"And they left rejoicing because they had been considered worthy to suffer for the sake of the Name." Acts 5:41

Over the last few weeks, our Sunday School class has been working through Acts. It's been a really interesting study, especially when Dan, our teacher and a professor at Asbury College, can relate everything to G.K. Chesterton and Shakespeare. As I read this verse, found in the context of Peter and John suffering for the Gospel, it struck me, although I didn't know why at the time. Shortly after we read this, Beth and I learned that we have to move from the house that we've been living to a small, rundown, seminary apartment that's about the same size as a hallway. We have to give up our beloved cat, McPheeters, sell our washer and dryer, downsize our stuff significantly and shake up the life we've been living. Why? Because we got a new job...no longer will I be the Groundskeeper at Rose Hill, but we're the new Directors of Youth Ministry at Nicholasville UMC. I've really struggled thinking about moving...it's not what I had expected and it's not what I was hoping for. I've become very satisfied and very comfortable where we are, and I really don't want to give up our cat. But the more the situation has unfolded, the more that I'm assured that we're doing the right thing by taking our job at NUMC. The group is poised to grow, not only numerically, but more importantly, as disciples of Jesus. We know of at least three or four kids who are beginning to discern a full-time call to ministry. We see the group growing in leaps and bounds, and as we prepare to give leadership through the power of the Holy Spirit to these young people, we're being attacked. As I've struggled with moving, I'm reminded of the apostles who had to give up more than their cat for the sake of the Gospel, and they rejoiced because they were considered worthy to suffer. We believe that God wants to move in the lives of our youth, and this is the way that Satan attempts to bring us down. For now, we covet your prayers and we rejoice because, in some small way, we've been considered worthy to suffer for the Name. Thanks be to God.

Panera wanderings

Every Sunday morning, Beth and I arise and head to Panera bread before we head off to the busyness that Sundays are becoming in our house, with worship practice, Sunday School, leading worship, youth group and our small group. (If it's this busy this spring, I don't what I'm going to do when the Steelers play in the Fall...we might have to think about having youth some time other than Sunday afternoon/evenings!!). Anyway, we use an hour or so on Sunday mornings to catch up, talk about our joint readings, really listen and hear what's going on in each other's lives and drink coffee. Lots of coffee. This way, by the time we get to church, we're ready to roll, both because we're hopped up on caffeine and because we've been reminded how much we love each other. Last Sunday was no exception, but as we headed out of Panera around 9 AM, I realized something that I've never noticed before: There were a LOT of people in Panera, and unlike us, they weren't heading out the door on their way to worship. In fact, many of these heathen were simply drinking coffee, surfing the Internet, reading the comics, etc. Many of them had no idea that they were pagans.

Alright, I don't really think that people who sit in Panera Bread on Sunday mornings are pagans or heathen. In fact, as we left my heart broke for the people who were left in Panera because they didn't know what they were missing. As we headed off to worship the Almighty God, to fellowship with other believers, to be encouraged and strengthed and challenged by the Word of God, many people sat by themselves in Panera and had no idea that what they were missing. I wonder why people show up to Panera by themselves on Sunday morning. Do they realize that they need fellowship and connection with others, but the best place that they can find it is sitting in a busy coffee shop? Have they been hurt by the institutional church in such a way that they'll never go back? Has the church promoted religion without power so that they don't even realize that their missing something? Have we offered people a watered down version of Christianity that means little, so little that people would rather hang out in Panera than encounter the God we pander?

I believe that a true, life changing encounter with God shakes people's worlds. I believe that when we understand God in the presence of ecclesia we are not the same. But many churches don't offer a life-changing encounter with God. Many churches don't know how to welcome new people into true fellowship. Many churches offer religion without freedom from sin and bondage. Many churches offer cheap grace that means little. Many churches have failed those people who sit in Panera on Sunday mornings because we have failed to remember that our programs are not God-instead they should be the witness of the power of God in the world. Too many of our churches have become a shadow of what they could be because we've forgotten to work with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, somehow thinking that we in ourselves have enough to offer. We've become a "dead sect," having the "form of religion without the power." And because of that, people sit in Panera bread on Sunday mornings not knowing what they're missing.

We can offer God. We can offer transformation through the power of the Holy Spirit. We can offer life-changing, situation-changing, sin-breaking, freeing power that comes through Jesus Christ. We can offer koinonia, true fellowship. We, as the people who bear the name of Christ, can offer something that would shake people from their coffee-loving, bagel eating seats. Too often, though, we're happy just to do our thing and forget about the people at Panera. Bishop Scott Jones says that our churches are ready to do evangelism-if the 1950's ever roll around again. We need to remember the people who need Jesus. We need to take seriously the call to make Disciples to all ends of the earth, even Panera. We need to believe that, because of Jesus, we have something to offer, and we need to live that out in our worship, our fellowship and our preaching. Let's shake people out of coffee-shops and cafes on Sunday mornings and show them something that can get them going, even more than outrageous amounts of caffeine-true encounter with God.

I don't believe in Social Justice

I have come to the conclusion that I don't believe in Social Justice in the church. Social Justice is fine for groups like the Kiwanas or the Rotary Club, but I don't think that it should have any place or power in the church. Now that I've got your attention, let me explain.

I believe in Social Gospel. I believe in the power of the Word of God to transform lives and communities. As I go on to Sanctification, I become more steeped in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, more empowered by the Holy Spirit to live it out, more on fire to see that all the world understand the life-changing, transformational power of the Gospel. I believe that the Gospel is a wholistic gospel, ministering to all the needs that human kind experiences. Thus, as I attempt to live out the Gospel I attempt to claim and proclaim the work of God in my life. I attempt to give testimony to the work of the Holy Spirit. I also attempt to model the example given to us by Christ-one of self-giving love that speaks to and ministers to the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of people. In this sense, I attempt to reach out to the downtrodden, minister to the oppressed, speak up for the voiceless, cry out for reconciliation, but I do all of this in the name of Jesus, while I proclaim and give testimony to the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and the way that I have been made new and transformed. I believe that a perfect blend of this is found in the end of Acts 4, as the disciples meet the needs of the needy and reach out to heal those around them, but at the same time we notice that they give testimony to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Social Gospel is powered by the work of Christ. It is renewed and given life by the work of Christ. It brings about societal change in real and tangible ways, but also gives voice to the message of Christ crucified and resurrected. That's where social justice misses the boat.

Social Justice often fails to mention Christ. During the first year that we were married, Beth worked at a United Methodist's Children's Home and recently she applied for a job with a Presbyterian social work agency. In both cases, these faith-funded organizations told her than if kids want to go to Sunday School, they can or if kids push her about her faith in Christ, she can share it, but she needs to be really careful not to publicize her faith too much. In both cases, these organizations were social agencies connected to a church, receiving funding from a church, reaching out to the least of society. In both cases, Jesus wasn't really invited or allowed. In both cases, Beth realized that the only thing that could truly transform the lives of the kids that she came in contact with was hope and future and the new life found only through life lived with Christ. She could teach all the lifeskills she wanted, she could teach kids how to manage anger and hurt, she could attempt to help kids heal from brokenness and abuse, but the only thing that would cut it, the only thing that would truly transform and renew her kids was the radical love of Jesus.

Social Justice attempts to work for temporary change for the sake of justice. Social Gospel attempts to work for long-term, eternal change in individuals and in society for the sake of God. For God's sake, let's get to work.

A week behind

I'm about a week behind the hoopla of the Judicial Council meeting, but I thought that I'd write a quick post about it anyway. Seminary makes me a week behind. That's just the way it is. I'm lucky that I'm not a week behind in my work!!

I'm beginning to wonder about the long-term ramifications about Decisions 1031 and 1032, and conversly, 1041 and 1042, in which the J-Council decided not to reconsider their previous decisions. I agree with the J-Council and I think that they got it right the first time. I don't think that the decisions were necessarily about homosexuality, instead focusing on a lack of due process given Rev. Johnson, thus violating his constitutional rights (1031) and the interpretation of who has the power to determine membership-thus, are we born into membership as a right or is it something that can be given and taken away. I think that stating that we are born or baptized into membership seems a little baptismal regenerationish to me and I'm not really comfortable with that. In fact, several wars and theological debates raged during the Reformation to finally state that you are not necessarily born into the church; instead you chose the church and the church accepts you based on standards of lifestyle that the church deems acceptable. (At this point, I should discuss my understanding of a Wesleyan view of salvation and sanctification, but I don't feel like I have that much time or space right now, but it is importantto memebership. Maybe I'll write about that later.) With this in mind, part of Decision 1032 was about homosexuality, and the pastor's right to determine who should be allowed into membership, but I think that most of 1032 was allowing the pastor to have final say on membership, and I think that this is a pastor's responsibility. But I don't want to debate 1031 and 1032...I just wanted to give some background on where I'm coming from.

Here's the question-What's going to happen at GC 2008? My hunch is that the liberal side of the church will bring legislation forward to change the way we deal with church membership. My hunch is that it will fail. Thus, based on 1031 and 1032, I think that we'll begin to talk about amicable seperation. I don't know how I feel about seperation. I hate the idea of the church dividing over anything. I think that we spoil our Christian witness to the world when we realize that we can't get along. I think that we destroy conversation, dialogue and the ability to learn and grow from each other's experience when we seperate. I don't think that any social issue, including homosexuality is worth splitting over. If we were to do so, we would not be true to the Biblical mandate to be, to think, to love with the mind of Christ Jesus. In fact, I believe that the only thing that brings church unity is an understanding of the work of Christ in and through us and how we will respond to the mandates and mission given by Christ through the witness of Scripture.

But here's the catch...I don't think that the issue that the church has been debating since 1976 is really the issue of homosexuality. I think that the main issue is our understanding of the authority of Scripture, and based on our understanding of Scripture, the Divinity of Jesus. I think that the issue of homosexuality is the way that we're playing out our ideas of Scripture and our Christology. Naturally, I think that we would have to work out how we minister to and with homosexuals, but I think that the main issue here isn't homosexuality, but how we decide to hold the importance of Scripture. With this in mind, I'm not necessarily against the idea of amicable seperation, because Scripture and Christology matter, and the matter a bunch. Scripture and Christology sets us apart as being a church, rather than being a cult, so if the real fight is about Scripture, we have to begin to rethink if we're really a church that is unified by the Presence and work of Christ.

Conference Junkie

Over the last semester I've taken UM Polity and Discipline. I throughly enjoy United Methodist polity. I'm somewhat of a Conference nerd. Ok, I'll be honest...I'm totally a Conference nerd. It's what I do. I get so excited the night before Conference that I can't sleep. I planned my wedding around Conference so that I wouldn't have to miss Conference to be at my wedding. (FYI-I told Beth that I was willing to miss Conference this one time, but if we ever wanted to be together on our Anniversary, we should really rethink our plans). I almost skipped my high school graduation for Conference, but my Mom made me come home. I got home from Conference, graduated and drove back to Conference. Why do I love Conference so much? I love to see people and sing "And Are We Yet Alive" and deal with issues facing the church and see more people and talk about things and hear new ministry ideas and see more people (Can you tell that I'm an extrovert? I am!). Anyway, Polity was an enjoyable class because I got to think about all my experiences and Conferences and dream about more Conferences and whatnot. Yesterday was our Final, and I think that it had become evident to most of the class that I had some Conference experience, especially on the General level, so this morning I was approached by two different people at different times asking the same question..."Why does Conference (especially the General Conference) really matter? What has the General Conference ever done to help the local church?"

This was a tough question to answer, as I realize that most of what we do at General Conference has very little impact on the local church, and I readily admitted this to my classmates. In fact, I believe that one of the major issues at the General level (Conference, Boards and agencies, etc) is that we've forgotten what it looks like to be in a local church, especially in the small local church. Most of the lay delegates are unordained, full-time church staff who can take off two weeks of work to be at Conference. Many other lay delegates come from the big congregations in Conferences. To be elected to the General Conference on the clergy side of the board means that you've achieved enough and been around long enough to be recognizable. Normally this recognition means that you're in a big church or you're a college president or a district superintendent. While I realize that it's not true across the board (my friend and mentor is someone who remembers the Local Church and he models this well for me and for others), many people, clergy and laity, forget about the Local Church when we get to General Conference. We think that we're changing the world when we vote through a resolution that is to be sent to the US government. We think that we're dealing with deep and important issues when we hotly debate how many people from each jurisdiction should be represented on General agencies and how we should strongly recommend a particular policy to our UM colleges and universities. We think that everything we does is the end of the world, but often we forget the Local Church. We forget the pastors who have been in the Conference for 20 years, working for a little above minimum who must somehow interpret our decisions to the three people in their congregation who are paying attention to the decisions of the General Conference. We forget that passing a budget means going back to our churches and getting them to hoist their fair share. Sometimes we forget about the Local Church congregations.

But, at the same time, I see the General Conference as an integral part of UM Polity. Somehow we've got to set the structure and the framework for the Church as a whole. Somehow we've got to establish the way that Church Property is held and how Clergy and Laity are to be held accountable and what it means to be ordained as a deacon or elder. Somehow we've got to know that our money together can do more than our monies seperate. Somehow we've got to maintain a doctrine and a Disicipline and a way of life together. The General Conference establishes our Covenant of Life together as the people called Methodists. Too often it's politicized and built up and divisive, but when it comes down to it, we've got to know what it means to live as a United Methodist in a fallen world, and this then determines how the Local Churches carry out the mission of the Church, to make Disciples of Jesus Christ.

Finally, I don't think that we should write off Conference because it truly is a place where we experience a means of grace. Conference is a place to worship, to hear the Word proclaimed, to expand our relationships and grow our friendships. Conference is a place where God speaks. I heard my call into ordained ministry at Annual Conference, and I believe, that despite all of the challenges that the Conference (Annual or General) faces in the politicized scheme of things, God moves and works at Conference if we're watching. I believe that going to Annual Conference can change the way that we do ministry in our local churches, and I eagerly await the movement of the Holy Spirit at the next conference I attend. I'm so excited that I can't sleep.