses was a superstitious idiot.  Or maybe he was throwing stones at Peter.

The thesis of the book seems to be that Christianity needs to outgrow primitive ways of understanding God and the Bible.  We need, according to Rev. McLaren, to gain a higher understanding of Scripture that shows God to be in line with our advanced understanding of concepts like peace and the basic good of humanity.

Tied up in that thesis is the thought that we know more than those ancients, and our experience of the world is vastly different from theirs.  While I agree that humans have discovered some things that are far beyond the scientific advancement of Moses, I heartily object to the fact that he would any more readily believe that a man could raise from the dead or walk on water than I would.

While he might not have had the formula for gravity figured out, you can bet the Apostle Paul would be just as surprised to see someone levitate as you or I would.  And while King David lived in a far more violent culture than contemporary America, he still could understand “more advanced” concepts like peace and non-violence.  To assert otherwise, as Rev. McLaren does, is downright astonishing.

Either he’s never read anything by “primitive” people like John Owen, or he ignored the fact that the guy was brilliant. You can’t explain away his worldview by saying that God was only showing him as much as his primitive little brain could handle. Because his brain was neither of those things.

At one point in the book, in a striking reversal of his thesis, he lumps all of contemporary Christianity in with post-300 AD Catholicism.  So, JI Packer is right on par with Pope Urban II.  Or John Owen is on the same level as Constantine.  Billy Graham actually had more in common with the crusades than just his choice of names.  Which is it, Rev McLaren? Is more education and enlightenment the key, or are the modern theologians just as lost as Augustine?

He would answer “yes” to both of those questions.  The key is advanced understanding, and we’ve been stuck in a 1500-year rut as Christians.  Now we’ve got courageous leaders like John Dominick Crossan, Brian McLaren, and Marcus Borg to lead us into true knowledge.  Pretty heady stuff.  He paints himself as a new Martin Luther in the book.  But then it reads more like he sees himself as the new Jesus, come to save us from our sins (namely, seeing our sins as sinful).

He’d like us to think he’s just being meek and mild Brian.  But his chronological snobbery asserts otherwise.  What do you think?

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Ministry Partner Development.

We don’t like to call it fund raising.  Not because we want to trick people or call it something that fools people out of their money, but because at the most foundational level, it’s not fund raising (though funds are a great byproduct).

At the most foundational level, when I call someone to set up an appointment with them to share about how God is at work and how they can join with Him in that work, I am developing partners.  It’s not just corporate-speak or sleight of tongue.  I want your money, but only if it is coming from a heart of partnership.  I’ll say that in reverse and in boldface, for emphasis: I don’t want your money if it is not coming from a heart of partnership. If you think you are paying me off (or worse, paying God off) by giving, keep it.

The word development is key, as well.  I am not “Ministry Partner Fishing” or “Finding.”  We aren’t just looking for a one-time thing, here.  Our desire is to cultivate a real relationship, over time.  I am thrilled to say that, in spite of my spotty efforts, God has raised up some folks on our team that are real partners.  We have people that have been on our team since 2002.  What a testimony to God’s work.  When I started this blog about two years ago, my goal was that it would be another place to really give our ministry partners access to our lives.

Yeah, at times I call them “supporters” and refer to what we do as “support raising,” but make no mistake, when I challenge people to give, I am challenging them to partnership.

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New Home. Just Like the Old Home.

In Scripture, Paul has a brilliant aside on the concept of “home” in 2 Corinthians 5:1-9.  Basically, he makes the point that all of our temporary “homes” are just shadows and signs pointing toward our true home.  The truth of the matter is that even this house (though we love it, and so far the neighborhood has been fantastic as well) is not really home.  Winston-Salem is not home, Greenwood is not home.  Asheville is not home.

Jesus is home.

Home is a place where you are known, and accepted in spite of that knowledge.  Home is a place that is safe from all danger.  Home is a place that is comfortable being yourself, even the nastiest parts of yourself.

We try and build buildings and neighborhoods that are all of those things, but the truth is that we can’t build it.  Bricks and security systems may provide an illusion of safety.  Nice furniture and hardwood floors may indeed give a sense of temporary comfort.  But it can’t last.  We try and build a temporary Jesus.  We’re not so different from the idol-makers we look down our noses at when we read about them in scripture.

Our houses here need to be places of welcome, places designed not for our comfort, but the comfort of others who don’t know Christ. That doesn’t mean hardwood floors and nice furniture are bad things, just that they ought to be tools for the kingdom.  If the neighbor’s kid can’t come over because you are afraid he might stain the carpet, maybe it’s time for new carpet (or a new attitude).

It’s just a house.

Here’s a video I made back in Asheville about a family who had just that perspective, by the grace of God.  Enjoy.

What are some says that we can make our houses more like our true home?  What are some things you have done?  Comment below.

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Church Home.

We are pretty decisive people. That’s what has made the church search so painful. When we moved to Asheville, we already had a church picked out, and had all but joined. It was a perfect fit for us, parked in the space between Jacqueline’s home church and my penchant to be a bit of a theological neat-nick. We never even visited another church. We joined within a few months of moving.

So we got here, and though a lot has changed for both of us in what we look for in a church (how do you pronounce “childcare?”), we were skeptical as to what church could possibly live up to our experience at Grace. We were pretty spoiled by the gospel-centered teaching and the great community of folks there.

The first two churches we visited, though they seemed to be full of nice folks, just didn’t fit us.

Not finding an immediate fit was painful. I fully realize the luxury of living in America (in general) and the south (in particular) and near a larger city (to be down-right pinpoint accurate) in having not just a church on every corner, but some great, thriving, wonderful churches from which to choose. We are really so privileged in this part of the country to have access to such amazing communities of folks at such short distance from us.

Jacqueline and I have been acutely aware of the effect of being community-starved for the last few weeks. We have some great coworkers and friends here in the triangle that have softened the impact of moving, for sure. But coworkers can’t make up for church friends and church community. That’s a lesson I learned really early on in vocational ministry. Because ministry and church often “look” the same, it takes discipline to differentiate between “on the clock” and spiritual life. Healthy boundaries are a must.

The third church we visited looks and feels a lot more like a fit. It’s Christ The King Presbyterian in Raleigh. I learned yesterday that it’s one of only 3 churches in the world affiliated with both the Acts 29 network and the PCA denomination. What a perfect fit for us! We are excited to get plugged in, and to find some free babysitters community groups near us.

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Jesus Is Not On Your Team.

I have bad news.  Jesus is not on your team.

There are two teams, see.  The bad guys, and Jesus.  The crooked, depraved, self-serving, religious folks; and Jesus.

He’s not on your team.  He didn’t come for your agenda.  You can’t recruit him to your cause.  You can’t get him on board with your timeline and market projections.

In Joshua 5:13-14, we get an astonishing view of the pre-incarnate Christ.  He shows up, and Joshua worships Him (and given that the man in the story doesn’t tell him to stop worshipping, I assume that man is Jesus, whom it is OK to worship).  But the astonishing part is that when Joshua asks Jesus, “are you on our team or theirs?” (referring to the inhabitants of Jericho) Jesus doesn’t say at all what I would expect.

This is the Old Testament.  God’s chosen nation, Israel, is going to fight against a pagan city, Jericho.  I’d expect Jesus to say, “I’m on your team.  Let’s go kick some pagan butt.” And then he’d go all Jack Bauer on the other team and call in a tactical support team of angels to extract Rahab from her place like Dana Walsh (the Rahab-Dana Walsh comparison could be taken WAY deeper if Dana had repented, by the way).  He’d scream “DROP YOUR WEAPON” to the guards outside of Rahab’s place, and use the phrase “I don’t want to kill you, but I will if I have to” multiple times in an episode.

But read what he says! (mouse over the verse above to read it)  He treats the question like a multiple choice, and adds an option (c).  He’s not on either team!

Joshua saw an impressive dude with a sword, and got all strategic.  He needed a little help with the folks from Jericho.  But Jesus gently reminds him that if he wins the battle, it’s because God wins the battle.  He didn’t recruit God onto his team. Israel didn’t earn God’s favor, and they were no better than the people of Jericho.  It’s by grace that they were saved, through faith.  Not as a result of works, so that Joshua couldn’t boast.

That sounds familiar.

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