In the Coracle

Ordinary People answer the Seven Questions

PatMay 31, 2008

Todd Hiestand has a great challenge for us:

I read recently in Relevant Magazine’s article on 7 Big Questions. In this article they asked 7 questions of Mark Driscoll, Rob Bell, Erwin McManus, Frederica Mathewes-Green, Lauren Winner, Efrem Smith, Rick Warren. These are some big names in the evangelical world and its no surprise that everyone wants to know what they have to say.

But, being a small church pastor myself, I am always interested in what the “no-namers” have to say.[...]

Here are the questions:

* What trends in church and worship styles do you see? Are they positive or negative?

* What is a negative tendency of this generation as it relates to the faith?

* What positive tendency do you see in this generation?

* What do you see as the greatest challenge for young Christians in the next 10 years?

* How should Christians be involved in the political system?

* How can a Christian fulfill a passion for social justice as a middle-class American?

* Where and how do you feel Christians can have the most impact on culture?

I like this question. I get tired of reading what those who lead churches of thousands think the rest of us ought to be doing - there’s this strongly stated philosophy in Christianity that you only should be heard if you a) have written bestselling books or b) pastor a church of thousands which gets a lot of press, or best c) all the above. It’s celebrity worship to me, and I think it skews us to think of this as success (and only this). Bless those great leaders for being faithful to their calling, but bless those anonymous stewards as well.

Anyway, that doesn’t mean that I have a voice worth listening to, but nobody’s stopping me from answering the questions anyway :-)

So, anyway, here are some thoughts to stew over for a while.

What trends in church and worship styles do you see? Are they positive or negative?

I see a tremendous hunger to practice a spirituality that’s not based on entertainment or hype or self-promotion. I think the days of the attractional, seeker-driven churches are transitioning. I think the danger in this transition is that many, many Christians have simply disengaged from community and fellowship and are following an individualistic path - and I believe that theology is best done in community; orthodoxy and orthopraxy are both relational systems. I want to see those who have a desire to worship simply, organically and truthfully be gathered around realistic community for the purpose of mission and justice.

What is a negative tendency of this generation as it relates to the faith?

I think the days of valuing Christian leaders by their media influence are going to continue, and that’s too bad. It’s risky and can be deceptive, but our surrounding culture influences the Christian culture far more than the other way around, and until I see an end to people placing ads in Christian magazines touting their ministries and labeling themselves as “Apostolic Prophetic Evangelists”, complete with phone numbers for you to contact them for a speaking engagement, I think these days will continue to thrive.

I think we’re stuck in a mode wherein shock value is used as a way to legitimize “true” faith - both by those I agree with and those I don’t. Because our culture is presumed to be Christian, oftentimes we see a need to either be fully relevant to the culture by being shockingly compliant to it (the core value of “excellence” in many attractional churches does this; video podcasts about masturbation as a spiritual discipline are another example).
There’s a way to use shock value to wake people out of the Matrix that enslaves them (and this is a good thing), and there’s a way to use shock value to appear hip and cool to the culture (and this, I’m convinced, is not).

What positive tendency do you see in this generation?

I see a deep hunger for meaningful relationships, and this is a huge need in a culture without deep family ties and transitory friendships. I see an openness and a willingness to hear what others believe, even if the end result of that for many is a ‘whatever works for you is find for you’ end game. I see a recognition that we are globally connected and globally responsible.

What do you see as the greatest challenge for young Christians in the next 10 years?

They - we - will have to find ways to express a holistic faith that looks much less structured than their parents’ forms. This is always the case, we are at a time between the times with regards to social and church culture shift, and it’s so true now that I pray for God’s counseling spirit to be plenty available during this transition.

How should Christians be involved in the political system?

Intentionally, and humbly. Christians can and should express their faith in public sectors. However, as the current Bush administration has taught us, Christianity based on certainty in a particular flavor without an understanding of humility, justice and responsibility to the last and lost and least is simply power mongering.

How can a Christian fulfill a passion for social justice as a middle-class American?

Humbly listen to voices different than yours. Hear from the other gender, different races, hear the poor. Seek first God’s Kingdom and right relationships. Listen to others far and well before speaking and deciding. Realize you don’t know it all, and that your personal story isn’t the only one out there, or the normative one.

Where and how do you feel Christians can have the most impact on culture?

By listening quietly to God, attentively and expectantly. By listening quietly to the other, attentively and expectantly. By recognizing the great power you have, a treasure embodied in fragile flesh, called to re-present the Trinity to the world. By seeking to serve, far more than to be served. By seeking the best for the other, far more than for my own best.

How about you? What do you say?

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Marks of Spiritual Maturity

Pat

Over at my friend Kedge’s blog he’s started a discussion that I think is really helpful. I recommend that you go over there and jump in, and maybe even copy your discussion thoughts into comments here.

Here’s what he’s wrestling with:

How do we know if someone (ourselves included) is spiritually mature?

How do we know if someone is growing spiritually?

What are the marks of spiritual maturity and depth?

I’m wrestling with this question and really need some help…

He goes on to make some first attempts at what we’re talking about. Of course there are no easy answers - which is why the topic is so great - but also, these are things we want to be able to measure in our selves and others (especially those of us called to leadership and pastoral work…)

Oh, Kedge has the best blog tagline ever. it’s been shortened a bit, but he’s all about “unpimping and remonking the church”. If you wanna know more, you should ask him. It’s good stuff.

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39 Examen

PatMarch 11, 2008

Today I turned 39 years old. It’s a good time, it seems to me, to take stock of my life.

I’m doing it using a simple little spiritual exercise called the Ignatian Examen, described first by St. Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatius founded the Jesuit order.

A nice description of the Ignatian Examen is this one from an Ignatian church in Boston:

The Examen

Ignatius left his Society two spiritual legacies: the examen, and the spiritual exercises. The examen (or, The Examen of Consciousness) is intended as a short daily period of reflection. St. Ignatius believed that he received the examen as a gift from God that not only enriched his own Christian life but was meant to be shared with others. The examen was a “method,” a way to seek and find God in all things and to gain the freedom to let God’s will be done on earth.

The Examen traditionally has five steps:

1. Recall you are in the presence of God. No matter where you are, you are a creature in the midst of creation and the Creator who called you forth is concerned for you.
2. Give thanks to God for favors received. Pause and spend a moment looking at this day’s gifts. Take stock of what you received and gave. Notice these clues that guide living.
3. Ask for awareness of the Holy Spirit’s aid. Before you explore the mystery of the human heart, ask to receive the Holy Spirit so that you can look upon your actions and motives with honesty and patience. The Spirit gives a freedom to look upon yourself without condemnation and without complacency and thus be open to growth.
4. Now examine how you are living this day. Recalling the events of your day, explore the context of your actions. Review the day, hour by hour, searching for the internal events of your life. Look through the hours to see your interaction with what was before you. Ask what you were involved in and who you were with, and review your hopes and hesitations. What moved you to act the way you did?
5. Pray words of reconciliation and resolve. Having reviewed this day of your life, look upon yourself with compassion and see your need for God and try to realize God’s manifestations of concern for you. Express sorrow for sin, give thanks for grace, and praise God for the times you responded in ways that allowed you to better see God’s life.

Ignatius’ recommendation was to keep a clear conscience by monitoring yourself regularly. The Examen is a straightforward way to ask yourself “so, self - how’s it going? Anything we need to work on today?”

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“The Celtic Way of Evangelism”, Chapter 2

PatJune 26, 2007

Here’s a summary and responses to chapter 2 of George Hunter’s The Celtic Way of Evangelism.

In chapter two, Hunter describes the form of community life that was shaped in early Celtic Christianity.

In general, Celtic Christianity was more a movement than Roman Christianity’s tendency to institution; it incorporated more laity in ministry and less ordained clergy; it was more imaginative and less cerebral, it identified more closely with nature, and it emphasized the immanence of God more than His transcendence.

The communities themselves drew from the monastic communities found in the Eastern church and Gaul, but the Celtic communities were distinct from those forms in several ways:

- While Eastern monasteries emphasized protest and escape from Roman materialism and the corruption of the church, the Celtic monasteries were organized to penetrate the pagan world and expand the church.

- Eastern monasteries were established in isolated locations, and Celtic monasteries were created in high-traffic locations

- Celtic monasteries included monks and nuns living ascetic lives, but also lay people doing everyday work and included men, women and children

- Celtic monasteries produced a less individualistic and more community-oriented expression of faith

- Celtic Christianity sought to impact not just the transcendent issues for a person, but also everyday issues. Prayers were formed and taught for the simplest of everyday tasks - sowing seed, milking cows, prayer for a new baby. Instead of fixed-hour prayer, Celtic Christians practiced a constant state of contemplative prayer.

Ray Simpson has two books referenced in this section: “Exploring Celtic Spirituality”, and “Celtic Blessings for Everyday Life”, which I need to pick up. Another resource is the Carmina Gadelica, a collection of folk Christian resources collected in the nineteenth century by Douglas Hyde who documented the oral tradition still alive in rural areas.

Celtic monasteries emphasized three practices: worship, study and work. Prayers accompanied each of these activities, and everybody in the community was expected to participate in all three practices.

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Justin at Radical Congruency blogged on this topic a short while back. His suggestions for prayer topics and the comments to the post are helpful.