This post is being created with the help of a brand-spakin' new keyboard and mouse. I was given (yes, as in free) a Microsoft Wireless Keyboard and Mouse. It uses Bluetooth technology. Amazing. Two less cords running around my office. It's on Amazon for about 100 bucks, which seems a little steep for something as simple as a keyboard and mouse. But for free? A great deal. (Thanks Matt. Nice of you to work the 'system' for me.)
I can now sit across the room and type, if I wanted to. Not that I ever would want to type from the other side of a room, but knowing that I could is pretty cool.
I'm off to visit relatives this weekend, so blogging will be scarce. Have a great weekend. Those of you readers from nations celebrating May Day or Labor Day , enjoy the long weekend. I love this weekend. We celebrate the American work ethic by not working. The irony!
I'm not complaining though...I'll take a three day weekend any time.
Typically, I hate TV commercials. They represent so many things I despise: fostering the unholy materialsim that pervades America, deceitfully convincing you that your self image is worthless unless you buy _____ (insert anything here)...I could go on.
Recently, TV commercials are making a slow, subtle switch. Have you noticed? There are some advertising execs who have realized that advertising currently has so little to do with the actual product, thus, let's just be funny and entertain. The commercials that make you laugh are the ones that stick with you far beyond the "let's drink Coors and a big freezing cold party full of beautiful women will show up". That's stupid because it's trying to deceive you into believing that this could actually happen. The new breed of commercials are also stupid. The difference? They know it and they don't try to hide it. It's what makes them great.
Granted the commercials below don't even come close to the comedic genius of The Office or Arrested Development, but they seem to be influenced by the same vein. (by the way, this is your video(s) of the week.)
First, I love this Sprint commercial, almost enough to make me forget how much I have to pay to have cellular service with them (almost):
Next, the new line of Holiday Inn commercials are great:
Here's another...
And another...
If advertisers put out more commercials like these, then maybe, just maybe I wouldn't feel the itch to channel surf through every commercial break.
Don't be deceptive...instead be funny.
(BTW: You can view all of the Holiday Inn commercials here.)
Last night, witht the sound of rain falling steadily outside, I decided to spend a good couple of hours reading (a rare treat lately). Ben went to bed early, and I had no meetings to attend (another rare treat). I picked up my copy of The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice, gulped, and opened to its first page...
Yeah, it's an odd title. Does the author know the OTHER meaning of that title? Yeah, he does. It's intentional, and I knew this as soon as I read a few reviews on this book. Thus, I'm sure you can understand my procrastination in opening the cover, for fear that it would shatter my view of one of my heroes of the faith.
It did exactly what I feared it would do. Sort of. Well, maybe. I'm not sure.
The author, Christopher Hitchens, pulls no punches in trying to expose Mother Teresa as a fraudulent cult leader who hobnobbed with despots, dictators, and corrupt businesspeople to advance her cause. If you have been inspired by the work of Mother Teresa, this is not an easy book to read. It sure wasn't easy for me. I'll spare you all the details, but I will highlight some points the author makes.
I want to be sure that I am telling you all that I'm writing these in summary and not necessarily in agreement:
Mother Teresa had an inconsistent message in terms of social justice--The author convincingly lays out the argument that M.T. devoted her life to the poor of Calcutta, but also spent some serious P.R. time with some of the most ruthless dictators and corrupt businessmen of our day, lavishly praising them in spite of the oppression they caused.
Mother Teresa's ministry did more to hurt the poor than help them--The author cites instances and first hand accounts of doctors and nurses who made the pilgrimage to work in Mother Teresa's homes, only to find that many of the 'dying' could treated and saved from death, if Mother Teresa would allow for such treatment.
Mother Teresa accepted donations without concern for their source, but the money never made it to the poor. The questions the author poses: Does the end justify the means? ...and...Where did the money go?
Mother Teresa's strict policies on abortion and conraception--The author blatantly and bluntly disagrees with Mother Teresa's strict views on abortion and contraception (she feels both are equally wrong). Thus, in the mind of the author, the poor are enabled to remain poor by not having the sufficient means to control population.
In sum, the world has turned a blind eye to the fraud that is Mother Teresa.
It's hard to even type those words. I feel dirty doing it. The author certainly, without shame, has an anti Christian bias (maybe more correctly, an anti-Catholic bias), but he brings a convincing argument on some points.
I'm guessing that the truth is somewhere in the middle. Here are my thoughts:
Mother Teresa was not a development worker. Thus, we shouldn've expert her alone to alleviate poverty. Could she have lent her image and influence to development efforts int the third world? Sure. But remember: within her tribe of Catholicism, suffering and poverty are exalted in Mother Teresa's worldview, almost to a fault. We are called to suffer for the cause of Christ. Absolutely. And we are to give up all for Him. But the point of such sacrifice is not poverty for poverty's sake, but poverty for God's sake. This is the debate usally labelled: God's Preferential Option for the Poor, and itself deserves an entire blog to truly unravel all the complexities of the discussion.
Mother Teresa did a TON of good in the world. We may not like some of the company she kept in front of the cameras, but you can't ignore the fact that countless men, women, and orphans who were truly on their deathbed were given dignity in their last days by her ministry. Plus, she made poverty an issue that couldn't be ignored, regardless of one's view.
If nothing else, Mother Teresa inspired millions to, at the very least, consider the poor. Her rock star like fame brought attention to the plight of poor. Plus, she offerred a refreshing perspective: the health and wealth gospel simply doesn't hold water. If you are to err to one side or the other, side with the poor. There you will encounter God. Not in your GPS navigated beamer.
If Mother Teresa can be blamed for anything, it's that she loved and trusted too much. I hope that maybe she was ignorant of the oppression caused by some of her donors. I hope that if she wasn't ignorant, she was at least so trusting and so loving that she saw the good in these idiots that the rest of us couldn't see. I hope that these swindlers and despots were transformed by God through their encounters with Mother Teresa in such a way that they reconsidered their selfish and destructive behavior. I hope...
The main lesson to be drawn from reading a book like this, regardless of one's view, is that nobody's perfect. Even Mother Teresa.
I don't accept the author's premise that Mother Teresa was concerned solely with power as she sought to establish her 'cult'. That's just too far fetched. Did she make some mistakes? Sure. Who hasn't? If my personal impact on the world was but a fraction of Mother Teresa's, then I would feel like my time, my energy, and my resources were worth it.
Much of the blame probably lies with the media and the political leaders, who quite frankly used and abused her image and her leagacy to advance their own causes. They set her up on a pedestal that no person deserves. Let this be a lesson to all of us.
Just finished up a few very good, but very, very different reads.
1. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. My good friend Josh is continually imploring my to read more fiction. He highly recommended this sci-fi phenom, though I'm not really a sci-fi guy. In spite of my skepticism, I couldn't put this book down. It's a page-turning exploration into the human condition. Also: profound implications for the realities of leadership. Read this book. You'll be better for it. (I have to say, though, that the author's name sounds a little too perfect for sci-fi...pseudonym perhaps?)
2. China's Christian Millions, by Tony Lambert. I read this as part of my required reading for one of my classes with Gordon. It's an in-depth look into the explosive Christian expansion in China, despite (and often, because of) the governments attempts to thwart it. The constant barrage of statistics can be a bit too much, but overall it's a good insight into a largely ignored revival. Some quick insights from the book:
Passion--The Chinese Christians have a passion for God that we could learn from. They consistently risk it all to share Christ's love.
Parallels to Rome--Just as the Pax Romana paved the way for the expansion of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, so Maoism has paved the way for the gospel's explosion throughout China. The brutal unification of this huge country has allowed for quick and easy transmission of the Good News.
Communism--It's finished. Though the communist party still rules, often with an iron fist, it's grip is loosening quickly. In fact, polls show that the state church, the Three Self Church, is being consumned by authentic revival. Plus, Christians are large and growing minority force withing the Communist party itself! It's only a matter of time before this tyrranical regime implodes. The only question: When?
$1000 in sales and donations. Yeah, I'm serious! Unbelievable. I never in my wildest dreams thought that this sale would cover 1/30 of our adoption. (I break the cost up fractionally....it's a bit easier to swallow that way).
We'll open this morning for a few hours, because we still have a TON of stuff left. Can't wait for this to be done, but it was definitely worth the work.
It's Friday...Video of the Week Time. Given the recent release of the new Madden '07 video game, I'm going a bit nostalgic with this week's installment. But first, check out how 'real' this new Madden installment is.
Here are some of the new features on Madden 07:
Lead Blocker Control
NFL Superstar: Hall of Fame Mode
Run Like the Players Run with the All-New Highlight Stick
Team-Specific Defensive Playbooks
Off Season Mini-Camps
Replay Challenge
Cool? Yeah, I guess so...Ok, I'll admit, the graphics and lifelike feel of today's video game's is incredible, but give me RBI Baseball and Super Tecmo Bowl any day! Loved those games! Thus, a blast from the past:
We're having a garage sale tonight, all day tomorrow, and Friday morning. People in our community have donated their unwanted stuff, and we're selling it to help fund our adoption.
We'll give you an update tomorrow on how Round 1 went. Please pray that all this work pays off. I had no idea how much work is involved in a garage sale. Sheesh....
I haven't had a chance to post in my Newbigin series in awhile. Some travelling coupled with some intense cramming for my Hebrew final (which is today...pray for me) has put the series on simmer for a bit. In light of this, I thought I'd post a brief explanation on why Newbigin's views are so critical and pertinent for today. I posted this as part of an assigment for a class in Gordon, and it seems appropriate to kill 2 birds with one stone and post it here as well:
If there’s one thing to be learned from a brief survey of the expansions of missions across our globe, it’s the remarkable diversity in methodology from one expansion to the next. Contextualization begs fluidity in communicating the unchanging message of Jesus Christ. A tragic consequence of the endeavor of contextualization is the tendency to be simply reactionary in missiology. We see what has happened in culture, and we respond accordingly. Fortunately, however, we do have those rare missiological prophets, who not only shift in response to changing times, but offer proactive, prophetic, methods and ideas that are useful well into the future. Lesslie Newbigin is one such missiologist. He was a rare breed of missionary, one who embodied contextualization throughout his entire life, at home and abroad.
Newbigin entered university as an agnostic, and left on a mission. During his missionary work in India (starting in 1936), he used his intellectual prowess to master incredibly difficult Indian languages (most notably Tamil) and to understand Indian cultural intricacies that most missionaries would neglect. His writings on mission very much resemble a field reporter on assignment. They convey an authenticity and applicability that many missiological works simply lack, due to being produced from the isolated ivory towers of the academic elite.
Perhaps one of his most striking traits of contextualization was his commitment to the local. It would’ve been easy for a missionary of his intelligence to get caught up in the sometimes ethereal, sometimes grandiose, often macrocosmic ‘vision’ for missions to the WHOLE world. He didn’t. He was a missionary to a particular place, at a particular time, to a particular people. Thus, his work was to contextualize the gospel for these particulars. Additionally, he was an ecumenical leader in the church in India, and his writings on mission were widely circulated throughout theological and missiological circles. (Biographical information largely came from www.newbigin.net)
In spite of his effective work in India, Newbigin’s greatest gift to missiology is most likely his writing that came after he left his ‘mission’ field of India and returned to his native homeland: England. It is through these works, many of which are considered missiological ‘must-reads’, that Newbigin has made his lasting mark in terms of missiological contextualization. He lived and breathed, contextualization, and though his life was spent in such a unique, particular situation (India), his views have been found to be applicable for a new and challenging culture: postmodernity.
Why is it that Newbigin’s works, written in the 1970’s and 80’s are finding a fresh, postmodern audience? Because Newbigin had a knack for what’s ‘next’ in the world. He had a keen gift of discernment in separating fad from issue of impact. He never wasted time on fads. Rather, he immersed himself in future issues of impact. This is the difference between reactionary contextualization and proactive contextualization. Reactionary isn’t ‘bad’. It’s simply limiting.
This discernment is exactly what is needed in today’s missiological endeavors to a postmodern world. It’s a discernment of being able to read the pulse of the world and the church, and possess the courage and creativity to bridge the gap. It’s this discernment that allowed Newbigin to rightly observe the critical role that the Christian community has in mission, as he writes in The Household of God:
“It is surely a fact of inexhaustible significance that what our Lord left behind Him was not a book, nor a creed, nor a system of thought, nor a rule of life, but a visible community. He committed the entire work of salvation to that community. It was not that a community gathered round an idea, so that the idea was primary and the community secondary. It was that a community called together by the deliberate choice of the Lord Himself, and re-created in Him, gradually sought - and is seeking - to make explicit who He is and what He has done. The actual community is primary; the understanding of what it is comes second.” (p.20)
It’s this discernment that formulates his views on the gospel, the Good News as an ‘Open Secret’, one that MUST be contextualized. He sees a triangle of ‘local culture, Scriptures, and the witness of other Christians’ as the 3 keys to contextual mission (p. 150).
It’s also this discernment that allows him to delicately lay out his argument for contextualization in our Western, pluralist society, in The Gospel in a Pluralist Society. It can be simplistically summed up as follows: “there is no such thing as a pure gospel if by that is meant something which is not embodied in a culture.” (144)
Back from K.C. It was a fantastic weekend of K.C. BBQ, Golf, Basketball, a bunch of things not fit to publish on this blog, and of course: the Fantasy Football Draft.
9 out of 10 guys in the league were present (the absent joined us via conference call). The nine hail from the following: 1. Ohio (yours truly, pastor) 2. Lincoln (collegiate athletics) 3. Omaha (med school) 4. Grand Rapids (business project management) 5. Virginia (high school teacher) 6. St. Louis (future restauranteur) 7. K.C. (construction mangagement) 8. Washington D.C. (doctoral student, history) 9. Honduras (development worker) 10: Indiana (college student development)
Yes, one faithful 'manager' flew from Honduras. He's dedicated. And being in economic development, he has a lot of frequent flyer miles.
Not that any of care about something as meaningless as Fantasy Football, but here's my starting roster...
QB: Kurt Warner (or Drew Breese if Warner retires to a wheelchair midseason). RB: Ronnie Brown RB: Edgerrin James WR: Hines Ward WR: Plaxico Burress TE: Antonio Gates RB/WR: Ahman Green (or Joseph Addai if he gets the starting nod) DEF: TB Bucs K: Jason Elam
Yeah, the Fantasy Football Craze is absolutely ridiculous, but I love it because it keeps us guys connected...and it makes watching the NFL all the more interesting.
I'm off to Kansas City for a weekend with my ol' college housemates. It's an annual tradition, which includes golf, basketball, poker, barbecue, an obligatory trip to a sauna immediately followed by a cold plunge, and the most important part of the weekend:
FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFT
Yup, i'm a fantasy football fanatic. Ronnie Brown is my keeper this year, and he will career. I know it. I think. I hope. Please?
It's always a blast to laugh and catch up with the guys. Seven are married, three have kids, two are dating (one from this category sadly will be absent), and well, one is still single. Priority number one this year is to collectively agree on a Russian mail order bride for the guy. He's excited.
As our families form and grow, my hope and prayer is that none of our families end up like this. (Classic, classic Will Ferrell)
"I wish you weren't a liar....I drive a Dogde Stratus!"
If you've checked out the profile page of this site recently, you should notice some new additions. Beyond the typical bio and lists of things I like/don't like, I've added three personality test results.
The first is an IDAK career match. This was a required test at Denver Seminary. It's incredibly in-depth, very expensive (too expensive), but very helpful in terms of helping one choose a vocation that fits personality.
The results are dead on with my passions/desires:
most preferred type of organization:
A religious college or seminary
Mission organization
Church located in the U.S.
strongest communication talents:
Writing words
Conversing
Teaching
The next is my Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. This was a required study at my undergrad, Taylor. Back then I didn't give the results a second thought, but I find them intriguing and helpful now. I'm an INTJ: Introverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judging.
The most recent personality indicator that I've taken is the 'emergy' one: The Enneagram. This is the most interesting (and frustrating) personality indicator of the three. It not only determines your personality 'style', but it pinpoints healthy, average, and unhealthy levels of each type, points of stress and growth, and relational dynamics that the others don't touch. It costs $10 to take an online test, but I'll warn you... You'll nearly go mad answering the questions, which are entirely based on your behavioral patterns. Each question gives you 2 polar opposite answers, and you have to make one choice. It's hard, but is very helpful in helping one figure out how she/he ticks.
Now you know a little more about me....any other Type 1 Reformers out there? INJT's?
There seems to be a stream running through cyberland. With the war in Iraq, the conflict in Israel/Lebanon, and a nuclear arms race looming with North Korea and Iran, war, peace, and politics have made their way to the fore of podcasts and blogs. Ted Gossard has a great post raising some tough questions on Christianity and politics here. Ted's blog is worth your time, so add it to your blog reader or favorites. He asked me to comment on my position regarding politics, faith, etc. Here's what I wrote, from my own emerging anabaptist perspective:
Ted--great post. tough questions...as an emerging anabaptist, i take the following position (in a nutshell, of course).
I have very little faith in politics, and believe that the call of Christ is a call to not only conversion, but a righteous subversion of the powers of THIS world. That's the nonconforming anabaptist in me. I'm interested in politics, and participate in it through voting, petitions, etc. (departing with many of my fellow anabaptists), but i see it for what it is: a game.
However, my extreme anabaptist brothers and sisters who seclude themselves (amish, old order mennonite, dunkard, etc.) I believe have it wrong. We are to be 'salt and light', in word and deed. Thus, i do believe in TRANSFORMING CULTURE (to use Neibuhr's category) through engagement, interaction, impact, and dialogue. thus, we are active, active, engaging, engaging, agents of the KINGDOM, not swayed by politics or political parties. (that's the emerging in me). Thus, my political allegience is simply 'independant', though I suppose I skew more moderate Democrat in practice.
Additionally, as an Anabaptist, I resonate with the anabaptist vision of peace and justice, following the example and teachings of Christ. These foci, coupled with a strong sense of nonconformist subversion, could have a profound impact on our world that the political realm can't even touch (though i wish they'd at least try).
The Christians on the 'right' (directionally speaking, not a statement of that camp's truthfulness) have given up the larger culture in order to focus on a largely ineffective SUB-culture: politics. It saddens me.
Does this mean that followers of Jesus have no place on capitol hill? Of course not. I want to see Christ-followers in govt. But I think we put too much stock (and waaaaay too much money) in what they can actually accomplish.
Also, my fellow Taylor alum, former fellow seminarian, former business partner, current Jr. High Youth Pastor, and longtime friend Joel Newton has a post reflecting on a flyer he received in the mail from James Dobson on the 'ministry of voting'. Eh? Check it out here.
Also, the recent Emergent Village Podcast features a discussion led by Brian McLaren on Peace and War. Listen to it here. Seriously, LISTEN. It's worth your time. The bulk of it is a sermon he wrote to our very own 'W'. The transcript of that sermon can be read here.
My favorite tidbit from Brian's talk: "Peace is God's dream for the world...war is His nightmare."
Regardless of your view, you simply CANNOT argue with the fact that war sucks.
I'm up way too early, preparing to preach this morning. Today will be a FULL day of preaching (2 services), teaching (Sunday 'school'), and leading an evening service welcoming the return of a few of our young adults from a summer in India.
I spent all of yesterday at an indoor waterpark. Waterparks are great, until your legs realize how many stairs they've had to climb. Apart from the fun rides and the wave pool, one thing really stood out: skin. Seriously, there should be an inspector screening some people from wearing certain bathing suits. Simply, unashamedly, downright, girls gone wild scandalous. IMMODEST. And often GROSS. And I'm not calling for head to toe cloth. I saw that as well, as a number of Moslem women were swimming with long sleeve shirts, long pants, and head scarves on. Maybe Americans can find a balance between downright Immodesty and Oppression?
It just so happens that the text I've chosen to preach this morning is John 12, Mary anointing Jesus' feet with a pint of pure nard. Read it. Live it. She lets down her hair to use it as a towel to dry Jesus' feet off.
Yeah...in today's society this may be considered a little weird or even gross. Back in the 1st century though, this was downright scandalous. For a woman to let her hair down was considered IMMODEST.
Thus, it seems we have 2 kinds of immodesty. The first is selfish: look at ME. The second is selfless: I shame myself for the sake of another. Look what I am willing to do for HIM.
It's this kind of immodesty that compels David to dance naked (nearly) in worship. It's this kind of immodesty that compels a woman to get on her knees, let her hair down, and use it as a towel to wipe off a guy's dirty, cracked feet.
May we all become immodest for the right, pure, selfless cause of Him...
"I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes."--Kind David
Peoria was fantastic. I heard Steve Sjogren speak a couple times (he's weird, but I liked him). We saw some good friends, and I enjoyed a few days off.
In lieu of a very, very busy few days, things here on rural praxis will most likely be on the 'lite' side. I'm preaching this Sunday (pray for me), and have a boatload of adoption stuff and a looming Hebrew final. Thank the good Lord for coffee!
I'll end the post by following some good blog etiquette. I've been 'tagged' by Ted Gossard. Basically, this means that I'm to answer a few questions here on the blog. Here goes.
1. One book that changed your life: Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, by Ron Sider (this was my second 'conversion') 2. One book that you’ve read more than once: The Cost of Discipleship, by Bonhoeffer (it hurts, but one is a better person for reading it) 3. One book you’d want on a desert island: (besides the Bible, of course) East of Eden, by Steinbeck (fantastic story...could read it over and over and over) 4. One book that made you laugh: Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, by Pratico and Van Pelt (there are times of quiet desperation, when a dead language, read right to left, with a consonant only alphabet, with verb paradigms that resemble nothing like the root word, that give one a choice to either cry or laugh hysterically...i choose to laugh) 5. One book that made you cry: Lament for a Son, by Nicholas Wolterstorff (our copy is soaked with tears) 6. One book you wish had been written: My Life: An Autobiography by Jesus of Nazareth (then the Jesus Seminar could disband in shame) 7. One book you wish had never been written: Power of a Praying (insert any noun here). Seriously, is the series about prayer...or about regurgitating the same idea over and over and over and over....? I'm waiting for the newest edition: The Power of a Praying Minority Adopted Infant (for my daughter to be, of course) 8. One book you’re currently reading: The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, Lesslie Newbigin (Newb was so far ahead of his time it's scary) 9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton (I know, it's sad that I've yet to read it) 10. Tag 5 others: will update this soon and very soon...
Blogging will be light for the next week. Tonight, after our VOX Back to School Special, we're off to Peoria, IL. My weekend will be spent in boring denominational meetings. But we're extending our stay, redeeming the trip, and spending a few days with some great friends. Here's the friend lineup.
Friday Night: Tim(bo) Koon(er)s & his new female 'friend'. Tim's my former college housemate). Cookout at Kooners'...and wiffle ball! Tim, we look forward to seeing you and meeting her!
Sunday-Wednesday: Adam and Lynn, and their son, Noah; fellow Taylor alumni, and dear friends from Denver. Rumor has it we will be cruising around with the Lusk's in a pimped out conversion van, a la Pimp My Ride. If this proves true, rest assurred there will be pictures.
Wed. Morning: Dustin Bagby former high school classmate (and we'll get to meet his lovely wife). We're lucky enough to catch the Bagby's en route to Portland. This makes me wonder....Dustin, since you're leaving Tampa, a name change is in order for your blog. It has been known as "Hurricane Dustin...feel my wrath!". How about "Drizzle Dustin...has anyone seen the sun?"
What are frozen, preservative rich, nutrionally poor, processed foods good for? Absolutely nothing...except for a good laugh. Enjoy Jim Gaffigan's comedic genius....
(update: Len took me to task on the word 'only', and he's right. Chaotic, spontaneous expressions of emerging is key. Thanks for the comment, Len.)
You can check it out here. All I can say is: It's about time. Their new site is very emerg-y...incorporating a number of Web 2.0 components.
My 2 cents? It's appropriate and it appears to be a fantastic start. The old site was simply a web based advertisement of the conversation. Now the website is a catalyst for the conversation, incorporating weblogs, calendars, cohorts, groups, podcasting, etc.
The site also highlights the people behind the village. I have to admit, it feels odd to scroll through the pages of the board and coordinating group. It makes the Emergent Village seem so....official. Ugh.
I know the organization is an inevitable thing. It's a good way to keep the conversation on the emerging church going, and it provides a vehicle for transformation (which has been, historically, a critique of us emerging types). I just hope the Emergent Village doesn't lose it's loose-ness, relationality, fluidity, and grassroots appeal. I don't think it will, until the next paradigm shift smacks us in the face...
Newbigin’s 4th chapter (Authority, Autonomy, and Tradition) of The Gospel in a Pluralist Society is my favorite yet. I could follow rabbit trails for hours on this chapter alone, so I’ll try to contain myself.
The Enlightenment and modern culture has shifted the all important religious question from ‘What does the Bible say?’ (in other words, ‘it it says it, I believe it.’) to ‘Why should I even believe the Bible?. All the while, the church has been slow to catch on to the tren. The fundamentalist rallying cry, “The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles it,” simply doesn’t mean a thing to a postmodern culture. Newibin rightly points this out in his own pluralist context. To bring it to the present, I see us faced with a new question. Rather than, “Why should I believe the Bible?”, the question now is, “Why should I ONLY believe the Bible?” I believe the Bible contains truth, just like the Koran, the book of Dianetics, the Book of Mormon, etc.” The postmodern spirit calls for a buffet style spirituality. . . take what you like, leave what you don’t.
In such an age, how do we find authority in Scripture? For Newbigin, we can find much authority on such questions in tradition. I really enjoyed his treatment of tradition. He offers a very balanced perspective:
“…it is an elementary mistake to assume, therefore, that the authority of tradition has no necessary part to play in the quest for truth.” (44)
However…
“None of this can be embodied in formal rules which could be applied without taking the risks involved in personal judgment.” (44)
Thus, it’s the authority of the tradition of the faith that guides us to new, innovative, and authentic expressions of Christianity. To compare it to scientific research, “Only after a long period in which the student has submitted herself to the authority of the tradition is she qualified to work alongside a scientist who is doing original research…” (45)
Extending the scientific metaphor, Newbigin compares the scientific community’s reaction to Newtonian physics to the physics of Einstein. Newton’s physics were incredibly practical, and thus, quickly and readily accepted by the scientific community as verifiable fact.
Einstein’s work, on the other hand, was put through the ringer of debate, and were eventually accepted for their beauty and completeness…not initially for their practicality.
The parallels to the present are fascinating. The emerging church holds to two (among others) core emphases: a reclamation of beauty and a holistic spirituality. Emerging church leaders, like Einstein was, are being greatly criticized for their work.
Will we later be recognized that our intuition proved to be true?
Yes, as long as we heed the words of Newbigin:
“Innovation can only be responsibly accepted from those who are already masters of tradition, skilled practitioners of whom it could be said both that the tradition dwells fully in them and that they dwell fully in the tradition; and second, that one alleged new fact, or even a number of new facts, does not suffice to discredit an established paradigm. That can only happen when a new and more compelling paradigm is offered, a vision of reality which commends itself by its beauty, rationality, and comprehensiveness.” (47)
This is where community plays its role. Our faith is a public faith…personally accepted, publicly proclaimed, open for discussion. If we heed the words above, and submit our modifications of the faith to the “judgment of the Christian community as a whole…the community as a whole should advance toward a more complete understanding of and living by truth.” (50)
The views on drewmoser.com are solely my opinions. They are not necessarily the official views of any organization with which I'm affiliated (VOX Ohio, AEMC, Nieu Communities, etc.). There. I've covered my rear.
This post is being created with the help of a brand-spakin' new keyboard and mouse. I was given (yes, as in free) a Microsoft Wireless Keyboard and Mouse. It uses Bluetooth technology. Amazing. Two less cords running around my office. It's on Amazon for about 100 bucks, which seems a little steep for something as simple as a keyboard and mouse. But for free? A great deal. (Thanks Matt. Nice of you to work the 'system' for me.)
