In spite of bad theology (see previous post), and the moral arguments we COULD have, what is obviously needed now is action. Please join me, if you have not already, in sending support to Haiti relief. If you are looking for reputable organizations, please try here or here. There are so many others, but if you want to donate right away and don’t have a favorite, these two are great resources.
Monthly Archives: January 2010
Bad Theology and I’m Speechless
The Search for “Home”
I met with a former student today and we caught up on life. Over the years I have gained a deep appreciation for all the streams of Christianity that have come through the centuries, so when I see people exploring streams other than the one they grew up in, I’m interested.
He has reached a point in his life where his walk with Christ has led him from an Assemblies of God upbringing to finding “home” in the Catholic church. He and his wife are in the process of entering the Catholic church. We had a fascinating conversation about his journey. I was so encouraged by his thoughtfulness in the matter.
More and more I have met former students and heard of others who have left the Assemblies of God after college to find “home” in more liturgical confessions. I know of those who have gone to Eastern Orthodox as well.
Meanwhile, here I am in the Assemblies of God. I do not dismiss the decisions of others. I carry deep admiration for them. What I am left pondering is this: Are we, in the Assemblies of God, and in many evangelical movements, suffering from a brain drain? When I watch people contemplate their faith and really THINK about it… many are making a move toward the more ancient traditions.
Now, either I’m not “thinking” clearly enough, or something else may be going on. One thing I DO wish for is more contemplation in my denomination. Maybe we put such a bad spin on contemplative thought, or intellectual pursuits, we just chase some people off. What I would wish for is people to think, embrace the ancient traditions of the Church, and find they can actually stay in Assemblies of God, or other evangelical streams, as well. It doesn’t ALWAYS mean a move… or does it?
I have found that my meanderings through the streams of ancient faith have not endangered my place in the Assemblies of God. Of course, they may not even care. I keep sending them my “dues,” so why bother me? Yet, I have found I can freely share my explorations in liturgy with District leaders and not be shot down. Of course, they could secretly wonder what in the world this guy is doing… but they don’t give me any grief about it.
At any rate, what I appreciate from my friend and others is their processing. They have THOUGHT about their place in the Church. They have sought for “home.” It’s one reason I celebrate the wide variety of the Church. There is a place for “home” for believers. I just wish more would see that there are places in the evangelical/Pentecostal stream (like my church) that have a place for contemplation and thought. It can be “home” as well.
Faith in the Public Square
Apparently Brit Hume stepped into a firestorm a week ago on a news show. He recommended that Tiger Woods actually consider Christianity. Since that time, Hume has apparently been vilified all over the media and blogososphere. This column pointed out some of the fallout, then raised the idea that maybe we should, indeed, talk about faith.
One of the main points of the Manhattan Declaration was to point out that faith has a place in the public arena. The Manhattan Declaration was controversial in itself because, horror of horrors, Catholics and Orthodox signed on! What fellowship hath light with darkness? (Or so was the mantra from some very conservative Christian leaders.)
This episode with Brit Hume points out the glaring need for that third point in the Manhattan Declaration. Faith has a place in the public arena. We allow other opinions there, sometimes by default. Why not just be open about it? Faith informs our decisions in many cases. (Case in point, it’s becoming more and more a matter of “faith” to believe in the global warming gospel.)
In the case of Christianity, I am not afraid to allow the discussion to take place. It can be vilified. It can be debated and people can try to debunk it. But you put Jesus up against all other sources of “gods” and Jesus is magnificent. This is why I am apprenticed to him.
Stuck in an Elevator
This was a first. My wife and I were visiting our youth pastor in the hospital who had just had her baby. On the way up, the elevator got stuck.
The college I went to had the oldest elevators on the planet, I’m sure. But I never got stuck on those old beasts.
It was an incredibly odd feeling. First it was, “Well, the door should open…right…about…now.”
Then, it was, “Wow. I guess we’re really stuck.”
I wish I had more of a story. Maybe an epiphany of some sort. But I used the emergency phone (which I have always wanted to do), maintenance came and got the elevator back to the first floor, where we got out. No long waits. Didn’t have to go to the bathroom. We didn’t even have to crawl out of a small opening.
It took all of five minutes, I’m sure. Not nearly enough time for any new revelations in my life. Bummer.
Book Review: Enjoying Prayer
One of my heroes in the faith is Calvin Olson. Calvin was a missionary to southern Asia for many years. When I knew him he was retired as a missionary and traveled throughout our state with our district superintendent to conduct monthly prayer and fasting days. Every fall prayer retreat before he passed away, you could find Calvin Olson there.
One of the last things I remember Calvin saying was this: “I have a confession to make: I’m addicted to prayer meetings.” The man loved to pray and you could tell. Talking to Calvin was like talking to God. I’m serious.
My friend, Kevin Senapatiratne of Christ Connection Ministries, has come out with a book that will help all of us become addicted to prayer meetings, and prayer. (Don’t try and pronounce that last name unless you are from Sri Lanka.)
Kevin’s book is called Enjoying Prayer: Launching Your God Adventure. It is completely accessible. Each chapter is short and its intentional. Read a chapter and try it out. It’s a good strategy. Kevin proposes different strategies to really make prayer real… and, well, enjoyable. He tries all kinds of crazy things in prayer. He even named his dog after a TV personality because he is praying on a consistent basis for that TV personality. What a way to remember to pray for someone! (I’ll name my hamster Paris.)
Each chapter concludes with a “Next Step Question” and a prayer idea. It’s a great work to help people launch into the JOY of prayer!
Does Capitalism Do Better With an Enemy?
There is a new book, among many to come, discussing the current financial collapse. This paragraph of the review stuck out to me:
Once upon a time in America and Britain, he observes, “the jet engine of capitalism was harnessed to the ox cart of social justice, to much bleating from the advocates of pure capitalism, but with the effect that the Western liberal democracies became the most admired societies that the world had ever seen.”
Then the Wall crumbled, and “the jet engine was unhooked from the ox cart and allowed to roar off at its own speed. The result was an unprecedented boom, which had two big things wrong with it: It wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t sustainable.”
He is talking about the fall of the Berlin Wall. It seems that the thesis is that capitalism was fine when there was a communist enemy because it forced capitalism to be “kinder.” The system of capitalism is designed to raise money and make money… lots of it. But when we battled communism as an ideal, there were things we did as capitalists that gave money to key parts of the world. We had more philanthropy and it was the envy of the world.
Now, without any “enemy,” capitalism just took off and the rich got richer and looked for ways to just keep getting richer. It’s an interesting thought. I’m not sure that is where the author is going, but it’s how the review sounds.
Heroes — and Post #500
According to WordPress, this is my 500th post. The count is a bit off due to migrating from Blogger, but I’ll take it.
I wanted to write about heroes for this post. (I actually contemplated a post!) On New Year’s Day I was watching some of the Rose Parade. I’d say I watched all of it, but the telecasts are so skimpy these days I didn’t even see Ohio State’s band!
Heroes make me cry. They really do. There were heroes in the Rose Parade. Captain “Sully” Sullenberger was the grand marshal of the parade. Thinking again of his heroism, along with the flight crew, as they had to ditch a plane in the Hudson and make sure everyone got off safely… it still sends chills down my spine. Sullenberger looks so calm all the time. He was trained for those moments and he responded. Lives were saved because of his heroic action.
Then I saw a float carrying the Tuskegee airmen. They were the unit made up of African American pilots in WWII. Here were men who overcame severe prejudice to do their job and defend our nation. The sacrifice of great men just brings a feeling of deep gratitude.
Those two moments caused me to reflect back on the few days I’d spent with my parents in Kansas for Christmas. My dad had contracted a staph infection and the remedy was two trips to the hospital a day for IV treatments. He would get there by 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. every day to sit for 90 minutes with an IV stuck in his arm. The antibiotics worked. He is doing well.
While we were in Kansas, I decided to go with him. We’d have at least 3-4 hours a day where we could hang out. Much of the time when he was on the IV he napped a little and we talked a little. We always talked on the drive to and from the hospital. On Christmas morning we even stopped on the way back from the hospital to dig a stranded motorist out of snowbank. Kansas got smacked with a tough snowstorm overnight.
Just hanging out for a few hours a day with a man I deeply love and admire was the best Christmas I could think of for me.
He found out one of his sisters was in a senior care treatment wing at the hospital, so we went up to see her on Christmas Eve. Dad is the youngest of 9 kids. I think there are 4 or 5 still living. Each of the siblings have had their “issues” over the years. I can remember times when some sister wasn’t talking to some brother and no one would know why. Yet, in the middle of all the problems, my dad would be the constant. (My Uncle Marshal was the oldest and ironically, he and Dad were probably the closest. I was the closest to Uncle Marshal before he past away. Both of them seemed to be the reconcilers of the family.)
His sister had been in a care facility in St. Joseph, MO, her hometown. Somehow she ended up in this care unit. Dad knew she had been battling some dementia, so we didn’t know if she would recognize him. We went anyway. Dad just needs to make sure people are doing okay.
We entered the care unit and signed in. As we went down the hall looking for her room, we passed a woman in a wheelchair. I hadn’t seen her in over 30 years so I had no idea what she would look like. Dad didn’t see the woman in the wheelchair because he was looking for her room. Dad passed the wheelchair first. The woman in the chair looked up and her eyes lit up. It was his sister. She called out to him.
Dad turned around and knelt there. Her eyes were bright, she knew his name and a smile broke out on her face.
That moment only confirmed again what I’ve known for years. My dad is a hero. He is truly a great man. His love for God and love for people is so genuine that even family members battling dementia can recognize who he is. It is something beyond his physical stature. It is his character. It is the Spirit of Christ working in him.
He talked with her for a few minutes and prayed. We left, but I know he’ll be back on a regular basis to see her as long as she is in that unit. He cares.
Heroes aren’t always about the moment. They are about the journey. My dad has taken a lifelong journey filled with the grace of God. He readily admits it. He knows God has watched out for him all these years and all the blessings he has are only because God has given these to him.
Heroes make me cry. I don’t always cry around my dad, but I sure tear up thinking about how he has impacted so many lives.
Dadgum
I grew up 30 minutes from Lawrence, KS. Maybe it was proximity, or something else, but from my earliest memories I have loved Jayhawk basketball. My early memories were of Ted Owens and some very good teams. There were the bitter losses to Missouri and Kansas State.
Then, there was the coming of Danny Manning. Larry Brown had come to KU and hired Danny’s father as a coach, moving Danny to Lawrence while he was still in high school. They were in our high school league, so I saw Manning play in our gym our senior year. It was phenomenal. This guy was going to do some amazing things for KU. And he did. There was the magical year of 1988 when “Danny and the Miracles” made the improbable run through the NCAA tournament and beat Oklahoma in the final in Kansas City.
By then I was a senior on college in Minneapolis. A friend and I were from Kansas, so the next day we wore our Kansas sweatshirts to rib a professor we had who hailed from Oklahoma.
Larry Brown left, and with his leaving, he forgot to take his recruiting violations. The NCAA doesn’t bother calling a foul on coaches who leave. They just hammer the program left behind. Larry went to the NBA and KU couldn’t defend its national title because of NCAA probation. This was one of the premier programs in the country, so there were high expectations regarding the next coach.
With all the influence and esteem of KU, Dr. Bob Frederick went out and hired Roy Williams. And everyone went, “WHAT? WHO?” Roy was an assistant on Dean Smith’s North Carolina staff. The only head coaching he had done had been a high school team ten years before. Of course, no one has any doubts about that hire now.
Roy Williams has always been my favorite coach. I have only seen one KU game in person and when I watched Coach Williams I KNEW this was a great coach. It obviously broke my heart when he left KU and went to North Carolina, but I was not going to blame him. He thought he had put that stuff to rest the first time he turned them down. He had no idea they’d fire Matt Doherty so soon. So, he had to return to a place he loved.
When his autobiography came out, it went to the top of my Christmas list, so my wife gave it to me and I just finished it. I am not a fan of sports autobiographies, but this is Roy Williams. His memory is incredible. He has kept notes on all his coaching and recruiting travels from his high school coaching days to now. The book is more than just remembering some good times at KU and UNC. He gives his life’s philosophy.
It’s simple: outwork everyone else. He still does. He coaches in his alma mater, doing something in a place no one ever wants him to leave… and he still outworks everyone else. I know he did that at Kansas, and it is amazing to see him still do it.
He never won the national title at KU. He has won two at UNC. I wish he had done it at Kansas, but KU has done well with Bill Self and pulled in their own national title in 2008. Of course, they ran over UNC to do it. I am a HUGE Roy Williams fan… except on nights he plays KU. I was thrilled with the huge KU win over UNC.
The book is a great reminder of what has made Roy Williams the best coach in college basketball. He is incredibly honest. He still loves KU and he deeply loves UNC. He doesn’t hide it. It’s why I will always deeply admire this coach.
For those who are not familiar at all with Roy Williams, I put the title on this post in honor of him. He rarely cusses. He is full of “dadgummits” and “gosh darns.”
And he is the best dadgum coach in the game.
New Year… New Opportunities
I enter this year with hope, as always. I enter this year with plans, as always. Then, I look back on a year and realize… well… not many things may have ended up happening as planned. Consistency and intentionality are always key.
This month begins a journey. The Lord has been challenging me on prayer and fasting, so I enter this month, though it’s the second day, with a heart to hear the voice of the Spirit. At some point in this month the fast will be water only. I can’t start that way, due to the holiday feasting! Yet, I am not going to stress over what I think I should be doing. It is a walk of grace. I will be easing into this fast with fresh fruits and veggies.
The journey also begins with some intentional reading. My schedule is so full it’s been difficult for me to get a lot of reading in. Yet, the challenge from the Spirit is to pick up Merton’s autobiography again and read. It’s the only book I’ve read more than twice and there is a call from the Spirit to read it again.
I do not know where all of this will lead. There are no goals in mind. It is about “wasting time” with God and letting him set the agenda. So, we begin.
