holy rebellion?
Probing our ecclesial assumptions in this way ratchets up the level of discomfort because to do this we must explore, indeed critique, the inherited institutional configuration of church from which the majority of us operate and from which get our legitimacy. In doing this, are we are not doing something alien to our faith? Are we not are touching something sacred…inviolable? Not so, in Scripture we discover that there is actually good theological substance in the consistent Biblical critique of the religious institutions that so easily develop over time. From Yahweh’s reluctant concession to the demand of the nation for a king like the other nations and the warning contained therein (1 Sam.5:8ff) to the ‘anti-religion’ of Jesus (Ellul) who had endless struggles with both the political and religious institutions of his day. In fact it was both of these were directly responsible for his death. From the OT prophetic challenges to the oft-times corrupt royalty and priesthood to the NT re-appropriation of these offices into the very function and identity of the whole people of God (1 Pet.2:9.) Add Paul’s insights into the nature of principalities and powers and impersonal evil abiding in structures and human ideologies (the elemental principles of Col 3:8, 2-23
and Gal 4:3-11) and we realize that the Bible sustains a thoroughly consistent warning against the centralization of power in a few individuals and concentration of it in inflexible and impersonal institutions.
Prophetic religion also warns against the ritualization of the relationship between God and his people as they seek to remind of the intensely personal nature of the covenant between God and his people. Martin Buber, a profound commentator on prophetic religion and religious movements, warns us about the dangers the religious institutionalism when he notes that ”…centralization and codification, undertaken in the interests of religion, are a danger to the core of religion.” This is inevitably the case he says, unless there is a very vigorous life of faith embodied in the whole community, one that exerts an unrelenting pressure for renewal on the institution.’ It was C.S.Lewis who observed that “there exists in every church something that sooner or later works against the very purpose for which it came into existence. So we must strive very hard, by the grace of God to keep the church focused on the mission that Christ originally gave to it.”
A prophetically consistent Christianity means that we must remain committed to a constant critique of the structures and rituals we set up and maintain. Perhaps rather than calling this anti-institutionalism, a rather negative frame of mind, we should rather understand it as a form of ‘holy rebellion’ based on the loving critique of religious institution modeled by the original apostles and prophets—‘holy rebels’ who constantly attempted to throw off encumbering ideologies, structures, codes, and traditions that limited the freedom of God’s people and restricted the gospel message that they are mandated to pass on. This is prophetic religion in practice, and it remains one of the essential elements of a true experience of Christianity. It is rebellion because it refuses to submit to the status quo. But because it is a holy rebellion, it directs us towards a greater experience of God than what we currently have.
Paradoxically, whilst holy rebellion represents a real (and perceived) challenge to establishment forms of church; it is also the key to its renewal. New movements are the source of much of its ongoing vitality because they are the wellspring of new ways of experiencing God and participating in his mission. And because of this they contain the seeds of Christianity’s ongoing renewal. This is so because new movements awaken the centrality of the core meanings of the gospel freed from the paraphernalia of inherited traditions and rituals. As we shall see, vital movements arise always in the context of rejection by the predominant institutions (Wesley and Booth again.) But because vigorous movements of mission almost always create movements of renewal, in the end they do go on to produce renewal in the life of the broader church (e.g. Pentecostalism.)
The challenge for the established church and its leaders is to discern the will of God for our time addressed to it in the mouths of its holy rebels. This is critical, because I am now convinced that one of the major blockages to unleashing Apostolic Genius is our adherence to an obsolete understanding of the church. We simply have to find a way to push past the pat historical answers that so easily suggest themselves to a people whose imagination of what it means to be God’s people has been taken hostage to a less than Biblical imagination of church.
Quotes above from.
1. Martin Buber quoted in Maurice Friedman, Martin Buber, The Life of Dialogue (Harper & Row, 1960,)82.
2. C.S.Lewis, quoted in W. Vaus, Mere Theology, A Guide to the Thought of C.S.Lewis (Downder’s Grove: IVP, 2004),167
3, “That which we would change, we must first love.” Ascribed to Martin Luther King Jr.
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“The challenge for the established church and its leaders is to discern the will of God for our time addressed to it in the mouths of its holy rebels. This is critical, because I am now convinced that one of the major blockages to unleashing Apostolic Genius is our adherence to an obsolete understanding of the church. We simply have to find a way to push past the pat historical answers that so easily suggest themselves to a people whose imagination of what it means to be God’s people has been taken hostage to a less than Biblical imagination of church.”
This paragraph strikes to the heart of the issue. The issue to me is the church operates and looks like the world…… we have become an imitator and not an originator….a copy cat not a creator.
We must develop an incubator of thoughts and actions that allow for risk taking and discover inside our churches.
I think that the key for my mind is that the “holy rebellion” in criticizing the church must come from a place of love for the church. When you read the OT prophets, you can hear the desperation and exasperation in their words: in a similar vein to a caring friend who is hurt by seeing their friend travel down a hurtful path. That’s what I find so inspiring about what people like yourself are writing and saying: it’s not about taking potshots to build yourself up, but coming from a genuine place of frustration and care.
But I’ll stop swelling your head
Thanks Geoff. I really do love God’s people. I love what we stand for. I would die for it.
See the quote there?
That which we would change, we must first love.” Martin Luther King Jr.
Structures, which were originally implemented to aid people in obeying God, have become obedience to God in and of themselves. I am finding more and more people who know little of obeying God other than participating in the structures and organizations. This leads to frustration, both for myself when trying to explain what it means to obey God, and for others who find difficulty in thinking beyond the structures.
But, articles like this show me that there is hope. Thank you, and please keep thinking and writing.
-Alan
This is cool.
The church that i belong to, that i am a leader in, that i have been a part of for nearly all its life, pisses me off more than anything else in the whole world.
Alan, I’m just reading the shaping of things to come right now, so apologies if you have already addressed this passage.
I found your comment above that you would die for it profound and intriguing. If you read Acts 7
, you see that history of Israel that Stephen lays out is the history of God speaking to his people outside of the temple (to Abraham in Mesopotamia, Joseph in Egypt, Moses through a burning bush, the tabernacle in the wilderness, and finally how their fathers resisted the Holy Spirit through the prophets.) Also interesting to note, was that when he was put up before the Sanhedrin, it was on false charges of him speaking against the temple and the law. (Acts 6:13-14
).
The first martyr was certainly a holy rebel, ready to be moved by the Holy Spirit to stand up and tell it to those stuck in their ways and unyielding to God’s.
If this discussion is so enlightened and accurate about what is needed for the church’s mission going forward where is the fruit from the last 10 years of emerging churches? How many people have been won to Christ? Most emerging churches that I know are just filled with disillusioned Chrstians from traditional churches who just want to kick it while it is down.
Where is the fruit of what you are talking about?
Simon
Simon,
From my understanding of emerging churches, most of them are searching for an authentic way to be the church in post-Christendom western civilization. I know of one network that seems to have borne much fruit. And I would consider them part of the emerging church. The network I’m referring to is the Acts 29
Network. If you’re at all familiar with Mark Driscoll and Marshill Church in Seattle, that’s the church planting network he started. You might find it helpful to check out the recently planted churches associated with Acts 29
like Imago Dei in Portland and Missio in St. Louis.
Also, no one in this blog has ever claimed to be “enlightened and accurate.” This is a conversation about something we are all passionate about namely, the church. Much of what is shared is based either on personal experience, personal observations, and in Alan’s case, his research and exposure in translocal ministry.
I hope you keep an open mind and enjoy the discussion. It sounds like you are a passionate about the church and the Kingdom of God and look forward to your contribution.
Cheers!
I think the fruit is yet to come.
Its why I dont see a form of church as the answer. (ie mega, seeker, emerging, country, traditional, contemporary) each will have their place. But will only survive if they develop a missional context.
No church will have fruit without a missional passion and direction.
Mark, I’ve been to Mark Driscoll’s church and it is just a mega church with an angry, fundamentalist pastor and thousands of 20’s-30’s. When I went to Willow Creek in the 80’s it was just like that (except Hybels wasn’t a fundamentalist!). If more of Driscoll’s models are being planted I’d hardly call that good for the missional cause!
I think what Jerry said (point 9) is true. That’s my point also. Why does Alan bang on about how bad the church is and how we need to recalibrate our imagination and be holy rebels, etc? Just love it. Love the people. Love their God. And in a spirit of love develop new missional initiatives.
It’s funny how we can demand fruit and then when one of the emerging leader’s ministries actually succeed, it’s just written off as a mega church with all the attendant prejudices against it. Have you read or heard anything that Rick McKinley has written or said? He happens to be Donald Miller’s pastor. Certainly NOT fundamentalist. I encourage you to read their story in Driscoll’s book, “Confessions of a Reformission Rev.” I think you may be surprised just how missional Marshill is.
Simon, I’ve been to Marshill several times and would have to say that I’ve loved it. Driscoll never came across to me as angry in any of the services I was able to attend nor in any of the vodcasts that I have watcched. I do know that he has recently repented and publicly apologized for some of the things he has said in anger. But this just shows a growing maturity that I must say I admire. Sure is a lot more authentic than what I’ve seen so far from the modern, contemporary church.
Brother, we need prophetic voices like Alan’s to alert the church in general about the situation. I, for one, appreciate such a voice. I also think that Alan’s tone and overall writing (have you read The Forgotten Ways yet?) show that he has a deep love for the church. I think I would agree more with your concern about Alan if he was only criticizing the modern church and not offering any solutions. But TFW and the discussion on this blog is a valiant attempt at providing some possible solutions to the attractional/institutional church dilemma.
I see this in the following entry which catalyzes this thread:
“A prophetically consistent Christianity means that we must remain committed to a constant critique of the structures and rituals we set up and maintain. Perhaps rather than calling this anti-institutionalism, a rather negative frame of mind, we should rather understand it as a form of ‘holy rebellion’ based on the loving critique of religious institution modeled by the original apostles and prophets—‘holy rebels’ who constantly attempted to throw off encumbering ideologies, structures, codes, and traditions that limited the freedom of God’s people and restricted the gospel message that they are mandated to pass on. This is prophetic religion in practice, and it remains one of the essential elements of a true experience of Christianity. It is rebellion because it refuses to submit to the status quo. But because it is a holy rebellion, it directs us towards a greater experience of God than what we currently have.”
I think we do need a “holy rebellion” of sorts.
I too agree with Jerry. The fruit is yet to come. That’s why it is still “emergING” and not “emergED.”
Simon…
I agree with your sentiment, but not the expression of it. Alan, like many of us, is discontented with a certain way of “doing” church - clearly you are too - but he’s expressed his love for God’s people in a number of his writings. We’re not all claiming to be enlightened, what we are all wrestling with is how we can be the church that Jesus Christ intended, consequently the discussions here are not always conclusive - they are a work in progress.
I agree with you that we should be measured by the evidence of fruitfulness, we do need to be accountable for fruit. However to limit fruit to the question “How many people have been won to Christ” is unhelpful. Who counts the numbers, how do we know if they are in or out… etc etc. If that’s the only basis, then we should all pack our bags and head along to the mega churches that clearly you’re not supportive of either!
However, that is one element of measuring fruit, so it shouldn’t be completely ignored. Personally, I’ve been involved in 9 people moving, from no connection to intimately related in Christ, in the last ten years and they are all, to one extent or another, continuing in their journey. There are another 30+ people who have gone through a similar process, and are continuing on their journey, through the church we planted 7 years ago.
I make no claim that we are an “emerging church” in the way that the term has been used. Realistically we are more like a typical(ish) small, suburban charismatic/ pentecostal gathering with a number of missional activities, serving needs in our community all the time. My perspective is that the authentic church is always “emerging” and in those terms I’d see us as emerging.
It frustrates me too when people bang on about how bad the church is, though moreso when their criticism is not balanced with attempting to investigate solutions - Alan could not be accused of that. The revitalisation that we personally need, to continue to grow and develop as individuals, is also required in the church body and to achieve that we need to honestly examine our weaknesses.
I agree with you agreeing with Jerry, the form is less important than the passion for mission. However the passion for mission is majorly missing in the dominant form of church in our culture and we need to be honest about that if we’re going to redress the imbalance and move towards being an authentic church.
I’m not interested in kicking the church while she is down, I am interested in helping diagnose what the illness is that’s put her on the floor, and helping get her on her feet again - I believe Alan is too. But we are not perfect, we’re all flawed, and working our way through things - what have you found that’s bearing fruit?
Slainte
A Celtic Son
I believe all forms of church must change. There will not be fruit in a ministry that does not embody the mission of Christ.
Do newer forms (emerging, organic, house) have a better chance? Yeah I think they do.
Church planters love to give the stats about how many new believers end in plants as opposed to 30 year old established churches. I believe those stats to be true. But that simply shows freshness and newness matter in motivating people.
I believe many of the Institutional churches problem revolves around the protecting of the institution and not around ministry. Theres to much maintainence work involved in keeping the institution running so there’s never much time for mission.
gracious post celtic. i enjoy your insights.
Talking about change, and inspired by others’ enthusiasm of the early church, has anyone considered adopting an earlier form of the New Testament. The current cannon was not settled (and possibly is still not) until some hundreds of years after the first church.
Maybe some of the dropped books should be consulted for fresh ideas?
So, if want to be really radical, gun for a new cannon.
Sorry, I meant “canon”.
Excellent insights.
While reading I thought of a couple things.
First - “holy rebels” lead to new movements of God’s work. But it seems so normal and unfortunate that these very movements, which developed as a holy rebellion, are then not open to new “holy rebels” who may arise in their midst.
Second - is a “holy rebel” still a “holy rebel” if he is accepted/embraced by the institution (or whatever you want to call it) that he is reacting against, etc?
Just thoughts…
Simon, one of the things I would say is that the ‘emerging church’ is just one expression of what I am talking about. I am more concerned with what is called ‘misional church’. And I think I can say that it expresses itself differently in different countries. Its a caracature to say that it is made up primarily of pissed of Christians. There are far better motives and influences going it in it around the world, including Aaerica.
By the way, I have just arrived in the USA. I am still dizzy from the long flight.
Adam: I think the rebellion must last only as long as neccesary and God’s message is delivered. Then the holy rebel can take a rest. Its a pretty thanksless job really.
Alan “expressions” is a great way to frame the forms of church.
I’ve been saying for awhile now that missional is a function of all churches and a form of church.
Reading through emergent blog chatter, its uncanny how many emergents have actually travelled overseas on church spotting tours and are able to ‘church drop’ “oh I’ve been to this guys church and….”. It says something about the income levels or access to funds.
It strikes me as a kind of ecclesiastical privileged class. Access to education is another apparent hallmark of emergents [usually acquired from educational establishments founded, financed and run from within the institutional church].
Am I misdirected or is a pattern emerging whereby emergent is the church style of choice of the privileged?
i-merge,
Style of choice of the privileged? I think not! Seems to me that access to the internet and having lots of time to read through “emergent blog chatter” can also be categorized as activities of the privileged.
I read several emergent “chatter” sites and have never gotten the impression that anyone has actually gone on a “church spotting tour.” Are you being serious? semi-serious? or is this all tongue-in-cheek?
Also, are you referring to the emergent church or the emerging church? If you’ve read as many blogs as you say then you would know that there is a difference between the two.
I would say that emergent is something unique to a group of people in the US and Europe with specific characteristics spearheaded by guys like Brian MacLaren et al. while the emerging church tends to be more of a global phenomena.
I don’t think we’re talking about either one necessarily on this thread. I’d like to think we are talking about the kind of church that would emerge if we pushed through with a holy rebellion.
Couldn’t agree more with this post, Alan. As a Bishop in the Church of England, this is a challenging process. But I’m convinced that for the church to emerge, we’ve got to seriously challenge the assumptions we have about the context from which we expect it to emerge. I’ve started to post on this as our ideas are developing.
Just a thought on looking for fruit…I think it is important to identify what fruit you’re talking about.
Is the only fruit being considered “saved souls” or “disciples” or “new churches” or is their other fruit being grown that feeds and nourishes the Body of Christ and identifies authenticity? What about the fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control? What about measuring some of this in the holy rebels and their message and methods?
I find that when holy discontent builds up in me and I feel I must push against it — rebel, to use your term — it is just as important to check the amount of the Spirit’s fruit I offer along with the bitter pill I’m asking someone to swallow. Otherwise, I’m “out of step with the Spirit” and can get pulled toward “becoming conceited, provking and envying each other.”
I praise God for you, Alan, for providing bricks and mortor with which to build a more articulate framework for my frequently painful, difficult and lonely task, with humility and humor (I think you’re very funny!) and context rather than arrogance, bitterness and narrow vision. You have been a blessing to me.
Prophetic pruning shears can be wielded with great care after agonizing over what must be cut away in order to remove disease and foster healthy new growth. It doesn’t have to be quick and dirty hack and whack.
So, here’s to more thoughtfulness and less whacking. However, if any of you out there must whack–just be careful about splattering juice all over…the stains can be hard to get out, and what a waste of good fruit in a starving world!
Mark Juane, I think its fairly self evident that the emergent/alt.worship and even emerging [and whatever sub category you wish to add]heartland is amongst people who are well educated and have excellent access to higher education, internet, arts, travel, books etc. This in itself isn’t wrong in any way.
In the Australian context, the expressions of church [loose term] which result connects with certain types of people.
The geographical in which I minister has a lot of people who are working class, semi-skilled and unemployed, who wouldn’t know what the heck we’re on about most of the time.
I know of plenty of people who’ve made the trek to the USA or the UK to check out the best of the best [there's references in this thread on previous posts].
I guess what I’m trying to say is that as absorbing as all this is to me will it ever connect with large swathes of the aussie population?
Hi i-merge,
I agree with your comments - I am a privileged, educated, product of my environment. One consequence of my education is that I now have a capacity to see that elements of my privilege are inconsistent with some of the basics of Jesus’ teaching. I have some choices -
I can ignore it all and enjoy my privilege
I can comprehend it and live with my guilt complex
I can drown my sorrows and do nothing
I can engage my intellect and education and begin to discuss avenues for change
I can engage in some possibilities and learn as I go
I can refine my experience by further discussion, education and action etc etc
In reality life is a complex blend of the lot, but I understand your concerns.
What I’ve chosen to do is start a church in my essentially middle-class suburban community and try to help people engage missionally. I don’t necessarily discuss all the concepts with people, but my refining of my thinking in discussion, helps me implement action that has a better chance of being missional, than if I didn’t discuss things first. The danger that several people have identified is that - because we have been raised in the attractional model - we tend to default back to attractional ways of “doing” church, unlessa we’re engaged with thinking that constantly reminds us that we are growing to be relational, missional beings.
So, what I believe will connect with large swathes of the aussie population, is NOT the underlying concepts of ontology, missiology, ecclesiology blah, blah… but the relational and serving communities that are birthed from the heart of that type of thinking. I see these discussions as helpful for defining what the skeletal structure needs to look like, to enable a healthy body in a given local setting. In the ordinary walk of life, most people have little need to have their skeletal structure examined, but when circumstances dictate that we do, we are grateful for specialists and technicians that know what they are doing!
So, I’m attempting to employ missional principles in a suburban church, which on the surface may look little different from any other modernist, attractional Sunday service - but which, at it’s core has a missional heart to serve our local community and be Jesus. Janet - on an earlier thread on this blog termed it “hybrid.” It doesn’t look as chic as some expressions of emerging/emergent church, but I reckon it’s an even more effective subversive means of establishing ecclesia - but then that’s just me
slainte
A Celtic Son
While I am much in the same boat as Celtic Son, I do however beg to differ with i-merge - there are numerous examples of faith communities existing throughout Australia (and for that matter other places around the World) that are connecting with their communities and being very missional even , “emerging missional”, using Alan’s phrase. Many of these communities actually are intentionally planted in poorer areas and are trying to be Jesus for many of the same people you describe; ranging from refugees to lower socio-economic families.
it would be fruitless to have these discussions of theology and theories without practicing them. Experimenting and being the body of Jesus in every community.
Alan in his book has many accounts from around the world in which the emerging missional Church is making a difference. Have a read!
Thanks all for the great discussion. I have been in LA with what I lovingly call “The Neil Cole Gang”. With a whole lot of organic church bods. Its been great. I do feel that this segment of the church has a significant contribution to make. And on topic, many of them are often called ‘rebels’ because they have turned their backs on the more institutional forms of Chrisitianity. Some of them have not done that pleasantly no doubt, but they do carry an implied critique as well as an possible answer in their attempt to create simple church expressions.
And I-merge, I agree with Neal. Many expressions of emerging missional church have a serious and abising commitment to incarnation among the poor. But much of the so called’ alt worship’ aspect tends to be a tad middleclass and exclusive because for the most part you have to be a cultural creative to participate.
Mike, its great to have a bishop visit with us. Your insights will be valuable so please visit again.
And Peggy, your kind words are refreshment for me. And I agree, we rebels can learn to be a whole lot more lovin’ in the way we go about our holy rebellion.
Celtic Son, great post, I accept your rationale, and I guess its on that basis that I engage in such forums.
I still retain very strong doubts that the pointy end of the deliberations of many post-church’ers results in missional activity which remotely connects with those who are less able to communicate, less aesthetically aware, and less educated.
Perhaps this is an unexplored dimension to the emerging church debate: how you can translate the agreed principles into an entirely more pragmatic sector of the population who don’t read much, consume popular culture rather than the arts, have a smaller vocab, and are generally turned on by different things to that which delights some of us.
I work partly in chaplaincy with soldiers, many of whom find life’s greatest pleasure to be had in getting motherlessly drunk on beer, consuming porn and other such pursuits [not all of them].
They do not respond to the same stimuli as your average emergent.
How readily do you think soldiers would relate to the typical alt.worship service or post-church gathering?
Having just read Darren Cronshaw’s “Credible Witness” I would think that drawing on Australia’s heritage and tales of mateship, ANZACs etc as well as popular media would be of help. It is not the message that is the problem but the metaphor’s being used.
i-merge…
Part of the challenge is realising that alt.worship services represent “the flesh on the skeletal structure” for one sector of society. While the skeletal structure remains fundamentally the same, the fleshing out of missional approaches to serving soldiers will be fundamentally different, by nature of the people group you are serving. My sense of things - and I believe what Alan is getting at - is that we need to distill the skeletal elements that were instrumental in the early church, and potentially the root of the growth of the Chinese church, and then attempt to flesh out that skeleton in our own context.So we’d never consider exposing soldiers to alt.worship it has nothing for them and no connection…
Sometimes my imagination latches on to the bizarre and runs riot, so here goes…
If you have the skeletal structure of a human and I am building on the skeletal structure of an ape, we can take the same flesh and the outcome might be close enough for us to agree to ignore the differences. If you are building with the skeletal structure of a human and I am building on the skeletal structure of a tractor then the differences are exposed.
The early church built on an organic, relational skeletal structure - it’s dominant values and discussion were based on the relationships of households. The implication is that the underground church in China built on the same structure. The fleshing out looks unique as each human being is unique, but the skeletal structure is unmistakeably human - so what we need to discover is the fundamental skeletal structure and then flesh out what that looks like in our own context.
The attractional model of church is building on a mechanistic, organisational skeletal structure - it’s dominant values and discussion are based on business practices. We can try trading skin to look the same but the skeletal structures are multi-faceted and much is not organic or transferable. It is completely different from the early church and since it is not organic it is dependent on the constant application of energy to keep the mechanism running… this analogy could go on and on - and it also has flaws as all generalisations do, but I hope you get the point.
As part of what we do here, we have a number of people who run craft groups for aged and intellectually challenged, we run concerts of old - and pretty bad - songs in old folks homes. We run playgroups in a public school and are developing a mentoring program for families with systemic socio-economic challenges. We provide food to the needy, serve on community management committees… etc etc… The flesh looks different and that’s what people see - there’s no real need to discuss the structural basis of what we do with everyone, the majority are more interested in the fact that we are engaged in being Jesus to our community. Missional activity resonates in people as truth, because they are created in the image of a missional God…
So missional approaches to soldiers might involve beer tasting, with some guidance and limitations built in as a part of the gathering, and a discussion on the creative power of the tongue to taste and to speak… that might not be a way, but you get my drift. Read how the apostle Paul handled mission to different people groups - he began with their culture, their interests and moved towards God from there…
Slainte
A Celtic Son
Alan, I didn’t realize I am now known as a member of the “Neal Cole gang”, but I will gladly add it to the long list of other gangs to which I am associated–and will add whatever you all are to the list as well–as long as sister in Christ is at the top!
I have 2 precious hours each morning to myself as my youngest is in kindergarten…and I can tell that I am going to have to discipline myself with regard to this website…because I so enjoy all the wonderful conversation!
Thank you, Celtic Son, for thinking deeply and sharing so generously the results of that process. I find that God has called me into active service at the oddest of times–when I have three young sons–precisely because the context of my life so mirrors the life and stages of discipleship. One of the things that God was gracious enough to teach me early on (30 yars ago on the asian mission field) was the clear difference between a need and a want. I would say that this is the key to going forward in any part of life, much less the working out of the Great Commission.
It is in this context, I-merge, that I resonate with you and your situation. The challenge of those who would answer God’s call to bring the Good News and disciple the nations is so very similar to the call to be mother/father of more than one child. Each one of my sons is so very different! What works for one does not work for another…and so I must move from teaching them what I want them to know or how I want them to behave and focus on what it is that they need. Because, in the end, if their most basic needs (especially their need for love) are not being met, they will be unable to respond in any appropriate manner to anything I might want them to learn–and certainly they will not be up to the challenge of modifying their behavior.
This is precisely why I see the struggle of the institutional church versus the organic church so clearly. Organic church is a mess–because family is a mess. Children act up at home because they CAN and will still be loved (there are extremes and exceptions, of course, so I must speak in generalities). When life is a mess we get tired of the chaos. But chaos has a role–to spark creativity and cooperation…and patience. If we organize our way out of the chaos before it has done its work, by turning to comfortable structures that impose order, we stunt maturity and can actually lead to destructive behavior–even death.
We must do the difficult work of providing just enough structure to allow relationships to thrive(read–consistent, unconditional love an appropriate boundaries), while allowing enough chaos for maturity to happen. Any parent out there will tell you that this is grueling work, if done well. Because it calls on the parent to unconditionally love those cranky, selfish children by dying to self and putting their best interest first. When the “adults” require the “children” to maturely adapt to the challenges in daily living, the chaos just gets bigger. It may be suppressed and go underground for a while, but eventually it will explode–and that is not a pretty sight.
When the disciples of Christ begin to see that the gospel is infinitely adaptable in the way it is able to love people into the Kingdom, they will begin to embrace infinite variety in their methods to reach a world of infinitely unique persons created in the image of God. One size just will never fit all. There are ranges of sizes, yes. But we must discern (learn how to measure?) the right size for each individual.
This is not seen as very efficient–and God knows the problem we Americans have with efficiency! But I don’t believe God cares all that much about efficiency. He is all about effectiveness. And if you can be efficient in your effectiveness, that’s grand. But wandering around with one glass slipper looking for feet that fit it is terribly inefficient!
So, blessings to you all as you embrace the chaos and trust God to show you what kind of slippers he wants you to offer to his shoeless children. (The metaphors here are limitless…you fill in the blank.) But if you determine that you will love people, God will show you the way and give you the power to die to your want in order to meet their need.
Ah, the alarm has sounded to pick up my son at the bus…
Grace and mercy to you all.
Great comment Peggy! As the dad of three kids (my eldest starting year 1 today!) I relate to your metaphors!
Celtic Son - thanks for giving me permission to go ahead and experiment with the nexus of the gospel and beer!
I’m with you on everything you say, and can quote numerous examples of missional ventures, i.e. I’ve launched a runners & walkers club in my local community, an essentially neutral venture in that it has no Christian template, other than to create connections between people [and promote healthy living].
I trust that God will work in the relationships that flow from this to accomplish what He wants.
I still retain the fear that most of the soldiers I work with [or people in my immediate vicinity] will not connect with the typically high-brow outcome of our philosophising when it comes to actual worship.
I just fear that sometimes the whole business of analysing and articulating in the way that we do, and the resulting industry that has grown around the emerging church seperates us from the simplicity that is sometimes required.
I-merge, I for one (and I’m confident there are many others), stand with you in trust shadowed in fear that we just are not able to be what is needed for those whose separation from God is so painful and desperate.
I firmly believe in “less is more” and encourage you to totally move away from any paradigm of worship that is not helpful. There is, in fact, no “right” way to worship God–no matter what anyone might want you to believe!
Go for the spiritual worship of living sacrifices who find simple ways to love God with everything they are and everything they have–and love their neighbors as themselves. God is faithful and will help you find your way, because he is even more desperate for those precious soldiers to come home to find grace and mercy and peace in Christ. That’s a gift he doesn’t need nicely wrapped with a colorful bow…actually, doesn’t need to be wrapped at all!
I’m just grateful they have you as their neighbor.
PeggyBrown - lots of good thoughts… I’m glad you have some time in your life to add your thoughts to this Blog. Your obeservation on the similarity between parenting and God’s co-mission reveals godly wisdom.
Mission is the fruit of a love that fiercely refuses to let go, regardless of pain inflicted by the recipient. Our God is a missional God because our God IS love and passionately loves their offspring so fiercely that they refuse to allow us to be the victims of our own poor choices. And since we are created in God’s image, as we begin to reflect that image more clearly, we tap into the Spirit of the eternal parent… to some extent we have a heart after God.
Also speaking in generalities; order and control are comfortable, because we can set the agenda around us - others need to change to accomodate our agenda.The mess of life is challenging, because in many ways we are out of control and, as much as we seek to lead others, we are also shaped by it - which is as God intends. So we are tempted to disable the organic and seek the safety of mechanistic and predictable structure. We become sad and lifeless, so Jesus comes to restore abundant life.
You are soooooooo right about the unique individuality of every child; a one size fits all churchianity is not of Christ!! Efficiency is not a dominant model seen in nature - beauty by its existence and definition defies efficiency. Efficiency is a mechanistic construct imposed when we begin to focus more on material things that on eternal realities. I suspect that a certain amount of enlightenment has been bestowed on me in the love of a Father for two beautiful daughters. I pray that I can be as fiercely loving in life as I feel when I’m writing these things.
I-merge…
it’d be hypocrisy of me not to support the nexus of gospel and beer, as I prepare to tell a story based on the principles of William Wallace, at a gathering in a pub next week! Wisdom and moderation are required of me, in the past I had a five year period of abstinence from alcohol - until I found I could begin to put it into perspective in the course of my life. Like PeggyBrown noted life is messy - we’d be better served being Jesus in the midst than judges from the edge.
I reckon - like PeggyBrown noted - that you need to reconsider your thinking on the topic of “worship.” Church “worship services” do have their place, but they are only one small portion of what could be “worship.” Worship is simply that in our hearts, souls, minds and strength we ascribe worth to God. So in all that we are, feel, believe and do we value God, by being who He created us to be. My journey is to find out who He says I am, and bring that person to the fore, rather than the sum of all my experiences that I’ve allowed to dictate to me… Being ME as He created me to be is my ultimate act of worship… as a consequence of being who God created me to be I fulfil His purpose for me… to worship Him.
I worship Him by valuing the things He values - His children, lost and found. I worship Him by offering my body as a living sacrifice and by renewing my thinking, not just conforming to the way my world thinks - that’s where this blog is a helpful part of my worship. I worship Him when (if) I act justly, love mercy and walk humbly. Sometimes I worship Him by singing songs with a bunch of other God-lovers, or reading passages of Scripture together. I worship Him by sitting alongside people in grief and suffering… Your chaplaincy is an act of worship and it has spiritual impact on those around you - whether you see it, sense it, feel it or not… Gathering with other believers is an opportunity to encourage and be encouraged, to edify and be edified, to challenge and be challenged, to prepare and be prepared for the countless acts of worship you ascribe to the Lord in the course of the rest of your week…
For each of your soldier comrades there will be a different way of connection, God will open your spiritual ears to hear them reveal the needs of their hearts as you serve them in the midst of the mess - unlike others who miss the Lord as they judge from the edges.
I do understand your fear of the paralysis of analysis - I live with it too. The fancy words and high-brow philosophising are just the ways of a different bunch of people, as they seek to worship in their ways. Like all forms of worship we live in danger of idolatry and of legalism. We live in the danger of self-importance and self-centredness because we had a good idea that someone else agrees with… and you are right to express caution. Times of prayer, meditation and quietness before God help reduce my inflated image of myself (unfortunately not alwyas completely effectively!) as I marvel in the glory of God. When I speak truth it is only that i have connected with the author of truth - it’s not my idea and I worship Him when I ascribe the truth to Him.
For me this process - in which creative writing and blogging plays a part - helps solidify what principles are the right ones for me, and helps me to avoid inflicting unmediated, unmeditated, poor thinking on those around me who look to me for some direction. When it is time to engage in high-brow discussion I do the best I can, but I don’t live there… it’s only rehearsal for the real thing, but the real thing is occasionally better because I’ve spent some time in rehearsal!
Be blessed i-merge, your service is worship… and PeggyBrown your wisdom reflects His greatness
Beannachd Dia dhuit - “the blessings of God be with you”
A Celtic Son
“the nexus of the gospel and beer” … at the Forge conf in Adelaide in 05 I heard about a small group based to some degree around beer. People have found faith in Christ through that group, which was initally worried about what the church’s leadership thought of it!
And Eric….they are Baptists! I know of another church called 3B. Beer, BBQ,& Bible
What a blessing to join in worship with you all in this space. When I read your words, I am joined with you in heart, mind and spirit–laughing and weeping and thinking and confessing along with you. And where 2 or 3 gather in Christ’s name, he is there in our midst. Thank you for this space and your welcome. The prison that is frequently the lot of the “stay at home mom” has been given a window here and I am very grateful.
I have been struck by a few things as I warm up to “blogging” — This form of interaction is a great opportunity to practice active listening, since I can stop and re-read a bit that I didn’t catch fully the first time around–even days later! I get to hear the full flow of thought as intended–without losing bits and pieces when an idea pops into my own head. It is impossible to interrupt the “speaker” and so I am protected from blurting out something that is not well thought out–and you are protected from it as well! And it is subtly intimate because of this outwardly quiet environment–I can hear the voice of God speak in my heart before I can get the words typed out (and I type very fast!), which means I can take back something that is not right at the moment. What grand discipline this is. I will ponder how I can bring this simple thoughtfulness and consideration into the daily mess that is my glorious life. I know it will bless my sons and husband. I go away from my keyboard today with a new inspiration for blogging…hmmm…
I do not know if any of you have heard of the anthropologist Gary Chapman and his series of books on the Five Love Languages (quickly, they are: quality time, words of affirmation, acts of service, gift giving and physical touch), but he has observed that each individual has a primary method of giving and receiving love, that if rejected or neglected, results in a gnawing emptiness of soul–not feeling loved. It has changed the way I interact with everyone — especially my family.
Quick example: my youngest son is an “acts of service” type. He loves me by being the first to help. If I ask a brother to fetch something for me, he will rush ahead to get it first. When I receive his act of service as love, his little face glows. For him, seeing that I am standing at the corner every day at 11:30 waiting (in rain, sleet, snow, whatever) to receive him off the bus is an act of love. And he bounds off and we walk home hand in hand. My other sons didn’t really care, but this one does. And the one time I missed his bus, he was heartbroken. (And I heard about it for weeks.)
All that is to say that my love language is quality time. And that is a difficult one to have in a world where everyone is in a hurry, I’ll tell you! And that is where this space has been an unexpected blessing. Because I can come and read whenever I want, for however long I want. And no one is rolling their eyes, asking me to get to the point. (Now, you may very well be doing that while you’re reading, but you can skip ahead without me knowing while someone else takes their time!)
This discipline has the power to bring us all to the gathering of 2 or 3. Now, those of you who have been in fellowships like this for years might be yawning and wondering where this woman has been to be so far behind the times (and I will tell you I have been sleep/time deprived while carrying, birthing and raising children since 1994)…so even time on the internet can be an extravagant luxury for some.
But duty calls and I must away. And whether or not you are aware, I go away feeling loved. God is glorified in your care for me and I am better prepared to love other in the ways they most need.
Grace and mercy to you all.
Thanks PeggyBrown
for your gracious thoughts beautifully expressed. Your freshness brings life again to a jaded perspective. I have lost touch with the benefits of this form of interaction, your comment is a timely reminder - and a challenge to regain some lost discipline - a forgotten way
All that’s required now is for me to re-apply the old disciplines and pause… re-read each time before hitting the submit icon… ah well… maybe next time!
Beannachd Dia dhuit
An undisciplined Celtic Son
You are so very welcome, Celtic Son. …a forgotten way–very clever! And if you need reminding…you can come back and read it again!
Words of encouragement is my secondary language, and so you, and others in this space, show grace when you stop and “speak” encouragingly. Your sister goes to sleep tonight with more peace for the few moments you took to give a blessing.
May it have been even more blessed for you to have given that it has been for me to receive!
I was thinking of a small group within a uniting church, so maybe that’s a different one.
When those holy rebels truly rebel against the status-quo, look out friends because -bullets, tanks, gunfire, land mines and friendly fire await you.
In America too many leaders who could make a difference are defensive of those who speak of a better way for a better day.
Form should follow function. Actually form should follow mission. Structure is always less, not more. Before I left the pastorate I let a businessman lead the church in becoming a better organization. How dumb could I be, more structure and policies became the problem. We were so bound up we nearly choked to death. When I refused being chocked to death they tried to kill me in other ways. Who in the world would ever pastor a church bound up by man made restrictions? I did! What an idiot. Call me an idiot if you wish. “Bob, you are an idiot!” (At least you feel better). I was one! But, I will never be held in bondage again. I’d rather have you kill me than mold me and make me - make Jesus fit into a box of control.
In America we are stuck in form and deficit in Mission. What’s up with that?
I do not believe that those stuck in a certain structural/insititutional context and unbending model or whatever you call that thing, can make the switch to putting the mission ahead of the structure. You either join the one or leave the other. I liken it to Hagar and Sarah. Hagar represents what man can do and Sarah represents what only God can do. Sarah and Hagar cannot dwell in the same tent. We try, but it is not working, dummy us! Someone please tell me, is anyone sick of what man can do? Is anyone ready for what only God can do?
I’m a prvileged one because I belong to a denom. who cares more about reaching/making disciples than any forms or structures. I never dreamed our denom president would look me in the eye and say, “I don’t care how it looks, just reach people for Christ and disciple them to reach and disciple others.”
And you want to know something else? We have guys in place who are doing it -who do not have a pastors license, credentials, ordination. We will give them all of the above if they want, but, who cares as long as they are making disciples who make disciples?
I say, who cares what people (man) thinks? Recognize the limitations of the church structures and forms and then do as Paul the Apostle. My paraphrase: “You can persecute me, you can hurt me, you can jail me, you can kill me - But I am still going to do what God sent me and all others to do.”
Come on friends, you know what the mission is, why do we need to seek the will of God when His Word already makes it clear. See the Mission of Jesus and His Great Commission for all of us.
I believe we make this way too complicated. Well, that’s what the institution prescribes. Let’s revisist the simplicity of the movement. Is it all that hard? Jesus wants to redeem people from hell as people see Jesus in us and as we allow Jesus to flow through us to redeem others.
I admit it, I’m a rebel, O.K.? I’m a trouble maker. I love to tackle high level corporation executives on unfait policies. It’s a hobby! I’m not all that holy, at least not as holy as I thought I was when I pastored a church. I did what I was expected and taught to do. After 24 years of ministry I have more regrets than I can shake a stick at. You could say, my butt is bruised for kicking myself for not standing up against the crap sooner.
Who needs a church “static church location” when we can all be the church? In St. Louis we are the church but we are free to be the church because we have decided no one can stop the church and we don’t have to survive while defending and protecting the church. Kill me if you want, I don’t care. Fire me if you want, I don’t care. The mission is clear. I am not a holy rebel, I just don’t have to survive for what I believe in.
Second thought, why not become a rebel, and holy because that is what God demands of us? Let’s kick and scream and stirr it up so much that the control freaks in denominational/district positions are also freaked because they don’t know what to do with us. Let’s freak them and do what Jesus tells us to to do. And if the freaked fire, let em!
Let’s redeem the moment as we have the moments in time.
I’m not holy, I’m just sick of what I see and also the monster I helped create. What was I thinking.
Whenever I meet people, I find people who are hungry for God but not at all interested in the man organizational stuff. They will never find Jesus in church but they hunger for God to meet them in the world where they live.
Bob, you are reminding me of the comment I just put on the “Changing the story” thread yesterday, brother!
When my Dad retired after 60 years of preaching (he went on the teach at college level for another five), one of his life long friends asked him how he survived so long and why he stopped now. He said, “I have always had a great crap detector…but my crap processor wore out.”
Sounds like your crap detector is running in high gear, but you need a tune up (an overhaul?) of your processor, Bob!
I have been working against the influx of business methods in the church since the 80s. It is getting tougher with guys like Maxwell making it gospel, but I’m still at it!
There is a difference, Bob, between those who are stuck in a situation because they are hard and fast convinced that it is true and those who find themselves there just because that’s what everyone else is doing…and I have seen folks from both of those situations wake up and say, “what was I thinking” and accept my invitation to bail from the burning shipwreck!
And, as a woman, let me speak to the whole Sarah and Hagar thing. Don’t swallow the line that because a situation happened in the OT, then it is transferable to us as a principle we should emulate. The whole Sarah/Hagar thing came about because humans were impatient and were unwilling to wait for God to do what he promised. Result: Ishmael. Hagar was less than helpful in her attitude. Abraham let Sarah retaliate, and I’m sure that was helpful. NOT! Then, after God did show up and do his thing, resulting in Isaac, Sarah did her version of nener nener, how very mature of her, and decided to eject the painful reminder of her lack of wisdom and patience and mercy. And Abraham went along…stupidity mascarading as humility and submission again.
But God is merciful and just (Micah 6:8
) and he new that both Hagar and Ishmael were pawns and he saved them from certain death…and we have had to live with the consequences after that.
So, since we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, let us choose to submit to his guidance and make better choices, shall we? Like Sarah and Hagar, we live in the same tent with those who seem to be at cross purposes. Yet unlike Sarah and Hagar, we are not competing for the favor of the husband, but rather siblings with Christ of one Father.
Jesus has told us that we must get along. Not a request, mind you; a oommand: Love one another as I have loved you. That it is so important that we get along that if we don’t — if we hate each other — we can’t say that we love the Father. And if we try to say we do, the world around us will see us for the hypocrites we are.
So we must buck up and learn to love each other. And the older/more mature must always move toward the younger/less mature (Romans 14
). And we must move toward them in love, not anger. It doesn’t seem fair, but this is not about fair — it about justice and mercy and humility.
Be angry here, Bob, because it is somewhat safe and most of us can take the heat. But those stubborn brothers/sisters who are clueless will not respond to our animosity any better than we respond to theirs. And if we think that puting the word “holy” in front of rebellion gives us license to be hateful and hopeless, all is lost.
The mission, I remind you, is essentially one of love. We forget that to our peril — not to mention the peril of those who are lost in the muck and in search of an answer.
We have that answer. Let’s wash it up, shall we? Start with yourself, Bob. It seems like you are in need of absolution for being stupid. I have frequently been in need of that same absolution. There have been people who came along side me and assured me that Christ’s blood was sufficient to cleanse sin in the form of stupidity as well as any other sin. And then I had to stop beating myself up…and I just love the new phrase I’m stealing from Alan.
Wait for it…
Let’s build a bridge and get over it, alright?
Forgiveness, like other things, has become way too complicated, eh? Let God take the mistakes we make and he will use them to build up others. At least, that has been my experience (Romans 8:28
).
Here’s hoping you can lay it down sometime soon, before too many “weaker” brothers or sisters get hit by the Marley-like chain you’re still hauling around.
Hate the sin…love the sinner. Just do it.
And one more thing…it’s not all God, either, Bob. God has called us into partnership. He has chosen to allow us to roll around in the chaos long enough to spark some creative responses–he loves seeing them flame up. But we have to join God in what he is doing without trying to put our “good ideas” ahead of the truth he has revealed in Scripture and in the life of Christ.
We need to be working out the “God ideas” that the Holy Spirit has put in us…this is the incarnational model I’m hearing Alan talk about, isn’t it? It will have infinite variety of expression because it comes through us, but it must be the very same message of love and forgiveness and mission.
Peggy said, “We have that answer. Let’s wash it up, shall we? Start with yourself, Bob. It seems like you are in need of absolution for being stupid. I have frequently been in need of that same absolution. There have been people who came along side me and assured me that Christ’s blood was sufficient to cleanse sin in the form of stupidity as well as any other sin. And then I had to stop beating myself up…and I just love the new phrase I’m stealing from Alan.
Wait for it…
Let’s build a bridge and get over it, alright?
Forgiveness, like other things, has become way too complicated, eh? Let God take the mistakes we make and he will use them to build up others. At least, that has been my experience (Romans 8:28
Open Link in New Window).
Bob Carder says: Peggy you seem to have me figured out or do you? You seem to be wanting to reach out and help someone, is it true? You seem to have a clear picture of me, is it reality?
I love, I forgive and I’m on His mission. What in the world are you talking about? Really, I have no desire to be part of what man can do (Hagar). I am only interested in one thing and that is; What can Only God do? (Sounds like Sarah). HAgar took matters in her own hands, and Sarah experienced the miracle.
You are right about one thing, My crap detector is full of crap! It’s plugged and not running on high gear -it’s plugged up and burned out.
Reflecting on all that you said, I don’t have time to waste my life like I’ve wasted my life. I am investing the rest of my life in what really matters, crap detector broken/fixed or whatever and who cares anyway? Let’s deal with the crap and not the detector. Or do I have it backwards, no punn intended?
Thanks for trying to help. The bridge I built is one that is traveled by the few “Holy Rebels” who join with me (or I join with them) in risking it all for the kingdom, no matter what others think.
While I do not like the church, I love the Church! Please don’t miss the distinction. I’m alott like Charlie Brown who said, “I love the Church, it’s just the people I cannot stand.”
It is hard to wake up and realize that the measure of success I used for success is not the measure God uses. For me I would rather invest in a life for the rest of my life than spend my life investing in people who refuse to bear fruit.
You cannot be in unity with those who seek to be a Hagar (what man can do) and who refuse to live like Sarah (What only God can do)? I’ve tried the Hagar way and now I’ll try to follow the other. I long for what ONLY God can do!
Take away all that man does on Sunday morning and tell me what you have left. Let’s then compare notes? Bitter? NO! Angry? Maybe! Fed up? You got it now! Yes, my crap detector is plugged the crap of what man can do! Now I need God’s plunger and I need it now! And if God doesn’t show up -we will really have mess I don’t want to deal with.
Peggy, your crap detector comments sent me into, well, alott of, well you know!
Having tasted the glory of the blog, I now move to the dark side of the blog…the speaking into the void where you do not know and are not known and misunderstanding and judgment is so easy…
I am always only trying to help…I must work harder to restrain my “Dr. Mom” tendencies. Bear with me while I get the hang of this–at least you’re not sitting next to me at the table wondering why I’m cutting your meat into small pieces….
So, Bob, let me say that certainly I do not have you figured out–I have enough challenge figuring my own family/self out (I don’t think I’m alone in this, either). I only responded to what I perceived from your words–which seems to be what the whole blog thing is about–and hoped that it would in some way be useful to provoke further thought. And as I get to be better connected here, my responses may be more in line with reality…or not. It will always be my peception of another’s reality, won’t it?
I’m hoping that the Holy Spirit will help us all flush all that crap out…constipation is such a painful and toxic condition in the Body.
(And you all thought the earlier drug detox thread was bad…I guess detox is detox, eh?)
I confess I’m feeling a bit like Sam on the Stairs to Cirith Ungol (the part when Gollum is trying to become a wedge between him and Frodo) when Frodo says “Sam, I need you on my side.” and Sam says, “Mr. Frodo, I am on your side.”
And so I hope you are willing to share your “Holy Rebel” bridge with me, Bob, because I also risk all for the sake of the Kingdom–no matter what others think–and I have lived every single day of the past seven years in life and ministry painfully aware that if God does not show up in power, I’m toast: physically as well as spiritually.
And, by the way, I love what’s left on Sunday morning when I get to take away all that man does — but we’re still in process. Stay tuned–would love to talk shop with you!
Always thought I was a Mary in a Martha world…now I guess I’m a Sarah in a Hagar world. Whatever–I’ve always defied the labels!
Hullo-o-o Bob & PeggyBrown…
your bravery, in sharing some honest dialogue, is edifying to the rest of us not actively involved. Many of the thoughts and motivations you express are shared by others. Thanks.
One of the major mechanisms for spotting crap in others is, sadly, often from first-hand experience of doing the same thing myself. However, the crap detector of the Christ follower should not just be based on our own experience. The crap detector is elsewhere described as a double edged sword and - like Excaliber - it measures the wannabe wielder, before ever being available to use against others - Jesus said something about planks and splinters..
We are created to have the Word of God - not just the book of God - living and alive in us. The Word expressing Himself in us and through us; through our lives, every moment of every minute of every hour of everday… and have the absolution of doing stupid things (not “being stupid”)for the moments we are not being who we were created to be in the Word, in Christ.
If only it was as simple as identifying our God consciousness by being Sarah rather than Hagar, or Mary rather than Martha… The reality is that most of us have a bit of both and that both have their strengths and weaknesses. Sarah was not always purely motivated, she laughed at God’s promise and lied about that… While Mary is commended in Luke 10
it is Martha who goes out to meet the Lord in John 11
, and it is she who first has the revelation that Jesus is the Christ.
“Holy rebellion” is only a concept that we require to facilitate disengagement from something that is no longer “holy.” Then we are building something different and we are no longer rebels to a system we have disengaged from, we are contributors to a different system.
In a sense it really is pointless to just criticise THE institution of church - it’s a figment of our imaginations! It is a bogeyman, set up to scare us away from attempting to do the things that, we sense in our own being, we are meant to engage in. The big, bad institution IS a bunch of people with a bunch of ideas… they have power in the arena of their ideas, that they set themselves in…
Consider: If a bunch or people are running a tennis tournament, rubbing shoulders with big corporations to fund their prizes, attending the tennis in the special boxes they provide for themselves. If they arrive in their private jets, dripping with the latest jewels and most expensive dresses. If they have massive crowds for 10 years and then the crowds begin to decline, so they add celebrities etc to encourage attendance, but over the years the popularity wanes and fades. Investing time and energy into debating the pros and cons is only helpful if we want to watch more tennis, or - for the few that can play - win a prize.
If we recognise that there is no life there and we set off to lead a team exploring the jungle, then why do we waste time arguing if the ball is in or out? I reckon it’s preferable to get on with exploring and leave them to their tennis and dwindling audiences.
One of the core issues is maintaining healthy relationships, recognising that organisation of people is important, is a function of church, but that the organisation ALWAYS serves the organic… When things get out of balance it’s time to upset the applecart and restore the organic, relational aspects to the fore…
The King is dead… long live the King!!
Beannachd Dia dhuit
A crap detecting/espousing Celtic Son!
It strikes me that part of this “rebellion” process is grief. Grief for the terrible state of Christ’s bride, the Church. Grief for the stupid things I did that I thought were right at the time and turned out to be chasing rabbits–or worse! Grief for the things I’ve done and said that have not edified but have torn down. Grief for the loss of fellowship with those with whom I have labored and loved but who no longer understand what makes me see differently. Grief over the pain and scars born by those who have been hurt so terribly by the institutional “bogeyman”. Is there such a thing as a clean break in this rebellion? Feels a litle like leaving parents or siblings or spouse or children for the sake of the call…Not to mention all the other kinds of grief that come from daily life!
So, I find I’m grieving freely a little most days–and I was reminded in this morning’s sermon that Jesus said that I am to consider myself blessed when I mourn; for if I openly mourn, then I can be comforted–by the Holy Spirit in me and by those who acknowledge my pain, stop for a moment, enter my grief and thereby help me bear up under the weight.
Thanks, Celtic Son, for being a comforter. And Bob, I am so sorry for your recent loss.
Resiliently,
Mary..no, Sarah..no, just Peggy
Holy rebellion and grief - the combination paints a prophetic picture of some present encounters…
My family and I have spent much of the week (and will likely spend a lot more time into the future)supporting another young family. The wife, in her early 30’s, has had a mental collapse. She has begun to drift from lucidity to irrational thoughts and actions, increasingly becoming less rational and tending towards psychosis.
It seems as if her daughter starting school has brought up some traumatic experiences she encountered as a kid at school. This appears to have blown the lid off a whole lifetime of emotion she has repressed - as a consequence of false behaviour learned from the initial trauma.
Despite presenting herself as a confident and competent young women, she has just begun to express how she does not “fit in,” she has never “fit in”, she has always felt she had to gain approval. She has not felt free to be herself or felt free to grieve some of the traumatic experiences of her life - including the death of a friend and two miscarriages she suffered.
She has a variety of psychotic symptoms, which is incredibly traumatic for her family - she was “normal” last week and now she has “lost it.” She is “hearing” disembodied voices giving her conflicting directions, and believes it is all coming from God. She has lost a sense of who she is and attaches herself to other personalities. She has no idea what to do, or why she is feeling the way she is or doing the things she is doing? She believe she is dead and is in heaven.
Her family are distraught, her Mother, who has been opposed to their involvement with Christianity in the last couple of years, sees it as justification of her feelings. There is family history of mental illness and it seems that, some of her trauma, is the consequence of a lifetime of bad patterns of behaviour.
Is it spiritual? If the Bible is the basis for our belief system, if Jesus is the basis, then everything is spiritual. We now have the opportunity to be a community of healing - in prayer and in practice. Looking after their kids, making meals, being sensitive to their needs and space are all as important as prayer.
It’s an opportunity for some of us to move away from definitions of “success,” to defining holistic living as a measure of fruitfulness (and fruitfulness as a measure of holistic living) in God’s economy. It’s not just that we are blessed as we mourn, but that we mourn with those who encounter mourning, and as a community we are blessed.
Are we seeing in ourselves any manifestation of the truth that Jesus came to set us free… free to be who we are intended to be. Our young Mum is reaping the consequence of trying to be someone she is not…
I write this because I suspect that the church in the West is in the same boat. We have been so focussed on our victories that we have repressed our failures and our losses and we have become sick. Literally we are sick of/from “success!”
We don’t know who God is… we do not know who we are… we have lost sight of our purpose. We simply do what we do, because that’s how it worked before… increasingly repressing truth, increasingly heading towards a crisis and a breakdown.
We are so concerned with the appearances that we seek to hide our imperfections and deny any pain, wounds and scars. But our scars are a reminder of the rubbish we once carried that needed to be removed to set us free… in denying the pain and scarring we do not see ourselves as we truly are - so we face the crisis of not knowing who we are…
Our most holy rebellion is refusing to see God in ways not consistent with His Word and His Spirit… our most holy rebellion is seeing God in the fullness of His glory.
Our most holy rebellion is refusing to be who we are not… our most holy rebellion is being who God created each one of us to be
Our most holy rebellion is refusing to continue to do things that are not consistent with His story… our most holy rebellion is finding our purpose in living and moving and having our being in Him… because we are His offspring.
Selah
A Celtic Son
Yes, it is a joy to be free, brother. It’s rather like Eustace being undragoned by Aslan in the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, isn’t it? Our own efforts are feeble at best…thin layers of fluff is all that we manage to get scratched away. We must admit our helplessness and let the Lion’s claws go right to our hearts and rip away the prison that comes from thinking dragonish thoughts, eh?
Mine has been a very long and very painful road, but worth each step…especially when I look back on that thick, knobby dragon skin cast aside….
May God be gracious to this sister whose burden you–and us, now, through you–share. May your being there in the moment help give her the chance to one day look back in freedom,too.
Peggy - I guess I tend to agree with this “Holy Rebellion” grief thing. I never thought of it in terms of grieving. I do grieve over the church in America. I grieve over the way I spent a large part of my life just massaging the institutional church and doing what was expected of me while missing out on being the Church.
I rebel against the continuation of self serving, consumer driven and serving the wrong mission found all over this country known as the church on such and such a corner. I serve the mission of the church and often not God’s mission for the Church.
I’m grieving and through this grief process I find myself sometimes being more mad than I care to admit. I find that I don’t like the church, while also loving the Church.
Sarah is just one way to describe what only God can do and Hagar represents for me what man often does without God.
Bob, thank you for letting me stand on the bridge and grieve along side you…and I agree that it is difficult but important to recognize and separate grief from anger.
I find that frequently I must do the same with love and anger…when my attempts to love (not that fuzzy stuff, but hard core deliberate affection that is dedication to another’s best interest) are thwarted or rejected, my resulting disappointment can bring grief, which can turn to frustration…which, if I am not careful, ends up in anger.
But, as I frequently remind myself…if I kill my precious, though hard-headed, sons, I won’t get any grandchildren…and that’s were much of the joy comes, doesn’t it! At least that’s what I keep hearing!
So, I pray we all take advantage of the view from the top of the bridge and gain courage and patience from each other’s trials and confessions, and hang on tight to God (because he certainly won’t let us go) in this wild ride over the bridge and into the heart of the battle–where those who stand firm and persevere to the end are promised victory!
Frankly, the view from the top of the bridge is both terrifying and exhilirating. I’ve been laying plans and waiting for this stage of my life for almost 30 years…I’m blown away by the plans that God is revealing…and I’m more than raring to go!
Whheee!!!!!:)