One for the road...

Emerging church critique or stereotyping by a radio star?

John MacArthur is an American christian with a significant radio ministry, 'Grace to you'.  He is currently critiquing the emergent church and you can see part 1 and part 2 here.  I have mentioned before that I think christians should welcome critique from within and without but it does raise some Qs as to how to respond when the feeling that the critique is more like criticism, which is unsubstantiated/un-evidenced/unexperienced/general in nature etc...

Dan Kimball, responds very graciously to some of the points raised by MacArthur in this post: Please don't stereotype the emerging church

When I read John's comments I think here is someone who is trying to be helpful in good intentioned but bad researched ways - seriously I think this dude is trying to help, is probably confused, puzzled, worried that these emergent types are drifting off from theirmoorings or busy dismantling their foundations (from reading part 1 it would seem he has similar concerns with those who don't agree to inerrancy, charismatics and seeker services). 

The former conservative in me knows that one of the callings/charge almost of anyone with any authority in the modern conservative church is to stop people straying from the heard, to keep on the straight, narrow and true and that means agreement with structures/forms/theology that has arisen during modernity.  To move away from these forms can therefore look distinctly like a move away from God, the faith etc, afterall if these forms are now symbolic of our christian identity to change them is I guess in his eyes, maybe, like renouncing them. 

I also think there is a problem in terms of language, mystery for instance is the room for me to admit that God is God and I don't understand, know all the answers etc.  That to someone else can look fundamentally flawed, heh we've got the bible, it tells us the answers, or at least the answers that we see through the interpretation grid we use.  Language therefore becomes something of a problem, not just the words but the understanding of those words.

Now I don't want to make this about polarisation, I am not saying modern bad, post-modern good, mystery good, insight/answers bad... cos that would be just dumb - major HT to neo conservative evangelicals and their whole engagement with apologetics for instance, what a great model of really trying to engage with the philosophicals at the time using the grid they had to use...

So what I guess is my response:

1) avoid fighting ire with ire - can we be loving to this guy, let's not start up any new divisions, any fresh attacks on personalities, grumbles about how we're better etc - let's just say some of what he says is probably true to some degree for some of us at some times in some places.  I liked Dan's post, it was not about attacking John but trying to deal with some of the issues he raised and provide evidence/examples from his own experience of emerging church.

2) an excuse to engage in dialogue - we could all drop John a line, say heh thanks for your thoughts, i appreciate you caring but this is my good experience and these are some of my worries about EC.  In other words we have some common ground in that we have no doubt at some stage thought/wondered about EC, the good, the bad and the fluff :).

3) examine ourselves - just what our those EC flaws /blindspots- we ain't perfect so this is a good chance for us to examine ourselves and say, for example, hmmm maybe we just aren't very good explaining ourselves (perception is reality)?  Maybe we are too enamoured with x but not with y, maybe we grumble hear about this or react against that instead of learning/building/reconstructing?  It might be a faulty critique but it doesn't stop us asking with the Psalm writer for God to search us, God to shine in his light and reveal darkness within us, mistakes we are making, etc

4) practice forgiveness - some people will i am sure fine this critique hurtful/personal/annoying etc.  It would be easy to dislike/disassociate ourselves from this person and grumble about dinosaurs/dictators/dipsticks and why they should shut up or ship out to their own religion... or we could recognise that we are all brothers and sisters in christ, all pretty dumb and as part of this great big God family are called to bare the marks of suffering servanthood, love and compassion.  That might mean forgiving people who don't know what they are doing, even if they haven't asked for it and are infact trying to kill us off...

5) Deeper church not just broad church - as Dan suggested here is a chance to live beyond our fears and invite each other to share our spaces - we need a deep church, one that encompasses ancient, medieval, modern and post-modern, we need to practice differences within a common. tradition not conformity.  As God does new things we should not forget the old things, we need both doctrines of immediacy and mediation.

Your thoughts...

That's what I think, but I'd love to hear from you..?

Minding the store - or why I am multi-blogging this week

Ok I admit ( John :) I have been posting more this week as I have put a couple of posts up at Jason Clark's site this week as he is away having speaking fun in America.  I am hoping to post more here, particularly on my reflections of 'A New Kind of Christian' more on chapters 1 & 2.  Maybe tomorrow when the boys have gone to bed, am currently holding the fort, whilst Debs is away this weekend having scrapbooking fun... 

In the meantime, do head over to Jase's place and check out my latest ramblings (as ever I've added some taster words from the posts):

Inconvenient Truth on DVD and the Stern report on economics and climate change:  "I saw the film An Inconvenient Truth yesterday and it had a powerful impact on me. So powerful in fact that I cried, I felt convicted that as a Christian this was something I should care about and was moved not just emotionally but into taking action as well. The science in the film is compelling but it was the moral call I felt as I watched that  even if the science was faulty it was something I should be acting on if I am to be true to my faith."

Notes from Deep Church conversation series: “The Spirit is Real but he is a person not a  force: lessons from Pentecostal, Charismatic and Orthodox traditions.” "The Deep Church lecture/conversation series began on Thursday and I went along. The conversation was led by Professor Andrew Walker. This was an excellent evening split half between a lecture on the Holy Spirit and half with questions/interaction with Andrew. I took the following notes so you could have a flavour of the evenings conversation…

And no one even noticed me go feed Daniel and tidy up the kitchen :)

A consuming matrix?

First a Matrix reminder from those Muppets

Second, Gary in an excellent comment on the consumerism post said:

"Over at Prodigal Kiwi is a great article on the Matrix film and spiritual direction, taking as its main theme the idea of waking up to face reality and not the illusion. The more we wake up the more we notice the way our illusion is construcuted and this ties into the illusion of theocapitlaism, we wakw up to he fact that I can have more of my needs/ desires met while people in Kenya's slums cannot afford a nutritious meal. I wake up to the fact of how darn selfish I am and have to face the reality of my own woundedness. So what does that have to say about our discipleship and being mission orientated? I wake up and notice and move to reach out in love. Stimulating thoughts and midnight musings..."

Hmmm I hear you bro - anyone have any thoughts for Gary, and me?

Thoughts on the how of (blog) conversation...

Rather than reproducing my thoughts here, please allow me to kill 2 birds and direct you here to the blog 'Adventures in mercy 'to read some considerations on the subject.  Thus  allowing you the pleasure for your self of discovering Molly and her excellent blog as well as contributiong your own thoughts and insights to the conversation...

Finding my purpose in life...modelling imperfection

First up hello if you're visiting from Jason Clark's site or cos you've been following the 'why men hate church' conversation - have felt its a full time blog the last few days but some awesome conversations/thoughts and reflections going on over there.

Secondly I'm very excited as I've discovered my purpose in life - so excited that i couldn't keep it out of the title - i'm all about modelling imperfection.  We had some great friends over for dinner on saturday night and one of them who is a speech therapist was telling us about a case where the mother was really uptight and the kid was scared to do anything - the advice she got was to model imperfection, to show her child it was ok to make a mess sometimes, or be unsure, or to not get things right by doing that exactly herself, recognising those moments when she was a silly mummy.  Apparently she did this and the next time our friend saw them the kid was really happy and relaxed.

It struck me that after living a life of 16 yrs of trying to model perfection all i did was look good on the outside and be a total mess on the inside.  I just did a rather therapeutic list of good/bad life changing moments for me - what i realise now is how freeing and how hard it is to be honest, to admit my mistakes, failures, weaknesses... not cos i love being so crap, or finding life so hard but cos when i admit these things i am...

1. humbled - i like to think i am better than everyone well this is a big reality check
2. enabled - suddenly i can spend less energy behind the mask and more time admiting/confessing/asking for help
3. connected - every one screws up, being honest has meant that people have the courage to be honest back and together we try and help support each other
4. challenged - i don't like being called out on things, but at least in trying to be honest i have more chance of letting people do that, of opening myself up to the possibilities of change
5. loved - a reminder that i am loved and accepted by God for who I am, I am loved by people for who I am, the power of unconditional love is an awesome. 

So for awhile i have decided to model my imperfections, not to revel in them but just to reveal them...

A birthday thought

Another year older and wiser - had a great birthday yesterday, some lovely books to read and some funky tunes to listen to... and a whole evening with my beautiful wife... awesome!

Am going to adopt this as wisdom from that ancient philosopher who wrote this in his book Ecclesiastes as my wisdom of the moment...

“Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat well, drink a good glass of wine, and enjoy their work--whatever they do under the sun--for however long God lets them live. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life--that is indeed a gift from God. People who do this rarely look with sorrow on the past, for God has given them reasons for joy.”

Sometimes I struggle as a husband/parent/person – it's a struggle for contentment which often drives me crazy rather than accepting this is the way it is – I hadn’t realised it was a gift of God but when I think about it I am a lot more content than I was say a year ago and accepting that Debs then the boys are my highest calling/priority rather than say my career/reputation/comic genius etc… its hard to trust God to look after me rather than doing the job myself but I think he’s helping me let go of some of that so I can actually have more space to care for others…

I certainly enjoyed a good glass of wine last night...and saturday night... and sunday night...

Peace on earth...

So a question for you that came up between me and my commuter buddy, Matt... "war - is it ever justifiable?"  Not  inspired by commuter rage tho!  Sadly it was a bit early in the morning for us to think about it...

Peace on earth?

War is hell?

Protect the weak?

Fight for justice?

Turn the cheek?

Live be the sword die by the sword?

Armed robbery writ large?

Agents of reconcilliation?

but heh I'd be interested to hear your thoughts... do please leave me a comment...

Relections on my life

Well I have been reflecting with a friend on what is my mission, what is my life about, what really matters and how to walk the tight rope of activism between apathy and arse over elbow...

my top 10...

1. context of my reality is God and his kingdom - learn to develop connections and relationship with him, to infuse and fill the flavours/actions/images that living that life comes in for me...

2. husband to debs - how do I get better at that?  How am I learning to love with out counting the cost, to give and not concern myself with the getting...

3. Dad to Nathan - challenge of expressing love, patience, giving up more of my self, surrendering previous freedoms/opportunities/futures for this one - a further erosion of all the selfsa and of course the beautiful mystery growing within Debs...

4. serving/loving/reaching out to the "least of these" - the people God has put in my life and trying to practically love as well as just say the words - being honest and open and sharing my life and letting people love and know me as I seek to love and know them

5. to reach out to outsiders and welcome strangers - make people feel at home, that they belong, go out to the edge and walk with them

6. help people get ahead - turning aside, encouraging, loving, mentoring, helping people get on even if it holds me back and limits me and what I can do/be/reach

7. reaching out into my community - serving local charity using my financial skills, being active participant, dream of opening a community café

8. develop my creativity/passions and use them to serve God whether its in words - like blogging - or teaching, or just hanging out and encouraging

9. not believing my own PR too much and continue to wrestle and struggle to be honest with myself and God, am I open to correction, am I aware of my character, what God is working on in me.  Am I sensitive?

10. drink red wine, listen to good music, enjoy conversation, learn to play, relax and have fun along the journey

the journey

One moment I am flying the next I am dying - weird huh?  I can be on a God roll and then find my self rolling in the pig pen, almost within taking breaths.  New life and old life still mingle and although I look forward to being perfect some days it seems a long way off...

Sometimes I wish the trails didn't cross over so often.  I wish I had more self control, had a kinder word, was a little more patient, thought purer thoughts, could find a bit more love to give out a bit more peace to bring...

Then I have to remind myselfthat's the point - I am not my answer and will power alone won't get be there.  Its humbling to admit I can't fake this one til I make it.  I need God - he makes the way to make it...

It's also empowering this does not depend on me or you gettin there, instead as Jesus put it, he is - the way, the truth and the life... and it is in a continual encounter and relationship with him, on his path, confronting the truth about me and discovering the freedom of his life that I journey on...

Would be nice though to just have one day that went perfect :)

self help is no help at all - a rant!

Ok I don’t often rant in my blog.  Not least cos what do I know!  However I do know what I feel and there has been something lodged in me guts for a couple of weeks now that I’m sorry will be spewed out here.  So if you do not want to see the emotional inards of my soul displayed on the pavement of life then move along, nothing to see here…

The thing that has got me so worked up is hearing a visiting speaker at church give a word from God for this country – normally I’m all up for them and gave this one a fair hearing but it just made me feel more wound up the more I heard it and thought about.

Now I’m probably the first person you’d want to take on an irony spotting trip, can spot it a mile off so my ire is tinged with amusement about someone moaning about moaning.  So imagine the irony in me moaning about someone moaning about moaning!

Yes that was this word, apparently we are a nation of moaning people and it has to stop!  Several hints to support this word were given that we have more people coming forward for prayer in the UK for depression then else where in the world where this person ministe and that how can we get any healing etc if we are gonna grumble all the time.

Now yes it is true that we Brits do love a good weather based conversation and its always too hot, cold, wet etc but man that’s all so superficial, its almost like oral tradition, bonding ritual, small talk safe haven!  In my experience people aren’t open about the things that really bother them, their fears, their worries, their hurts, their doubts, their grumbles.  It also strikes me from personal experience its not the grumbling that brings on depression – what brings on depression in my experience is people not having people they can share their live with in that sort of depth and supporting them through dark times.  All credit for people going forward for prayer that’s awesome but come on to say they bring on such things by having such negative thoughts…

And where is God in this?  Where does it say all this stuff in the bible?  What’s the christian tradition basis for all this?  I can’t think of anywhere the answer is just cheer up.  Indeed it’s not being down on people either for being miserable – look at Job’s friends they caught an Almighty (literally) telling off for trying to get all religious about the reasons for his suffering!

I didn’t hear anything in that word about Jesus - the answer that I heard seemed to be all about me and not complaining, thinking happy thoughts or whatever.  It was weird at the end of the service I was chatting to people and they’d ask me how I was and I’d be thinking better not say anything negative, mustn’t be seen to grumble and then I thought what am I doing – I’m just taken on board stuff that is making me less real not more authentic as a follower of Jesus.

Its just so easy to do – people, if they are like me at all, love action, being able to do something, to know what the solution is and then go and apply it – don’t grumble.  Sounds easy doesn’t it, so seductively simple?  Put on a happy face, struggle to smile, we’ve got your number – stop complaining …

Come on, let me be real and honest… I am not always happy, I am not always laid back, I do get stressed, I do think negative thoughts, I do beat myself up, I do all manner of negative things that I often can not just fix on my own…

That’s one of the reasons I follow Jesus – for the hope he gives, the peace he brings, for the healing – all of the things I can’t do.  I can’t get by on my own, I am not an island, I need self control, love, joy, peace my world perspective and situation coping skills refreshed – but I am not going to get them from anything of myself.  Indeed that’s why I want to be in a community where I can love and be loved, support and be supported – not in my strength/love/resources or your strength/love/resources – but from God’s.

The danger is of words like that is I get all self righteous about other people struggling when its pure grace that I’m also not down as well – maybe cos I can offer love/grace instead and know that sometime in the future I will be in need of being on the receiving end?

As Jesus said…

"Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?”