One for the road...

New Kind of Christian chapters 4 & 5: At the turn of the tides...

I have been summarising the chapters of Brian McLaren's book 'A new kind of Christian' which we are reading and discussing in the midweek home gathering that I belong too.  Here are my thoughts on chapters 4 & 5...

Chapters 4 & 5 are best read together and cover a lecture that Neo gives to some evangelical college students (chapter 4) and their Qs (chapter 5).

The crux of Neo’s lecture is that as with the change from the medieval period into the modern one that there are significant cultural, social, political, scientific and economic changes in both the 15th and 20th centuries that means the tide has changed in the west and a new phase of cultural identity is breaking upon us. 

As with the tide I would say  that we cannot be Canute’s and order it to turn back, nor on the other hand should we be swept out to sea, lost in the currents of societal change and transition.  We need to learn not only how to swim but to know the shore line, understand the new ocean and that can only come from transformation by the Spirit from within and his navigation without.

For one excellent discussion on area raised with regard to chapter four may I recommend to this post and discussion by my friend and fellow small group member, Mark.

Practical Qs explored...

Are focus on chapter 5 was to move away from the theoretical for a moment and ask the question what does this mean for us and for our church…

Post modern - like learning a new language?

I suggested the metaphor of a learning a new language –we often read it as modernity and anti-modernity instead of post-modernity. Post doesn’t mean bad but what comes after and of course that means its built on a foundation of modernity.

I think we need to discover the joys of being bilingual - our children can do it I am sure but I think we struggle at the moment to be fluent in postmodernity - we keep switching back to modernity, translating it and then putting into a postmodernity style.

My wife who is a better linguist than I am tells me that you know you are fluent in another language when you can think in it without translating it back to your first tongue, so I have a long way to go.

I think it is why we react against modernity sometimes and yet struggle with postmodernity - the language of modernity is not adequate and yet we are not fluent enough to express what we mean in a postmodern context either…

lol, it’s is exciting but also frustrating at the same time, why structure and imagination are both good things - after all a language without a structure of how to write it called grammar would be a mare but without dreams, ideas, engagement to express using that language it would be very dull and technical… or in other words we read a great story and are inspired but we hardly notice the structure that allows us to enter in and participate across the pages…

What is cultural vineyard and what is post-modern about Vineyard Church Sutton?

This was an interesting discussion, in part having a perspective of experiencing a modern UK vineyard church and a more post modern one (thinking of the faith community that we belong to, Sutton Vineyard), a different experience from some folk who had come from a more traditional evangelical denomination.  I have put some musings below, which are my own rather than anything official/binding (click on table for larger image):

 

Passing on the story

One concern that was raised was about whether we miss out on something by not have a more expository style of preaching – are we in other words bible-lite and suffering for it in terms of not being shaped by the God of the book as the community of the book.  One thing I find fascinating about Jason is that he is super theologically minded (doctorate and all) but that his sermons are in the vineyard tradition of staring where people are in life rather than starting with a bible text.  To listen to Jason’s teaching, I think, when you are aware of the story of the book is to here it echoed, explained and put into a context we can not only understand but also apply, even when we don’t realise how often it is filtered through and steeped in the bible (for example see my thoughts on Jase's brill kingdom of God series). 

I have also reacted to the thought that we need more bible preached is often by those who know the bible well themselves and have experienced that style and enjoy that form of engagement – I am not sure we need more bible preached in the classic sense of the word but maybe more bible lived, internalising its truths and reproducing them in thought, word and deed.  One of the hard things about the modern approach to bible preaching for me is that we have used it judge the world rather than letting the God of the book judge us – so we wonder about the few remaining taboo areas like gays where we are hyper critical and all for a bible based bashing whereas we are super uncritical of issues equally destructive like gossip or holding a grudge against our brother/sister.

One thing that struck me though as we forge forward into a post-modern world is how do we communicate the stories of the bible to our children?  We who were shaped by systematic Sunday school classes and then systematic preaching had this laid out for us – church was designed to equip us with knowledge and to that end it succeeded well.  The post-modern milieu would seem to be allowing us to be generous/gracious but to maybe not so deeply immersed in the stories of the book and connecting that with our ongoing story today.

Playlist for chapters 4 & 5

1. What if  (Coldplay)
2. Comes a time (Nada Surf)
3. Desire (Ryan Adams)
4. Lost souls (Doves)
5. City of blinding lights (U2)

NKOC Chapter 3 summary – seeing with post modern eyes but interpreting with a modern mindset?

My friend Tim wrote these words to me in response to my summary post on chapter 2 of Brian McLaren's book: a New Kind of Christian…

“Just finished reading your article - there must be some way of combining all the stuff together and form a single cohesive thread. I still get the feeling we're missing the point though - we talk about being post-modern, but approach it in a modern way. I guess our generation is the last of the moderns; which is why we struggle to get the point, and our parents even more so…but really, its all missing the point. So I continue to feel guilty for not getting it (the point that is)….”

Summary chapter 3

In many ways these thoughts echo those of McLaren in chapter 3 as he reflects on how much the character of Dan has assimilated a modern mindset in which to read the bible.  For instance, Dan highlights the statement that God is control, to him that creates the idea of a divine engineer, in charge of a switch room of machinery, turning things on and off at will.  It is that mindset then that makes it hard to struggle with the Q of evil, why does such a divine engineer leave the evil switch on?  However, Dan thinks what if I go back to think of this through ancient eyes when control would maybe be similar to a farmer growing his crops or a parent raising their children.  Maybe God’s control is that sort of sense – instead of blaming the driver of the vehicle maybe it is more the case of parents raising their child who grows up, rejects their influence and does their own thing – would we still blame these parents if their child commits a crime?

Dan reflects how much of the church we know (both protestant and to a slightly lesser extant catholic) has been shaped by modernity from its institutions to its love of systematic theologies (cathedrals of modernity).  None of them are wrong in and of themselves but maybe post modern forms of Christian and expression will be very different from those of the modern age such that they will look like back sliding or even maybe heresy?

Dan suggests that maybe the modern period could be called post-medieval and that would highlight some of the major differences in thought, form and function of the Christian church that took place.  In other words we should not be surprised of the changes that form over time and it is only from our historical view point we can see how the church made the transition from medieval to modern.

The final thought is whether people’s hunger for mystery and spirituality means that they are looking to Christianity + to fill that gap, in the book the example of seeing someone with a cross and a dream catcher both hung from their car mirror is used. 

Or another illustration taken from my play list selection from this chapter, is the U2 song ‘I still haven’t found what I am looking for.’  When the song first came out at the end of the 80s there was a lot of discussions I took part in about how it showed how U2 were not a Christian band – they haven’t found what they want, what more is there.  Now, however, with post-modern eyes, I think it shows the hunger, that we have not found all that there is, that it is ok to be restless, to see life as a journey rather than arriving at that one destination – now I think it reflects my faith more than ever.

What is reflected in this chapter is the reprogramming (a modern illustration) that is going on with Dan, the deconstruction and reconstruction that is beginning to take place.  The struggle between what he has always believed and what feels like the truth/reality and should he follow that?  What if it leads him away from his faith?  On the other hand what if it leads him not to fall away but to fall into Jesus…

Play list for chapter 3:

Do it again (Nada Surf)
I still haven’t found what I am looking for (U2)
I love (Athlete)

From here to post-modernity - summary and playlist for chapter 2 of a New Kind of Christian

Following on from my summay of chapter 1 of a New Kind of Christian, here is my summary of chapter 2:

NB the Mayflower = name of the ship that took pilgrims to the New World

Packing a suitcase for a place none of us has ever been

As Bob Dylan sung ‘the times, they are a changing” and one reason for the changes is that we are leaving modernity behind and journeying into something after that, something post modernity.

We are pilgrims of history, on our own generational mayflower, crossing the ocean of change, leaving behind modern world, one foot already in the new world…

We are not anti modern.  We have been steeped and shaped by modernity, grown through it and now find ourselves growing beyond it.  This change is not universal; many people are content with their world view and a faith that makes sense in that world. We wish such folk well, accepting of them, envious of their certainty even as we embrace our doubts, questions, frustrations arising out of our own search for a faith that fits our changing world and a world that fits our forming faith.

Many of us have no idea why or how got to this place where it felt that we no longer belonged; we woke up one day and we found ourselves with our feet already on this road, the journey already long begun. 

Many of us want to know exactly where we are going and what it will feel like when we get there.  Different is the word most commonly used, different but it will feel righter, will make more sense somehow, match more what we feel now then the place where we left. 

The navigators of the future seem to be in some disagreement as to how to read the map,  no one seems sure whar it is exactly this post-modern world will be called, let alone how long it will take us to get there.  So we try and define these changes more by what it is not rather than what it is.  For each of us how this forming post-modern world differs from the modern one that we are leaving behind is likely to be in some ways different in some ways the same. 

This journey we are making together feels that it is a once and for all voyage and that there is no stopping or going back. We carry a world view within us, that has forever changed for us and we in turn seek a faith that makes sense that will connect and shape this forming world we now inhabit…

For my playlist for Chapter 2, see below:

Bob Dylan - The times they are a changing

U2- Walk On

"Why don't I see more people get saved?" - thoughts on the seeker sensitive church model in a post church age

My friend recently asked me the following great Q:

“ I am frustrated by lack of difference made by the church and by my own efforts. Even though I know I may be planting seeds... Jesus said the fields were ripe for harvest. I am not experiencing much of that. Why not?  Better ask Jesus too, but would be interested in your thoughts.”

What follows is my response to that Q...

Yes please do ask Jesus – am sure he’ll do a much job then me!!!

Your system is perfectly designed to give you the results you are getting

As business guru W Edwards Denning said: “your system is perfectly designed to give you the results you are getting.” In other words, if every third car rolls off the production line with bumpers installed upside down you don’t blame the bumpers. You’ve got a system this is unintentionally designed to produce defective cars. So what is this system we call church producing?

I wrestle with these Qs too.  Though, I think it is many things and not least the shift from a modern faith to a post modern one – we who have been in church for a long time don’t really notice the change as we are shielded from it (like the frog who’ll sit in a pan of water as it is slowly warmed up until its boiling).  That means when we change it is usually in increments rather than making fundament changes in what we do.  If we do notice it tends to be in our frustrations, we feel something is missing but we can’t quite put our finger on what it is, so the usual responses are:

a) ignore it – bury head in sand, life is too complicated.
b) work/try harder – clearly its our own slackness, must try harder!
c) make some tweaks/bolt on – change the vision statement, do a run of sermons on community etc
d) copy what someone else is doing  - import a solution (even though it has an inherent context that might not be ours)
e) get frustrated/burnt out with church – give up as we can’t see anything better.

Let me take until recently what was our shared context at xxxxx xxxxxx church as a case study (hopefully won’t be too biased)…

Interactions of my sexuality (and other parts) with objective truth, honest truth and The Truth (further reflections on chapter 1 of a New Kind of Christian)

One of the Qs from chapter 1 of a new kind of christian, that we discussed in our group exploration this week was a question about why if modernity was partly about the quest for pure truth(s) why do (some) modern christians find it hard to be honest.

I found this a particularly engaging question as I was one of those modern christians who whilst engaging in defending and protecting the 'truths' of my faith was chronically unable to be honest with my feelings, confusions, fears etc.  It seemed to be that there was a polarisation between honesty, which meant a confession of why aren't these truths working harder to pure truth - which if I could grasp would transform me. 

Maybe I was just a classic example of faking it until I could make it but for the rest of this post I'd like to explore a little about truth and not least, where I believe the Truth resides, in communal, self disclosing relationship with Jesus (Truth) and with those who follow him.

lost in the post - confused by post modern?

The cartoon above reflects a take that post modernism is just an intellectual phrase that can be mean whatever the speaker wants to mean as their is no longer objective truth/standards etc.  In fact postmodernism scares the pants off people who hear that and see it as another way of being oppressed or crowded out - people who are scared that it will mean a breakdown in society as we can all do what we want when we want...

Christians can particularly be scared by a definition of postmoderism that says there is no objective truth as we believe that Jesus is the truth... the unfortunate thing is often christians go offf high and to the right if anything seems to threaten that.  Whilst I believe Jesus is the truth i realise that I do not know the complete truth - infact that is something to me of what the christian life is about - trying to follow Jesus often with questions, wonders, doubts and making new discoveries about him and my faith along the way... it means i grow in love, in patience, in generousity across a lifetime of follow Jesus - which is encouraging especially on days like today when i realise how short my reserves of those two characteristics are...

I admit that the definintion of postmoderism given above is scary if it were true but in some ways that's a very reactionary view of something very complex, subtle and pervasive... so that like a fish doesn't know its in water its just its environment I  can not realise how much of an impact the changing culture around us already has...

If I stop to think for a second I realise that statements like it doesn't matter what you believe just believe can't be true - for instance if I was to say that I believe the holocaust was a good thing and should carry on most people would instantly disagree.  Why, because their is a held truth that killing, whether individuals or mass genocide is wrong...

SO do I  need to be fearful - I don't think so but I do need to be wise and one of the ways of doing so I think is not living with a stereotype - a quick response that writes off postmoderism as a threat to my faith in God but to explore how it is already interacting with my faith/relationship with Jesus and how rather than trying to bein a fish out of water gasping for faith in a dry alien sterile air I can still be a fish in water and explore as I try and live life reflecting Jesus likeness...

If you'd like to swim as well I'd recommend this article as a diving board - it's a great short intro which starts to explore postmodernism and what it is/isn't, and encourages me as a christian to move beyond fearful reactive living...

in search of mystery - some thoughts on emerging church reading

Well I have been slowly reading my post christmas stash of books and getting into the emerging book (see here for an intro post on it).

Reading it so far puts me in mind of the words of Galadriel from the introduction to the first part of the Lord of the Rings:

"The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air."

There is something that connect but so far is hard to express how it is, somehow the world has changed and yet how exactly is so hard to see, hmm i guess a fish has the same problems with water :).  I'm hoping as I go on the book will help me find some of the words to be a little more explicit!!

One of things though that has triggered me though is how modern church has done its best to eradicate mystery, its clean, clear and concise - packaged, produced, perfomed.  Its almost like it has reduced life with God down to map reading, where you see the map, see where you are going, told that God will help you on the way and heh it doesn't look that bad a journey and the destination [aka heaven] is a doosey!!

I'm feeling now that rather than looking at maps I want to actually get out and walk the journey - the hills and valleys that look so like nothing are actual moments of struggle and celebration... the need to feel... to experience... to participate on the journey - to actually not be so focused on the destination but to enjoy life on the trail... to share with folk and to help them walk some of the paths i've walked, to hear of other adventures still to come and see folk turning back to help me on...

Ok clumsy words as afterall how do you express a feeling that is waking up and feels like it happens but just not really in church time?

Hmm reminds a bit of the start of Psalm 40...

1I waited and waited and waited for GOD. At last he looked; finally he listened.

    He lifted me out of the ditch,

    pulled me from deep mud.

    He stood me up on a solid rock

    to make sure I wouldn't slip.

    He taught me how to sing the latest God--song,

    a praise--song to our God.

    More and more people are seeing this:

    they enter the mystery,

    abandoning themselves to GOD.

   

Blessed are you who give yourselves over to GOD,

    turn your backs on the world's "sure thing,"

    ignore what the world worships;

    The world's a huge stockpile

    of GOD-wonders and God--thoughts.

    Nothing and no one

    comes close to you!

    I start talking about you, telling what I know,

    and quickly run out of words.

    Neither numbers nor words

    account for you.

   

Doing something for you, bringing something to you--

    that's not what you're after.

    Being religious, acting pious--

    that's not what you're asking for.

    You've opened my ears

    so I can listen.

   

So I answered, "I'm coming.

    I read in your letter what you wrote about me,

    And I'm coming to the party

    you're throwing for me."

    That's when God's Word entered my life,

    became part of my very being.