God-Words – Page 3 – Salvaged Faith

Who Would Jesus Smack Down?

Posted on January 13, 20091 Comment

This morning one of our small groups met and I started Joyce Rupp’s “The Cup of Our Lives” with them. It thought it went really well! I’m also now up to 5 youth and a male chaperone besides myself who are able to go on our youth mission trip this summer. Which is fantastic!

I ran some errands – including buying some good nutritious food to stock the fridge with, and then sat down for lunch with my computer. And came across this article:

Who Would Jesus Smack Down?
By MOLLY WORTHEN
Published: January 11, 2009
The Seattle minister Mark Driscoll is out to transform American evangelicalism with his macho conception of Christ and neo-Calvinist belief in the total depravity of man.

I know I said that I would be commenting on “The Shack” soon… and I hope to… but for some reason I stumbled across this today and just sat there with my jaw dropped staring at the screen.

I didn’t know anything about this church before I read the article and there are some things about how it is portrayed that make my blood boil and there are other things that really resonate with me. And so I’m going to talk about them in no particular order.

First of all, the Calvinist theology. It’s not me. I’m a die-hard Methodist. And while there may only be a hair’s breadth between Calvinism and Methodism, I would say that it’s a mighty thick hair. And to be fair to Calvin, this New Calvinism takes his attempt to hang on to the sovereignty of God and just runs with the unintended implications much more than Calvin ever would have. There is a determinism there that is extremely uncomfortable for me. Not because I’m a “limp-wristed liberal,” but because I want to leave room for God to do what God wants – and that includes redeeming the irredeemable.

Secondly, along with the theology comes an interpretation of the bible that is ironically more refreshing that traditional conservative literal evangelical spin… because it takes seriously the New Testament messsage that prohibitions against things like drinking and dancing just don’t jive with what Jesus tried to teach… that attempting to live righteously by the law is to live like a Pharisee. But, the interpretative framework doesn’t leave any room for the contextual explanations of Paul’s comments on the genders or leave room for the call of God to teach and preach to come to women. And I have a huge problem with that since I am a woman and have experienced that call. (Perhaps this is where I stick in a not so subtle comment about Wesleyan theology and the quadralateral of biblical interpretation: scripture, tradition, reason and experience.)

Third, and this is related to the gender discussion, Driscoll wants to basically save Jesus from the theology that has emasculated him. I want to both agree and disagree here. There is a lot within theology that does paint Jesus as the soft and gentle one who loves us. And there are some interpretations of the crucifixion that want to see pacifism as weak, as Christ’s refusal to fight back or stand up for himself as a feminine way of being (Not my interpretation). BUT, why are feminine attributes so negative in Driscoll’s eyes? Why can’t Jesus embrace both the traditionally masculine and feminine aspects of humanity? And the whole argument supposes that Christ’s form of resistance to power… his refusal to give in AND his willingness to die for sinners… is what has made Christ weak, or in the words of the article:

has transformed Jesus into “a Richard Simmons, hippie, queer Christ,” a “neutered and limp-wristed popular Sky Fairy of pop culture that . . . would never talk about sin or send anyone to hell.”

On the contrary, the true power of Christ in my theology is described in terms of kenosis – of emptying himself – of pouring out himself for others. In doing so, he fully took on human existence and redeemed it, once and for all. He gave up everything in order that none would have to be condemned to hell. But, there is still a choice involved. Christ, God the Father, the Holy Spirit, continues to reach out to us but it is up to us whether or not we respond. That’s not weak. That is what love and relationship look like.

Fourth, I love the way that the church meets people where they are and believe that God is found everywhere within the culture. I can totally relate to the description of the people as:

cultural activists who play in rock bands and care about the arts, living out a long Reformed tradition that asserts Christ’s mandate over every corner of creation

I have no complaint here and applaud their ability not only to reach out to those who would be uncomfortable in a mainline church, but also to challenge them to live differently. In the words of Anne Lamott (or someone else if it came before her) “God loves you just the way you are, and loves you too much to let you stay that way.”

Fifth, the idea that to question authority is to sin. OMG. seriously. That paragraph in the article about made me scream. To start off with, since Calvinism is a REFORMED tradtion… there was some questioning of authority somewhere along the way. That being said, I have no tolerance for authoritarianism. (haha, i made a joke) Questioning is what makes us human, it is the gift of the Holy Spirit that allows the body of Christ to discern what is the will of God. I must admit here that Mr. Wesley himself could be fairly authoritarian in his own day, and he made some bad choices as a result of which (see his love life in Georgia for example). But to shun elders within the church because they opposed the new organizational structure? Are you serious? I guess that’s a long way from the idea of Christian conferencing that became a part of the Wesleyan tradition… Or maybe I’m just being limp-wristed again. GAH!

Winter

Posted on January 12, 2009Leave a comment

Yeah, I know it’s been winter for like three weeks now, but we are getting some pretty heavy winter weather in Iowa this week.

I normally take Monday mornings off – to recouperate from the weekend – and then head in to the office after lunch. But I didn’t really feel like shoveling the driveway, and I didn’t really feel like turning on the heat over at the church just for myself, and I didn’t really think that I could accomplish anything there that I couldn’t accomplish just as well at home.

So I stayed in my pj’s and worked from the couch today. And it was great.

There are definately some advantages to being a solo pastor at a small church with no other staff. Like being able to make my own schedule the way I have and the flexibility that comes with it. But there are also serious disadvantages.

Sometimes I need the accountability of others. It’s easy to decide to come in late if no one is there and no one cares.

But it’s also sometimes nice just to have other people to talk with in an office. My last church office situation was three interns together in one office with couches… and we definately spent 2/3 of our time chatting… about serious stuff! Bouncing ideas off of one another, talking about ministry plans, doing some tough theological work… and yes, complaining when the moment called for it. I miss having a couch in my office – but more importantly, I miss having people in my office.

Theologically, I’m very relational. I believe strongly that the Holy Spirit moves through many people and that only in community can we truly discern the Spirit. I believe that God wants us to be in relationship with others and that we cannot do this (the journey of faith) alone.

Now, I do have lots of groups that I connect with. I’m part of a sub-district group of UM pastors who meet once a month. I’m part of a group of young clergy that meets once a month. And I have breakfast every week with another pastor and DCE in town. So that fulfills some of that.

Most days, though, the internet is my connection to others. It is my source for theological discussions and brainstorming. But it’s not always there when I need it, and it can’t go out for a margarita after work. (or during work.)

those silly lutherans…

Posted on November 12, 2008Leave a comment

In my small town, there are basically five churches: Presbyterian, Nazarene, Catholic, LCMS, and my United Methodist church. Outside of town there is a UCC church and an ELCA church that participate with us.

We have a fairly good relationship among all of the churches and together have a ministerial alliance that distributes funds for gas, food, lodging, etc. for those in need in the community.

I have been amazed to discover that the LCMS pastor in town has been one of my best mentors. There is at times very little that we agree upon, but there is plenty of grace in our relationship =)

This morning we got to talking about the lectionary passage for Sunday the 23rd. Neither of us would be preaching on the text, but we thought we’d discuss it anyways. I have always loved the passage from Matthew 25 on the judgment of the sheep and the goats, because, for me it was a reminder that we are supposed to live the gospel and not just speak it with our mouths. For the most part, we talked about how the works described are like the fruits of good trees, they are the natural growth or response of a person to the faith which is alive within. We could agree on that.

We got into a lively discussion and I was amazed to hear about how difficult it was to preach this text to their congregations. In Lutheran theology, there is a very fine pathway to tread between legalism and antinomianism and there is always the danger that the message will be interpreted in a way that causes you to “fall off the cliff” in either direction.

I got to thinking about the difference between that and Wesleyan theology. And the greatest difference is that we believe that the works described in the passage from Matthew – the feeding of the hungry, and caring for the sick, etc., are in and of themselves means of grace. We don’t believe that works earn us God’s salvation, but that they can open us to the grace of God poured out into our lives. Particularly in regards to sanctifying grace.

My Lutheran brothers (they were both male) on the other hand recognize more limited means of grace: the word, the “wet” word (baptism), the “eaten” word (communion), and the “shared” word – fellowship, bible study. And so the works described had the danger of negating the power of faith to save us.

Whew. Yet another day in which I’m glad to be a methodist.

welcoming the sojourner

Posted on October 17, 20082 Comments

I’m attending a conference right now in Illinois about immigration and the church. And I have been incredibly moved by so many of the personal stories, the images and videos of raids and border crossings, the statistics, the songs from across the world, and the witness of people of faith. It has been not only informational but inspirational. (wow, that sounds so cliche).

Before I get too far away or let the thoughts escape me, here are some of the important moments so far for me:

From Rev. Joan Maruskin

“I greet you in the name of the migrant, refugee Christ”
What are three groups that God specifically tells us to care for? The widows, the orphans and the strangers/migrants/foreigners/immigrants
our journey of faith is a communal migration story
in 1849, the state of Pennsylvania had a choice between making german or english the official state language. english won by only one vote.
st. benedict – closing the door to the stranger is closing the door to the sacred
Jesus’ family fled to Egypt after his birth… if they had fled to the US today, Mary, Joseph and Jesus would have all been sent to separate detention facilities to await trials before they would be granted the status of an asylee.

From Diane McClanahan and Barb Dinnen

immigrants who had fled from Central and Southern American countries where they faced political and religious persecution and those around them were “disappeared” came to the U.S. and in the Swift raids in Marshaltown, Iowa – again faced “disappearance.” No clergy, no lawyers, no family was allowed in to see the detainees – and no one knew where they would be taken or what would be done with them.
The story of Arturo – a young boy whose parents were deported after the Postville raids. His dad wanted him to be a vet, but now, the young boy wants to be a lawyer.
Recently, ICE agents raided a church in North Carolina.
From Denny Coon, UM pastor in Iowa: story of a man with two daughters. He makes $5/day in Mexico or he could cross illegally into the U.S. to work for $7/hr at a Wal-Mart in Michigan… what would you do as a parent?

politics in the pulpit – and sharing a fantastic story

Posted on October 15, 2008Leave a comment

I’m still amazed of this whole story, and now it is a video. Head over to Jay Voorhees site for this great story for all of us: Red and Blue or watch it below

I’m using it as my children’s sermon this Sunday. And I’m using pieces of Noonan’s Patriotic Grace. And I’m really excited about the opportunity to talk about politics in the pulpit, but to do so in a way that says Caesar’s ways are brutal and nasty and we have the opportunity as Christians to demonstrate to the rest of our country and the rest of the world how we can love. That yes, we should vote, because that is part of our responsibility as citizens – that is what we render to Caesar – but we should never render our souls, we should never render our selves, we should never render our love and our beliefs to the political fight of the world around us.

Theologically Worrisome

Posted on June 22, 20081 Comment

I’m procrastinating on my sermom fine-tuning by posting here, but it is something that has been troubling me. If people in my congregation are having thoughts that I feel are theologically worrisome, do I let them continue in them, or just keep telling them my own over and over?

Specifically, this is about interpreting the string of natural disasters that have hit our world as warnings from God. There is a strong sense that we are getting ever closer to the end times and these tragic events are reminders to straighten up and fly right. And everything within my cries “no.” In the local UM pastors meeting, we talked about not judgment, not warning, but about God leading us throught the stormy waters, about the promise that the waters would not overcome, about Christ being the rock we cling to in these times…

it’s really a question of theodicy and God’s soverign power. Is God behind natural disasters, or not? Can God stop them? And if God can and doesn’t, what does it mean? I reside much more in the mysteriousness of God’s power and the reminder of God’s promises… whereas, my congregation holds fast to God’s power over all and unending desire to get us to obey… so we come out in different places. I’m gently urging them not to consider another person’s disaster as an intentional means of God speaking to the world… especially when so much life has been destroyed – to me, that seems so counter to the God I know and love and follow. But I still struggle.

grey area.. greys anatomy

Posted on March 5, 20083 Comments

I haven’t written in here for a while. Lots going on. Had a young adult clergy retreat this last weekend and really really enjoyed being with other young pastors and just hanging out. It was good to veg for a while.

The whole sermon thing is starting to feel like homework. Especially this week. I feel like I am back in theology class having to write my christology/soteriology/resurrection-ology. I honestly don’t remember ever having to preach an easter/resurrection sermon before… well – except at the two funerals that I have done already. And as I work this week with the raising of Lazarus and then think about Easter in two weeks, my mind is just stuck. What do I want to say about resurrection? Or more importantly, what I have I experienced in my life that is resurrection? I’m still a young person. And there have been a few bumps in the road… but I don’t know that I have had a real resurrection experience. Everything I try to draw upon feels too fluffy and sappy and cheesy to work. To really connect with the lives of people in my congregation.

This week, I really am thinking hard about how this moment in John’s gospel is really the beginning of Christ’s passion. Raising Lazarus is what signs his death warrant here. And he comes so close to Jerusalem in order to do so. From here on out, we know how the story goes. I really want to include some of that tension and pain and passion in with this week. Especially since next week we are doing a sort of lessons and hymns and recalling the whole palm/passion story.

I just feel stuck. Not quite sure what direction I want to take. And instead of really sitting with it, I’m letting myself get distracted (I’m getting excited for Grey’s Anatomy coming back… even though I still have a month and a half to wait! The old episodes, my dvds, are calling my name).

Untitled

Posted on October 6, 20071 Comment

wow, I haven’t blogged on here for a while. I guess that’s what happens when life gets busy and different priorities are set. I really want to get back into this, however, as I prepare for heading back to Iowa… yeah, I’m doing that in a few months, and I have been appointed to a church there. Nothing is “official” yet… so I’ll tell you for sure in a few weeks. It is a small town congregation in Iowa, though.

I’ve been attending emergingumc: a gathering for the past few days… and i think i have a billion notes and insights. ideas about how to move forward in my faith. and feelings that i am NOT alone in this whole process. practical suggestions about how to begin changing the ethos of congregations and respond to the people around me.

i’m also currently working on my senior thesis… maybe i’ll post a few insights here when i have time. its about how to take postmodern wesleyan theology and “emerging” practices and contextually bring them to the “farmlands of iowa.” someone suggested I should try to publish it… and while that would be nice, it will be at least a year of loving on this congregation before I can earn enough trust and have enough conversations that in actuality i might be able to do it. so maybe my writing will be how i did the prep work, and the rest of the publication will be my own reflections on being a minister in that context and then how it starts to be fleshed out in the life of that particular church. and i think that WOULD be helpful to others.