I heard yesterday that Albany Presbytery had decided to close Jermain Memorial Presbyterian Church after some research done by an administrative commission. Now, I don't know whether Jermain Church should or shouldn't be closed, but it was curious to read one of the primary reasons for this action. According to Executive Presbyter Cass Shaw, Jermain Church members were “rude to one another and to their... minister.” Wow! If this is truly a substantial reason for closing a church, then there are a whole lot of congregations that need to start packing things up! No presbytery I've been in has ever backed me to the extent that I could threaten closing the church if the elders didn't treat me nice! Maybe I need to go to Albany Presbytery!
EP Shaw went on to say that “attempts by the commission to change the church’s culture and climate of conflict were not fruitful. The church has not functioned in a healthy way in a long time. The commission believes this is not the kind of witness that should continue, and I agree with its decision.” All I can say here is can we apply this principle for closing churches to some very large churches as well. I've certainly experienced a few good sized churches which are extremely "toxic" to the Gospel message, but then again, large churches have the money, power and prestige to impress Presbytery officials despite being embarrasments to Christ. Plus, what if we applied EP Shaw's criteria to our denomination, which has certainly "not functioned in a healthy way in a long time." I don't think the PCUSA would fare much better with this standard for closing up shop. Or do we give ourselves grace and patience as a denomination in the face of our "climate of conflict," but squash the heck out of small churches who act the same?
Finally EP Shaw explained that the powers that be in Albany Presbytery had “tried to help Jermain’s leaders understand that the church is more than a building, and it does not exist only for itself.” The key question the presbytery sought to raise, she says, is “what does it mean to be a church?” So I say okay, let's shut down all churches that exist primarily for themselves and do not have a good understanding of what it means to be a church! Since even the best churches wrestle with this self-centered focus from time to time, there won't be many churches left. I am reminded of the words of Martin Luther, "He who wants a perfect church clearly wants no church at all."
And while we are on this kick that the church is more than a building and does not exist for itself, is Albany Presbytery going to claim ownership of the building, sell it, and keep the proceeds for itself? If it does, then the Presbytery understanding of church isn't much different than what it accuses Jermain Church members of having. How about giving the proceeds away, say to Habitat for Humanity, or maybe give a generous gift to a church in the same neighborhood that is doing effective ministry? Somehow, I think the building will end up as much (or even more) a focus for the Presbytery as it is for the Jermain congregation.
So, after these comments, it is probably safe to say that I should not pursue any ministry opportunities in Albany Presbytery any time soon. You think?!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
USA: A Country With A Call
As we celebrate God's pouring of grace upon this great country, we are reminded by this Day of Thanksgiving of the great potential for the United States to be the great "city on a hill" that has been cited by so many since the colonial days. That first Thanksgiving with the Plymouth pilgrims and native Americans was an incredible and prophetic example of what America is called to be. Just think of what could have been if the humble thankfulness of the pilgrims and the generous hearts of the native Americans had become the normal pattern for the social development of this new experiment in human experience! What a shining light there would have been for all to see!
Of course, America has at different times dared to approach God's call to be a land of hope and promise like no other in the history of the world. So, at times and in places it has shone forth as a lighthouse for freedom and opportunity. But, oh, what could have been! Think about the opportunity this great nation had after it had enjoyed God's providence in throwing off the yoke of English tyranny, as the founders wrestled with writing a guiding constitution for a new and different kind of republic. They as much as any up until their time knew the value and worth of every human individual in the sight of an Almighty and merciful God, yet they blinked when facing the issue of slavery. What if they had applied the full force of all the "self-evident" truths, "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." What could have been!
Again, God has given our great country opportunity after opportunity to be the great "city on a hill." In the rise of the evangelical Awakenings, in the great economic power of capitalism, in the challenges of expansion and world wars, America has always had a call from God to be different and shining in how we handle things. In many ways we have been that shining light, and in many ways we have missed it. However, it is clear that America is at its best and most likely to fulfill its God-ordained potential when it clearly and humbly submits itself as a people to God through its governance, institutions, families, and individuals. We miss the mark the most when we stray from attributing our blessings and giftedness to God.
This Thanksgiving Day 2009 we are again poised as a nation to choose to fulfill God's great call for our country by humbly pointing to God as the One who gives us what we have, makes us who we are, and guides us to what we can be. Again, there are those voices that point us away from our Creator and claim that we are on our own as a nation, that we must fight each other for our rights, and that our destiny is no more special or unique than any other people or nation. But think of what can be! Think of the opportunity we have again to follow God's call and become a shining beacon of hope and promise for all through this world.
If we will acknowledge God as the source for our freedom and the Giver of our rights, we can be a model for all the world as a nation that is blessed and guided by God. We can still be that shining "city on a hill" for all to see.
Of course, America has at different times dared to approach God's call to be a land of hope and promise like no other in the history of the world. So, at times and in places it has shone forth as a lighthouse for freedom and opportunity. But, oh, what could have been! Think about the opportunity this great nation had after it had enjoyed God's providence in throwing off the yoke of English tyranny, as the founders wrestled with writing a guiding constitution for a new and different kind of republic. They as much as any up until their time knew the value and worth of every human individual in the sight of an Almighty and merciful God, yet they blinked when facing the issue of slavery. What if they had applied the full force of all the "self-evident" truths, "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." What could have been!
Again, God has given our great country opportunity after opportunity to be the great "city on a hill." In the rise of the evangelical Awakenings, in the great economic power of capitalism, in the challenges of expansion and world wars, America has always had a call from God to be different and shining in how we handle things. In many ways we have been that shining light, and in many ways we have missed it. However, it is clear that America is at its best and most likely to fulfill its God-ordained potential when it clearly and humbly submits itself as a people to God through its governance, institutions, families, and individuals. We miss the mark the most when we stray from attributing our blessings and giftedness to God.
This Thanksgiving Day 2009 we are again poised as a nation to choose to fulfill God's great call for our country by humbly pointing to God as the One who gives us what we have, makes us who we are, and guides us to what we can be. Again, there are those voices that point us away from our Creator and claim that we are on our own as a nation, that we must fight each other for our rights, and that our destiny is no more special or unique than any other people or nation. But think of what can be! Think of the opportunity we have again to follow God's call and become a shining beacon of hope and promise for all through this world.
If we will acknowledge God as the source for our freedom and the Giver of our rights, we can be a model for all the world as a nation that is blessed and guided by God. We can still be that shining "city on a hill" for all to see.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
The New Samaritans
As I was sitting in a meeting of evangelical church leaders last week, it occurred to me that the group most antagonistic toward evangelicals may not be liberals, secularists, or even denominational leaders. Rather, it may be those who see themselves as "emerging" or "recovering evangelicals," and as such seek to warn the unsuspecting world about the embarrassingly simplistic tenets of evangelical Christianity. As we were being lectured by a well-known (and I believe sincere) speaker on the great failures of the evangelical segment of the church (which are real and many), it dawned on me that those who are former or "progressive" evangelicals would likely be the first ones to turn me over to the authorities should my evangelical faith ever be deemed too intolerant to be tolerated in a tolerant society.
The person speaking during my epiphanous occasion is a well known author who was very careful to tout his own "evangelical credentials." The problem was that his only pejorative words were reserved for describing evangelicals and no one else. He identified himself with Brian McLaren, whose books I enjoy reading and who provokes a lot of good thought. However, Mr. McLaren's writings are marked with a ferocious antipathy toward his "fellow" evangelicals, who he sees as shallow Christians who seek convenience in their faith commitments and who do not wrestle with difficult social/political issues. Mr. McLaren, like Sojourner's Jim Wallis and Solomon Porch's Doug Pagitt, all claim to have been once shackled by the burdensome chains of simplistic views of God, Bible, faith, and grace that kept them from seeing the activity of the Spirit in others beyond their faith circle. Now that they have jettisoned dogmatic belief for a more open and relative view of truth, they can now see the dangers of their former evangelical worldview (or any such faith, Christian or otherwise, that claims to have real objective content and real objective articles of belief). Of course, it goes hand in hand that if the evangelical worldview is dangerous, so are those who carry this infection, that is, evangelical Christians.
With the recent scuttlebutt regarding Presbyterian professor Mark Achtemeier's embracing a liberal position regarding gay, lesbian, etc. orientations, it became clear that Professor Achtemeier has also adopted the idea that evangelicals are not just misled buffoons, but are actually dangerous in their beliefs. As he states, "...I can no longer close my eyes to the spiritual and psychological damage that flow from this well-intended but tragically misguided teaching." No finer gauntlet has ever been tossed, and it is this divisive impasse that is helping to lay the foundation for going beyond critical words to active deeds of opposition and prevention.
These actions presently may be expressed in the simple subjugating of evangelicals in so-called tasks forces, the ostracizing of evangelicals in denominational hierarchies, and even outright ridicule in societal venues like politics. However, as laws are on the verge of being enacted in federal legislation that may actually prohibit the expression of some evangelical views, such as support for the traditional family or the call to pray public prayers in Christ's name, punishments could become as severe as court pronounced fines and, in worst case scenarios, imprisonment. I think now I realize that it will be my "fellow" evangelicals who have gone on to more enlightened views who will be willingly and enthusiastically pointing me out to the those appointed by whatever authority there may be to curb and contain unsanctioned thinking and belief.
In the United States and Europe, evangelicals are becoming the present day "Samaritans." Like the Samaritans of old whose culture and beliefs were disdained by the Jewish people as bastardized forms of true belief and proper religious practice, so are the evangelicals viewed by liberals and "progressive evangelicals" as backward and unenlightened in their "less than generous" expressions of Christian faith and life. Yet, like the Samaritan in Jesus' parable about who is my neighbor, it is the evangelicals who are engaged in actively seeking to live out Christ's life in the world. Organizations like Samaritan's Purse, World Vision, Compassion International, Every Home For Christ, and many more are filled with people who are primarily populated by evangelicals. Much of the outreach in local missions throughout our cities are supported and staffed by evangelicals, and the majority of missionaries in the PCUSA and other protestant denominations are motivated by their evangelical zeal to see people come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Ecumenically, it is the evangelicals who enjoy many points of mutual faith and mission with the Roman Catholic and Orthodox expressions of Christianity.
Actually, when one thinks about it for awhile, it is really an honor to be part of the "new Samaritans." Jesus told us in his ironic words (Matthew 5:11), "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." It's not the part of following Jesus that we (or should I just say "I") enthusiastically embrace, but it is crucial in molding us into Christ-like persons who live out God's truth in humility. We know the certainty of this divine reality when our hearts impell us to stop and become neighbor to all who have fallen along the road.
The person speaking during my epiphanous occasion is a well known author who was very careful to tout his own "evangelical credentials." The problem was that his only pejorative words were reserved for describing evangelicals and no one else. He identified himself with Brian McLaren, whose books I enjoy reading and who provokes a lot of good thought. However, Mr. McLaren's writings are marked with a ferocious antipathy toward his "fellow" evangelicals, who he sees as shallow Christians who seek convenience in their faith commitments and who do not wrestle with difficult social/political issues. Mr. McLaren, like Sojourner's Jim Wallis and Solomon Porch's Doug Pagitt, all claim to have been once shackled by the burdensome chains of simplistic views of God, Bible, faith, and grace that kept them from seeing the activity of the Spirit in others beyond their faith circle. Now that they have jettisoned dogmatic belief for a more open and relative view of truth, they can now see the dangers of their former evangelical worldview (or any such faith, Christian or otherwise, that claims to have real objective content and real objective articles of belief). Of course, it goes hand in hand that if the evangelical worldview is dangerous, so are those who carry this infection, that is, evangelical Christians.
With the recent scuttlebutt regarding Presbyterian professor Mark Achtemeier's embracing a liberal position regarding gay, lesbian, etc. orientations, it became clear that Professor Achtemeier has also adopted the idea that evangelicals are not just misled buffoons, but are actually dangerous in their beliefs. As he states, "...I can no longer close my eyes to the spiritual and psychological damage that flow from this well-intended but tragically misguided teaching." No finer gauntlet has ever been tossed, and it is this divisive impasse that is helping to lay the foundation for going beyond critical words to active deeds of opposition and prevention.
These actions presently may be expressed in the simple subjugating of evangelicals in so-called tasks forces, the ostracizing of evangelicals in denominational hierarchies, and even outright ridicule in societal venues like politics. However, as laws are on the verge of being enacted in federal legislation that may actually prohibit the expression of some evangelical views, such as support for the traditional family or the call to pray public prayers in Christ's name, punishments could become as severe as court pronounced fines and, in worst case scenarios, imprisonment. I think now I realize that it will be my "fellow" evangelicals who have gone on to more enlightened views who will be willingly and enthusiastically pointing me out to the those appointed by whatever authority there may be to curb and contain unsanctioned thinking and belief.
In the United States and Europe, evangelicals are becoming the present day "Samaritans." Like the Samaritans of old whose culture and beliefs were disdained by the Jewish people as bastardized forms of true belief and proper religious practice, so are the evangelicals viewed by liberals and "progressive evangelicals" as backward and unenlightened in their "less than generous" expressions of Christian faith and life. Yet, like the Samaritan in Jesus' parable about who is my neighbor, it is the evangelicals who are engaged in actively seeking to live out Christ's life in the world. Organizations like Samaritan's Purse, World Vision, Compassion International, Every Home For Christ, and many more are filled with people who are primarily populated by evangelicals. Much of the outreach in local missions throughout our cities are supported and staffed by evangelicals, and the majority of missionaries in the PCUSA and other protestant denominations are motivated by their evangelical zeal to see people come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Ecumenically, it is the evangelicals who enjoy many points of mutual faith and mission with the Roman Catholic and Orthodox expressions of Christianity.
Actually, when one thinks about it for awhile, it is really an honor to be part of the "new Samaritans." Jesus told us in his ironic words (Matthew 5:11), "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." It's not the part of following Jesus that we (or should I just say "I") enthusiastically embrace, but it is crucial in molding us into Christ-like persons who live out God's truth in humility. We know the certainty of this divine reality when our hearts impell us to stop and become neighbor to all who have fallen along the road.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Mark's Off The Mark (abbreviated)
Like many, I was very saddened to read about Mark Achtemeier's talk at the current Covenant Network conference. Clearly, he is quite "off the mark." It is sad to see one who was apparently so well grounded theologically and scripturally capitulate to those who claim the supreme authority duet of subjective experience and relativistic post-modern truth. I trust that he is sincere, and that this position he has taken with those who eschew Bible, Christ, and Tao (see Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis) is one of heartfelt and heartrending reflection. Nevertheless, it is important to note two major points that should give anyone serious pause before following Professor Achtemeier into the bright land of amoral enlightenment.
The first is to look at who is rejoicing when a prominent figure embraces the "anything goes as long as we really love each other" approach to human sexual relationships. It should cause us to reexamine our thinking when those who have rebelled against nature and the God of nature find us amenable to their lifestyles. Many in these circles are now openly promoting multiple partner "unions," and the acceptance of incest among consenting persons. One may say there are no views such as these among the Covenant Network folk, but so far they have shown little resolve in resisting societal pressures to step in line with whatever is deemed "progressive," which currently includes advocates for these sexual practices. Society and science hold more authority for this circle of ecclesiastics than Bible or even church tradition, and for them Christianity is merely a religion to make more relevant according to their own personal understandings than the faithful community of a risen Lord whose eternal Word transforms us and the world.
Of course it is understood that there is no valid rationale for condemning and avoiding such people with their perspectives. Christ calls us to stand and walk in their midst as fellow sinners who have been reclaimed through the blood of Jesus Christ from our sin. We are compelled by the Lord of all servants to seek both the welfare and the redemption of all people, not just the ones we are compatible with personally in culture, religion, race, orientation, politics, or philosophy (although there may be an exception regarding Iowa State University supporters). But when those who disagree and denigrate God's revealed viewpoints find our viewpoints to their liking, then that should be enough of a signal to us that we have moved away from God's truth and have accommodated ourselves in some way to serious and potentially damning error (and believe me, I am no stranger to this predicament).
The second observation is to note the incredible arrogance in the language of those who have opted out of the "traditional view" of marriage and have embraced the gay, lesbian, transgendered, bisexual, and endless other qualifications approach to marriage and sexual relationships. In his talk to the Covenant Network, Professor Achtemeier indicates several times that his former position against gay partnerships and marriage was due to his lack of personal experience with good, committed Christian gays, and that his understanding of scripture was due to sheltering himself from the insights and opinions of others who disagreed with his "traditionalist" position (one can only wonder how he managed to remain this "sheltered" in both experience and education while attending Harvard and Duke). However, he then projects his personal journey as being the experience of the typical evangelical. This again is incredulously arrogant and self-serving..
I am an evangelical Presbyterian minister (albeit a very low profile, relatively irrelevant one) who has read a pretty good share of the books both pro and con on sexual orientation issues. I've even studied much of the secular research. Plus, throughout my life, even from high school days, I have known gays in committed relationships and gays in ongoing multiple relationships. (As Professor Achtemeier should know, there are a number of diverse and even opposing viewpoints among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons on what forms their relationships should take.) During my years (long, long ago and in a galaxy far, far away) at Princeton Seminary, I so frequently sat at the "gay table" in the commons that many people assumed that I was gay, too. Plus, at Princeton and Duke (and even my pedestrian undergrad school, Wichita State), I had excellent liberal and evangelical professors who pushed me hard to wrestle with the foundations of my beliefs. Yet, I am confident in my approach to the scriptures and the moral positions I believe the Spirit and the scriptures instruct me to take. I've just always believed that these same scriptures and Spirit also called me into personal and loving involvement with those who I may be at odds with in both faith and life.
What then to make of this speech and Mark Achtemeier's new perspective? Yes, it gives ammunition to the liberal camps in the ongoing ecclesiastical wars in the mainline denominations. Of course, this doesn't really matter since the victory of some liberal church people will have no bearing on the catholic witness of Christ's church in all its authentic forms. It certainly will not cause the biblical interpretations of the orthodox, catholic, and evangelical to crumble into ashes because Professor Achtemeier's apology for his new view is so overwhelmingly persuasive. And, of course, God is not going to "repent" of God's clear intention (according to Jesus) in creating humans, sex, and marriage (although God may "repent" of having created the PCUSA, which raises a whole host of other issues to ponder).
The clear and obvious answer is to pray for Mark Achtemeier. As a fellow disciple of Jesus, I am confident that he would appreciate this, even if he thinks the motivation for the prayers is misinformed. I know I appreciate the prayers of my liberal friends who think I am out to lunch on my positions. In a more serious vein, however, I believe if Professor Achtemeier is truly seeking to be faithful to his God (and I believe he is), and is not simply rationalizing to deal with personal pressures to conform to this world, then he will be willing to open himself to his trusted evangelical friends and colleagues who take issue with his new position. If he is sincere, let him test his view in the fires of personal discourse with his friends, such as Robert Gagnon and others. This, along with the sweet incense of the prayers of the saints, will help him hear and follow the voice of his Shepherd who is certainly calling out to him. Again, Mark Achtemeier can be "on the mark!"
The first is to look at who is rejoicing when a prominent figure embraces the "anything goes as long as we really love each other" approach to human sexual relationships. It should cause us to reexamine our thinking when those who have rebelled against nature and the God of nature find us amenable to their lifestyles. Many in these circles are now openly promoting multiple partner "unions," and the acceptance of incest among consenting persons. One may say there are no views such as these among the Covenant Network folk, but so far they have shown little resolve in resisting societal pressures to step in line with whatever is deemed "progressive," which currently includes advocates for these sexual practices. Society and science hold more authority for this circle of ecclesiastics than Bible or even church tradition, and for them Christianity is merely a religion to make more relevant according to their own personal understandings than the faithful community of a risen Lord whose eternal Word transforms us and the world.
Of course it is understood that there is no valid rationale for condemning and avoiding such people with their perspectives. Christ calls us to stand and walk in their midst as fellow sinners who have been reclaimed through the blood of Jesus Christ from our sin. We are compelled by the Lord of all servants to seek both the welfare and the redemption of all people, not just the ones we are compatible with personally in culture, religion, race, orientation, politics, or philosophy (although there may be an exception regarding Iowa State University supporters). But when those who disagree and denigrate God's revealed viewpoints find our viewpoints to their liking, then that should be enough of a signal to us that we have moved away from God's truth and have accommodated ourselves in some way to serious and potentially damning error (and believe me, I am no stranger to this predicament).
The second observation is to note the incredible arrogance in the language of those who have opted out of the "traditional view" of marriage and have embraced the gay, lesbian, transgendered, bisexual, and endless other qualifications approach to marriage and sexual relationships. In his talk to the Covenant Network, Professor Achtemeier indicates several times that his former position against gay partnerships and marriage was due to his lack of personal experience with good, committed Christian gays, and that his understanding of scripture was due to sheltering himself from the insights and opinions of others who disagreed with his "traditionalist" position (one can only wonder how he managed to remain this "sheltered" in both experience and education while attending Harvard and Duke). However, he then projects his personal journey as being the experience of the typical evangelical. This again is incredulously arrogant and self-serving..
I am an evangelical Presbyterian minister (albeit a very low profile, relatively irrelevant one) who has read a pretty good share of the books both pro and con on sexual orientation issues. I've even studied much of the secular research. Plus, throughout my life, even from high school days, I have known gays in committed relationships and gays in ongoing multiple relationships. (As Professor Achtemeier should know, there are a number of diverse and even opposing viewpoints among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons on what forms their relationships should take.) During my years (long, long ago and in a galaxy far, far away) at Princeton Seminary, I so frequently sat at the "gay table" in the commons that many people assumed that I was gay, too. Plus, at Princeton and Duke (and even my pedestrian undergrad school, Wichita State), I had excellent liberal and evangelical professors who pushed me hard to wrestle with the foundations of my beliefs. Yet, I am confident in my approach to the scriptures and the moral positions I believe the Spirit and the scriptures instruct me to take. I've just always believed that these same scriptures and Spirit also called me into personal and loving involvement with those who I may be at odds with in both faith and life.
What then to make of this speech and Mark Achtemeier's new perspective? Yes, it gives ammunition to the liberal camps in the ongoing ecclesiastical wars in the mainline denominations. Of course, this doesn't really matter since the victory of some liberal church people will have no bearing on the catholic witness of Christ's church in all its authentic forms. It certainly will not cause the biblical interpretations of the orthodox, catholic, and evangelical to crumble into ashes because Professor Achtemeier's apology for his new view is so overwhelmingly persuasive. And, of course, God is not going to "repent" of God's clear intention (according to Jesus) in creating humans, sex, and marriage (although God may "repent" of having created the PCUSA, which raises a whole host of other issues to ponder).
The clear and obvious answer is to pray for Mark Achtemeier. As a fellow disciple of Jesus, I am confident that he would appreciate this, even if he thinks the motivation for the prayers is misinformed. I know I appreciate the prayers of my liberal friends who think I am out to lunch on my positions. In a more serious vein, however, I believe if Professor Achtemeier is truly seeking to be faithful to his God (and I believe he is), and is not simply rationalizing to deal with personal pressures to conform to this world, then he will be willing to open himself to his trusted evangelical friends and colleagues who take issue with his new position. If he is sincere, let him test his view in the fires of personal discourse with his friends, such as Robert Gagnon and others. This, along with the sweet incense of the prayers of the saints, will help him hear and follow the voice of his Shepherd who is certainly calling out to him. Again, Mark Achtemeier can be "on the mark!"
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Mark's Off The Mark (expanded)
Like many, I was very saddened to read about Mark Achtemeier's talk at the current Covenant Network conference. Clearly, he is quite "off the mark." I am not surprised, since there have been many indications over the past few years that he was drifting away from a trust in the revelatory authority of the scriptures. Still, it is sad to see one who was apparently so well grounded theologically and scripturally capitulate to those who claim the supreme authority duet of subjective experience and relativistic post-modern truth. (I know this crowd usually says they utilize the guidance of tradition and scripture, but this is almost always lip service for the sake of the unwashed evangelicals, catholics, and orthodox.)
I am not wanting to examine Professor Achtemeier's motives or intentions, since obviously these are both properly and personally beyond my rightful concerns. I trust him enough to believe that he is sincere, and that this position he has taken with those who eschew Bible, Christ, and Tao (see Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis) is one of heartfelt and heartrending reflection. Rather, I am only commenting on two macro observations that should give anyone serious pause before following Professor Achtemeier into the bright land of amoral enlightenment (which by implication is also "a-divine," since if there are no ethical nuances to how and with whom we have sex, then there is no divine authority or source whose viewpoint matters).
The first is to look at who is rejoicing when a prominent figure embraces the "anything goes as long as we really love each other" approach to human sexual relationships. It should give us pause when those who have rebelled against nature and the God of nature find us amenable to their lifestyles. Many in these circles are now openly promoting multiple partner "unions," the acceptance of incest among consenting persons, and there is even a growing voice for the "sexual rights" of children. One may say there are no views such as these among the Covenant Network folk, but so far they have shown little resolve in resisting societal pressures to step in line with whatever is deemed "progressive," which currently includes advocates for these sexual practices.
I am not saying that those who are part of the Covenant Network and similar groups are evil, malicious people. I know several of the leaders, and have worked with many more in various ministry situations. This only means I am quite certain when I state that this is not a group of people who are overly concerned with this historic witness of the church or the faith once given to the saints. They reject the revelatory authority of the scriptures, and consider it to be provincial arrogance on the part of anyone who asserts that Jesus is the unique Son of God through whom alone we must be reconciled to God the Father through the regenerative power of the Holy Spirit. Society and science hold more authority for this circle of ecclesiastics than Bible or even church tradition, and for them Christianity is merely a religion to make more relevant according to their own personal understandings than the faithful community of a risen Lord whose eternal Word transforms us and the world.
Now obviously, evangelical, catholic, and orthodox Christians have no place to condemn and should not stay away from such people or avoid engaging their perspectives. Christ calls us to stand and walk in their midst as fellow sinners who have been reclaimed through the blood of Jesus Christ from our sin. We are compelled by the Lord of all servants to seek both the welfare and the redemption of all people, not just the ones we are compatible with personally in culture, religion, race, orientation, politics, or philosophy (although there may be an exception regarding Iowa State University supporters). But when those who disagree and denigrate God's revealed viewpoints find our viewpoints to their liking, that should be enough of a signal to us that we have moved away from God's truth and have accommodated ourselves in some way to serious and potentially damning error (and believe me, I am no stranger to this predicament).
The second observation is to note the incredible arrogance in the language of those who have opted out of the "traditional view" of marriage and have embraced gay, lesbian, transgendered, bisexual, and endless other qualifications approach to marriage and sexual relationships. An earlier convert from the evangelical to the progressive, Professor Jack Rogers, was particularly vicious in his personal skewering of the philistine evangelicals who had held him captive for years with their hermeneutical spells. While Professor Achtemeier isn't showing such vitriol yet, he is still showing this same arrogance. This is also seen in some leaders of the so-called "emergent church," who view evangelicals as spiritual troglodytes holding unsuspecting Christians from true freedom by insisting that there is some actual content to faith.
In his talk to the Covenant Network, Professor Achtemeier indicates many times that his former position against gay partnerships and marriage was due to his lack of personal experience with good, committed Christian gays, and that his understanding of scripture was due to sheltering himself from the insights and opinions of others who disagreed with his "traditionalist" position (one can only wonder how he managed to remain this "sheltered" in both experience and education while attending Harvard and Duke). He even says that now that he has changed his view, there are many evangelicals who secretly agree with him but who are yet too fearful to express this openly. So, we evangelicals who hold to the "traditionalist" position on sexuality and marriage are sheltered, scholarly self-indulgent, trapped in our views by fear, and wrestle with an innate sense of being hypocritical regarding our actual experience with gays. Well, I guess that sets the table for open, respectful dialogue, doesn't it! Whatever I or another similar advocate says, our point and positions have already been dismissed as borne out of ignorance and fear.
Of course, Professor Achtemeier can declare his new viewpoint to be buttressed and capped by his high regard for the authority of scripture and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. But wait a minute, doesn't he say that this was a weakness he had in his old view because it was just a way to cover up his gnawing insecurities. Doesn't he indicate that evangelicals claim the high biblical ground as a way of avoiding the issues he has now so bravely faced? We evangelicals are in the conundrum where the professor can dismiss us for using the very same point he now uses to reinforce his own view. Seriously, I think his claim to hold his new position and a high view of biblical authority together simply makes him less honest and forthright than other advocates of alternative sexual lifestyles. Give me a good, honest liberal progressive who believes the scriptures are just plain wrong regarding the modern issues of sexual orientation, and then we can have a far more respectful and honest dialogue. Agreement is highly unlikely, but respect and regard for one another in both position and person are very likely.
Mark Achtemeier's straw man portrait of the fearful and sheltered evangelical is typical of progressive comments on this subject (one wonders how a person who was so recently an evangelical leader can now display such a shallow understanding of evangelicals and their beliefs). However, he indicates in his Covenant Network speech that this fits his own personal journey, which he then projects as the experience of the typical evangelical. This again is arrogant and errant. I am an evangelical Presbyterian minister (albeit a very low profile, relatively irrelevant one) who has read a pretty good share of the books both pro and con these issues. I've even studied much of the secular research into sexual orientation. Plus, throughout my life, even from high school days, I have had good and respectful personal friendships with gays and gay lifestyle supporters (and I also include other orientations such as transgendered and bisexual). I know and have known gays in committed relationships and gays in ongoing multiple relationships. (As Professor Achtemeier should know, there are a number of diverse and even opposing viewpoints among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons on what forms their relationships should take.)
My children have been around my wife's and my gay (and heterosexually errant) friends (though we have never thought it necessary to discuss with our children the sexual practices of any of our friends regardless of their persuasions). During my years (long, long ago and in a galaxy far, far away) at Princeton Seminary, I so frequently sat at the "gay table" in the commons that many people assumed that I was gay, too. Plus, at Princeton and Duke (and even my pedestrian undergrad school, Wichita State), I had excellent liberal and evangelical professors who pushed me hard to wrestle with the foundations of my beliefs. Yet, I am confident in my approach to the scriptures and the moral positions I believe the Spirit and the scriptures instruct me to take. I've just always believed that these same scriptures and Spirit also called me into personal and loving involvement with those who I may be at odds with in both faith and life. To paraphrase the words of an old evangelist I heard once, I want to be stationed at the last outpost before hell so I can reach those who most desperately need the Gospel.
What then to make of this speech and Mark Achtemeier's new perspective? Yes, it gives ammunition to the liberal camps in the ongoing ecclesiastical wars in the mainline denominations. Of course, this doesn't really matter since the victory of some liberal church people will have no bearing on the catholic witness of Christ's church in all its authentic forms. It certainly will not cause the biblical interpretations of the orthodox, catholic, and evangelical to crumble into ashes because Professor Achtemeier's apology for his new view is so overwhelmingly persuasive. And, of course, God is not going to "repent" of God's clear intention (according to Jesus) in creating humans, sex, and marriage (although God may "repent" of having created the PCUSA, which raises a whole host of other issues to ponder).
The clear and obvious answer is to pray for Mark Achtemeier. As a fellow disciple of Jesus, I am confident that he would appreciate this, even if he thinks the motivation for the prayers is misinformed. I know I appreciate the prayers of my liberal friends who think I am out to lunch on my positions. In a more serious vein, however, I believe if Professor Achtemeier is truly seeking to be faithful to his God (and I believe he is), and is not simply rationalizing to deal with personal pressures to conform to this world, then he will be willing to open himself to his trusted evangelical friends and colleagues who take issue with his new position. If he is sincere, let him test his view in the fires of personal discourse with his friends, such as Robert Gagnon and others. This, along with the sweet incense of the prayers of the saints, will help him hear and follow the voice of his Shepherd who is certainly calling out to him. Again, Mark Achtemeier can be "on the mark!"
I am not wanting to examine Professor Achtemeier's motives or intentions, since obviously these are both properly and personally beyond my rightful concerns. I trust him enough to believe that he is sincere, and that this position he has taken with those who eschew Bible, Christ, and Tao (see Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis) is one of heartfelt and heartrending reflection. Rather, I am only commenting on two macro observations that should give anyone serious pause before following Professor Achtemeier into the bright land of amoral enlightenment (which by implication is also "a-divine," since if there are no ethical nuances to how and with whom we have sex, then there is no divine authority or source whose viewpoint matters).
The first is to look at who is rejoicing when a prominent figure embraces the "anything goes as long as we really love each other" approach to human sexual relationships. It should give us pause when those who have rebelled against nature and the God of nature find us amenable to their lifestyles. Many in these circles are now openly promoting multiple partner "unions," the acceptance of incest among consenting persons, and there is even a growing voice for the "sexual rights" of children. One may say there are no views such as these among the Covenant Network folk, but so far they have shown little resolve in resisting societal pressures to step in line with whatever is deemed "progressive," which currently includes advocates for these sexual practices.
I am not saying that those who are part of the Covenant Network and similar groups are evil, malicious people. I know several of the leaders, and have worked with many more in various ministry situations. This only means I am quite certain when I state that this is not a group of people who are overly concerned with this historic witness of the church or the faith once given to the saints. They reject the revelatory authority of the scriptures, and consider it to be provincial arrogance on the part of anyone who asserts that Jesus is the unique Son of God through whom alone we must be reconciled to God the Father through the regenerative power of the Holy Spirit. Society and science hold more authority for this circle of ecclesiastics than Bible or even church tradition, and for them Christianity is merely a religion to make more relevant according to their own personal understandings than the faithful community of a risen Lord whose eternal Word transforms us and the world.
Now obviously, evangelical, catholic, and orthodox Christians have no place to condemn and should not stay away from such people or avoid engaging their perspectives. Christ calls us to stand and walk in their midst as fellow sinners who have been reclaimed through the blood of Jesus Christ from our sin. We are compelled by the Lord of all servants to seek both the welfare and the redemption of all people, not just the ones we are compatible with personally in culture, religion, race, orientation, politics, or philosophy (although there may be an exception regarding Iowa State University supporters). But when those who disagree and denigrate God's revealed viewpoints find our viewpoints to their liking, that should be enough of a signal to us that we have moved away from God's truth and have accommodated ourselves in some way to serious and potentially damning error (and believe me, I am no stranger to this predicament).
The second observation is to note the incredible arrogance in the language of those who have opted out of the "traditional view" of marriage and have embraced gay, lesbian, transgendered, bisexual, and endless other qualifications approach to marriage and sexual relationships. An earlier convert from the evangelical to the progressive, Professor Jack Rogers, was particularly vicious in his personal skewering of the philistine evangelicals who had held him captive for years with their hermeneutical spells. While Professor Achtemeier isn't showing such vitriol yet, he is still showing this same arrogance. This is also seen in some leaders of the so-called "emergent church," who view evangelicals as spiritual troglodytes holding unsuspecting Christians from true freedom by insisting that there is some actual content to faith.
In his talk to the Covenant Network, Professor Achtemeier indicates many times that his former position against gay partnerships and marriage was due to his lack of personal experience with good, committed Christian gays, and that his understanding of scripture was due to sheltering himself from the insights and opinions of others who disagreed with his "traditionalist" position (one can only wonder how he managed to remain this "sheltered" in both experience and education while attending Harvard and Duke). He even says that now that he has changed his view, there are many evangelicals who secretly agree with him but who are yet too fearful to express this openly. So, we evangelicals who hold to the "traditionalist" position on sexuality and marriage are sheltered, scholarly self-indulgent, trapped in our views by fear, and wrestle with an innate sense of being hypocritical regarding our actual experience with gays. Well, I guess that sets the table for open, respectful dialogue, doesn't it! Whatever I or another similar advocate says, our point and positions have already been dismissed as borne out of ignorance and fear.
Of course, Professor Achtemeier can declare his new viewpoint to be buttressed and capped by his high regard for the authority of scripture and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. But wait a minute, doesn't he say that this was a weakness he had in his old view because it was just a way to cover up his gnawing insecurities. Doesn't he indicate that evangelicals claim the high biblical ground as a way of avoiding the issues he has now so bravely faced? We evangelicals are in the conundrum where the professor can dismiss us for using the very same point he now uses to reinforce his own view. Seriously, I think his claim to hold his new position and a high view of biblical authority together simply makes him less honest and forthright than other advocates of alternative sexual lifestyles. Give me a good, honest liberal progressive who believes the scriptures are just plain wrong regarding the modern issues of sexual orientation, and then we can have a far more respectful and honest dialogue. Agreement is highly unlikely, but respect and regard for one another in both position and person are very likely.
Mark Achtemeier's straw man portrait of the fearful and sheltered evangelical is typical of progressive comments on this subject (one wonders how a person who was so recently an evangelical leader can now display such a shallow understanding of evangelicals and their beliefs). However, he indicates in his Covenant Network speech that this fits his own personal journey, which he then projects as the experience of the typical evangelical. This again is arrogant and errant. I am an evangelical Presbyterian minister (albeit a very low profile, relatively irrelevant one) who has read a pretty good share of the books both pro and con these issues. I've even studied much of the secular research into sexual orientation. Plus, throughout my life, even from high school days, I have had good and respectful personal friendships with gays and gay lifestyle supporters (and I also include other orientations such as transgendered and bisexual). I know and have known gays in committed relationships and gays in ongoing multiple relationships. (As Professor Achtemeier should know, there are a number of diverse and even opposing viewpoints among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons on what forms their relationships should take.)
My children have been around my wife's and my gay (and heterosexually errant) friends (though we have never thought it necessary to discuss with our children the sexual practices of any of our friends regardless of their persuasions). During my years (long, long ago and in a galaxy far, far away) at Princeton Seminary, I so frequently sat at the "gay table" in the commons that many people assumed that I was gay, too. Plus, at Princeton and Duke (and even my pedestrian undergrad school, Wichita State), I had excellent liberal and evangelical professors who pushed me hard to wrestle with the foundations of my beliefs. Yet, I am confident in my approach to the scriptures and the moral positions I believe the Spirit and the scriptures instruct me to take. I've just always believed that these same scriptures and Spirit also called me into personal and loving involvement with those who I may be at odds with in both faith and life. To paraphrase the words of an old evangelist I heard once, I want to be stationed at the last outpost before hell so I can reach those who most desperately need the Gospel.
What then to make of this speech and Mark Achtemeier's new perspective? Yes, it gives ammunition to the liberal camps in the ongoing ecclesiastical wars in the mainline denominations. Of course, this doesn't really matter since the victory of some liberal church people will have no bearing on the catholic witness of Christ's church in all its authentic forms. It certainly will not cause the biblical interpretations of the orthodox, catholic, and evangelical to crumble into ashes because Professor Achtemeier's apology for his new view is so overwhelmingly persuasive. And, of course, God is not going to "repent" of God's clear intention (according to Jesus) in creating humans, sex, and marriage (although God may "repent" of having created the PCUSA, which raises a whole host of other issues to ponder).
The clear and obvious answer is to pray for Mark Achtemeier. As a fellow disciple of Jesus, I am confident that he would appreciate this, even if he thinks the motivation for the prayers is misinformed. I know I appreciate the prayers of my liberal friends who think I am out to lunch on my positions. In a more serious vein, however, I believe if Professor Achtemeier is truly seeking to be faithful to his God (and I believe he is), and is not simply rationalizing to deal with personal pressures to conform to this world, then he will be willing to open himself to his trusted evangelical friends and colleagues who take issue with his new position. If he is sincere, let him test his view in the fires of personal discourse with his friends, such as Robert Gagnon and others. This, along with the sweet incense of the prayers of the saints, will help him hear and follow the voice of his Shepherd who is certainly calling out to him. Again, Mark Achtemeier can be "on the mark!"
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Way To Walking
Seth is doing GREAT in his first week at the Project Walk Spinal Cord Injury Center near San Diego. I was with him through Wednesday, and now Jackie is there through November 14. Our 19 year old son, Chris, will be there November 4-11.
The very first day his trainer found that Seth has "deep touch" sensation in his thighs, and that when Seth tries to make his legs move his muscles in his hips try to initiate movement. Of course, no one knew this before because Seth can't feel it and doctors don't check for it since they don't believe there is any reason to.
The trainers at Project Walk are all very dedicated and encouraging people, and there is a very positive atmosphere since they typically see improvement in their clients. They are especially hopeful for Seth, since they usually have very good success with children in regaining the ability to walk.
This is just the beginning, of course, but it looks very, very good at this point. God has brought Seth to the right place for his physical situation, and for this we are very thankful to all of you who have prayed, worked, hoped, and contributed financially to help this come about.
Seth picked verses 14 and 15 in Psalm 50 for his time at Project Walk. They are sort of a theme for him to use for encouragement.
Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,
and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.
Seth considers his vows to be what God is asking him to do, which consists of "Ask Me, trust Me, and work with Me!" I can hardly imagine what it must be like for an eleven year old boy to be called to such a difficult challenge. Seth has always been an exceptional person, but the incredible character he is demonstrating in all this is breathtaking.
Keep on praying!
Blessings!
Will Jackson
The very first day his trainer found that Seth has "deep touch" sensation in his thighs, and that when Seth tries to make his legs move his muscles in his hips try to initiate movement. Of course, no one knew this before because Seth can't feel it and doctors don't check for it since they don't believe there is any reason to.
The trainers at Project Walk are all very dedicated and encouraging people, and there is a very positive atmosphere since they typically see improvement in their clients. They are especially hopeful for Seth, since they usually have very good success with children in regaining the ability to walk.
This is just the beginning, of course, but it looks very, very good at this point. God has brought Seth to the right place for his physical situation, and for this we are very thankful to all of you who have prayed, worked, hoped, and contributed financially to help this come about.
Seth picked verses 14 and 15 in Psalm 50 for his time at Project Walk. They are sort of a theme for him to use for encouragement.
Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,
and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.
Seth considers his vows to be what God is asking him to do, which consists of "Ask Me, trust Me, and work with Me!" I can hardly imagine what it must be like for an eleven year old boy to be called to such a difficult challenge. Seth has always been an exceptional person, but the incredible character he is demonstrating in all this is breathtaking.
Keep on praying!
Blessings!
Will Jackson
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Exciting News!
Exciting News! Exciting News Indeed!
Some churches in the Cedar Rapids community have partnered together to make sure that we will have the $10,000 needed to begin Seth's recovery program in October at Project Walk's Spinal Cord Injury Center near San Diego. This, along with what others have already given, gets us on our way with Seth's recovery program. So many people are involved in helping to bring this about, and we give thanks to the Lord who is the One working through all the various persons, groups, organizations, and churches.
We can now begin the tasks involved in setting up the three weeks in California for Seth's initial training at Project Walk's recovery center. We are very excited about finally getting this started, and we are looking forward to seeing how far Seth can improve through this very promising and proven exercise program.
I wanted to get this uplifting news out to all of you who are so supportive of Seth in his ongoing quest to walk again. This is just the beginning, so keep praying, praying, and praying. There are still more expenses to deal with after the three weeks at Project Walk, but this initial $10,000 gets us on our way!
The Apostle Paul urges us to give thanks to God in everything, regardless of the difficulties we are facing. We are learning this powerful truth, but I am so glad God remembers that we need encouraging things to happen to help us remain thankful when the tough times come. I am so glad that this day I can share something that is so wonderfully encouraging.
In Christ's Peace,
Will
Some churches in the Cedar Rapids community have partnered together to make sure that we will have the $10,000 needed to begin Seth's recovery program in October at Project Walk's Spinal Cord Injury Center near San Diego. This, along with what others have already given, gets us on our way with Seth's recovery program. So many people are involved in helping to bring this about, and we give thanks to the Lord who is the One working through all the various persons, groups, organizations, and churches.
We can now begin the tasks involved in setting up the three weeks in California for Seth's initial training at Project Walk's recovery center. We are very excited about finally getting this started, and we are looking forward to seeing how far Seth can improve through this very promising and proven exercise program.
I wanted to get this uplifting news out to all of you who are so supportive of Seth in his ongoing quest to walk again. This is just the beginning, so keep praying, praying, and praying. There are still more expenses to deal with after the three weeks at Project Walk, but this initial $10,000 gets us on our way!
The Apostle Paul urges us to give thanks to God in everything, regardless of the difficulties we are facing. We are learning this powerful truth, but I am so glad God remembers that we need encouraging things to happen to help us remain thankful when the tough times come. I am so glad that this day I can share something that is so wonderfully encouraging.
In Christ's Peace,
Will
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Too Doggone Busy
I haven't blogged for awhile because I'm too doggone busy. When school starts next week for my kids, then the masked Blogger will be back. Actually there is no point in being a masked blogger, since no one can see the mask. Of course, it could be intriguing to wear a mask just for wearing a mask. But again, there isn't any point to it, just like this blog post.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Harrowers Of Hell
I remember as a small boy enduring the service in a very conservative Baptist church and looking at a very strange painting on the wall depicting Christ's harrowing of hell, which refers to Christ's activity during the time between his crucifixion and his being raised from the dead. I'm sure many of the congregants did not realize what it was, and I only learned about this decidedly non-Baptist doctrine years later under the guidance of a high church Methodist minister. As a boy, though, it did grab my imagination as I saw a magnificent and heroic Christ rescuing tormented souls and sending devils and demons cowering in terror. It certainly didn't fit with the general impression otherwise given by my boyhood congregation, that of a rather meek and mild Jesus who was too pitiful to intimidate anyone, let alone anything so ferocious as a devil.
I don't know if many Christians really believe in this old concept anymore. There are a few biblical references that can be worked a little bit to support the idea, but they are admittedly pretty weak. I Peter 3:19–20 says that Jesus "went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah…." Not many can really tell with much authority what this really means unless they are willing to drag unsuspecting students into the maze of inter-testamental literature (such as I Enoch and the like). Then there is Ephesians 4:8-10, which talks about Christ descending to the "lower, earthly regions" (εἰς τὰ κατώτερα τῆς γῆς). But again, this doesn't really lead one to think in terms of Christ being some kind of divine Viking raiding the ill-equipped and defensively weak guardians of hell.
Still, I am beginning to think that the idea of Christ harrowing, or attacking, hell is a very useful image. For one thing, God did do this very thing in Christ when God became flesh and lived among us. This was a pretty daring invasion of enemy territory where evil is so dominant. Then, even if Christ did not actually descend to hell after his crucifixion, his dying on the cross for our sins was a devastating blow to all the forces of evil who were stripped bare by Christ's death and revealed as weak, pathetic powers who only have authority over us when we choose to allow it. So, in many ways all of Christ's work is a harrowing of hell, since this world is, as Martin Luther so well stated, "with devils filled."
By now, if you are among the hearty who have persevered in reading this blog, you may be asking me where I'm heading with this. It seems to me that as followers of Christ, we are all called to carry on the mission of Christ to unmask the powers of this world as pretenders and deceivers. We are all to be "harrowing hell" in whatever place and situation we have been placed by God. We are to be revealing the power of Christ over whatever challenges and obstacles we are facing? Many of you know that recently my ten year old son underwent a surgery that left him paralyzed from the waist down. This is a hellish experience that threatens my son and my family with devastation in many ways. Yet, here the power of Christ to rob evil of its prey is revealed, and despite the threat of despair, God is glorified as we allow ourselves as a family to be used by God to demonstrate the triumph of God's grace. Instead of disintegration and loss, the power of God to sustain and provide for us is shown to be real in the midst of such great difficulty.
Whatever our circumstances, we are to be agents of God's grace and power, challenging the very things that seek to oppose God and keep people from God. In our professions, whether it be pursuing political office or surviving in a menial job, we can be God's agents to bring hope to those who are "in prison," first of all by our own freedom in Christ and then by sharing with those in our circle of life that Christ can set them free as well. It is just as much a harrowing of hell when a low paid temporary worker doing menial work at a factory does so with an attitude of hope in Christ as when a high profile politician dares to approach the responsibilities of their office with an attitude of Christ-likeness and an integration of their faith with their politics.
In our life situations, whether we are relatively healthy and comfortable or burdened with physical problems and facing societal oppression, we can show that our trust is not in the protection of princes or conformity to social pressures. Rather, we can show our neighbors the peace that comes only with trusting the One who reigns over all and who fills all who thirst for righteousness. The powers of hell will not like this, and will demand the withdrawal of hope and faith from their domain. After all, they are being "harried." But when we press our advantage in Christ over these evil forces, others will see how weak and powerless they really are, and hell will lose even more "prisoners" as they realize they can through Christ simply choose to be free.
So, in the face of a world that seems suspiciously like hell, I like the idea that Christ invaded the domain of evil, and heroically began to spring people from the grip and influence of satan. I like the idea that the devil is being harassed and harried by the constant attacks of Christ through his followers. Obviously, when we challenge satan and his power we do so with humility in the name of Jesus the Christ, but isn't that what our lives are to be -- a constant and excruciating pain in the rear for all that is vile and evil in this world.
I like the image that we are fighters --- indeed, dare I say, soldiers --- who are following the bravery of our Commander who leads us in a battle to reclaim and restore this world to God's vision for it. It's the kind of image my Viking ancestors could relate to, it's the kind of image I find invigorating, and it is the kind of Saviour all the "prisoners" of this world desperately need to see in everyone who claims to follow the Harrower of hell. As Martin Luther made so clear so many years ago...
And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
his truth to triumph through us.
In Christ's Peace,
Will
I don't know if many Christians really believe in this old concept anymore. There are a few biblical references that can be worked a little bit to support the idea, but they are admittedly pretty weak. I Peter 3:19–20 says that Jesus "went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah…." Not many can really tell with much authority what this really means unless they are willing to drag unsuspecting students into the maze of inter-testamental literature (such as I Enoch and the like). Then there is Ephesians 4:8-10, which talks about Christ descending to the "lower, earthly regions" (εἰς τὰ κατώτερα τῆς γῆς). But again, this doesn't really lead one to think in terms of Christ being some kind of divine Viking raiding the ill-equipped and defensively weak guardians of hell.
Still, I am beginning to think that the idea of Christ harrowing, or attacking, hell is a very useful image. For one thing, God did do this very thing in Christ when God became flesh and lived among us. This was a pretty daring invasion of enemy territory where evil is so dominant. Then, even if Christ did not actually descend to hell after his crucifixion, his dying on the cross for our sins was a devastating blow to all the forces of evil who were stripped bare by Christ's death and revealed as weak, pathetic powers who only have authority over us when we choose to allow it. So, in many ways all of Christ's work is a harrowing of hell, since this world is, as Martin Luther so well stated, "with devils filled."
By now, if you are among the hearty who have persevered in reading this blog, you may be asking me where I'm heading with this. It seems to me that as followers of Christ, we are all called to carry on the mission of Christ to unmask the powers of this world as pretenders and deceivers. We are all to be "harrowing hell" in whatever place and situation we have been placed by God. We are to be revealing the power of Christ over whatever challenges and obstacles we are facing? Many of you know that recently my ten year old son underwent a surgery that left him paralyzed from the waist down. This is a hellish experience that threatens my son and my family with devastation in many ways. Yet, here the power of Christ to rob evil of its prey is revealed, and despite the threat of despair, God is glorified as we allow ourselves as a family to be used by God to demonstrate the triumph of God's grace. Instead of disintegration and loss, the power of God to sustain and provide for us is shown to be real in the midst of such great difficulty.
Whatever our circumstances, we are to be agents of God's grace and power, challenging the very things that seek to oppose God and keep people from God. In our professions, whether it be pursuing political office or surviving in a menial job, we can be God's agents to bring hope to those who are "in prison," first of all by our own freedom in Christ and then by sharing with those in our circle of life that Christ can set them free as well. It is just as much a harrowing of hell when a low paid temporary worker doing menial work at a factory does so with an attitude of hope in Christ as when a high profile politician dares to approach the responsibilities of their office with an attitude of Christ-likeness and an integration of their faith with their politics.
In our life situations, whether we are relatively healthy and comfortable or burdened with physical problems and facing societal oppression, we can show that our trust is not in the protection of princes or conformity to social pressures. Rather, we can show our neighbors the peace that comes only with trusting the One who reigns over all and who fills all who thirst for righteousness. The powers of hell will not like this, and will demand the withdrawal of hope and faith from their domain. After all, they are being "harried." But when we press our advantage in Christ over these evil forces, others will see how weak and powerless they really are, and hell will lose even more "prisoners" as they realize they can through Christ simply choose to be free.
So, in the face of a world that seems suspiciously like hell, I like the idea that Christ invaded the domain of evil, and heroically began to spring people from the grip and influence of satan. I like the idea that the devil is being harassed and harried by the constant attacks of Christ through his followers. Obviously, when we challenge satan and his power we do so with humility in the name of Jesus the Christ, but isn't that what our lives are to be -- a constant and excruciating pain in the rear for all that is vile and evil in this world.
I like the image that we are fighters --- indeed, dare I say, soldiers --- who are following the bravery of our Commander who leads us in a battle to reclaim and restore this world to God's vision for it. It's the kind of image my Viking ancestors could relate to, it's the kind of image I find invigorating, and it is the kind of Saviour all the "prisoners" of this world desperately need to see in everyone who claims to follow the Harrower of hell. As Martin Luther made so clear so many years ago...
And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
his truth to triumph through us.
In Christ's Peace,
Will
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Walk To Moriah
(Recently I was given the question, "How has God been working in your life recently?" The origin and context for this question is unrelated to what has happened with my son, Seth, but the answer I gave is all about that. Here it is with a little editing for the blogging setup.)
The answer to this question is like a dagger to my soul, and painful beyond description as I write these words. Clearly I am wrestling with both God’s bountiful generosity and God’s heart-wrenching inaction regarding my ten year old son’s accidental paralysis. Seth could walk fine with no problems, but it was feared that the spastic nerves in his legs due to a slight case of cerebral palsy would become more interfering as he grew older. It was thought that a surgical procedure called a rhizotomy would prevent this by isolating and removing the effects of any spastic nerves in his legs. The procedure was considered to have very few risks, with potential paralysis not even a consideration. Nevertheless, in what is now the only known case to ever occur, Seth experienced complete paralysis from the waist down about five hours after surgery. Blood pressure inexplicably built up around the spinal cord and began to starve the cells of oxygen. No one knows why or how this happened, but it is all too obvious that it did, and this condition has continued without improvement until this moment thirty days later.
In the meantime, I have descended into the depths of hell itself, desperately seeking God’s mercy for my son. Nothing I have ever experienced before begins to compare with the heartbreak I feel for what is happening to Seth, and never before have I been so desperate before my Lord. I am driven to trust God like I’ve never trusted before, yet at the same time being overwhelmed with anguish of God’s apparent inaction. Why has God let this happen to Seth? Why is God so slow in responding to the prayers of so many?
I am not in a so-called “crisis of faith,” as, like Peter, where else can I go to find the words of eternal life! God is God if there is a God! The clear mercy and compassion of the Lord is daily flowing forth in the amazing ways my family and I have been cared for by so many, and in the provisions for us all, even for Seth. These signs and wonders are many, but still so far no healing for my son is among them.
In this crushing wait for God's glory, I have walked the terrible path that Abraham walked with his son, Isaac, as they approached the mountain of sacrifice in Moriah (Genesis 22:1-14). I have had to lay my son, Seth, on that altar in faith that somehow “God will provide.” In an obedience that shreds my soul I have had to give up my son as I place my faith in a God I can in no way comprehend who is asking me to do something I can in no way reason through. I must obey this stark, sheer Word of God, trusting that somehow God’s promise will be fulfilled despite the apparent unreasonableness and injustice of the present situation. Yes, I know the anguish in Abraham’s heart as he drew his dagger to slay his only son, Isaac. It is the anguish of obedience to the Word while trusting the One who spoke the Word to keep His promise. God will provide for His promise! This I am believing, this I am standing on! God who calls me to obey will also provide!
The answer to this question is like a dagger to my soul, and painful beyond description as I write these words. Clearly I am wrestling with both God’s bountiful generosity and God’s heart-wrenching inaction regarding my ten year old son’s accidental paralysis. Seth could walk fine with no problems, but it was feared that the spastic nerves in his legs due to a slight case of cerebral palsy would become more interfering as he grew older. It was thought that a surgical procedure called a rhizotomy would prevent this by isolating and removing the effects of any spastic nerves in his legs. The procedure was considered to have very few risks, with potential paralysis not even a consideration. Nevertheless, in what is now the only known case to ever occur, Seth experienced complete paralysis from the waist down about five hours after surgery. Blood pressure inexplicably built up around the spinal cord and began to starve the cells of oxygen. No one knows why or how this happened, but it is all too obvious that it did, and this condition has continued without improvement until this moment thirty days later.
In the meantime, I have descended into the depths of hell itself, desperately seeking God’s mercy for my son. Nothing I have ever experienced before begins to compare with the heartbreak I feel for what is happening to Seth, and never before have I been so desperate before my Lord. I am driven to trust God like I’ve never trusted before, yet at the same time being overwhelmed with anguish of God’s apparent inaction. Why has God let this happen to Seth? Why is God so slow in responding to the prayers of so many?
I am not in a so-called “crisis of faith,” as, like Peter, where else can I go to find the words of eternal life! God is God if there is a God! The clear mercy and compassion of the Lord is daily flowing forth in the amazing ways my family and I have been cared for by so many, and in the provisions for us all, even for Seth. These signs and wonders are many, but still so far no healing for my son is among them.
In this crushing wait for God's glory, I have walked the terrible path that Abraham walked with his son, Isaac, as they approached the mountain of sacrifice in Moriah (Genesis 22:1-14). I have had to lay my son, Seth, on that altar in faith that somehow “God will provide.” In an obedience that shreds my soul I have had to give up my son as I place my faith in a God I can in no way comprehend who is asking me to do something I can in no way reason through. I must obey this stark, sheer Word of God, trusting that somehow God’s promise will be fulfilled despite the apparent unreasonableness and injustice of the present situation. Yes, I know the anguish in Abraham’s heart as he drew his dagger to slay his only son, Isaac. It is the anguish of obedience to the Word while trusting the One who spoke the Word to keep His promise. God will provide for His promise! This I am believing, this I am standing on! God who calls me to obey will also provide!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Discouragement Gaining Ground
One of the surgeons involved with Seth's surgery stopped by today to check on how his incision was healing. He showed me where the injured part of the spinal cord would be, and explained that what we see now is essentially what will be. Seth still has no feeling below his waist, and the doctor said if there was to be improvement we would see it by now. Still, I insisted on doing another MRI in order to assess the actual damage to the spinal cord. I'm not sure why this is so important to me, but somehow knowing for sure instead of assuming seems the right thing to do. So, this talk today was very discouraging.
I've been at the hospital today learning how to do some of the basic things that must be done to help Seth get through each day. The indignities Seth, and all who are have paralysis like this, must accept as normal everyday living are extremely disturbing to me. He seems to take it all in stride, but how my heart breaks that he has to endure these daily invasions of his body and person. That he must deal with this is extremely discouraging.
My wife had an experience last night that hopefully means something good. Whether she was awake or dreaming, she doesn't know, but she was praying for Seth when suddenly her spine felt like it was on fire. The feeling went up to the midpoint of her back, which is the same location the surgeon pointed to today when he showed me where the injury was located. I am growing weary of "signs" at this stage of drama, but I'll take it. It is encouraging, but my heart is so discouraged that it is hard to hold on to anything hopeful.
Discouragement 2, Encouragement 1/2. Discouragement is closing the gap, but God makes the score heavily in favor of encouragement. Still, discouragement definitely gained some ground today.
I've been at the hospital today learning how to do some of the basic things that must be done to help Seth get through each day. The indignities Seth, and all who are have paralysis like this, must accept as normal everyday living are extremely disturbing to me. He seems to take it all in stride, but how my heart breaks that he has to endure these daily invasions of his body and person. That he must deal with this is extremely discouraging.
My wife had an experience last night that hopefully means something good. Whether she was awake or dreaming, she doesn't know, but she was praying for Seth when suddenly her spine felt like it was on fire. The feeling went up to the midpoint of her back, which is the same location the surgeon pointed to today when he showed me where the injury was located. I am growing weary of "signs" at this stage of drama, but I'll take it. It is encouraging, but my heart is so discouraged that it is hard to hold on to anything hopeful.
Discouragement 2, Encouragement 1/2. Discouragement is closing the gap, but God makes the score heavily in favor of encouragement. Still, discouragement definitely gained some ground today.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Encouragement Wins The Day
A good friend, Dick Speight, went with me today to pray for Seth at the hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota. He prayed for both healing of the dead cells in his spine and the miraculous recovery of those cells that are injured. After he finished praying, another friend called from Cedar Rapids who informed us that at the time Dick was praying his prayers for healing and miracles, a large number of Cedar Rapids pastors had gathered together and were praying for Seth. This demonstration of care and love was very encouraging.
At a team meeting regarding Seth's condition, one of the doctors expressed his pessimism regarding Seth's prospects for recovery. He said that there should be some signs of improvement by now, and there are none. Seth still has no feeling from his waist down, and this hasn't changed for over a week now. He was not trying to be negative, he just was trying to be straight with us. My wife and I said that we believe God is a healing God, and that our hope remains in what God can do. Nevertheless, this meeting was very discouraging.
Later today, just before Dick, my wife, and I left the hospital, a doctor stopped by to see how Seth was doing. He had treated Seth in the intensive care unit, and had been praying for him. This doctor told us that on the very floor where Seth is staying are several patients who have had recoveries and healings that are impossible according to medical understanding. He said God can certainly do this with Seth as well. This believing doctor was very encouraging.
So, encouragement 2, discouragement 1. Encouragement wins today. Now comes tomorrow. Keep praying!
In Christ's Peace,
Will
At a team meeting regarding Seth's condition, one of the doctors expressed his pessimism regarding Seth's prospects for recovery. He said that there should be some signs of improvement by now, and there are none. Seth still has no feeling from his waist down, and this hasn't changed for over a week now. He was not trying to be negative, he just was trying to be straight with us. My wife and I said that we believe God is a healing God, and that our hope remains in what God can do. Nevertheless, this meeting was very discouraging.
Later today, just before Dick, my wife, and I left the hospital, a doctor stopped by to see how Seth was doing. He had treated Seth in the intensive care unit, and had been praying for him. This doctor told us that on the very floor where Seth is staying are several patients who have had recoveries and healings that are impossible according to medical understanding. He said God can certainly do this with Seth as well. This believing doctor was very encouraging.
So, encouragement 2, discouragement 1. Encouragement wins today. Now comes tomorrow. Keep praying!
In Christ's Peace,
Will
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Seth Update
Greetings All,
The latest on Seth is that as of this morning, the latest MRI shows no change, which means there is still swelling around the Coccyx, which is as I understand it the lowest part of the spine. More importantly, there is still no feeling in his legs. The doctors have yet to discuss with us anything specific about the present condition of the spine.
So, please keep remembering Seth and praying for him. I know it is different for us, Seth's family. For us the intensity is naturally constant and consuming. But as much as you all can, we appreciate you keeping the prayers for Seth rising like incense before the Father's throne. I know God hears.
For those of you who were sent information about the Caring Bridge, it is now accessible for everyone. There seems to be a problem with the signing in requirements, so when we get that working properly, we will let you all know the password stuff. As of right now, though, you can go to http://www.caringbridge.org/, type in sethandrewjackson, and that will take you to Seth's website. It has just been started, so there isn't much on it right now, but you can leave comments and encouragements for Seth.
Please also pray for me as I travel up to the hospital tomorrow. First of all that God gives me wisdom in talking with Seth as he is now asking when are his legs going to get feeling again. Also, for safety, as on our way home to Cedar Rapids last Sunday we hit a deer (or more accurately the deer hit us). Thank God no one (except for the deer) was hurt and the van is still drivable. Our Windstar just has a more interesting driver's side which looks like someone kept running into it with one of those little "Smart" cars. Oh well, we now have no problem identifying our van from all the other ones in the Walmart parking lot.
Also, please pray for Jackie and I to find some more work. Jackie's employer (a security agency) wasn't happy about her staying longer at the hospital last week, so she was forced to resign Monday when she went back to work. She still has a part time cafeteria job at the Toyota Center here in Cedar Rapids, but obviously she and/or I need to find something to replace the income before serious problems happen financially. (This would be a real good time for a good church to get real interested in me becoming their pastor, or maybe God is telling me it is time to get on with starting a new church. In the present circumstances, the only thing that seems clearly ruled out is returning to mission in Croatia. Oprostite, Hrvatski prijatejli.)
Again, thank you all for your prayers. So many people who we do not even know have let us know they and their circles of friends are praying. What a great big wonderful family of God! While it is in times like ours that this unity of the Holy Spirit is cherished, it is a real unity that exists all the time, everywhere, and forever.
In Christ's Peace,
Will and Jackie Jackson
The latest on Seth is that as of this morning, the latest MRI shows no change, which means there is still swelling around the Coccyx, which is as I understand it the lowest part of the spine. More importantly, there is still no feeling in his legs. The doctors have yet to discuss with us anything specific about the present condition of the spine.
So, please keep remembering Seth and praying for him. I know it is different for us, Seth's family. For us the intensity is naturally constant and consuming. But as much as you all can, we appreciate you keeping the prayers for Seth rising like incense before the Father's throne. I know God hears.
For those of you who were sent information about the Caring Bridge, it is now accessible for everyone. There seems to be a problem with the signing in requirements, so when we get that working properly, we will let you all know the password stuff. As of right now, though, you can go to http://www.caringbridge.org/, type in sethandrewjackson, and that will take you to Seth's website. It has just been started, so there isn't much on it right now, but you can leave comments and encouragements for Seth.
Please also pray for me as I travel up to the hospital tomorrow. First of all that God gives me wisdom in talking with Seth as he is now asking when are his legs going to get feeling again. Also, for safety, as on our way home to Cedar Rapids last Sunday we hit a deer (or more accurately the deer hit us). Thank God no one (except for the deer) was hurt and the van is still drivable. Our Windstar just has a more interesting driver's side which looks like someone kept running into it with one of those little "Smart" cars. Oh well, we now have no problem identifying our van from all the other ones in the Walmart parking lot.
Also, please pray for Jackie and I to find some more work. Jackie's employer (a security agency) wasn't happy about her staying longer at the hospital last week, so she was forced to resign Monday when she went back to work. She still has a part time cafeteria job at the Toyota Center here in Cedar Rapids, but obviously she and/or I need to find something to replace the income before serious problems happen financially. (This would be a real good time for a good church to get real interested in me becoming their pastor, or maybe God is telling me it is time to get on with starting a new church. In the present circumstances, the only thing that seems clearly ruled out is returning to mission in Croatia. Oprostite, Hrvatski prijatejli.)
Again, thank you all for your prayers. So many people who we do not even know have let us know they and their circles of friends are praying. What a great big wonderful family of God! While it is in times like ours that this unity of the Holy Spirit is cherished, it is a real unity that exists all the time, everywhere, and forever.
In Christ's Peace,
Will and Jackie Jackson
Friday, March 27, 2009
My Little Boy
Here I sit typing this blog entry in a contorted attempt to deal with my devastated heart. My ten year old son lies in a hospital bed in the intensive care unit of Gillette Children's hospital because of a very hopeful surgery having gone so terribly wrong. In what was to have been the final installment in a series of surgeries to enable Seth to walk as well as everyone else, instead it looks as though all ability to walk has been robbed from him.
The surgeon has no idea what went wrong. The surgery went perfect, he says. Everything was ideal. Yet, for some totally terrible reason unknown to anyone but God, feeling has not returned to his legs as it should have a few hours after surgery. It is now going on 72 hours without any feeling returning, and the surgeon is now speaking the unspeakable, that we should begin treating this as a permanent condition. Instead of a spinal cord correction, we now are dealing with a spinal cord "injury."
Oh the flood of feelings right now. Do I claim a strong faith that God will intervene and restore feeling to Seth's legs, that the doctors are wrong in their assessments? I've pounded the wall of the shower as my tears ran down with the water, crying out to God, "No! No! No!" Is this denial of the inevitable, or a plea that God hears and answers. A bruised reed God will not break, Isaiah says. What about a bruised ten year boy whose only mistake was to trust that his parents and doctors were doing something good for him?
I am overwhelmed with grief, grief for my son, for my wife, for myself. Yet, do I dare believe the miraculous can happen? I believe God can, but do I dare believe God will actually do something amazing here. Obviously, I desperately want God to give my son feeling in his legs and the ability to walk again. I don't know what to hope for, what to claim in faith for my son. Is what I want something God will honor, or must I again submit to the mystery of God's will? Perhaps the best I can do is humbly submit to what God wants, but at least approach God with open hands ready to receive a desperately desired gift.
I know God will do something marvelous - ultimately! I know that somehow out of this will come great glory for God. Of these things I am sure. But how and in what way I don't know. Right now, all I know is that my little boy is hurt real bad, and that he trusted me for the best when he went into this surgery. Right now, all I know is that I can only cry out to God in anguish, as so many other parents have in similar situations. All those "Bible stories" about fathers and mothers coming to Jesus and crying out to Him to heal their children are so much more than interesting lessons with nuanced meanings in Greek and Aramaic. They are raw human reality slashing through my heart like a double-edged sword. They are the fire of the Holy Spirit searing my innermost soul. I too come to Jesus in sheer desperation and cast myself down at His feet to plead for my son to rise up and walk.
God have mercy. Christ have mercy. God have mercy on my little boy!
The surgeon has no idea what went wrong. The surgery went perfect, he says. Everything was ideal. Yet, for some totally terrible reason unknown to anyone but God, feeling has not returned to his legs as it should have a few hours after surgery. It is now going on 72 hours without any feeling returning, and the surgeon is now speaking the unspeakable, that we should begin treating this as a permanent condition. Instead of a spinal cord correction, we now are dealing with a spinal cord "injury."
Oh the flood of feelings right now. Do I claim a strong faith that God will intervene and restore feeling to Seth's legs, that the doctors are wrong in their assessments? I've pounded the wall of the shower as my tears ran down with the water, crying out to God, "No! No! No!" Is this denial of the inevitable, or a plea that God hears and answers. A bruised reed God will not break, Isaiah says. What about a bruised ten year boy whose only mistake was to trust that his parents and doctors were doing something good for him?
I am overwhelmed with grief, grief for my son, for my wife, for myself. Yet, do I dare believe the miraculous can happen? I believe God can, but do I dare believe God will actually do something amazing here. Obviously, I desperately want God to give my son feeling in his legs and the ability to walk again. I don't know what to hope for, what to claim in faith for my son. Is what I want something God will honor, or must I again submit to the mystery of God's will? Perhaps the best I can do is humbly submit to what God wants, but at least approach God with open hands ready to receive a desperately desired gift.
I know God will do something marvelous - ultimately! I know that somehow out of this will come great glory for God. Of these things I am sure. But how and in what way I don't know. Right now, all I know is that my little boy is hurt real bad, and that he trusted me for the best when he went into this surgery. Right now, all I know is that I can only cry out to God in anguish, as so many other parents have in similar situations. All those "Bible stories" about fathers and mothers coming to Jesus and crying out to Him to heal their children are so much more than interesting lessons with nuanced meanings in Greek and Aramaic. They are raw human reality slashing through my heart like a double-edged sword. They are the fire of the Holy Spirit searing my innermost soul. I too come to Jesus in sheer desperation and cast myself down at His feet to plead for my son to rise up and walk.
God have mercy. Christ have mercy. God have mercy on my little boy!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
A Ministry Fondly Remembered (And Lessons Learned)
Perhaps this is a sign of aging, but lately I have been recalling some of my more enjoyable times of service as a pastor. A ministry I am especially fond of is the Cortland-Chenango Rural Services, a community self-development organization for the poor residents of a predominantly rural area about 60 miles southeast of Syracuse, New York. This grew out of an outreach initiative of the United Presbyterian Church of Cincinnatus, New York in 1987.
When I came in the spring of 1986 to serve as the pastor of this thriving little church in a breath-taking picturesque Appalachian valley, I was quite unprepared for the abject poverty afflicting so many people in this area. We are not just talking about low income! We’re talking about people with dirt floors in drafty shacks, little knowledge of basic health issues, pervasive tooth decay, undernourished infants, little or no reading ability making it impossible to fill out a job application, and no reliable transportation to get to a job. Most of this population eked out a living by cutting, selling, and using firewood. I even met people in their late 90’s who had never been further than a few miles outside the valley.
I really never had a plan for developing the Cortland-Chenango Rural Services. It was a ministry opportunity that was obvious and demanded my response. I discussed this problem with people in my congregation who knew the area far better than me. They and the local school officials were helpful in developing an understanding of the obstacles involved. I also networked with as many community leaders (both informal and official) as possible. After a year of getting to know the people, area, and culture, I asked several concerned individuals to sponsor a “Business Forum,” to be held as the outreach segment of a renewal week planned at the Presbyterian church. At this gathering I simply focused on the local poverty issues and opened discussion for sharing ideas on what we could do to make life better for the severely impoverished in our valley.
My wife, Jackie, and I were able to add to the discussion our personal relationships and experiences with this population. Most of the local pastors, including me, had some of severely poor in their congregations. In my case, I had become good friends with some of the “backwoods” men, which was significant because these men considered male ministers to be “sissy” and believed church was primarily for women. Jackie knew poor families through going into their homes to help people work on getting their GED and assisting young mothers in the basic care for their babies and young children.
To telescope the process, the “Business Forum” led to a series of community discussions which grew to include all the churches (even the local fundamentalist Baptist church) and community leaders. Ideas were developed for addressing basic parenting needs, educational help, personal skills development, and marketing native crafts. A local funeral director and his wife were able to communicate the exciting possibilities of this ministry opportunity to their regional church leaders, which led to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Binghamton, New York giving us a grant for the first three years of operation. The most significant contribution, however, was the willingness of three sisters of the order of St. Joseph to come live in the valley and develop this ministry to the rural poor, which late 1987 became known as the Cortland-Chenango Rural Services.
The ministry continued to be ecumenical and community-based, with the headquarters located initially in the Catholic church building. Within three years we expanded to two buildings where a number of ministries were offered: family counseling, basic skills development, reading classes, marketing workshops for local products such as maple syrup, crafts, and firewood. A twentyfive acre field was donated, which was divided into parcels for local poor families to grow gardens. It became known as “the field of dreams.”
I led and spearheaded this ministry until the three sisters felt they knew the area well enough, and a strong community board had been formed. Naturally, as pastor of the Presbyterian church I had encouraged people in the congregation to find places of ministry and leadership, which included some working with the Rural Services. The particular issues (which are related) the Presbyterian church became particularly involved with was addictions and families in crisis. We developed a strong AA group (led by members of the church who were just beginning to face their own alcoholism), and our Christian growth small groups typically had a few members who were wrestling with drug addiction. Our announcements in worship included such things as “Brian has been clean from cocaine for three months now” with applause following. The local fundamentalist Baptist pastor even started sending his “troubled” members to the Presbyterian church, telling them “They fix broken people at that church.” Certainly, this remains one of the best compliments to any ministry of which I have been a part.
In the fall of 1987 I was invited to participate in a group advising then Governour Mario Cuomo on rural issues in New York state. While this was a nice honor, and was fun to get free trips to Albany, the closest I ever got to the governour was almost crashing into him when we were leaving one of our “advisory” meetings (where he did 98 percent of the talking).
Not everything I’ve tried to do has come together as nicely, worked as well, and been as long lasting as the Cortland-Chenango Rural Services. Just ask Rev. Michael Romero (now executive pastor at Desert Son Community Church in Tucson, AZ) about our attempt (in Denver, Colorado) to develop “GraceTech,” a ministry to help people have access to low cost training for computer careers. We tried to do too much too soon with too little support (although we still had lots of fun even in failure). However, my basic premises in how to approach any ministry are similar. I seek God’s call to a situation, trust God’s leading, come into the situation being open to the Spirit’s guidance, assess the needs, set my objectives, learn the culture, network like crazy, find and encourage emerging leaders, develop equipping structures to reinforce present ministries and promote the development of new ones.
One thing I have learned both through doing it right sometimes and wrong other times, is to concentrate on two basic resources before attempting or continuing a ministry. The first is to have the core group of people who are called and passionate about the endeavor before them. It is critical to find this group and do adequate preparatory work on the relationships before engaging in the challenges and stresses of developing the ministry, whatever it may be. The second resource comes out of the first, the finances and skills needed to accomplish the goals of the ministry. These are obtained through a number of ways, but primary to their effectiveness is the work of the people who are committed to the ministry. It is their diligence, passion, and risks that inspire others to give to a ministry project, sometimes even inspiring others to give themselves to the project (as God so leads, of course).
When I came in the spring of 1986 to serve as the pastor of this thriving little church in a breath-taking picturesque Appalachian valley, I was quite unprepared for the abject poverty afflicting so many people in this area. We are not just talking about low income! We’re talking about people with dirt floors in drafty shacks, little knowledge of basic health issues, pervasive tooth decay, undernourished infants, little or no reading ability making it impossible to fill out a job application, and no reliable transportation to get to a job. Most of this population eked out a living by cutting, selling, and using firewood. I even met people in their late 90’s who had never been further than a few miles outside the valley.
I really never had a plan for developing the Cortland-Chenango Rural Services. It was a ministry opportunity that was obvious and demanded my response. I discussed this problem with people in my congregation who knew the area far better than me. They and the local school officials were helpful in developing an understanding of the obstacles involved. I also networked with as many community leaders (both informal and official) as possible. After a year of getting to know the people, area, and culture, I asked several concerned individuals to sponsor a “Business Forum,” to be held as the outreach segment of a renewal week planned at the Presbyterian church. At this gathering I simply focused on the local poverty issues and opened discussion for sharing ideas on what we could do to make life better for the severely impoverished in our valley.
My wife, Jackie, and I were able to add to the discussion our personal relationships and experiences with this population. Most of the local pastors, including me, had some of severely poor in their congregations. In my case, I had become good friends with some of the “backwoods” men, which was significant because these men considered male ministers to be “sissy” and believed church was primarily for women. Jackie knew poor families through going into their homes to help people work on getting their GED and assisting young mothers in the basic care for their babies and young children.
To telescope the process, the “Business Forum” led to a series of community discussions which grew to include all the churches (even the local fundamentalist Baptist church) and community leaders. Ideas were developed for addressing basic parenting needs, educational help, personal skills development, and marketing native crafts. A local funeral director and his wife were able to communicate the exciting possibilities of this ministry opportunity to their regional church leaders, which led to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Binghamton, New York giving us a grant for the first three years of operation. The most significant contribution, however, was the willingness of three sisters of the order of St. Joseph to come live in the valley and develop this ministry to the rural poor, which late 1987 became known as the Cortland-Chenango Rural Services.
The ministry continued to be ecumenical and community-based, with the headquarters located initially in the Catholic church building. Within three years we expanded to two buildings where a number of ministries were offered: family counseling, basic skills development, reading classes, marketing workshops for local products such as maple syrup, crafts, and firewood. A twentyfive acre field was donated, which was divided into parcels for local poor families to grow gardens. It became known as “the field of dreams.”
I led and spearheaded this ministry until the three sisters felt they knew the area well enough, and a strong community board had been formed. Naturally, as pastor of the Presbyterian church I had encouraged people in the congregation to find places of ministry and leadership, which included some working with the Rural Services. The particular issues (which are related) the Presbyterian church became particularly involved with was addictions and families in crisis. We developed a strong AA group (led by members of the church who were just beginning to face their own alcoholism), and our Christian growth small groups typically had a few members who were wrestling with drug addiction. Our announcements in worship included such things as “Brian has been clean from cocaine for three months now” with applause following. The local fundamentalist Baptist pastor even started sending his “troubled” members to the Presbyterian church, telling them “They fix broken people at that church.” Certainly, this remains one of the best compliments to any ministry of which I have been a part.
In the fall of 1987 I was invited to participate in a group advising then Governour Mario Cuomo on rural issues in New York state. While this was a nice honor, and was fun to get free trips to Albany, the closest I ever got to the governour was almost crashing into him when we were leaving one of our “advisory” meetings (where he did 98 percent of the talking).
Not everything I’ve tried to do has come together as nicely, worked as well, and been as long lasting as the Cortland-Chenango Rural Services. Just ask Rev. Michael Romero (now executive pastor at Desert Son Community Church in Tucson, AZ) about our attempt (in Denver, Colorado) to develop “GraceTech,” a ministry to help people have access to low cost training for computer careers. We tried to do too much too soon with too little support (although we still had lots of fun even in failure). However, my basic premises in how to approach any ministry are similar. I seek God’s call to a situation, trust God’s leading, come into the situation being open to the Spirit’s guidance, assess the needs, set my objectives, learn the culture, network like crazy, find and encourage emerging leaders, develop equipping structures to reinforce present ministries and promote the development of new ones.
One thing I have learned both through doing it right sometimes and wrong other times, is to concentrate on two basic resources before attempting or continuing a ministry. The first is to have the core group of people who are called and passionate about the endeavor before them. It is critical to find this group and do adequate preparatory work on the relationships before engaging in the challenges and stresses of developing the ministry, whatever it may be. The second resource comes out of the first, the finances and skills needed to accomplish the goals of the ministry. These are obtained through a number of ways, but primary to their effectiveness is the work of the people who are committed to the ministry. It is their diligence, passion, and risks that inspire others to give to a ministry project, sometimes even inspiring others to give themselves to the project (as God so leads, of course).
Thursday, January 8, 2009
A Sister's Heart
(The following is a letter written by my 20 year old daughter, Jennifer, for her 3 year old sister, Leah. It was part of an assignment for a psychology class Jennifer was taking at Biola University. Along with the nice affection expressed by a big sister for her little sister, this touches on the challenge of being a woman in a world that works against God's intention for women. Of course, my daughter is able to express this in a much more authentic way than I ever could.)
Dear beautiful girl,
Dear beautiful girl, If you could only grasp this idea and reality of your beauty, you would never think for a second that you are not enough. What can I say to remind you that you are stunning? That the angels stand in awe and wonder when they see your shining face and hear your priceless laughter? How God has fashioned a reflection of Himself in you that will never be manifested in any other woman in all of time? When I heard the news that you would be born, I could not begin to understand what a miracle it was that God decided to make you.
Who am I to be your sister? Even though the same blood does not run through us, I have a sister's heart for you and I am just beginning to understand the weight of my privilege and honor in having it. I am supposed to know the answers to the questions you will one day ask, and it breaks my heart that you will ever ask them. But I know every woman second guesses her beauty and Satan will scream at her that she is ugly and worthless and the only way to be of worth is to please lustful appetites. I know those days will come, but if I had my way you would never have to hear any of those lies.
Is there any way to preserve your innocence forever? Is there anything I could say that would convince you that you are the most beautiful little girl I have ever known? Will I ever be ready to see you lose your innocence? When you realize that there is a fork in the road-- I can only pray that you take the road of self-assurance and worth. What can I do to make sure that you take that path instead of the other path that leads to a pit of emptiness? We are lured into the pit with promises of wholeness and love, and once we take the bait we find ourselves to have everything but those things.
All we want is what we were made to have, to be. Instead we are too much, not enough, too skinny, too fat, too clingy, too withdrawn, too loud, too quiet, too smart, too ditsy, too intimidating, not spiritual enough. We are never what we should be. All I can do is tell you now and always that you have changed this world with your existence. You will grow and become a woman--the zenith of creation. You can only find your worth and beauty in the One who made you; He is the only one capable enough to tell you who you are. All those other stupid voices, shut them out. Who are they to think they have any idea how much you are worth? If you hear them, and you will, hold your head up high. Walk with dignity and rest assured in what you know, that you are a daughter of the King. Clothe yourself in dignity and love. If you do that, everything else will fall into place. You won't feel the need to expose yourself, since you won't be starved and looking for cheap love.
You already have the very richest of love and it can fill you completely. I still can't believe that I have the honor of helping you walk into this way of living. I hope that I will be a woman who can model this to you when the time comes; I hope I will be ready. I love you.
Your sister,
Jenny
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