“It is a mistake to imagine that people are hardened against the gospel. They are simply bored by the way it is so often presented—too rigid, too rationalistic, too uncomprehending of other world views, too small minded.” This is a reflection from the teacher, pastor, professor, and evangelist Michael Green.
I find that a great deal of evangelism and apologetics miss the mark because it is created within the walls of the Christian sub culture. It's created for the wrong audience.
We rightfully admire the apologetics of the Apostle Paul, G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, and Peter Kreeft, but we sometimes ignore their secret of success. They did all their apologetics before an unbelieving audience. Paul spoke in public places where there were few believers in the audience. G.K. Chesterton wrote in newspapers and debated creatively in public venues. C.S. Lewis spoke on British radio, wrote in papers, taught in secular university, and lectured in public. His nonfiction books are powerful because the ideas within their pages were formed while doing the up close and personal work of an apologist. Peter Kreeft's effective apologetics was developed in the classroom and during evangelistic presentations on campus.
Did they speak in churches? Yes, but only after they had hit the streets and had something to bring back.
Good apologetics begins with good theology. Theology is an in house activity. But apologetics is very different. Apologetics is a creative work that is informed by face to face encounters with those far from Jesus. Good apologetics is not only field tested, but it is developed on the field.
Francis Schaeffer once noted that Christian writing is fifteen to twenty years behind the times. Once the active discussion is filtered through all the cultural barriers that the church has erected between itself and the world, the church begins answering questions that no one is asking anymore - at least not in the way they are asking them.
I have been a campus evangelist and missionary for almost 30 years now. My theology was developed (and still is) among believers, but my apologetics and evangelism has been developed in campus squares, during one to one evangelism encounters, and during question and answer periods with preChristians during evangelist presentations. These opportunities have allowed me to see the puzzled looks when my answers don't make sense. I get interrupted when I haven't really understood someone's concern or question. I get to see the confusion when I begin to rely on jargon that is not commonly used by anyone but seminary grads.
Some of the biggest benefits from field experience is that I get nailed if I try to use circular arguments. I get stopped if I try to argue for authority rather than lay out a well order argument or explanation. I learn that I can not appeal to common sense because the common sense of the world is in opposition to God's wisdom. I also learn the real questions people are asking rather than just those I wish they'd ask.
A developing apologist and/or evangelist needs a great deal of face time with the people they are trying to reach. Without that, we begin to rely on clichés, pat answers from the past, and what we are told the world believes. But most of all apologetic and evangelism needs the creativity that results from personal encounters, the lessons in the heart issues that complicate and guides lives, and the firsthand experience of the dance that is humanity.
It is great that we can quote people like C.S. Lewis, but it's getting a bit old. He was speaking to a British audience in the World War II era. He clothed the eternal truth of God in the clothes of his time so people could successfully encounter it. We need to follow that example and translate that truth for our day. We need to learn our apologetics in coffee shops, on campuses, and wherever people gather. We need to field test our presentation of the truth.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
Easter & the Power for Change
Easter may represent a truly anti-American moment. At best it's counterculture to many of our dearest-held American values. The same can be said to one degree or another about any other culture as well, but we must deal with ours. The wisdom of this world fights to obscure, hide, and twist the truth of God. Spotting this becomes more difficult when a people begins to believe that their nation, their culture, is somehow immune to the effects of sin.
One of our strongly held American archetypes is the rugged individual who overcomes his (and sometimes) her enemies by destroying his opposers by an act of force or popular support. The honorable gunslinger that proves God is on his side by giving him victory through battle in a gunfight. The bad gunslinger is slain and God's justice has prevailed. The gunslinger has now been replaced by the beefy, sweaty, bare chested warrior with belts of ammunition slung across his shoulders mowing down his enemy with fire spitting machine guns.
We have a deeply held cultural belief that might makes right, but that is a sharp contrast to the message of Easter. During our never ending election cycle there has been a growing belief that we can solve our problems through political power and force. Over the last few decades more and more Christians have entered into the culture wars, an attempt to use peer pressure and public power to get people to talk and act the way we want them to. The underlying theme is that our enemies need to be put down, humiliated, and destroyed.
And then there's Jesus and Easter. There were no armies of angels or vengeful lightning bolts at the last moment. The crowds didn't suddenly come to their senses, overwhelm the Roman guards, and rescue Jesus from the cross. Pontus Pilate, Caiaphas, and Herod were able to walk away feeling satisfied that they had done right. Jesus was not the heroic gunslinger, and yet...
And yet, Jesus won. He brought lasting change. He changed the world. Why? Because he didn't come to defeat people. He came to save them. He didn't desire to humiliate anyone but to love them. Did he call out people? You bet, but not that often and very carefully. Instead of focusing on those few moments (but don't ignore them either), we should focus on how he treated people most of the time.
"The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Mat 23:11, 12) He taught us, "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." (Luke 6:27-28) He even instructed his people to go the extra mile and carry an invading army's packs farther than required. (Mat 5:41) That doesn't sound like a gunslinger, Rambo, the latest Bruce Willis incarnation, or Bruce Lee. But Jesus' goal wasn't to prove himself. He was confident in his own identity and of the truth. It was to bless others with truth and deliverance.
Paul learned from Jesus firsthand, "...our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph 6:12) There is a set of tools for the fight against spiritual enemies and another to use in the battle for those caught in sin. The gunfighter only wins for the moment. There is always another bad guy waiting in the wings. But Jesus changed hearts. Changed hearts lead to changed communities which lead to changed nations which results in a changed world. We are to fight for those trapped in sin rather than against them.
Jesus tells us we have it all wrong. We don't prove ourselves on the bodies of our enemies. Love, service, and sacrifice lead to meaningful change. Those are the tools that God's Spirit blesses and empowers. When Jesus asks us to pick up our cross and follow, he asks the gunslinger, the destroyer of men, to follow the example he gave through the cross (Mat 16:24) and become the servant of all. For that is the path Jesus blesses with greatness.
One of our strongly held American archetypes is the rugged individual who overcomes his (and sometimes) her enemies by destroying his opposers by an act of force or popular support. The honorable gunslinger that proves God is on his side by giving him victory through battle in a gunfight. The bad gunslinger is slain and God's justice has prevailed. The gunslinger has now been replaced by the beefy, sweaty, bare chested warrior with belts of ammunition slung across his shoulders mowing down his enemy with fire spitting machine guns.
We have a deeply held cultural belief that might makes right, but that is a sharp contrast to the message of Easter. During our never ending election cycle there has been a growing belief that we can solve our problems through political power and force. Over the last few decades more and more Christians have entered into the culture wars, an attempt to use peer pressure and public power to get people to talk and act the way we want them to. The underlying theme is that our enemies need to be put down, humiliated, and destroyed.
And then there's Jesus and Easter. There were no armies of angels or vengeful lightning bolts at the last moment. The crowds didn't suddenly come to their senses, overwhelm the Roman guards, and rescue Jesus from the cross. Pontus Pilate, Caiaphas, and Herod were able to walk away feeling satisfied that they had done right. Jesus was not the heroic gunslinger, and yet...
And yet, Jesus won. He brought lasting change. He changed the world. Why? Because he didn't come to defeat people. He came to save them. He didn't desire to humiliate anyone but to love them. Did he call out people? You bet, but not that often and very carefully. Instead of focusing on those few moments (but don't ignore them either), we should focus on how he treated people most of the time.
"The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Mat 23:11, 12) He taught us, "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." (Luke 6:27-28) He even instructed his people to go the extra mile and carry an invading army's packs farther than required. (Mat 5:41) That doesn't sound like a gunslinger, Rambo, the latest Bruce Willis incarnation, or Bruce Lee. But Jesus' goal wasn't to prove himself. He was confident in his own identity and of the truth. It was to bless others with truth and deliverance.
Paul learned from Jesus firsthand, "...our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph 6:12) There is a set of tools for the fight against spiritual enemies and another to use in the battle for those caught in sin. The gunfighter only wins for the moment. There is always another bad guy waiting in the wings. But Jesus changed hearts. Changed hearts lead to changed communities which lead to changed nations which results in a changed world. We are to fight for those trapped in sin rather than against them.
Jesus tells us we have it all wrong. We don't prove ourselves on the bodies of our enemies. Love, service, and sacrifice lead to meaningful change. Those are the tools that God's Spirit blesses and empowers. When Jesus asks us to pick up our cross and follow, he asks the gunslinger, the destroyer of men, to follow the example he gave through the cross (Mat 16:24) and become the servant of all. For that is the path Jesus blesses with greatness.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The Difference One Can Make
What difference can one person make? The world is large and filled with problems, evil, and naysayers. Perhaps cynicism is the largest obstacle. There are a lot of people out there ready to tell you why your dream won't succeed, but history tells us that one person can make a difference.
In 1988 an Eskimo hunter discovered three whales trapped in the Arctic ice. Not an unusual experience, but this time it came to the attention of a few people who, against all odds, acted. What resulted was a multinational rescue effort that captured the attention of a nation. You may or may not agree with the use of resources for such an endeavor, but that isn't the point. All this happened because a few individuals, not nations or corporations, took a risk and tried to make a difference.
William Booth had been ministering as an evangelist for years, but in 1865 he found his calling as he was ministering in the East End of London. He believed that he could make a difference in the life of the poor there by preaching the gospel while living it out among the people there. He didn't have much more than his family behind him. He was often egged and had bottles and rocks thrown at him while he preached. When East Enders came to Christ "respectable" churches wouldn't let them join their congregations. With that kind of cynical opposition, what hope was there that Booth would make a difference? Today, millions of lives have been changed by The Salvation Army that he founded.
Blake Mycoskie was a tourist visiting Argentina when two things happened. First, he noticed that many children didn't have shoes and this was leading to preventable diseases. Second, he noticed and fell in love with a local Argentine shoe. It seemed like a crazy dream for one person to pull off, but he collected a small group of friends and started Tom Shoes in his apartment living room. He started a new line of shoes. For every one shoe sold, another shoe went to the poor, starting with the children who had inspired him in Argentina. Tom Shoes, both the shoes and the mission, is a growing concern today.
Derreck Kayongo, an Ugandan immigrant to the U.S. discovered that hotels threw away tons of barely used soap each year. At the same time, poor Ugandans were dying of diseases some of which could be prevented by nothing more than the availability of soap. He talked a hotel into collecting the soap they were going to throw away. He used his family's meager resources and bought a machine that forms bars of soap. He sterilizes the soap, melted it down, reformed the bars, and then began sending it back to Uganda. Now scores of hotels are working with CARE international and soap is being recycled here and in Uganda, to be distributed to those in need.
These are not flukes. One person can make a difference. If someone steps out, others will catch the vision and follow. Not all at once. Sometimes not right away. The vision doesn't have to be international. A need in your neighborhood, town, or city. One person, Grace Reynolds, saw the unmet needs of the developmentally disabled and the deaf in Longview Washington. Among other things, she began a YMCA summer camp program for this population. Her work changed my life when I entered the program as a volunteer.
My life has been filled with people who have decided to turn their backs on cynicism and make a difference. Bible study leaders, youth workers, innovators, and dreamers.
Jesus found twelve people who were willing to try and make a difference. He didn't start with the rich and the powerful. I think he could have but perhaps he was trying to make a point. Ordinary people can become extraordinary, if we are willing.
The cynical are of little use until they repent, but God can do amazing things with the dreams and the lovers. They are willing to risk for love. They are the people of faith.
In 1988 an Eskimo hunter discovered three whales trapped in the Arctic ice. Not an unusual experience, but this time it came to the attention of a few people who, against all odds, acted. What resulted was a multinational rescue effort that captured the attention of a nation. You may or may not agree with the use of resources for such an endeavor, but that isn't the point. All this happened because a few individuals, not nations or corporations, took a risk and tried to make a difference.
William Booth had been ministering as an evangelist for years, but in 1865 he found his calling as he was ministering in the East End of London. He believed that he could make a difference in the life of the poor there by preaching the gospel while living it out among the people there. He didn't have much more than his family behind him. He was often egged and had bottles and rocks thrown at him while he preached. When East Enders came to Christ "respectable" churches wouldn't let them join their congregations. With that kind of cynical opposition, what hope was there that Booth would make a difference? Today, millions of lives have been changed by The Salvation Army that he founded.
Blake Mycoskie was a tourist visiting Argentina when two things happened. First, he noticed that many children didn't have shoes and this was leading to preventable diseases. Second, he noticed and fell in love with a local Argentine shoe. It seemed like a crazy dream for one person to pull off, but he collected a small group of friends and started Tom Shoes in his apartment living room. He started a new line of shoes. For every one shoe sold, another shoe went to the poor, starting with the children who had inspired him in Argentina. Tom Shoes, both the shoes and the mission, is a growing concern today.
Derreck Kayongo, an Ugandan immigrant to the U.S. discovered that hotels threw away tons of barely used soap each year. At the same time, poor Ugandans were dying of diseases some of which could be prevented by nothing more than the availability of soap. He talked a hotel into collecting the soap they were going to throw away. He used his family's meager resources and bought a machine that forms bars of soap. He sterilizes the soap, melted it down, reformed the bars, and then began sending it back to Uganda. Now scores of hotels are working with CARE international and soap is being recycled here and in Uganda, to be distributed to those in need.
These are not flukes. One person can make a difference. If someone steps out, others will catch the vision and follow. Not all at once. Sometimes not right away. The vision doesn't have to be international. A need in your neighborhood, town, or city. One person, Grace Reynolds, saw the unmet needs of the developmentally disabled and the deaf in Longview Washington. Among other things, she began a YMCA summer camp program for this population. Her work changed my life when I entered the program as a volunteer.
My life has been filled with people who have decided to turn their backs on cynicism and make a difference. Bible study leaders, youth workers, innovators, and dreamers.
Jesus found twelve people who were willing to try and make a difference. He didn't start with the rich and the powerful. I think he could have but perhaps he was trying to make a point. Ordinary people can become extraordinary, if we are willing.
The cynical are of little use until they repent, but God can do amazing things with the dreams and the lovers. They are willing to risk for love. They are the people of faith.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
A Christian Saint Patrick's Day Celebration
How do we celebrate Christian festivals such as Saint Patrick's Day? Green beer and drunkenness seems to miss the mark. Shamrocks, green clothing (and food), and a thick Irish brogue are harmless fun, but they don't represent the heart and substance of what God did through Patrick. Here's a few suggestions for a Christian Saint Patrick's Day celebration.
First, celebrate together. The Christian feasts were meant to bring Christians together for communal celebration. Today, we have privatized so many of these community events. Easter, Christmas, and yes, Saint Patrick's day were originally meant to be shared experience. Over time we have transformed these festivals into private, family gatherings. Family originally found its meaning in community, but in our increasingly privatized world that has been turned around. We often speak today about family being the basic building block of society, but Scripture teaches that the community of God is that basic building block. You don't necessarily need the whole community to celebrate a feast day, but ideally you want to share the celebration with a group.
Community is a central element when celebrating the work God did through Patrick. One of his central beliefs was that the community of God needed to live out its life in public. There should be no wall - culturally, socially, or physically - between God's people and the world. While Christians could not engage in the sins of the culture, they needed to stay as close to the world as possible in order to reach those far from God.
This leads to the second and overriding theme of the holiday, mission. Saint Patrick's Day is all about evangelism. This is a holiday based on a missionary after all. Patrick created outreach communities where every member saw themselves as witnesses to the gospel. This is an important Biblical concept. Evangelists evangelize, but Scripture tells us that it is their job to teach every Christian how to share their faith (Eph 4:11). This implies (strongly) that every believer shares the responsibility to love those far from Christ by sharing the good news of Jesus.
This is also a holiday that should focus on Scripture we often ignore. Scripture does not just command us to share our faith, but to actively change our lives to reflect our mission.
"Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." (1 Cor 9:19-23)
I know I am repeating myself here, but this Scripture is at the heart of this celebration, and this is one of those passages that is often thought to be too dangerous and challenging to teach on. The result is often a water downed, judgmental, self-protective Christian life that is labeled as somehow being radically holy while disobeying God. Saint Patrick was an Englishman who became Irish to reach the Irish, and God was pleased. His feast day should remind us of what is important to God rather than what is convenient to us. Jesus is the inconvenient truth who brings inconvenient change that results in a glorious life.
Have a great Saint Patrick's Day.
First, celebrate together. The Christian feasts were meant to bring Christians together for communal celebration. Today, we have privatized so many of these community events. Easter, Christmas, and yes, Saint Patrick's day were originally meant to be shared experience. Over time we have transformed these festivals into private, family gatherings. Family originally found its meaning in community, but in our increasingly privatized world that has been turned around. We often speak today about family being the basic building block of society, but Scripture teaches that the community of God is that basic building block. You don't necessarily need the whole community to celebrate a feast day, but ideally you want to share the celebration with a group.
Community is a central element when celebrating the work God did through Patrick. One of his central beliefs was that the community of God needed to live out its life in public. There should be no wall - culturally, socially, or physically - between God's people and the world. While Christians could not engage in the sins of the culture, they needed to stay as close to the world as possible in order to reach those far from God.
This leads to the second and overriding theme of the holiday, mission. Saint Patrick's Day is all about evangelism. This is a holiday based on a missionary after all. Patrick created outreach communities where every member saw themselves as witnesses to the gospel. This is an important Biblical concept. Evangelists evangelize, but Scripture tells us that it is their job to teach every Christian how to share their faith (Eph 4:11). This implies (strongly) that every believer shares the responsibility to love those far from Christ by sharing the good news of Jesus.
This is also a holiday that should focus on Scripture we often ignore. Scripture does not just command us to share our faith, but to actively change our lives to reflect our mission.
"Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." (1 Cor 9:19-23)
I know I am repeating myself here, but this Scripture is at the heart of this celebration, and this is one of those passages that is often thought to be too dangerous and challenging to teach on. The result is often a water downed, judgmental, self-protective Christian life that is labeled as somehow being radically holy while disobeying God. Saint Patrick was an Englishman who became Irish to reach the Irish, and God was pleased. His feast day should remind us of what is important to God rather than what is convenient to us. Jesus is the inconvenient truth who brings inconvenient change that results in a glorious life.
Have a great Saint Patrick's Day.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Preparing for Saint Patrick's Day
Christians should party a lot more. Feast days and celebration were established by God in the Old Testament as monuments and reminders of God's provision and character. God is the central focus of each one, surprising us time and again with the way his touch transforms the potential of a human life. We celebrate those moments throughout human history as a reminder that faith is not blind. It is built on the testimony of history and gives us a real, living hope for today. That is certainly the case with Saint Patrick.
The story of Saint Patrick is not about snakes and shamrocks. Those were all added centuries later. Instead, his life is a reminder that God's wisdom is more powerful than our own. That God's strategies are better than our own. It is the story of God touching a sinful youth and proving that the outreach strategy expressed by the Apostle Paul is more effective, dynamic, and exciting than any we would seek to replace it with. It is also more costly, but the return for that cost is a fierce and powerful love.
Patrick was an Englishman whose life spanned the fourth and fifth century. By his own admission he was a godless youth whose life originally disqualified him for missionary service. At age sixteen he was captured by Irish pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. An older slave shared the gospel with him, and Patrick gave his life to God.
We talk so loosely about giving our lives to God. Most often we really mean that we want God to bless our lives while we continue to pursue our desires and dreams. Patrick was a slave. His dreams were gone. He had a meager life to give God, but God had a bigger life, His life, to give Patrick. The first lesson of Christ. He isn't interested in fair exchanges. Our life is precious to us, but it doesn't compare with what God has in store for us.
Patrick tells us that God sent an angel to him that lead him out of captivity. Once he found freedom, he decided to give himself to the priesthood. Once again the angel came to him and pointed him back to Ireland, to serve those who had enslaved him. We don't know what went through Patrick's mind when the call came, but he had given his
life to God, and he allowed God to direct him.
Patrick wasn't the first missionary to Ireland, but he was the first effective one. Former missionaries had brought their culture with them. They believed that people had to be civilized, be Romanized, in order to be saved. Patrick believed he had to become Irish to reach the Irish. Irish art and customs were incorporated into Christian life whenever possible. He followed the example of Jesus and Paul by living close to the people rather than separating himself the way other missionaries had. Perhaps his most effective strategy was that he allowed people to belong to his community before they believed. Former missionaries had built numerous walls that had to be scaled before they were included in any meaningful way.
In this, Patrick was following the model of Scripture. Jesus' prayer for us was, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." (John 17:15-18)
Paul tells us, "Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
Patrick took these teachings and more to heart, and God transformed a nation. I see many today who try to change the world using other strategies. Politics, marketing, power, and a holy separation that has little to do with God's call on our lives. These strategies are just as ineffective as those of the missionaries who proceeded Patrick. Our feast days and celebrations should be times of remembrance of the wisdom of God and his acts that defy human wisdom but bear such glorious fruit.
This year don't just settle for last minute plans on how to turn your food green (although that's really cool). Take some time to prepare. Learn a bit about Patrick and the Scripture that shaped his life. The God that transformed his life is still waiting to touch each of us.
(A great place to start your exploration is the short but important book, The Celtic Way of Evangelism, by George G. Hunter III)
The story of Saint Patrick is not about snakes and shamrocks. Those were all added centuries later. Instead, his life is a reminder that God's wisdom is more powerful than our own. That God's strategies are better than our own. It is the story of God touching a sinful youth and proving that the outreach strategy expressed by the Apostle Paul is more effective, dynamic, and exciting than any we would seek to replace it with. It is also more costly, but the return for that cost is a fierce and powerful love.
Patrick was an Englishman whose life spanned the fourth and fifth century. By his own admission he was a godless youth whose life originally disqualified him for missionary service. At age sixteen he was captured by Irish pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. An older slave shared the gospel with him, and Patrick gave his life to God.
We talk so loosely about giving our lives to God. Most often we really mean that we want God to bless our lives while we continue to pursue our desires and dreams. Patrick was a slave. His dreams were gone. He had a meager life to give God, but God had a bigger life, His life, to give Patrick. The first lesson of Christ. He isn't interested in fair exchanges. Our life is precious to us, but it doesn't compare with what God has in store for us.
Patrick tells us that God sent an angel to him that lead him out of captivity. Once he found freedom, he decided to give himself to the priesthood. Once again the angel came to him and pointed him back to Ireland, to serve those who had enslaved him. We don't know what went through Patrick's mind when the call came, but he had given his
life to God, and he allowed God to direct him.
Patrick wasn't the first missionary to Ireland, but he was the first effective one. Former missionaries had brought their culture with them. They believed that people had to be civilized, be Romanized, in order to be saved. Patrick believed he had to become Irish to reach the Irish. Irish art and customs were incorporated into Christian life whenever possible. He followed the example of Jesus and Paul by living close to the people rather than separating himself the way other missionaries had. Perhaps his most effective strategy was that he allowed people to belong to his community before they believed. Former missionaries had built numerous walls that had to be scaled before they were included in any meaningful way.
In this, Patrick was following the model of Scripture. Jesus' prayer for us was, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." (John 17:15-18)
Paul tells us, "Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)
Patrick took these teachings and more to heart, and God transformed a nation. I see many today who try to change the world using other strategies. Politics, marketing, power, and a holy separation that has little to do with God's call on our lives. These strategies are just as ineffective as those of the missionaries who proceeded Patrick. Our feast days and celebrations should be times of remembrance of the wisdom of God and his acts that defy human wisdom but bear such glorious fruit.
This year don't just settle for last minute plans on how to turn your food green (although that's really cool). Take some time to prepare. Learn a bit about Patrick and the Scripture that shaped his life. The God that transformed his life is still waiting to touch each of us.
(A great place to start your exploration is the short but important book, The Celtic Way of Evangelism, by George G. Hunter III)
Friday, March 9, 2012
The LEGOs of God
(no LEGOs were damaged in the writing of this blog)
One of the great blessings of kids is that a self-respecting adult gets to continue to play with LEGOs without attracting unwanted attention. But just in case anyone would be so foolish as to question my obsession with the brightly colored blocks, I have discovered that the fundamental principles of good LEGO construction have a great deal in common with the three anchors of faith. These three anchors are the necessary minimum for a growing, healthy life in Christ.
Anchor 1: Devotional Life
For in Scripture it says:
"See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame."
-1 Peter 2:6
Every good LEGO building begins with that first brick. It is the reference point for the foundation. You count the bricks from that point, making sure you plan the corners just right so the overlapping bricks will give the foundation strength. Each door and window must be taken into account so the structure will not crumble in your hands.
Jesus is that reference point for our lives. Not merely Jesus' teachings, his view of life,or his philosophy, but Jesus himself. Study, obedience, discipline, and service are all important, but they flow out of relationship. Jesus gave us his Spirit as a personal companion. Through the Spirit, the Triune God actively interacts with us, but we need to make room for conscious interaction if we want to experience all that Jesus died to win for us. Only in this way does Jesus become the cornerstone of our lives.
Anchor 2: Community
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: [10] If they fall down, they can help each other up. But pity those who fall and have no one to help them up! [11] Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? [12] Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
-Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
A pile of LEGOs is easily scattered, but when you interlock them, pressing them together so that each block on a line spans the break in the blocks below, they become strong. A foundation of LEGOs can take quite a bit of pressure and punishment when they are properly interlocked.
The same is true of the community of God. Together, we strengthen, encourage, embolden, and whole. We are not called to be single candles shining in the dark, but cities of light. Community needs to be realized through committed, sacrificial love rather than merely a few chance meetings and occasional fellowship gatherings.
Anchor 3: Responsibility
A pile of LEGOs has great potential, but they are not meant to remain a pile forever. They are meant to be built into something. Leave the pile long enough and it becomes waste and missed opportunities.
We are the priesthood of believers, a people empowered by the Holy Spirit and called to lay down our lives for Christ and the people he loves and is reaching out to. At some point, we need to reach out and take our part. Responsibility means that we accept our role as Spirit-empowered servants. We will never personally experience the full power of God's love and grace until we allow that love and grace to flow through us as we minister to someone else. Obedience to Jesus' call is not just an act of self-control and belief. It is also a life of self-giving and hope offered.
There is more that can be said about these anchors, more that can be defined and developed in our life of faith, and more that can be known about God's work of establishing his kingdom, but these three anchors are an essential minimum once we have given our lives to Christ. Our churches, youth gatherings, and Christian fellowships of all types need to emphasis these as our central anchors. If these are all a Christian concentrates on (and there is more that God offers), then they will remain healthy.
(I am indebted to Mary Gautreaux and Pete Bullette for their thoughts on the three anchors)
One of the great blessings of kids is that a self-respecting adult gets to continue to play with LEGOs without attracting unwanted attention. But just in case anyone would be so foolish as to question my obsession with the brightly colored blocks, I have discovered that the fundamental principles of good LEGO construction have a great deal in common with the three anchors of faith. These three anchors are the necessary minimum for a growing, healthy life in Christ.
Anchor 1: Devotional Life
For in Scripture it says:
"See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame."
-1 Peter 2:6
Every good LEGO building begins with that first brick. It is the reference point for the foundation. You count the bricks from that point, making sure you plan the corners just right so the overlapping bricks will give the foundation strength. Each door and window must be taken into account so the structure will not crumble in your hands.
Jesus is that reference point for our lives. Not merely Jesus' teachings, his view of life,or his philosophy, but Jesus himself. Study, obedience, discipline, and service are all important, but they flow out of relationship. Jesus gave us his Spirit as a personal companion. Through the Spirit, the Triune God actively interacts with us, but we need to make room for conscious interaction if we want to experience all that Jesus died to win for us. Only in this way does Jesus become the cornerstone of our lives.
Anchor 2: Community
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: [10] If they fall down, they can help each other up. But pity those who fall and have no one to help them up! [11] Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? [12] Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
-Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
A pile of LEGOs is easily scattered, but when you interlock them, pressing them together so that each block on a line spans the break in the blocks below, they become strong. A foundation of LEGOs can take quite a bit of pressure and punishment when they are properly interlocked.
The same is true of the community of God. Together, we strengthen, encourage, embolden, and whole. We are not called to be single candles shining in the dark, but cities of light. Community needs to be realized through committed, sacrificial love rather than merely a few chance meetings and occasional fellowship gatherings.
Anchor 3: Responsibility
A pile of LEGOs has great potential, but they are not meant to remain a pile forever. They are meant to be built into something. Leave the pile long enough and it becomes waste and missed opportunities.
We are the priesthood of believers, a people empowered by the Holy Spirit and called to lay down our lives for Christ and the people he loves and is reaching out to. At some point, we need to reach out and take our part. Responsibility means that we accept our role as Spirit-empowered servants. We will never personally experience the full power of God's love and grace until we allow that love and grace to flow through us as we minister to someone else. Obedience to Jesus' call is not just an act of self-control and belief. It is also a life of self-giving and hope offered.
There is more that can be said about these anchors, more that can be defined and developed in our life of faith, and more that can be known about God's work of establishing his kingdom, but these three anchors are an essential minimum once we have given our lives to Christ. Our churches, youth gatherings, and Christian fellowships of all types need to emphasis these as our central anchors. If these are all a Christian concentrates on (and there is more that God offers), then they will remain healthy.
(I am indebted to Mary Gautreaux and Pete Bullette for their thoughts on the three anchors)
Monday, March 5, 2012
Spirituality or Church?
The U.S. has been long known as very spiritual and ethical nation. Some would contest this fact, but in the end, their point isn't whether people are spiritual and ethical (at least in belief if not in practice), but their complaint is in the nature of their neighbors spirituality and ethics. It's important that we recognize the difference. Spirituality is on the rise, but church attendance is in decline. Why is that? I think there are two reasons: the rise of spiritual humanism and the need for personal encounters with God.
First, spiritual humanism. Atheism is not a major factor on the national scene. It has flatlined at about 4% of the population for a couple of decades now. On the other hand, spiritual humanism has been on the rise. This is the belief that life has a spiritual element, but we are in control of the content of that spirituality. We discover, define, and shape what is spiritual for us.
We are born into a world where we had no say in its composition. We didn't get input on the laws of gravity, the color of the sky, or the age of the earth (young earth distortions aside). We had to adjust to reality. Spiritual humanism sees spiritual life as less "real" than the rest of creation. If God is included at all, then God is seen as our servant, fulfilling our wants rather than guiding us into wisdom and love that moves us beyond ourselves. In essence, we see ourselves as our own gods and spirituality is a resource we can exploit.
Spiritual humanistic beliefs look a lot like debry picked up by a tumbleweed, bits and pieces of ideas picked up here and there but seldom thought through. In the end, it is the blind leading the blind, hoping to find some wisdom within, that will solve the problems of life. If the solution was within us already, I suspect the world would be a much happier place. Jesus' contention is that the solution must be found outside us, coming from the very real and self-defined person of God as Father, Son, and Spirit.
There is a second connection between the rise of spirituality and loss of church attendance. Spiritual implies a personal encounter with the spiritual. When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the Jewish temple that separated people from the presence of God was torn. Now ordinary people had personal access to God through Jesus. Many people today believe that Christian churches have rehung the curtain.
Over the last decade, lower church attendance has lead many churches to employ the tools of marketing. This has often placed the emphasis on tighter, more controlled church services, multimedia, and the size of their parking lot. These are all important, but not if there is no longer any space for authentic, personal experience with God. As I travel, I experience fewer churches where unscripted times of prayer are a part of services. Most worship has become a string of upbeat choruses with little pastoral leadership or variation to make worship an authentic encounter with God. Everything is focused toward the front of the church. We may have become too polished for our own good.
I believe that good teaching, knowledge of Scripture, planning and shared community time is essential. We do these things so we don't just waste people's time, but they mean nothing if they don't begin, point to, and end with personal encounters with God.
I left the church in high school because it seemed centered on nothing more than rules, philosophy, and self-help. I see a rise in that today, even among Pentecostals. I returned to church after I met a group of Christians who believed that they could intimately encounter Jesus and gave time for that experience in everything they did. Then there was a reason to gather.
For many today, they just want to protect the next generation, their youth, their sons and daughters, from the world. That's not enough. What's the use of protection from the world if they haven't encountered Jesus? Church should never be too safe or controlled. Don't make people choose between true spirituality and the church.
First, spiritual humanism. Atheism is not a major factor on the national scene. It has flatlined at about 4% of the population for a couple of decades now. On the other hand, spiritual humanism has been on the rise. This is the belief that life has a spiritual element, but we are in control of the content of that spirituality. We discover, define, and shape what is spiritual for us.
We are born into a world where we had no say in its composition. We didn't get input on the laws of gravity, the color of the sky, or the age of the earth (young earth distortions aside). We had to adjust to reality. Spiritual humanism sees spiritual life as less "real" than the rest of creation. If God is included at all, then God is seen as our servant, fulfilling our wants rather than guiding us into wisdom and love that moves us beyond ourselves. In essence, we see ourselves as our own gods and spirituality is a resource we can exploit.
Spiritual humanistic beliefs look a lot like debry picked up by a tumbleweed, bits and pieces of ideas picked up here and there but seldom thought through. In the end, it is the blind leading the blind, hoping to find some wisdom within, that will solve the problems of life. If the solution was within us already, I suspect the world would be a much happier place. Jesus' contention is that the solution must be found outside us, coming from the very real and self-defined person of God as Father, Son, and Spirit.
There is a second connection between the rise of spirituality and loss of church attendance. Spiritual implies a personal encounter with the spiritual. When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the Jewish temple that separated people from the presence of God was torn. Now ordinary people had personal access to God through Jesus. Many people today believe that Christian churches have rehung the curtain.
Over the last decade, lower church attendance has lead many churches to employ the tools of marketing. This has often placed the emphasis on tighter, more controlled church services, multimedia, and the size of their parking lot. These are all important, but not if there is no longer any space for authentic, personal experience with God. As I travel, I experience fewer churches where unscripted times of prayer are a part of services. Most worship has become a string of upbeat choruses with little pastoral leadership or variation to make worship an authentic encounter with God. Everything is focused toward the front of the church. We may have become too polished for our own good.
I believe that good teaching, knowledge of Scripture, planning and shared community time is essential. We do these things so we don't just waste people's time, but they mean nothing if they don't begin, point to, and end with personal encounters with God.
I left the church in high school because it seemed centered on nothing more than rules, philosophy, and self-help. I see a rise in that today, even among Pentecostals. I returned to church after I met a group of Christians who believed that they could intimately encounter Jesus and gave time for that experience in everything they did. Then there was a reason to gather.
For many today, they just want to protect the next generation, their youth, their sons and daughters, from the world. That's not enough. What's the use of protection from the world if they haven't encountered Jesus? Church should never be too safe or controlled. Don't make people choose between true spirituality and the church.
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