Falling Among The Charismatics: Living In A Pentecostal Reality

I haven’t really had any marked changes in my theology during the past few years, but I have had to reconsider my personal feelings and comfort level with Christians who worship and live according to a Pentecostal or charismatic expression of Christianity. Charismatic Christianity is rapidly becoming the most prevalent form of self-understanding in Protestantism today. It is the overwhelming form of Christian expression in South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia (including China). According to some Christian prognosticators, charismatic forms of Christian belief and practice will be “normal” Christianity by 2050, and will include Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and whatever is left of the Protestant traditions. So, all of us in one way or another must decide what our personal approach will be to those who call themselves charismatic or Pentecostal, since this is most like the future of most our congregations.

In my time in Cedar Rapids, I have been a leader in building inter-denominational coalitions for serving and reaching this community. In doing this, I have become very close to many of the Pentecostal and charismatic leaders. After finishing my time at Hus Presbyterian Church, my wife and I have become regular worshippers with a local but world renowned charismatic ministry, River of Life Ministries. My close friendship with a local charismatic Methodist pastor has led me to work with him in his "prophetic" retreat ministry which helps people enter into a deeper walk with Jesus through basic spiritual disciplines. While I have never been opposed to the more “Spirit-led” expressions of Christianity, it is only recently that I have been challenged to think through my own beliefs regarding this phenomenon due to my own proximity to those who are part of it.

Therefore, I have learned that the traditional Pentecostal/charismatic groups have matured in their use of Scripture for understanding the work of the Spirit. Most charismatic denominations, such as Assemblies of God, emphasize the biblical maxim that “manifestations of the Spirit” must be for the common good of the church’s ministry of demonstrating the power and presence of Christ. Speaking in tongues is to empower prayer for not only the person praying but for the work of the whole church (which is actually a very ancient emphasis in Christian experience). Being “slain in the Spirit” (again a known occurrence in Christian experience over the ages and in many forms) is to provide for a special work of grace in a person’s life to overcome a problem or perform a special ministry. As Larry Sohn of the Assemblies of God says, “It isn’t what happens when you fall on the floor that matters. It’s what you do when you rise up and face the world.” Francis Frangipane, a major charismatic leader and good friend of mine, points out that the most important manifestation of the Spirit is not speaking in tongues or performing healings, but becoming a Christ-like person whose life bears the “fruits of the Spirit,” such as love, joy, peace, humility, and patience.

I have experienced the manifestation of God’s Spirit primarily in my giftedness as a preacher and teacher who awakens others to the adventure and excitement of following Jesus. To see people respond and discover the call of God in their lives is exhilarating to me. I have never spoken in tongues, but I have had the Spirit speak to me in visions when I particularly needed encouragement and hope. These make for interesting stories, but in each case God was enabling me or preparing me to be faithful in a challenging situation. Recently, in the Grand Canyon, God revealed more clearly than ever before my abject sinfulness and incapability to seek God in my own strength. This wasn’t through voices or visions, but through the use of the geophysical characteristics of the Canyon in the light of the Scriptures I was meditating on (and this includes one beaucoup incredible lightning storm incident).

I am usually around people who have very amazing and affirming experiences of God’s Spirit. This, I believe, is one way God speaks to His people when the Word and the Spirit are allowed to form the church community according to God’s desires. The principle, that Word and Spirit must be together, is critical in understanding the various manifestations of the Spirit; otherwise churches can become so focused on the spectacular that they even begin to “tempt” God, such as when Satan dared Jesus to throw himself down from the Temple to gain people’s allegiance. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s warning in his book, Life Together, is to be heeded.

It is, therefore, not good for us to take too seriously the many
untoward experiences we have with ourselves in meditation. It is here that
our old vanity and our illicit claims upon God may creep in by a pious
detour,
as if it were our right to have nothing but elevating and fruitful
experiences,
and as if the discovery of our own inner poverty were quite
below our dignity.

Every church I have ministered in has had very trustworthy people who humbly say they have had amazing and miraculous things happen in their lives. Yet, this has never been about elevating the importance of dramatic or spectacular events, but affirming the greatest manifestation of all: the presence of the risen Christ with us His people. The most dramatic spiritual experience any of us can have is to realize that we carry “this treasure in earthen vessels,” (II Cor. 4:7) that Christ’s mission continues through us!

Tag! You're It

I guess this is something started by Bruce Reyes-Chow, who apparently is "emerging" as the next moderator of PCUSA. I think I've got the rules down, but here goes whatever. You who I tagged now answer these questions and tag five others. At least this little exercise got me to do another blog post after some time.

What is your earliest memory of being distinctly Presbyterian?
For me that would be in high school when I became involved in some street ministries led by several Presbyterian churches in Wichita, Kansas. As I talked with some of the church leaders, it dawned on me that these were theological views and outreach emphases that I shared.

On what issue/question should the PC(USA) spend LESS energy and time?
We waste so much time on so many things that this is hard to choose. I would say almost anything that focuses attention and power on Louisville is something we should spend less energy and time on. In fact, if we could scale down Louisville to be nothing much more than a small support office without any programming interests, that would be great. Even things that Louisville claims only they can do, like administrate national and international missions, could be done much better and more creatively through natural networks formed by Presbyterian churches. Yes, liberal churches would probably form liberal networks and evangelical churches evangelical networks, but then cooperation would be a natural outcome of shared interests rather than every group trying to coerce the other into some kind of awkward and forced partnership. Plus, dialog between networks would be voluntary, genuine, and productive.

On what issue/question should the PC(USA) spend MORE energy and time?
We need to be spending much more time on discipling the people in our churches and then sending them forth to do innovative mission outreach. The institutional membership mindset is what is killing us. I find it incredible the various projects and expenditures made by many presbyteries while neglecting the reality of the spiritual apathy in many of our churches. Presbyteries need to lead churches to develop clear and effective discipling approaches, and then allow people in the churches to be daring and creative in doing outreach ministries in their communities. Right now, many presbyteries still act as gatekeepers and obstacle courses to be overcome (or many times even sidestepped) by mission minded Presbyterians.

If you could have the PC(USA) focus on one passage of scripture for a entire year, what would it be? Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
I, like many, am tired of all the striving in the PCUSA. There are too many of us pushing and carrying our own agendas rather than just resting in God's love and receiving what God has for us in Jesus.

If the PC(USA) were an animal what would it be and why?
Rather than an animal, I have always thought of the PCUSA being more like an old IROC-Z Camaro I once had (prior to marriage and kids). It was a beautiful piece of machinery that had the capability of working like a marvel, except that it always had something wrong with it. Most of the time, the injection system needed tweeking, or the electrical system had a loose connection somewhere, or the computer was acting up. It took a lot of time and work, but when everything was working together, it could cruise at 90 miles an hour with only the slightest effort. We Presbyterians are sort of like this. We spend a lot time working on ourselves, but every now and then we get in sync. In those times we become a marvel of mission that brings great glory to God.

Extra Credit: Jesus shows up at General Assembly this year, what does he say to the Presbyterian Church (USA)?
Jesus tells us to throw away all the overtures, disband the committees, and spend the whole time in prayer, confession, repentance, and seek each other's forgiveness. Then He tells us to sell our Louisville headquarters, many of our church buildings, cash in many of our investments and give them to the poor, and come follow Him.

Step By Step: A Statement Of Faith

Stepping off the tram,
my three year old son, Seth, and I
place our feet
on the cobblestones of the old city square.
We stand surrounded by the weathered beauty
of the past thousand eastern European years,
and shadowed by the two towers
of a beautiful twelfth century cathedral
dedicated by St. Francis of Assisi,
who had a penchant for hugging diseased people.

Seth and I begin our walk across the square.

As I hear the click of my steps
on the aged rock surface,
I hear the contrast of my son’s shuffling,
forced by the awkwardness
of two rigid leg braces clashing against each other.
Suddenly I notice Indida, the ten year old Roma girl
who, in good Gypsy tradition,
makes a nuisance of herself
begging from people as they get on and off the trams.
She is standing at the base
of the stairs that ascend
to the vegetable market,
and I begin to plot my course so that she won’t see me.
Sure, friends have told me
that unless she gets a certain amount of money for begging,
her father will beat her at the end of the day.

But that’s not my responsibility.

After all, what can I do
about anything that happens
in a dysfunctional Roma family?
As I make my way past Indida,
the slow pace of my son becomes a real liability.
I worry that the shuffling of his brace-laden feet
will broadcast our presence to her.

Finally, the inevitable happens!

Indida looks over in our direction,
and she starts running toward us.
Now I will have to push her away
when she tries to put her hands on me,
for she knows
Americans are particularly upset
by strangers touching them.
I know she will follow us
until we give her the money she wants.
Just before she gets to Seth and me,
she stops abruptly,
stares directly at Seth’s braces,
and then does the most unexpected thing.
Indida reaches into her pockets,
takes out all the money she has,
and with outstretched hands
offers it all to me.
Looking at Indida’s outstretched hands
revealing her sacrificial offering,
I am overwhelmed
by her spontaneous generosity.
I know what this gift will cost her,
and I no longer see a pesky Roma child.
I am looking at a living picture
of God’s grace
being offered to me
in the outstretched hands of Jesus on the cross.
Quickly, I convey to her my deep appreciation
for her thoughtfulness,
and guide her hands
holding her money back to her pockets.
Her eyes brighten
and she wears the first smile
I have ever seen on her face.
After buying her some ice cream,
Seth and I continue on,
making our way slowly up the steps
to the market.

Now, everything is new!

I am not passing a nuisance to be avoided,
but a light that has scattered my darkness.
My son is no longer burdened
with a handicap that slows him down,
or a father without understanding.
Now I see Seth more clearly than ever
a wonder of God,
precious and deserving
of the best and most I can give him.
Using Indida,
God has reminded me of God’s attitude toward me,
and God’s penchant for hugging diseased people.
God has shown me again
that God’s grace is not limited
to my expectations.
Grace surprises us
when we least expect it.
God conveys God’s gifts to us
using the most unlikely people
in the most unlikely places
at the most unlikely times.

Our Real Moral Crisis

Recently I was asked what I consider to be the major moral issues facing Christians today. There are many possible ways to answer this question: justice issues, sexual issues, family issues, and the list goes on. But it seemed to me that all these take their place under one over-arching moral crisis, and that is a dual natured crisis of authenticity and credibility. To say this in more theological language, we Christians must become more truly Christ-like if we really want the world around us to take seriously the Gospel we proclaim, or stated even more obviously, we must “practice what we preach.”
Especially in the United States and Europe, there seems to be a kind of Christianity that emphasizes a nebulous belief in some amorphous divine force that is separated from the nuts and bolts of how we actually live our lives. This produces people who use the name Christian in their understanding of who they are, but then live life essentially the same as anyone else in the world. Diettrich Bonhoeffer used the term “cheap grace” to describe this type of thinking, but he had another term that described it even better --- the “church of the World.” This kind of “church” is opposed to the “church of the Word,” and seeks to make itself righteous by offering grace without repentance, proclaiming reconciliation without the Cross, and celebrating hope without holiness.
Prominent pollster George Barna has found that those who claim to be evangelical Christians show no appreciable difference from non-Christians in how they live. They are just as likely, and in some cases more likely, to engage in sinful or questionable behaviour as any non-Christian. If this is true, how can we ever expect those who are not yet believers to have any reason to take seriously the message of Christ’s transforming love expressed in the Cross and the Resurrection? Where’s the evidence in our own lives? Where’s the passion for following Christ and being His faithful disciples?
If we as Christians are to have any hope of countering and overcoming the power of the radical Islamists, we must demonstrate a greater passion and a greater desire than they do to sacrifice our lives for God’s purposes. In our case, our passion and sacrifice as Christ-like people are expressed in awesome acts of love and service for others, even for the Islamists themselves. The world sees the power of the Islamists’ sacrificial dying and cowers in terror. The power of the Christian’s sacrificial living results not in terror, but in peace, hope, and transformation through Christ.
I believe as Christians we must become truly authentic in our passion for God in our life together. This is more than fellowship, this is the healing baptismal spring of koinonia, where faith is shared honestly, deep relationships are formed, and growth in Christ is experienced together according to the truth of the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures joyfully teach that all Christians are priests. As such, Christ calls us to set aside our own interests and to serve others. In doing this, God weaves us into a gift-giving, gift-receiving community, displaying the splendors of God’s grace to the world. Our life together as brothers and sisters in Christ, then, is more than a casual association for our social convenience. It is the very means by which God empowers us for living out our baptism into Christ. Only when the world sees this transformed reality will they listen to the Message we proclaim.

KEEP THE CELEBRATION GOING!

Gray's Deeply Pernicious Heresy

While I generally respect Joan Gray the current Moderator of the Presbyterian Church USA, the type of thinking she expressed in her editorial "A Deeply Pernicious Heresy" (see http://www.presbyweb.com/, Saturday, August 4th edition) is a frightenly excellent example of the kind of thinking that has made such a mess of the PCUSA. She divides belief in Christ from obedience to Christ, resulting in a view of salvation and church membership as consisting of only certain creedal or mental affirmations. In this way, it is possible to simply believe in Jesus without actually giving one's life to Jesus.
This is the old "heresy" that Dietrich Bonhoeffer called "cheap grace," which allows people to believe they are okay with God just because the have the right belief. Actually following Christ as a disciple is then divorced from belief, allowing one to live life in actual rebellion against God while holding to "right beliefs." How many churches would admit a person to membership who holds only "right belief" in Jesus while practicing pedophilia, or racism, or drug-dealing, or human trafficking? Would anyone say it is being heretical and unfair to insist that a person's life line up enough with their confession of Christ that they seek to eliminate these practices from their lives?
Yes, we should be compassionate and seek to offer such persons the promise of transformation through the grace of Christ, but few if any would say that simple cognitive affirmation of a few certain beliefs is actual Christian discipleship. This is why the same Paul that Joan Gray appeals to in her editorial instructs the Corinthian church to expell from their fellowship anyone who is "sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler." (I Corinthians 5:11) Even these few behaviours mentioned here would have a radical effect upon the PCUSA if we took them all seriously as reflections of our profession of faith in Christ.
I am not saying we become a legalistic legion in our judgements toward one another. Joan Gray is rightfully warning against this. However, it is critical that we not divorce our lives from our profession of faith. The scriptures do not divide life practice from faith, which according to Paul is belief in our hearts more than our minds (Romans 10:9-10). Even the great reformers Luther and Calvin insisted both that salvation is by faith alone in Christ and this same faith must be evidenced by the good works that follow. Neither reformer could be accused of adding another condition for salvation besides faith in Christ, but their understanding of faith is much more life encompassing than mere mental assent. As Luther said, faith is a complete trusting of one's whole life to God, or more typical of his terminology, "You cast yourself entirely upon the Word."
I think that if Joan Gray and I were having a discussion with each other at the local Starbucks, we would probably find a lot of friendly agreement as we talked through our differing points. But the message of her editorial as it stands alone right now is itself "a deeply pernicious heresy."

KEEP THE CELEBRATION GOING!

MORE ABOUT BRETT

I was happy to read in Monday’s (July 9, 2007) Presbyweb about my very good friend, Brett McMichael, and the prospect that he may be nearing an end to his search to find a suitable kidney donor. (See Missionary's bid to find kidney may be near end) However, I want to elaborate on few things that are just touched upon in the article. While many of our missionaries have done extraordinary work, I believe Brett is an example of mission work that truly fulfills what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

My family and I had the privilege of getting to know Brett in 2001 when we were living in Zagreb, Croatia. At first, we were impressed with a man possessed of vision and passion for bringing healing to children in the hospitals of Croatia. But as we got to know more about Brett and his work, it became clear that he is one of those rare individuals who are able to transform reality with their dreams.

The first miracle we became aware of regarding Brett’s work is the effect he has had on Croatian hospitals. He has by his own resolve and risk-taking transformed the approach of Croatian hospitals in how they treat children and how they relate to parents. Before Brett, treatment for children was very impersonal and parents were not permitted to stay with their children in hospitals. Through Brett’s influence and example, he developed and inspired a new atmosphere of personal involvement and interactive treatment for children. He also educated hospital leaders to welcome and encourage parents to stay with their children.

It is important to emphasize that Brett’s work and influence, while centered in Osijek and Zagreb, was a nationwide influence. He was invited to train and assist hospital caregivers throughout all the major medical centers of Croatia. He became one of the very few people who could walk into most any hospital in Croatia and be accepted by the staff as a respected colleague and peer. My wife, Jackie, spent some time working with Brett in Zagreb, and she observed firsthand the complete trust and respect that the doctors, nurses, and hospital administrators placed in Brett and his opinions.

Brett has been the consummate missionary in making sure that his work became multiplied far beyond himself. He was able to leave Croatia having developed entire programs led by Croatians and supported by Croatian society. Perhaps the most renowned of these programs in Croatia is the development of camps for children who have various challenges. Brett started these in 2001. Since then, he has developed camps for children with cancer, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, and others. This is doubly incredible when you consider that this is in a culture where parents are extremely protective of their ailing children, and simply did not let them go off with other people, even if they are trained professionals. Brett overcame this cultural barrier. Since the success of that first camp in 2001, these camps have become a national institution, with involvement and support from all sectors of Croatian society: businesses, entertainers, churches, and politicians.
(Photo of Fuzine, a retreat center in the Croatian Alps, where Brett's camps take place)

When I was visiting Zagreb in the summer of 2006, some mutual friends of Brett and mine told me a most amazing story of how much Croatians support Brett’s work. It seems that in 2004, the largest bank in Croatia had wanted to give a special gift to a humanitarian work that has been most significant in its impact on Croatian society. They chose the group Brett had gathered for putting together the camps for children with illnesses. This gift was worth well into the six figure range in US dollars. And as if this wasn’t amazing enough, in 2005 the same bank, the Croatian national television network, and the Zagreb Dinamo (a major European soccer team) worked together to do a television reality series about men trying out to make a soccer team that would play the Dinamo in a nationally televised game. The proceeds from the game were to go to support the work of Brett McMichael’s summer camps for ailing children.

While all this is impressive, it is important to remember that Brett’s work has had a positive effect on Croatia far beyond just changing how hospitals approach the treatment of children and providing a cause celeb for businesses and entertainers. This has affected a whole society. The change in attitudes in medical circles has been one of many strands of transformation for a country that has struggled to free itself of a communistic mentality in governing, has suffered incredibly to fight a war of independence from the former Yugoslavia, and has courageously fought corruption in its economics and politics.

Sure, Brett did not do this by himself, but he did what all good missionaries should do --- contribute to the overall good and progress of the people he is working with. There is no doubt whatsoever that Croatia is a far better country with a far better approach to treating sick and suffering children because of who Brett McMichael is, what Brett McMichael has done, and the Lord who Brett McMichael so faithfully serves.

KEEP THE CELEBRATION GOING!

A Couple Of Concerns About The EPC

As we enter the latest round of churches leaving the PCUSA, it seems the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (or in alphabet soup terms, EPC) is the green pasture of choice for those fleeing the soul-sucking skirmishes of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Now, I like the EPC. There are many great congregations in the EPC. In fact, that old standard line is true for me when I say that some of my best friends are members and ministers in the EPC. But (and you all knew there had to be a big “but” here somewhere), I’m not so sure that the EPC is necessarily a better and less problematic place to be than the PCUSA.

Oh sure, it sounds absolutely delirious to think that I could go to a typical presbytery meeting and not have to endure the proclamation and “esteem-ation” of some amorphous deity that oozes from our sentimental pores and that craves the sacrifice of revealed Truth at the altar of left-over Marxist views of justice and developmentally-stunted demands for tolerance “or else.” And of course I feel the siren call of being in a denomination that really does presume the basic, essential, and universally held beliefs regarding Jesus Christ as the Son of God who lived among us, was God’s sacrifice for our sins, and was raised from the dead so we may live the life of God in this world through trust in Him, obedience to the Word, and being empowered by the Holy Spirit. Such basic things can become powerful enticements after wandering in the biblical and theological wastelands of the PCUSA.

However (which is more erudite terminology for a big “but”), despite my occasional day dreams about frolicking in the daisy-filled fields of the EPC, there are two things (actually, three things, but I’ll only address two here) that have kept my dreams just dreams, and have made me reluctant to seek refuge with these evangelical kin.

The first issue is the lack of growth in the EPC. Now, I know no one from the PCUSA (especially me) has any right to critique any church body on a lack of growth, but I can tell you lots of reasons why the PCUSA has members fleeing in terror. But (and this is a really big “but”) the EPC has “evangelical” written right in their name, for crying out loud. So what gives with the lack of substantial growth?

In 1981 or so, when the EPC started (as I understand or misunderstand it, these were mainly old United Presbyterian congregations separating over the issue of the ordination of women, e.g. Kenyon case et al ignotus res), there were around 110 congregations with about 60,000 members throughout the USA “and Argentina” (I’m not sure why they always mention Argentina). After 25 years, they had increased to around 160 congregations and 70,000. I’m glad they at least grew, but I would expect a thoroughly evangelical denomination that had cast off some of the regulatory restraints of an overbearing denominational structure to grow a lot more than this.

Friends of mine in the EPC tell me that they have had their own institutional roadblocks to new church development and reaching out. There have been some theological controversies (even in the EPC) that have taken energy away from some overall visioning for the denomination. Still, this doesn’t really explain it for me. The Presbyterian Church in America also started with a number under 100,000 members in the 1980’s, and the PCA is now over 350,000 and adding 20 to 30 thousand per year. They too have had to work on improving their approach to new church development, and they too have had to deal with some mission-distracting theological controversies, but they still managed to keep on track with reaching new people with the Gospel. If it wasn’t for those who are fleeing the PCUSA, there wouldn’t be any real prospect of growth for the EPC.

The second issue is that while the EPC is more congregationally oriented and supportive, it still has a “gate-keeping” mentality and effect in the leadership and structures of the EPC presbyteries and the General Assembly. I’m not sure why this is so, unless it follows from the fact that those who founded the EPC brought with them the restraining and regulatory mindset of the PCUSA. A friend of mine was forced to start a new congregation outside of the jurisdiction of an EPC presbytery due to the political and regulatory hoops he was facing as an EPC minister. His new congregation quickly zoomed to over 3000 members involved in effective discipling structures and innovative missional outreach. (Ironically, he is now a PCUSA minister. Long story.)

I hope the influx of new congregations in the EPC will yield a new openness to process and mission. I know many of the PCUSA congregations who are switching are looking forward to being able to do innovative mission with presbytery structures and leadership that encourage Spirit-led, biblically-obedient risk and innovation. Maybe this is the way God is opening up the EPC leadership to something new and wonderful that God wants to do with them. I certainly hope this is the case. Otherwise, the former PCUSA congregations may find themselves bound up by the yoke of a new Pharoah in a new Egypt rather than the inspiring visionary leadership of a fiery Joshua in a new Promised Land.

Finally (and yes, there is at long last a “finally”), let me make clear again that I respect and admire the EPC, pray for the EPC, and if God so leads me in the future I may even end up with the EPC. (It could happen, though I’d probably go Orthodox before going EPC.) However, I wonder if the frustrations that we have with the PCUSA are more universal than we realize. Maybe our frustrations with the PCUSA are really frustrations shared by all Christians in all denominations with the very existence of denominations. Maybe denominations are not only anachronistic entities that no longer serve the mission interests of the faithful Christians within them, but maybe they are actually being eliminated by God. Maybe those who are wanting to serve God with energy, imagination, intelligence, and love are not supposed to be comfortable in a denomination, just like we are not supposed to feel comfortable in a old dirty rundown house that has become unlivable, unsalvageable, and inhospitable. That is something we’ll explore in my next blog (whenever that happens).

KEEP THE CELEBRATION GOING!