These videos were shared recently in church and I want to share them here. We need to be on guard that our church culture doesn’t slip into either of these extremes- either shallow and superficial relationships, or closed off and hyper-religious. Videos (c) rightnow.org
The Parable of the Boathouse
This can be Googled as “the Parable of the Lighthouse” or the “Parable of the Lifesaving Station”. Some attribute it to Theodore Wedel dating back to 1953, others attribute it to “author unknown” but adapted by Steve Rudd. And it also is a sample sermon in several guides and even published by Youth Specialties periodical Ideas. I heard this in a sermon years ago and have adapted it as I recall it being told- hence the change from Life-Saving Station to Boathouse. Either way, it is just as relevant today as it was when I heard it and as it was whenever it was written.
***
There was once a bay that was very popular amongst sailors. But it had dangerous, rocky shores. Yet because of its captivating beauty, many would sail in, only to meet their fate at the jagged rocks.
The most experienced sailors were saddened by this regular occurrence, but then boasted how they were able to navigate the treacherous waters. But then a young sailor came to the bay and asked to be taught how to sail through the dangerous bay. Teaching someone else their secrets never occurred to the old sailors, but one wise old sailor invested his time and his knowledge into this young seafarer.
As the young sailor learned, the wise old sailor also learned that he liked to teach. So he invited others to come learn the secrets of the rocky bay. Now this wasn’t popular with the other old sailors who wanted to protect the knowledge they learned the hard way, but it was very popular with younger sailors who had always wanted to visit this bay but were afraid to.
What once was measured by numerous tragedies was now measured by the number of lives saved. As the number of students grew, more and more people started to sail in and out of this bay. So the wise old sailor decided to build a boathouse, from which he could teach other sailors how to navigate these waters and also teach them how to save the lives of other sailors who were less fortunate. The boathouse became a popular gathering place for the sailors. And as its popularity grew, amenities were added. Big-screen TVs. Pool tables. A fully stocked bar. And it became such a popular place that many came to the boathouse not to sail or to save lives at all, but simply to hang out.
Eventually, the wise old sailor passed away and left the boathouse to the first, now not so young, sailor he taught. But the young sailor didn’t sail anymore. He was busy managing the boathouse making sure all his clientele were happy and well-fed and the boathouse continued to make money. Yet even though most who came to the boathouse didn’t sail, the bay was still a popular attraction, as was the boathouse, so many still attempted to sail in.
When once the number of casualties from the rocky shore was almost zero, the sailors in the boathouse stopped noticing that number creep back up to where it used to be. More, in fact, because now people were sailing in just to visit the boathouse.
But as more and more sailors died in the treacherous bay, fewer and fewer people frequented the boathouse because some of these casualties were from their own number. As the casualties increased even further, people soon began to avoid the boathouse altogether because they were sad over so many lost friends. It wasn’t long before no one came to the boathouse any more.
Today, people still sail in to the bay. Not for the boathouse, but for its natural beauty. Sadly, many of these sailors die in their attempt. More sad is the fact that there is no one left to teach them the secrets of the bay; the old sailors have all passed away and the young sailor had forgotten how to sail.
Strong Enough
“I can do all things through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13)
“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25)
“For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10b)
“You are my strength, I watch for you;
you, God, are my fortress
my God on whom I can rely…
I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
you, God, are my fortress
my God on whom I can rely.” (Psalm 59:9-10, 16-17)
And for backstory…
Flashback Friday: When is it OK to Walk Away?
***Originally posted a year ago while doing a group book discussion on Michael Spencer’s Mere Churchianity. It is my most spammed post (still today) so I figured I’d clean it up, update it some and repost. Plus it’s a good lead-in to some posts I’m hoping to get up next week.***
[A year ago] Pope Benedict XVI visited Great Britain for the first Papal visit in centuries and in the face of the ongoing child abuse scandal. Some demonstrators were so bold as to say that the Catholic Church “murdered” their souls. Despite this, they still identified themselves as Catholic: “I am a Catholic, but my faith is in God, not in those church officials who have covered this up,” one of the demonstrators said. Valid point, but why stay committed to that church?
At the same time, we have the audience Michael Spencer is writing to in Mere Churchianity; those who have left their churches and in some cases Christianity altogether because of abuse, hypocrisy, luke-warmness, and countless other reasons. Last week, I listed some specific examples. Each of these had valid reasons to leave, but I think just as importantly, each have a valid reason to return: the church is not Christ and Michael continues to hammer this point as we continue through his book. [Important distinction here. The big-c church is the Body of Christ. When we try and make it anything else- biggest, showiest, best-selling, most entertaining, most seeker-friendly, most missional, most… it is no longer Christ, but a group of like-minded people. It might as well be a fraternity.]
Let us consider these “sins” of the church: abuse, hypocrisy, luke-warmness. You could add neglecting its mission, being polluted by the world’s values or even other religions. If this sounds familiar and you find yourself shouting, “preach it brother!” recognize that this isn’t anything new. In fact, these are the same claims Jesus himself brought against the church in Revelation. In other words, the Church has been screwing up since it was founded. Not that that makes it ok. In fact, Jesus had some very harsh words to those churches. So today we continue to re-vector our programs, our polity, our preaching to make sure our eyes are “fix[ed] on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2)
[At the same time, we cannot practice Christianity by ourselves. We can focus on Jesus all we want, but if we don’t include others in our lives, we’re not really modeling Jesus’ life or instructions. The arguments that “my faith is personal, between me an God” or “I believe in Jesus, I don’t need a church for that” are bad theology.]
Keep in mind, there are 51 “one another” instructions (some are more strongly worded as commands) to the Church found in the New Testament. Many of these cannot be followed outside of an authentic church community. One specifically, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25) Yes, you could argue that you can still have an authentic Christian community and not call it “church”. But then I’d just turn around and call you a “house church”. I guess whatever form it takes, we need each other for encouragement, for sharpening, for instruction, and for worship.
And this still doesn’t address the countless numbers who have walked away from the Church for any and every reason.
Keeping in mind Jesus’ own words to forgive not seven times, but “seven times seventy” times (Matthew 18:22) and to leave any offering to the Lord and first “be reconciled to your brother” (Matthew 5:23-24) yet “It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” (Luke 17:2) Add to that Paul’s instructions to “submit to every authority” (Romans 13:1 and also Hebrews 13:17) and to “not put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way” (Romans 14:13, but really the whole chapter applies). And finally going back to Hebrews 10:25 above and the example of abused Catholics at the beginning of this post, [we see that the state of the Church is each of our own responsibility.
The onus is on us to live peacefully, to forgive, and to serve. Then, “as each part does its work” the Body of Christ is “built up in love” (Eph 4:16). This cannot happen if people walk away just because they don’t like the children’s Sunday School program, don’t like the style of preaching or worship music, or don’t get along with someone in particular.(To list extreme examples. To be fair, serious abuses of authority, tolerance of sin, and departures from the Word of God as the standard of belief are all valid reasons to walk away. The line isn’t the same for everyone, but if everyone put into practice the above scriptures- including those in leadership- then we shouldn’t have those problems.)]
The Conflict Continues
I interrupt my rantings and ravings about the state of the American Church (TM) to bring you some real news. (Actually my Internet being down all day yesterday helped, but I digress)
I could never do justice to all the tributes, prayers, responses and reflections on September 11 online. But I do want to call your attention to a couple of articles that tie in to what I wrote on Monday. First, the compilation of reflections on 9/11 and faith from The Washington Post’s blog, On Faith. Also check out The Gospel Coalition’s blog post on how the number of evangelical churches in New York has steadily grown since 9/11. Kinda contradicts my point on Monday, but I would argue the context is different (New York definitely has a different lingering effect than the rest of the country’s religious landscape).
I also want to call your attention to the fact that some things have changed in a dramatic way for the worse. Prejudice and profiling have become the norm. And if you’re Muslim, or even look “foreign”, then you don’t want to fly on 9/11 as Shoshana Hebshi learned and later blogged about. (warning on the second link, it is getting an insane amount of traffic since being linked to from most mainstream media so expect it to lock up your browser while it loads).
But that’s still not all I want to call your attention to. My favorite Facebook post from 9/11 was this from a friend of mine:
“Ten years ago, I began this darkest of days in federal courts class discussing the meaning of the U.S. Constitution, today, I leave for Kabul to assemble the largest gatherings to discuss the Afghan Constitution. God be with all those souls lost that day! May we never forget.”
Pretty cool, eh? His next post (after posting that he landed safely):
“major explosions in Kabul…half dozen, we are in a bunker in our office”
Then, almost 24 hours later:
“After nearly 22 hours, the attacks against Kabul are over. There is no question, however, it was the most extensive attack on Kabul the Taliban’s fall in 2001. While we are lucky that the death toll wasn’t higher, the psychological toll will be far worse and no matter what is said by certain generals, we are not winning.”
Close your eyes for a moment and picture who might be writing these posts. Do you picture a soldier in fatigues, a lawyer in a business suit, or a politician shaking hands? What race do you suppose he is? Would you believe that these posts come from a Muslim whose family emigrated to the US from Pakistan decades ago?
I was going to link to this article back in April when Florida Pastor Terry Jones decided it was a worthwhile political and religious statement to burn a Koran, but chose against it. But in the wake of the anniversary of 9/11, the racial profiling since, and the risks to Hamid’s life, I’m going to post it today. This was written by my friend, Hamid, and I believe is a must-read to provide context to the conflict that we only hear about in the news.
The full article is here. Here’s an excerpt:
“Few Muslims quibble with the notion that the Qur’an is the word of God. Moreover, it is generally accepted that the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad some fourteen centuries ago. While the Qur’an is found in book form today, it began as an oral tradition and hence, even to this day, millions of Muslims follow that tradition by memorizing lines from the original Arabic. Coincidently, the content of the Qur’an (which is about the size of the New Testament) largely remains a mystery to most believers since the original version is in sixth-century Arabic and more than 85 percent of Muslims today are not Arabic speakers. Moreover, even if one could begin to grapple with the Arabic, the Qur’an is filled with allusions, allegories, puns, and an unmatched poetic style. Consequently, Muslims will often turn to religious leaders to understand its content, leaders who often know little more than their fellow believers.”
You often hear the straw man argument, if Islam is a religion of peace, why don’t more Muslims speak out against terrorism? This is your answer right here. Just as the Catholic Church consolidated political and religious power by controlling distribution of the Gospel message (how many peasants in the Middle Ages could really speak Latin?), the fear-mongering political power in the Middle East controls the message.
I post these things not to open up political or religious debate, but hopefully to open your eyes to “the rest of the story” so to speak. The conflicts that led to 9/11 are ongoing still today.
Where Were You?
It will go down in conversational history like the assassination of JFK, man first walking on the moon, or the fall of the Berlin Wall. If you don’t know how to start a conversation with someone but want to break the ice, simply ask “where were you on 9/11”?
Most of us were at work or on our way. At the time, I was waiting tables and had a late night shift the night before, so I was still in bed. My mom called to wake me up. I spent the rest of the day glued to the TV. When I did try and go out to grab a bite to eat, I saw that everyplace was closed.
There was a lot of fear that day. Would there be more planes? Would there be a “dirty bomb”? What would happen next?
So we vividly remember where we were that day. But do you remember where you were the day after? Alan Jackson’s song, Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning” talks about donating blood, kneeling to pray, helping in a soup kitchen, aiding relief efforts, and so on. But that was the day after. Do you remember where you were on 9/12?
I ask because it wasn’t 9/11 that changed everything, though it was the catalyst. It was 9/12. The day after. The next day where we had to decide how the events the day before would change how we lived our lives. I remember the night of the 12th. It seemed everyone was having candlelight vigils. There were special prayer services. There were rallies. And at each, people attended with a sense of unease and uncertainty. Some felt that if this meant an all-out World War-level conflict in the Middle East then we could very well be ushering in the end of the world.
It’s like the saying, “today is the first day of the rest of your life.” The 12th was the first day of the post-9/11 world. People who had stopped going to church returned. Faith came front and center in our national politics. We waved our flags a little higher and prayed a little deeper. Then the 13th, the 14th… But one year later, had anything really changed? Those who recommitted their lives to Christ were back home Sunday morning watching football. The faith-driven political divide deepened and antagonized many. Two years later were we better off? How about 10 years later? Can you honestly say you are living your life differently because of what happened 10 years ago? For the families of victims, for those serving in the military and their loved ones, and for those persecuted based only on their nationality or religion, yes their lives are very different today. But how about you? What is different for you?
I know you remember where you were on the 11th. But do you remember where you were on the 12th? Are you still there?
A “New” Gospel
There was a recent article in Oprah Magazine (no, I”m not a subscriber) about Hilton Kelley, a restaurateur in Port Arthur, Texas, and environmental activist. The blog Get Religion, called my attention to this story and both of us got hung up on the same point.
Of course there’s a religious angle, Kelley partners with a neighboring church. So the article calls Kelley’s efforts to warn about the environmental dangers of the local pollution and the oil industry in general a “new gospel”. Get Religion takes issue with this statement as there’s no other context given, especially noting that there’s no other comments, pro or con, from other local churches on this issue. In addition, is it really fair to compare environmental activism to the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? To me, calling it a “new gospel” is just the journalist’s way of adding a religious spin to the article for the sake of the religious spin and shouldn’t be taken more seriously.
Or should it? One of the push-backs to Christianity is the notion that we know it all, that it’s our way or the highway (to hell), that we’re right and everyone else is wrong. The counter usually goes something like this, suppose you saw that a highway led to an unfinished bridge yet all the signs are up assuming it is finished and cars start driving by at 65 mph. Would it be arrogant to try and get the drivers’ attention to tell them that the signs are wrong and that they are headed to their death? Is it prideful to try and save someone’s life when you have evidence of disaster ahead?
In that context, maybe environmental activism is a new gospel, so to speak. No, it’s not “Good News” to share that the air you’re breathing is going to kill you. But neither is it good news to tell someone that their sinful lifestyle will lead to an eternity in Hell. The Good News is that it doesn’t have to be this way.
This is where the Social Gospel walks a very fine line between political activism and genuinely spreading the Gospel. There are different types of activism under the Social Gospel umbrella- from Kelley, above, to the communal lifestyle of Shane Claiborne. Both can be looked at from a religious and politically conservative perspective with the simple reply, !@%# hippies. But it doesn’t have to be so polarizing.
Activism can take many forms and many extremes. I’ve written before about the mission field right outside of our doors. Activism, the “social gospel”, being “missional” can start right in front of you.
A couple events stick with me on this issue. Almost exactly one year ago, 14 year-old Dominique Peatry was shot and killed outside of a house party on Labor Day weekend. Normally, such a tragic event would be followed by rallies, maybe even a march on City Hall, usually led by local religious leaders. No such rally ever took place. The part that continues to grieve my soul is that the Wednesday prior we had a Midweek service at a park right around the corner from where she was killed and where she lived (two different places, same part of town) with the explicit purpose of spreading the Gospel in that part of the community that night. Instead, I heard most of my brothers and sisters complain about meeting on the “wrong side of town” and how they didn’t feel safe letting their children play in the park because of the demographics present. The part that keeps me up at night is wondering if young Dominique was at the park that night and whether she either heard the Gospel, or was ignored because of our own prejudice.
The other event was a year before that during fire-season when a whole community was uprooted by fires surrounding their homes. They were relocated all around the area and one center was set up at a local high school two miles from our church building. They had to leave everything behind. It was late at night. They were tired and hungry in need of clothes, blankets, and food. What a great opportunity to serve! Instead we weren’t prepared and were unable to rally any kind of support to a community in need just a couple of miles away.
You see, this new gospel doesn’t have to be some liberal cause. It doesn’t even have to be political. In fact, it isn’t new at all. It is a very old Gospel. The only good news that really matters in the end.
Helicopter or Drone?
By now school is back in session for everyone. The last wave started either yesterday or today following the Labor Day holiday. My kids started last week. My wife, this week.
The first day of school is marked by parents taking extra pictures while frantically making sure their child has everything ready. A certain type of parent, the “helicopter parent”, will even follow their child to school to make sure they get in the right classroom, get along with the right kids, and do all the “right” things. They watch to make sure Johnny isn’t picked last when teams are drawn up for kickball and make sure Sally is called on first when she raises her hand in class.
The name, helicopter parent, comes from the image of these parents hovering over their children in every facet of their day. I want to add another type of parent to our nomenclature- the drone parent (more catchier than UAV parent, I think). This parent also hovers, but not as close. Like an un-piloted drone, they hover high up where they can’t be seen, but are constantly on surveillance.
I admit, I’m a drone parent. We followed our children to school, took all the pictures, hugged each maybe just a little too long and watched as they went off to their class. But we didn’t leave. We stood back and we watched. How would our son respond to his new teacher? Which of his best friends are back after the summer and will be in his class? Unlike helicopter parents, who have a reputation of control, drone parents simply stand back and watch and respond to the data they receive.
But even that is too much. Watching other parents drop their children off last week- some helicopter, some drone, some “bombers” (drop the kids off and fly away)- it occurred to us that it didn’t matter how close we stayed or how much we watched. As other parents commented on which teacher was the best (and of course, their child had to be in that class) and which children were the worst, we realized that it all really doesn’t matter. Yes, it is important that our children receive a quality education. Yes, there are certain kids and some demographics that are obstacles to learning. But we are not dropping off our children to never see them again. They may spend more of their waking hours at school, but it is ultimately at home where they will learn the most. One teacher or one bad apple child in the first grade will not change the ultimate fate of my child.
So the drone has to fly back to base. We have to let them go. We have to trust that God is in control.
All is Not Lost
I love videos from OK Go. This is their newest (not counting the recent Muppet video), a collaboration with the dance company Pilobolus. I admit to being a little creeped out by the body suits, but once they start as a kaleidoscope it becomes very cool.
And the theme of the song reminds me of David Crowder Band’s video for their song SMS (Shine)- another labor-intensive video (see, I worked Labor Day in there somewhere!). Actually, I’d love to see a collaboration between the two bands. Unlikely, but the end-product would be worth it.
Money Matters
I’m on vacation, so I’m going to be short on commentary.
A common theme in my study and blog reading lately has been finances; either the finances of the church, of individuals, or of this country. Maybe the recent debate over the “debt ceiling” stirred everyone’s thoughts on this. But that wasn’t our frame of mind the other morning as my wife and I were talking about stewardship. Coincidentally I had just read this post over at Cerulean Sanctum which hit on the very same points. (that’s two posts in a row that Dan totally nails it IMHO, blogging on points that are on my heart at the same time he posts them.Three, if you count yesterday’s post) I also recalled the first chapter of David Platt’s Radical Together that asks us if the “good” things we’re doing as a church are keeping us from doing the great thing of advancing the Gospel.
MSN Money had a recent article on “Rev. Billy” who isn’t actually a minister (though since his growth in popularity has since been ordained) but makes his mark “preaching” against materialism and consumerism.
A combination of recent polls show that as financial difficulties hit people are less, not more, likely to attend church. That’s contrary to conventional wisdom.
Jared Wilson asks what it means to be “Rich Towards God” over at A Gospel Driven Church.
Mark Lafler hits a hot button debating filing for bankruptcy over at Bibledude.net. Personally, I came to the conviction a while ago that carrying debt, in and of itself, is a sin because when you sign that receipt at the store you are pledging that you will pay it back. (Mortgages, student loans, and car payments are different in that they are intentionally scheduled to be paid off) Mark’s argument is that even if you are forced by your circumstances to file for bankruptcy, that the “Christian” thing to do is to make every effort to still pay off your debt. I agree whole heartedly. (I don’t want to come across as self-righteous here, either. My family is on the long climb out of debt, but we are committed to be debt free ASAP)
Finally Jonathan Keck at Theology21 asks if we really believe “In God We Trust” with our finances and shares his personal experience of losing a job.
(Meanwhile, we are paying out the nose for our all too short vacation. Such is life)