circularthoughts

call me an atheist...

My current course at Fuller is called The Art of Evangelism. This week, for the course, I am reading Evangelism in the Early Church, by Michael Green. I have about 80 pages left to read.

One of the many things I’ve picked up from this read is how the early Christians were considered to be atheists by the Gentiles. The Gentiles (read for the most part as citizens of the Roman Empire) were confused by the refusal of the early Christians to pay homage to the gods of the empire. In other words, since the early Christians rejected the gods of the empire by saying there was only one true God, they must be atheists.

Clearly this was a confrontation between polytheism and monotheism. The empire and its citizens were polytheistic, having a god for everything that must be honored and respected if things were going to continue to go smoothly. By not paying homage to the gods of the empire the early Christians were thought to be seeking to undermine the empire and thus were seen as dangerous to the state.

It was also a conflict between a human made empire and the kingdom of God. 

I’m wondering if we still have this kind of conflict today?

I’m wondering if the gods of the empire could have morphed into what today we would call nationalism?

That may be a bit of a stretch, but, just in case, call me an atheist...

 

Alleviating poverty, one loan at a time...

Have you heard about Kiva? This non-profit organization is one of my favorite ways to give. 

Kiva’s mission is “to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty.”

Kiva lets you join in micro lending to some of the world’s poorest people. The minimum loan that you make is $25.00. Your loan gets combined with those of other folks and the combined amount is used to fund a micro loan for an individual or a group of individuals in numerous places around the world. It is a great setup, easy to do and the results have been phenomenal. 

From the Kiva website, since Kiva was founded in 2005:

596,151 people have made loans through Kiva

$224 million in loans have been funded

98.79% repayment rate on these loans

As a former banker, I can say that the repayment rate is amazing!

May family has made 78 loans over the years. We chose to loan only to women. This is one of the ways we have chosen to flesh out our love for our neighbor.

Check it out here. This is my official invitation to you to join Kiva.

If you want to know more about micro lending and the work to alleviate poverty I would suggest the following books:

UnPoverty: Rich Lessons from the Working Poor

When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor. . .and Yourself

Sympathetic reading...

I like to read. I read a lot. In fact, I’ve read twenty books in the last sixty days. Assuming an average book is two hundred pages long, that means I’ve read four thousand pages in sixty days. 

I say this not to boast. You see, reading for me is essential to my mental and spiritual growth. In all reality, it probably hampers my physical situation as instead of exercising I read. Anyway, if I’m not reading, I’m not growing.

I mostly read books on theology and missiology. I currently have nine books on my desk, four of which I’ve started and the rest of which I plan to start in the next couple of weeks. In addition, I have at least eight books on my Kindle app on my iPad that I’m either currently reading or plan to start reading in the next couple of weeks. Almost all of these are on theology or missiology.

One of my favorite ways of reading is what some call sympathetic reading. This happens when I read something I don’t agree with, something that challenges my current thinking. I have found that this way of reading is crucial for my spiritual and mental growth.

Sympathetic reading helps me to understand the point of view of the author; what is driving his or her thinking. In seeking to understand a different point of view I often find that weaknesses in my own understanding are revealed. I also often find where my own way of thinking, and those who think it with me, may have contributed to the reaction of the author I’m reading. 

Sympathetic reading is not reading for the sake of tearing apart an author’s argument. Instead, it is for seeking to understand in the hopes that you might learn something, either about the subject of the read or yourself.

Try it sometime. It can be very enlightening...

Evangelism as initiation...

Yesterday, I began reading the second book for my Art of Evangelism course at Fuller. The book is called The Logic of Evangelism and was written by William J. Abraham. 

The main thesis of the book is that evangelism should be understood as the primary initiation into the kingdom of God, as opposed to simple proclamation of the good news or as a means for church growth. To throw a spark on this idea, Abraham suggests:

any vision of evangelism that ignores the kingdom of God, or relegates it to a position of secondary importance, or fails to wrestle thoroughly with its content is destined at the outset to fail. This is so because the kingdom of God is absolutely central to the ministry of Jesus and to the mission of the disciples that launched the Christian movement into history. (17)

I have always been taught that evangelism is the way we go about letting others know of their need for salvation. We tell them the good news that Jesus has died for their sins and that he rose again, from the dead, conquering death so that we might have eternal life. If we have been well trained we say that eternal life begins here and now, but, most of us focus on the afterlife part of eternal life. In other words, evangelism, I have always been taught, is the process of telling others how to get to heaven.

In recent years, my problem with the above is that it really offers nothing for the here and now. This, I think, is what Abraham is talking about when he suggests that evangelism is the primary initiation into the kingdom of God.

If the kingdom of God is seen as the reign and rule of God, in and through Jesus, both now and in the future, then, evangelism should be seen as the process of leading others into such reign. It is the process of helping others see that there is a different way to live in the here and now. This way of living has less to do with our performance or compliance with a list of rules. Instead, it is centered in our pursuit of God’s will, here on earth, of heaven in the here and now.

So, yes, evangelism is about the cross and what Jesus accomplished on such. But, it is about so much more.

I think I’m going to enjoy this course!

Bonhoeffer on Christian formation...

In his book Ethics, Bonhoeffer discusses the concept of Jesus being the true human being, the ultimate and only true example of what a human being is. Therefore, for right Christian formation to happen we must begin with a proper understanding of Jesus.

Bonhoeffer refers to Jesus as Ecce homo – the man. This is taken, of course, from Pilate’s words in the gospels as he presents the beaten and ready to be crucified Jesus to the crowds. What Pilate surely meant as sarcasm is meant as reality for Bonhoeffer. In the crucified and resurrected Jesus, Bonhoeffer sees the true human, made new and presented as the one through whom humanity is measured and revealed.

Christian formation, for Bonhoeffer, is the process of being conformed to Christ. This is possible because of the humanity of Jesus, because he is the true and ultimate human and in his life and death and resurrection we have the ability to experience such. Christian formation, in this case, is not so much a path or even a set of beliefs and behaviors to be mastered. Instead, it is the process of Jesus taking form in us, which is really a matter of faith. The work has been done in the life of Jesus. We must now walk forward in faith in the reality of such.

 

Conversion: Fast Food or Fine Dining?

My current course at Fuller is called The Art of Evangelism. The first book we are reading is called Conversion in the New Testament: Paul and the Twelve, by Richard V. Peace, who just so happens to be the course Professor. In this book, Peace compares the dramatic, single-point-in-time conversion of Paul to the slow, progressive and even fuzzy (when it comes to when it happened) conversion of the Twelve. In doing such he is asking the question of which one is the norm. 

In Western Evangelicalism, the norm seems to have always been that of Paul. I was taught that I needed to be able to identify the specific point in time that I prayed to receive (trust) Christ. Failure to be able to do this was seen as a potential weakness in my own testimony that might cause doubts as to my actual salvation at some point in the future. Thus, our western evangelism is designed to fit this paradigm, in that we push for a decision.

Peace suggests that the conversion experience of the Twelve was more like a pilgrimage. It was a progressive revelation in which they first saw Jesus as a Teacher, followed by a Prophet, on to Messiah and then to God incarnate. In other words, he argues that the Twelve would have been hard pressed to pick out the specific point in time when the actually trusted Christ, but, their conversion was just as valid as that of Paul’s.

I’m intrigued with this idea of progressive revelation and progressive trust. I think that this “both/and” understanding of conversion might open the door to a more gentle, less confrontational/polemical form of evangelism, which would be a good thing, especially for those on the receiving end.

Bonhoeffer on cheap grace...

For Bonhoeffer, “cheap grace means grace as doctrine, as principle, as system” (Discipleship, 43). Cheap grace is that which requires no true repentance or change. It is grace without transformation. It is grace without discipleship. Costly grace, on the other hand, is that which causes us to be transformed, discipled and to follow Jesus. It is a grace that costs us our lives. It is a grace that was also costly for God because of his incarnation and his death.

Discipleship is commitment to Jesus Christ. It is not the study of any system or doctrine or way of belief. It is, instead, the following of the God-human and the life he lived and will live in us. It is more than an increasing of head knowledge; it is instead an increasing in heart knowledge, an obedience that comes from belief and a praxis that reflects the life of Jesus Christ.

The root and foundation of discipleship is found in the Sermon on the Mount. At the center of the Sermon is, of course, Jesus. However, love is the summation of the entire Sermon. Disciples are those who are allowing Jesus to mold in them his way of undivided love, the love that was reflected in the cross and the love that is reflected in the sending of rain on both the righteous and unrighteous.

Quotation taken from this book...

Bonhoeffer on judging...

For Bonhoeffer, “judging is the forbidden evaluation of other persons. It corrodes simple love” (Discipleship, 171). When we judge others we are doing so by establishing a standard in Jesus. On the surface this appears to be acceptable, at least having the standard of Jesus. However, Jesus is not a standard, he is the judge. He has judged me and that gives me no right to judge others. We hold others to a standard that we have not been able to measure up to. This is judging and forbidden and the opposite of love. Instead, we must learn to “reverse the I and the You” (Discipleship, 174) in our relationships with others. We must be able to see them as we see ourselves and give others the same grace that we give ourselves. We must see that there is no difference between the evil in us and the evil in others. It is only when we do this that we are in right relationship with others. I believe that Bonhoeffer would remind the church in the US to stop judging those who are not a part of the church. He would tell us to stop holding others to a standard that we will never meet. He would tell us to learn to love others and to accept them where they are. After all, this is what Jesus has done with us.

Quotations taken from this book...

Bonhoeffer on community...

I recently completed a course for my seminary work at Fuller called The Ethics of Bonhoeffer. I first read Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship roughly 10 years ago. It has been a formative book for me. This course introduced me to much of his other works as well.

One of those was a little book called Life Together: Exploration of Faith in Community. This 122 page read is a deep discussion of what true Christian community looks like. Bonhoeffer wrote it while leading an underground seminary during the late 1930’s. The seminary had to be underground because of Nazi efforts to control the German church.

The key to this book is found in Bonhoeffer’s argument that any community founded on anything but Jesus is nothing more than a “wish dream.”

Every human wish dream that is injected into the Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be banished if genuine community is to survive. (27).

I’ve seen this so many times. Churches, ministries and so forth are built around dreams and ideas that are close to Jesus, but, not Jesus. These dreams and ideas can take the form of a particular style of worship, they can be an intense focus on discipleship or even a certain way of preaching. Somehow, in the process, Jesus often gets left out, or minimized, or marginalized. 

I’ve been wondering lately if our pursuit of right doctrine can be one of Bonhoeffer’s “wish dreams” and thus a hinderance to community...

 

Vacation!

We are headed to Arizona tomorrow!  First we are going to the Phoenix area to attend this:

Then we are headed here:

And here:

And here:

I can hardly wait!  My reading list for the trip?

I'll be back in a couple of weeks!

Homebrewed Bishop...

I have been slowly reading through N.T. Wright's latest book, After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters for several weeks now.  I received a free copy with the condition that I write a blog post within a month of receiving the book.  Well, I was doing just great and then came down with my first case of malaria.  This set me back a bit and I'm still trying to catch up.

Today, I received an email that provided a way to take me off of the hook on posting a review of the book.  I decided to jump on the offer.

There is a new interview of Bishop Wright on Homebrewed Christianity that was posted a few days ago.  Take a listen and see what you think.  You can find the post here.

By the way, the book has been one of my favorites that Bishop Wright has written.  I would suggest you pick it up.

Thoughts on the parable of the lost sons - Context...

con-text

- noun

1.  the parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specific word or passage, usually influencing its meaning or effect: You have misinterpreted my remark because you took it out of context.

2.  the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc

---

When we want to go deeper in our understanding of Scripture one of the most important steps is to study the context.  Failure to do so can result in at best a limited understanding of what is being taught and at worst a complete misunderstanding.  It is important to try and understand what has been said both before and after the passage we are studying.  It is also important to know as much as we can about both the historical and literary context of the passage in question.  In this post, I hope to answer some of the questions of context when it comes to the parable of the lost sons.

When I read this parable the first thing I want to know is to whom Jesus is telling the parable.  This seems to be a fairly important question as there could be two or three different emphases to the parable depending on how this is answered.  In Luke 15:1 & 2 there are two groups of people mentioned; the tax collectors and sinners, and the Pharisees and the scribes.  If we come to the conclusion that Jesus is speaking to the tax collectors and sinners then we will most likely focus on the younger son and assume that Jesus is teaching the tax collectors and sinners about the grace and mercy of God the Father.  When we do this we will typically not know what to do with the elder son and just think his part of the story is either an afterthought or secondary.  On the other hand, if we come to the conclusion that Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees and the scribes we will more likely focus on the elder son.  We will do this because we will see that Jesus is telling the Pharisees and the scribes that they are like the elder son in that they cannot extend grace and mercy to the younger son who represents the tax collectors and sinners.  A third option would be that Jesus is speaking to both the tax collectors and the sinners and the Pharisees and the scribes.  If we come to this conclusion we would assume that Jesus has a message for both groups in the stories of the younger and elder sons.  So, which is it?

I think the key can be found in one word in Luke 15:2; the word grumbled.  The Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling about the fact that Jesus was defiling himself by hanging out and eating with the tax collectors and sinners.  In Luke 15:3 we see that Jesus told "them" a parable, well actually three parables.  Jesus had heard the grumblings of the Pharisees and the scribes and he answered them with the parables. We can also see evidence that Jesus was addressing the Pharisees and the scribes in Luke 16:14, which says that the Pharisees "heard all these things, and they ridiculed him."  In other words, the parable of the two lost sons, along with several other parables surrounding such, is sandwiched between the Pharisees grumbling and their ridiculing Jesus.  This should provide more than enough evidence to convince us that Jesus was speaking directly to the Pharisees and the scribes when he told the parable of the lost sons. 

Why is this important?  I think it adds weight to the argument that these parables were more of a warning than stories of what the Father is like.  I'll get into this more in future posts.

Another contextual issue that I think is important is that of the societal structure during the time of Jesus.  We who live in the Western world live very individualistic lives.  We don't really understand the communal nature of most of the rest of the world.  When we read this story through this individualistic lens we are going to miss much of what Jesus was saying.  The family dynamics during that time were such that in the story both sons brought shame to the Father.  This is an important factor that adds to the significance of the warning I spoke of above.  I'll go into details of this factor more in future posts.

The final contextual issue that I think is important to understanding this story is the significance of the two parables that precede the parable of the lost sons; that is the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin.  There is a strong connection between these three parables.  In all three, something was lost.  In all three, that which was lost is found.  In the first two parables, someone went to find and recover that which was lost.  This did not happen in the third parable and this is a very important factor, one that adds strength to my argument that these parables are more of a warning than they are stories of God's goodness and grace.  But, I'll save that for future posts...

Thoughts on the parable of the lost sons - Introduction...

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about and studying the parable of the lost sons over the past month or so.  This parable, which is usually referred to as the parable of the prodigal son, is found in Luke 15.  It has been called the gospel within the gospel and has been used countless times to paint a picture of grace for those of us who have ever gone astray.  It is a beautiful story.

My study, however, has helped me to see that the typical understanding and presentation of this story, while beautiful, falls short of what Jesus was intending to communicate.  I have now come to see that this story is as much of a warning as it is a story of grace.

I plan to take the next few posts and share some of the things I have learned.  Most of what I will be sharing has come from a book by Kenneth E. Bailey called The Cross & the Prodigal: Luke 15 Through the Eyes of Middle Eastern Peasants.  I've owned this book for some time but have just now read it.  A second book that I will draw from is called The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith, by Timothy Keller.   I also listened to a sermon series by Keller called The Prodigal God.  This sermon series tracks with the book.

My plan is to do five posts, including this introductory post.  The second post will be a discussion of the context of the story.  The third post will look at what we know about and learn from the younger son.  The fourth post will be a discussion of what we know about the father and what that teaches us about God.  The fifth and final post will look at the elder son, who is really the key to understanding what Jesus was saying.

I look forward to writing these posts and to our discussion as well.

ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church

ReJesus:A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church, is the latest offering by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch.  In this book Frost and Hirsch argue that the church in the West has lost her focus and direction and needs to recalibrate her mission around the person and work of King Jesus.  They do this by exploring the "connection between the way of Jesus and the religion of Christianity" (6).

When I am asked if I am a Christian I normally respond by asking the person to explain what they think a Christian is.  Almost without fail the answer I get is not the same as my understanding.  For example, in the United States, I often hear things like, "A Christian is a Republican," or, "A Christian is a person who hates gay people," or "A Christian is a person who is mean and judgmental" and various other not so flattering descriptives.  When I am overseas I hear things like, "A Christian is a pork eating, wine drinking, adulterer," if I am in the Muslim world, or, "A Christian is one of these," which is said while making the sign of the cross on their chest.  I honestly do not remember anyone ever answering my question with anything close to my understanding of what a Christian is; that is a person who follows the way of Jesus.

This is exactly what Frost and Hirsch seem to be suggesting in this book.  The church, at least in the West, has been taken captive by so many special interests and denominational superstar personalities that no one really knows what this thing we call Christianity is really all about anymore.  The answer, according to the authors, and I agree, is to return to our founder, to ReJesus the church.

When the called out ones (which is the meaning of the Greek word ekklesia which is translated church in our English Bibles) turn back to Jesus some very interesting things begin to happen.  First, the called out ones will follow the example of Jesus not some denominational founder or superstar.  The called out ones will also take back up the practice of equipping everyone to be ministers of the gospel instead of seeking to simply get people into pews.  The called out ones will also take on an outward focus of service instead of the consumeristic what's in this for me downward spiral that seems to have entrapped so many.  The called out ones will have a much broader understanding and experience of worship.  They will see it as a service to mission as all things are offered up to God, not just some songs.  The called out ones will practice the presence of Jesus in ways that are not performance based or legalistic but instead an "intense and private connection between a disciple and his or her heavenly Father" (182).  The called out ones will see the need for consistent re-evanglization so as to avoid the pitfall of becoming self-reliant and self-righteous.  In other words, the called out ones will continually remember the cross and what Jesus did for us so as to not slip into a false belief that it is our "pietism or our personal devotion that sets us free" 184).  The called out ones will "abandon its preference for good-manners piety and adopt again the kingdom values as taught by Jesus" (184).  Finally, the called out ones will devote themselves to scripture and the exercise of the spiritual gifts, for the purpose of building up and caring for each other.  (The points in this paragraph were taken from Chapter 7 - The Church That Jesus Built, pages 165 - 189)

I liked this book very much.  It is actually my favorite out of all the books that Frost and Hirsch have written, both as co-authors and individually.  My recommendation is this; if when you read the Bible you see a difference between the way of Jesus and the religion of Christianity, then buy the book and read it.  If you don't see a difference, then don't buy the book.

For additional reviews of this book go to the page dedicated to this book on The Ooze Viral Bloggers site.

A Theology as Big as the City

Bakke, Ray. 1997. A Theology as Big as the City. Downers Grove, IL. InterVarsity Press.

Ray Bakke is Chancellor and distinguished professor of global urban ministry at Bakke Graduate University in Seattle, Washington.  He founded International Urban Associates (IUA) in 1989.  IUA has developed and facilitated a network of more than 100 urban-based church and mission leaders in many of the largest cities of the world.  Bakke has extensive experience in urban ministry having worked in more than 200 large cities on six continents.  He has also authored The Urban Christian: Effective Ministry in Today's Urban World (InterVarsity, 1987).1

The thesis of this book is that the primary challenge of the church regarding the city is theological. (14)

Bakke takes 26 chapters to develop and defend his thesis.  In the first chapter, Bakke tells his story of how he was pushed and led into urban ministry.  Chapters 2 through 13 are an exegesis of a consistent Old Testament theme of the city.  In these chapters, Bakke discusses the role of the city in God’s mission to reconcile his creation.  Chapter 14 is a look at the role of the city in the intertestamental period.  Chapters 15 through 24 continue the exegesis of the city, but from a New Testament perspective.  Chapter 25 is committed to describing some of the author’s urban ministry heroes and heroines.  The final chapter is Bakke’s conclusion of his theology of the city and it includes a listing and description of ten tensions or themes that he sees as critical to a balanced approach to urban ministry.

I liked this book very much and believe that the author did an excellent job of defining and defending his thesis.  His personal storytelling style of writing evidences his extensive experience and adds great authority to the book.  This book was a paradigm shifter for me.  In particular, there are two different themes that I see having a major impact on my current ministry context.  First, the church must repent of its nationalistic tendencies.   Second, the missionary strategies of Paul were city oriented, which is something that I must learn to embrace as a sender.

In several chapters, Bakke addresses how our nationalistic tendencies are not a part of the plan of God.  He shows from the stories of Jonah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Ruth, the Jerusalem Council in Acts and several others that “the whole gospel for the whole city is what’s required” (100), not just for those who are like us.  He also points out that Stephen’s sermon, in Acts 7, seems to be focused on calling into question “Israel’s ethnocentrism and geographical patriotism” (141).  For this, Stephen was killed.  He then points out that many Americans are guilty of a similar thing by “wrapping the gospel in the U.S. flag” (141).  This type of ethnocentrism is nothing short of a sin against God and his plan to redeem all peoples.  We, the church, must repent of this if we are going to join in God’s plan.

In Chapter 19, Bakke outlines Paul’s urban missionary methods.  First, Paul always approached cities instead of rural areas.  The key is how Paul approached each city he went to.  Paul’s wisdom was in realizing that no two cities were the same.  Paul “varied the three m’s - the message, the meeting place and the methodology - to better reach the different audiences of those cities” (154).  We must learn to do the same.  We must learn to seek where the Holy Spirit is already at work in a particular context and then design our strategies around such.  Paul’s methods show that this is both an acceptable and effective approach to finishing the task.

1 Board of Regents - BGU.edu - Bakke Graduate University. http://www.bgu.edu/profiles/regents (accessed February 14, 2009).

Good to Great

Collins, Jim. 2001. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don’t.  New York, NY. HarperCollins Publishers.

Jim Collins researches great companies to learn how they grow.  He takes what he learns and teaches good companies how to become great companies.  He has written and co-written four books including Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, which he co-wrote with Jerry I. Porras.  Collins holds degrees in business administration and mathematical sciences from Stanford University, and honorary doctoral degrees from the University of Colorado and the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. 1

The thesis of this book is that “almost any organization can substantially improve its stature and performance, perhaps even become great, if it conscientiously applies the framework of ideas” (5) presented in the book.

Collins takes nine chapters to develop and defend his thesis.  Chapter 1 is an introduction to the thesis of the book along with a description of the research process followed by Collins and his staff.  The next seven chapters each discuss one of the key concepts Collins presents as key to going from good to great.  These concepts are, Level 5 Leadership, First Who...Then What, Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith), The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles, A Culture of Discipline, Technology Accelerators and The Flywheel and the Doom Loop.   In the final chapter, From Good to Great to Built to Last, Collins links the findings from this present book to his findings from his previous book, Built to Last.

I liked this book and believe that Collins did a good job of developing and defending his thesis.  I feel that  Built to Last provided more practical applications than Good to Great, but Collins’ discussion in the last chapter of how the two studies go together and how Good to Great is like a prequel to Built to Last helped provide some synthesis and overlap between the books.

I am reading from a non-profit, ministry context.  I found solid concepts in each chapter that will help me in my leadership.  There were two, however, that stood out to me above all others.  There were Level 5 Leadership and Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith).

Level 5 Leadership describes several characteristics of great leaders.  Level 5 leaders are “a paradoxical mix of personal humility and professional will” (39).  They are driven to achieve great things beyond themselves and are able to put the goals of the company, or ministry, above their own personal goals.  They are also able to accept the blame when things go wrong.  The key, in my opinion, to being a Level 5 Leader is humility.  As I read this chapter I was drawn to Matthew 20:20-28, where Jesus discusses with his disciples the practice of servant leadership.  We must learn to lead through humility.  This will result in great things.

Collins discusses what he calls the Stockdale Paradox in Chapter 4.  The Stockdale Paradox requires a leader to “retain absolute faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, AND at the same time confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be” (88).  This concept speaks of bravery and perseverance.  It speaks of an ability to confront issues head on and get to the root cause without wavering from fear.  It reminds me again of Jesus’ teaching his disciples to persevere in the face of persecution (see Matthew 24:3-14).  Strong leaders and ministries must do the same.  This is both our calling and the example we have been given.

1 Jim Collins “Biography,” http://www.jimcollins.com/bio/index.html (accessed March 8, 2009).

The Starfish and the Spider

Brafman, Ori and Rod A Beckstrom. 2006. The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations. New York, NY. Penguin Group.

Ori Brafman holds a BA in peace and conflict studies from the University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from Stanford Business School.  He is an entrepreneur who has founded a wireless start-up, a health-food advocacy group and a group of CEOs working on public benefit projects.  Rod A Beckstrom holds a BA and an MBA from Stanford and was a Fulbright Scholar.  He is also an entrepreneur and founded CATS Software, Inc., which he took public.  He has also helped start and build other high-tech firms. (book jacket) 

The thesis of this book is that organizations that are decentralized and organic in nature have a competitive advantage over those that are centralized with top-down leadership because the “harder you fight a decentralized opponent, the stronger it gets” (26).

Brafman and Beckstrom take nine chapters to develop and defend their thesis.  Central to the book is their description of the fundamental nature of the starfish and the spider.  The starfish  is a decentralized “network of cells” (35) which means that when an arm is cut off a new one grows in its place.  In fact, in some species of starfish the arm that is cut off actually becomes a new starfish.  The spider, on the other hand, represents a centralized organism with a body and a head.  If the head is cut off, the spider dies.  Each chapter deals with a different aspect of decentralized organizations including the hidden power of catalytic leadership and hybrid organizations.  The authors conclude the book with 10 Rules of operating in this new and exciting era of decentralization.

I liked this book very much and believe the authors did a very good job of developing and defending their thesis.  I am drawn to the concept of decentralization as I believe it is a key to seeing the church spread throughout the world, especially in unreached areas.  In particular, I appreciated the authors’ discussion of catalytic leadership and hybrid organizations.

A key for a catalytic leader is “letting go and trusting the community” (111).  A catalytic leader knows that what the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu said is true: “A leader is best when people barely know that he exists; not so good when people obey and acclaim him; worst when they despise him” (115).  In other words, a catalytic leader understands that he or she leads by example and that true leadership happens when followers are given ownership in the outcome.  I am currently in the process of re-writing the Mission Policy for our ministry.  I will be setting up a secure, online discussion board for our missionaries.  My goal is to let the missionaries write the new policy.  They will be given the old policy in segments and asked for input in what works and what doesn’t, thereby giving them ownership in the process.

After reading this book, I am now seeking to develop our mission department into a hybrid organization.  In the past we have been top-down and centralized.  This has resulted in too many rules which has restricted the creative talents of our missionaries.  I am now seeking to instill the vision of each missionary team being an autonomous entity that is responsible for reaching the unreached people group to which God has sent them.  They are the ones who will make it happen, not our central office.  My role is to act as a catalyst by releasing each team to pursue God’s plan to reach their specific people group thereby decentralizing our efforts.  It is my belief that this will result in the decentralized DNA that is necessary to reach entire people groups.

Built to Last

Collins, Jim, and Jerry I. Porras. 1994. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies.  New York, NY. HarperCollins Publishers.

Jim Collins researches great companies to learn how they grow.  He takes what he learns and teaches good companies how to become great companies.  He has written and co-written four books including his latest, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … And Others Don’t, which has been translated into 35 languages with more than 3 million copies sold.1    Jerry I. Porras is the Lane Professor of Organizational Behavior and Change, Emeritus, at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.  His focus has been the study of how companies pursue “their purpose and core values to produce lasting high performance” (back book jacket).

The thesis of this book is that the primary success of visionary companies is “from underlying processes and fundamental dynamics embedded in the organization and not primarily the result of a single great idea or some great, all-knowing, godlike visionary who made great decisions, had great charisma, and led with great authority” (41).

Collins and Porras use eleven chapters to develop and defend their thesis.  Their methodology includes the comparison of eighteen visionary companies with eighteen good companies seeking to discover those factors that differentiate between visionary and simply good.   The first two chapters introduce the companies studied and the methodology of the study.  The remaining chapters each discuss a different factor that makes a company visionary.

I liked this book very much and believe that Collins and Porras did a very good job of defending their thesis.  My interest lies in the development of a visionary ministry not in a visionary company.  That being said I believe that most, if not all of the principles discussed in the book have application for ministry.  In particular, I found two principles to be significant paradigm shifters in my ministry.

First, Collins and Porras discussed the concept of the Genius of the AND. (43-45)  Most good companies are trapped by what is called the Tyranny of the OR, which is “the rational view that cannot easily accept paradox, that cannot live with two seemingly contradictory forces or ideas at the same time” (43).  Visionary companies figure out how to do both A and B instead of believing that a choice needs to be made.  I see one example of this being played out in our ministry in countries closed to the gospel.  The Tyranny of the OR would force us to choose between security and aggressiveness.  A visionary ministry, on the other hand, will figure out how to excel in both areas.

Second, the authors discussed in Chapter 5 the concept of Big Hairy Audacious Goals, which are defined as goals that are “clear and compelling and [serve] as a unifying focal point of effort - often creating immense team spirit” (94).  Big Hairy Audacious Goals are bigger than life.  They call for risk-taking and creativity.  For our ministry, the Big Hairy Audacious Goals are seeing an entire unreached people group reached with the gospel of King Jesus.  This is truly a daunting task, especially in the areas we work.  As a leader of missionary teams I must help my missionaries fight the tendency to focus on seeing individuals come to faith in Christ, which is not a significant enough of a goal to get the task done.  I must keep the Big Hairy Audacious Goal of the pursuit of people movements constantly at the forefront of my leadership.

1. Jim Collins “Biography,” http://www.jimcollins.com/bio/index.html (accessed February 8, 2009).

Thoughts on Christendom, by Frost and Hirsch...

We must admit that Christendom, particularly its ecclesiological and its missiological manifestations, amounts to something of a failed experiment.  To reiterate, by the term Christendom, we are referring to a period in history when the church assumed influence by its connection to temporal, secular power.  Its high watermark occurred in the Middle Ages and continued beyond the Reformation well into the 1700s.  Since the emergence of the Enlightenment it has been in decline, disappearing in the latter part of the twentieth century.  It is time to move on and find a new mode of understanding and engagement with surrounding contexts.  We can no longer afford our historical sentimentality, even addiction, to the past.  Christendom is not the biblical mode of the church.  It was/is merely one way in which the church has conceived of itself.  In enshrining it as the sole form of the church, we have made it into an idol that has captivated our imaginations and enslaved us to a historical-cultural expression of the church.  We have not answered the challenges of our time precisely because we refuse to let go of the idol.  This must change!  The answer to the problem of mission in the West requires something far more radical than reworking a dated and untenable model.  It will require that we adopt something that looks far mare like the early church in terms of its conception of the church (ecclesiology) and its core task in the world (missiology).

From The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church, by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, page 15.

More from Dr. King...

American Christians, I must say to you what I wrote to the Roman Christians years ago: "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind."  You have a duel citizenry.  You live both in time and eternity.  Your highest loyalty is to God, and not to the mores or the folkways, the state or the nation, or any man-made institution.  If any earthly institution or custom conflicts with God's will, it is your Christian duty to oppose it.  You must never allow the transitory, evanescent demands of man-made institutions to take precedence over the eternal demands of the Almighty God.  In a time when men are surrendering the high values of the faith you must cling to them, and despite the pressure of an alien generation preserve them for children yet unborn.  You must be willing to challenge unjust mores, to champion unpopular causes, and to buck the status quo.  You are called to be the salt of the earth.  You are to be the light of the world.  You are to be that vitally active leaven in the lump of the nation.

- from Strength to Love, by Martin Luther King, Jr. (pages 138 & 139)  This sermon was written as an imaginary Pauline epistle to the American church...

A word from Dr. King...

Every true Christian is a citizen of two worlds, the world of time and the world of eternity.  We are, paradoxically, in the world and yet not of the world.  To the Philippian Christians, Paul wrote, "We are a colony of heaven."  They understood what he meant, for their city of Philippi was a Roman colony.  When Rome wished to Romanize a province, she established a small colony of people who lived by Roman law and Roman customs and who, though in another country, held fast to their Roman allegiance.  This powerful, creative minority spread the gospel of Roman culture.  Although the analogy is imperfect - the Roman settlers lived within a framework of injustice and exploitation, that is, colonialism - the Apostle does point to the responsibility of Christians to imbue an unchristian world with the ideals of a higher and more noble order.  Living in the colony of time, we are ultimately responsible to the empire of eternity.  As Christians we must never surrender our supreme loyalty to any time-bound custom or earth-bound idea, for at the heart of our universe is a higher reality - God and his kingdom of love - to which we must be conformed.

- from Strength to Love, by Martin Luther King, Jr. (page 22)

Christianity with power?

I was having lunch with one of my mentors earlier this week.  The topic of healing and the supernatural came up.  I asked him why he thought we did not see these types of things in western culture.  We came to the conclusion that is was primarily a worldview issue.

My mentor spent time as a missionary in Venezuela.  He said he saw things there, things that can only be explained as the work of God.  I have seen similar things in India and other places.  When this first started to happen, I was not sure what to think.  I was seeing things that challenged my deep understanding and prior experiences.  I could not deny, however, what I was experiencing and that took me to the Bible.

My denominational heritage was influenced by cessationist dispensationalism, meaning I had been taught that the charismatic gifts of the Spirit, such as healing, tongues and prophecy, had either stopped with the death of the original disciples of Jesus or were only seen in places where the gospel has not been heard.  This is the deep understanding that was being challenged by what I was now experiencing in India and other places.   

As I went to the  Bible I could find no evidence that God had stopped working in these ways.  I saw Paul teaching the early church to have orderly worship and how he expected all of these things to be a part of the body (1 Corinthians 14:39-40).  I saw James teaching that when someone was sick, we should call the elders and pray for healing (James 5:14-15).  These references are just two of many I could share.  I just could not find any evidence that God would cease working in the supernatural.

I received an email from a blog reader last November.  She asked these questions:

If we serve the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob and He is the same God why don't we see more of His awesome power in our lives and those who call themselves by Christian?  Is He a great God or not?  Got an answer?

I never answered her questions.   I did not know what to say.

After my conversation with my mentor earlier this week, I remembered having purchased a book last summer.  I had never read it and had to look for it on my bookshelf.  I found it:  Christianity with Power: Your Worldview and Your Experience of the Supernatural, by Charles H. Kraft.  Kraft is Sun-Hee Kwak Professor of Anthropology and Intercultural Communication at Fuller Theological Seminary.  I am a Fuller student.  I have not had a class with Dr. Kraft, but hope to in the future.

I have decided to blog through this book.  I will read a chapter and post my thoughts and questions.  As I post, perhaps we can all learn and have our worldview stretched.  I want all that is available to me as a follower of Jesus.  If my worldview is keeping me from something, then I want that worldview to be shattered.  What about you?

Chapter 6: Building in Troublous Times (1854)...

Taylor arrived in Shanghai with no one to meet him and no where to go.  He found his way to an already established missionary compound and they allowed him to stay.  He spent the next few months studying Mandarin and working to establish the new base for the Chinese Evangelization Society (CES).  He was under-funded and ill-prepared.  A few months in, he learned that the CES was sending another missionary family.  Taylor was responsible for making preparations for their arrival.  These were difficult days for Taylor; days that caused him to press into the Lord.

One cannot but be impressed in reading the letters of this period with the sacred ambition of Hudson Taylor's prayers; a subject worth pondering, if it is true that prayer, not circumstances, moulds the life, and that as are our deepest desires before God so will the trend of our outward experiences be.  Certainly nothing is more significant in the life before us than the longing for usefulness and likeness to the Lord he loved.  Not honour or success, but usefulness, widespread usefulness, was his constant prayer. 

His prayers were indeed to be answered beyond anything he asked or thought; but he must pray with yet fuller meaning, and go through with all the training needed at the Master's hands.  The iron must be tempered to steel, and his heart made stronger and more tender than others, through having loved and suffered more, with God.  He was pioneering a way in China, little as he or anyone else could imagine it, for hundreds who were to follow.  Every burden must be his, every trial known as only experience can teach it.  He who was to be used of God to dry so many tears, must himself weep.  He who was to encourage thousands in a life of childlike trust, must learn in his own case deep lessons of a Father's loving care.  So difficulties were permitted to gather about him, especially at first when every impression was vivid and lasting, difficulties attended by many a deliverance to encourage him.

As much of his usefulness later on was to consist in helping and providing for young missionaries, it is not to be wondered at that a large part of his preparation at this time had to do with financial matters and the unintentional mismanagement of the home Committee.  He had to learn how to do and how not to do for those who on the human side would be dependent on him; a lesson of vital importance, lying at the very foundation of his future work.  Hence all this trial about a small, settled income and large uncertain needs; about irregularity of mails and long-unanswered letters; about rapidly changing opportunities of service on the field, and the slow moving ideas and inaccessibility of Committees at home.  He did his best, and the inexperienced Secretaries in London did their best also.  But something, somehow, was wanting; and just what it was Hudson Taylor had to discover, and later on to remedy.  The iron was entering into his very soul; but from this long endurance was to spring heart's ease for many another.  (page 74)

I continue to be amazed by Taylor.  I also sense an emerging kindredship with this great man of God, as I, too, have been called to start a new work.  Not that I am anywhere near his stature in the Kingdom, but, oh how I long to listen and learn from his life...

Taking the Lord's name in vain...

I hate it when a director feels the need to fill their movie with the disrespectful and profane use of God's name.  That particular combination of words makes me cringe, probably more than any other.   I once had a boss who used this phrase in almost every other sentence.  It was so hard to be around that guy. 

You shall not take the name of the LORD you God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.  Exodus 20:7

The third commandment; right behind no other gods and carved images.  Given that context, surely God had more in mind than the Hebrew people's use of salty language.  Surely this is more than just a command to watch my mouth.

My good friend, John Willis Zumwalt, in his book, Passion for the Heart of God: Making His Heart Completely Yours, puts it like this:

"Don't cuss...it's vulgar, and besides you shouldn't take the Lord's name in vain," a thousand mothers have screamed...and then threatened a bar of soap.  If that were all there was to it, then we would have already mastered this original member of the Ten Commandments.

As a Christian (which really means a "little Christ" or a "little anointed one"), this becomes a troubling issue.  Much like marriage, the two are becoming one: Jesus and me.  When people see me, they see all they know of Christ.  I am the human representative of Christ, much like an ambassador.  But more than that, He lives in me, and I am His body - His hands and His feet.

Rev. Hal Perkins, my friend and former pastor, explained it to me this way; "The Lord's Name is His nature and character.  When we take His Name, we take His nature, His character, as our identity."  It is not so much that we need to put on a show for the world, but that the world will honor or despise the Name of Jesus because of our lives.  If we claim to know Him, yet persist in sin and self-rule, Christ is shamed, and we have taken the Name of the Lord in vain.  However, if we walk in the Spirit and live a life of His love and His holiness, then His Name is known and honored everywhere. (page 4)

I think John has it right.  The key words in the third commandment are take, name and vain.  Take, in this verse, means to lift up, to bear or carry, to support or sustain.  I think carry and sustain fit best, in this context.  Name means reputation, fame and glory.  I like all of those meanings.  Vain means emptiness, nothingness or worthlessness.  Again, all of those fit this context very well.  So, we could say that the third commandment means something like this:

Do not carry or sustain the reputation, fame and glory of God in emptiness, nothingness or worthlessness...

In other words, who we are is just as important, if not more so, than who we say we are.

Have you ever noticed the last half of the third commandment?  I think we would rather ignore this part.

...for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

Reminds me of Jesus' words in the sermon on the mount:

Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?" And then will I declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."  Matthew 7:21-23

What we do with our confession of Jesus is very important.  We are his ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20).  Who we are, not just who we say we are, has eternal implications.  Is it enough to make the claim that Jesus is Lord, but never live as if he is?  Is it enough to give mental ascent to the right doctrine?  Is it enough to take a stand for what is right?  Is it enough to give lip service to the mandate to make disciples of all nations but then never actively do anything to do so?

These are questions we all need to ask.  I do not recall ever having said the type of words referred to in the opening paragraph of this post.  I am quite sure, however, that this does not exempt me from the warning at the end of the third commandment and in the sermon on the mount. 

Father, help me to know and to do your will...

Chapter 5: China at Last (1853-1854)...

My dear friend Marty leaves for China tomorrow.  This Hudson Taylor post is dedicated to his mother.  It is worth it...

---

Hudson Taylor was finally leaving for China.  He sailed on a double-masted ship called the Dumfries.  The voyage would take almost six months. 

It was difficult for Taylor to leave his mother behind.  It was, perhaps, even more difficult for his mother.  Hudson writes of his feelings surrounding this goodbye:

My beloved mother had come over to Liverpool to see me off.  Never shall I forget that day, nor how she went with me into the cabin that was to be my home for nearly six long months.  With a mother's loving hand she smoothed the little bed.  She sat by my side and joined in the last hymn we should sing together before parting.  We knelt down and she prayed - the last mother's prayer I was to hear before leaving for China.  Then notice was given that we must separate, and we had to say good-bye, never expecting to meet on earth again.

For my sake she restrained her feelings as much as possible.  We parted, and she went ashore giving me her blessing.  I stood alone on deck, and she followed the ship as we moved toward the dock-gates.  As we passed through the gates and the separation really commenced, never shall I forget the cry of anguish wrung from that mother's heart.  It went through me like a knife.  I never knew so fully, until then, what "God so loved the world" meant.  And I am quite sure my precious mother learned more of the love of God for the perishing in that one hour than in all her life before.

Oh how it must grieve the heart of God when He sees His children indifferent to the needs of that wide world for which His beloved, His only Son suffered and died.

I see a lot of Hudson Taylor in Marty.  Today, I stood with Marty and blessed him.  I gave him a holy kiss and thanked him for going.  I reminded him that is was truly worth it.  Go, my friend.  Go, and may the kingdom follow your steps...

Chapter 4: The Lord Will Provide (1852-1853)...

Chapter 3 ended with Taylor making the decision to move to London to pursue additional medical training.  His desire was to use medicine as a tool to open doors for the gospel once he went to China.  Having made the decision to go to London, Taylor now was concerned with how to support himself while there.  The following is an excerpt from his journal on how he made the decision to trust God to meet all of his needs:

I felt that I could not go to China without having still further developed and tested my power to rest upon His faithfulness; and a marked opportunity for doing so was providentially afforded me.

My father had offered to bear all the expense of my stay in London.  I knew, however, that, owing to recent losses, it would mean a considerable sacrifice for him to undertake this just when it seemed necessary for me to go forward.  I had recently become acquainted with the Committee of the Chinese Evangelization Society, in connection with which I ultimately left for China.  Not knowing of my father's proposition, the Committee also kindly offered to bear my expenses while in London.  When these proposals were first made to me, I was not quite clear as to what I ought to do, and in writing to my father and the secretaries, told them that I would take a few days to pray about the matter before deciding any course of action.  I mentioned to my father that I had had this offer from the Society, and told the secretaries also of his proffered aid.

Subsequently, while waiting upon God in prayer for guidance, it became clear to my mind that I could without difficulty decline both offers.  The secretaries of the Society would not know that I had cast myself wholly on God for supplies, and my father would conclude that I had accepted the other offer.  I therefore wrote declining both, and felt that without anyone having either care or anxiety on my account I was simply in the hands of God, and that He who knew my heart, if He wished to encourage me to go to China, would bless my effort to depend upon Him alone at home.

Simply amazing.  Taylor sensed that he was going to need to draw deep from God while in China.  To prepare for this, he did what most would say was irresponsible.  How many of us would see two offers as God's confirmation of what we were doing and then choose the best deal?  Oh, to have the kind of faith and desire to go deep in my dependence on God.

Taylor went to London and God did provide for his every need.  During his training, however, he became very sick and nearly died.  He had to go back home to recover, which put his medical training on hold.  This led Taylor to decide not to pursue the medical training and to go to China as soon as possible.  Taylor did not know how this would happen, but God was at work. 

Great things were happening in China.  There was a revolution underway and the leader had been exposed to Christianity.  Many who had an interest in the evangelization of China believed that the doors were about to be wide open for the gospel.  In response to this excitement, the Committee of the Chinese Evangelization Society decided to start sending missionaries, fully trained or not.  Taylor was one of their choices.  The following letter was sent to Hudson Taylor in June of 1853:

17 Red Lion Square
June 4, 1853

My Dear Sir,

As you have fully made up your mind to go to China, and also not to qualify as a surgeon, I would affectionately suggest that you lose no time in preparing to start.  At this time we want really devoted men, and I believe your heart is right before God and your motives pure, so that you need not hesitate in offering.

I think you will find a difficulty in carrying out your plan (of self-support), as even Mr. Lobscheid could not get a free passage.  It is a very difficult thing to obtain.  The expense for a single man is about £60.  Might not the time you want to spend in acquiring a knowledge of Ophthalmics be spent more profitably in China?

If you think it right to offer yourself, I shall be most happy to lay your application before the Board.  It is an important step, and much earnest prayer is needed.  But guidance will be given.  Do all with thy might, and speedily.

I am, my dear sir, very truly yours,

Charles Bird

Hudson Taylor was on his way to China...

 

1-2-3 Meme...

Brother Maynard recently tagged the whole internet in a meme that is swarming...

Not wanting to be Left Behind, here is my entry. 

Here are the rules:

Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more.  No cheating!
Find Page 123.
Find the first 5 sentences.
Post the next 3 sentences.
Tag 5 people.

The book that is nearest to me on my desk is High Adventure in Tibet: The Life and Labors of Pioneer Missionary Victor Plymire, by David V. Plymire.  I just started reading this because my friend is going to Tibet later this year.  Here are the sentences that I get to post...

If he gave up, a large area of Tibet would never receive the Christian message.  Many Tibetans for whom Christ died would never know of salvation by grace.  Once more at the crossroads, the missionary did what he had so often done before: he asked God to make it clear which road he should take.

Now, to the following, consider yourself tagged...

Kimberly
Tamara
Billy
JR
Berit

Chapter 3: From Faith to Faith (1851-1852)...

There are some amazing stories in this chapter; too many to share.  There is one, however, that stood out from the rest, at least for now.  I might post some more later.  Anyway, Taylor was living in Hull, receiving some medical training by working for a surgeon.  He had learned all he could and was beginning to get restless.  He wanted to go to London, believing that this was the next step in his preparation for China, however, circumstances seemed to stand in his way.  He could not find a job in London and he had no place to stay with only a handful of friends to even impose upon.  He strongly believed he should go, but could not see how it would work.  It is in this position of uncertainty that he wrote the following in a letter to his mother:

With regard to London, I began prayerfully to consider why I desired to take the step contemplated; and I believe my only object is that I may be enabled to serve the Lord better and be more useful in the advancement of His Kingdom.  This step I have every ground for thinking will be a valuable preparation for China.  Then why do I not take it?  Simply because I am in doubt about the wherewithal.  If my earthly father had offered to send me five or ten pounds in case of need, I should have resigned my position here without hesitation.  How much more should I go forward trusting in Him who says: "Take no thought, saying, 'What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?...Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.'  Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed."

To go on depending on circumstances seems to me like doubting the Lord.  Consequently I gave notice to Dr. Hardey on Saturday last, and shall go up to London whether I obtain a situation or not, trusting in the Lord.  I have heard of one today and shall write about it, though I do not think it will suit me on account of distance from the hospital.  As to getting a salary, that is quite out of the question.  If I can find a position that will allow six or eight hours a day for lectures, that is all I can expect.

Why was Taylor able to make this decision, even though circumstances suggested he should not?  Because he believed God's word.  That is the simple and only explanation.  It wasn't irresponsible for Taylor to move to London.  It was a step of faith, based on the word of God.  Father, help me to learn this lesson, again and again...

Chapter 2: The New Starting Point (1850-1851)...

There were two things that spoke to me in this chapter.  First, Taylor knew he was going to face difficulties in going to China.  He was single.  His denomination, the Methodists, did not have any work in China.  He had no money.  In the midst of these barriers Taylor maintained a faith in the God of the impossible.  He wrote in a letter to his sister:

I have not, as you know, the slightest idea how I shall go.  But this I know, I shall go, either alone or married.  I know God has called me to the work, and He will provide the means.

But who is to send me?  The Wesleyans have no station in China.  The Established Church have one or two, but I am not a Churchman, and would not do for them.  The Baptists and Independents have stations there, but I do not hold their views.  The Chinese Association is very low in funds.  So God and God alone is my hope, and I need no other.

The second is Taylor's pursuit of the Chinese language.  He had neither the funds to pay for a tutor nor the books from which to study.  All he had was a copy of the Gospel of Luke in Mandarin Chinese.  This excerpt from a letter to his sister Amelia explains how he was learning the language:

We find a short verse in the English version, and then look out a dozen or more (also in English) that have one word in common with it.  We then turn up the first verse in Chinese, and search through all the others for some character in common that seems to stand for the English word.  This we write down on a slip of paper as its probable equivalent.  Then we look all through the Chinese Gospel for this same character in different connections.  It occurs as a rule pretty frequently.  And if in every case we find the same word in the English version, we copy the character in ink into our dictionary, adding the meaning in pencil.  Afterwards, if further acquaintance shows it to be the true meaning, we ink that over also.  At first we made slow progress, but now we can work much faster, as with few exceptions we know all the most common characters.

I have begun to get up at five in the morning, and so find it necessary to go to bed early at night.  I must study if I mean to go to China.  I am fully decided to go, and am making every preparation I can.  I intend to rub up my Latin, to learn Greek and the rudiments of Hebrew, and to get as much general information as possible.

This put me to shame.  I have been studying Mandarin Chinese for three or four years now, and I have RosettaStone and all kinds of books and Chinese friends.  I have never had the devotion that Taylor had.  I pray that this will change...

Chapter 1: Set Apart Unto the Lord...

My favorite part of Chapter 1 was Hudson Taylor's testimony of his conversion, taken from his journal.  I will share it in full here:

My mother being absent from home, I had a holiday, and in the afternoon looked through my father's library to find some book with which to while away the unoccupied hours.  Nothing attracting me, I turned over a basket of pamphlets and selected from amongst them a Gospel tract that looked interesting, saying to myself, "There will be a story at the commencement and a sermon or moral at the close.  I will take the former and leave the latter for those who like it."

I sat down to read the book in an utterly unconcerned state of mind, believing indeed at the time that if there were any salvation it was not for me, and with a distinct intention to put away the tract as soon as it should seem prosy.

Little did I know at the time what was going on in the heart of my mother, seventy or eighty miles away.  She rose from the dinner table that afternoon with an intense yearning for the conversion of her boy; and feeling that, absent from home and having more leisure than she could otherwise secure, a special opportunity was afforded her of pleading with God on my behalf.  She went to her room and turned the key in the door, resolved not to leave the spot until her prayers were answered.  Hour after hour that dear mother pleaded, until at length she could pray no longer, but was constrained to praise God for that which His Spirit taught her had already been accomplished, the conversion of her only son.

I in the meantime had been led in the way I have mentioned to take up this little tract, and while reading it was struck with the phrase: "The finished work of Christ."

"Why does the author use this expression?" I questioned.  "Why not say the atoning or propitiatory work of Christ?"

Immediately the words "It is finished" suggested themselves to my mind.

"What was finished?"

And I at once replied, "A full and perfect atonement and satisfaction for sin.  The debt was paid for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

Then came the further thought, "If the whole work was finished and the whole debt paid, what is there left for me to do?"

And with this dawned the joyful conviction, as light was flashed into my soul by the Holy Spirit, that there was nothing in the world to be done but to fall down on one's knees and, accepting this Saviour and His salvation, praise Him for evermore.

Thus while my mother was praising God on her knees in her chamber, I was praising Him in the old warehouse to which I had gone alone to read at my leisure this little book.

Several days elapsed before I ventured to make even my sister the confidante of my joy, and then only after she had promised not to tell anyone.  When Mother returned a fortnight later I was the first to meet her at the door and to tell her I had such glad news to give.  I can almost feel that dear mother's arms round my neck as she said,

"I know, my boy."

"Why," I asked in surprise, "has Amelia broken her promise?  She said she would tell no one."

My mother assured me that it was not from any human source she had learned the tidings, and went on to tell the incident mentioned above.  You will agree with me that it would be strange indeed if I were not a believer in the power of prayer.

Nor was this all.  Some time after, I picked up a pocket-book exactly like my own and, thinking it was mine, opened it.  The lines that caught my eye were an entry in the little diary belonging to my sister, to the effect that she would give herself daily to prayer until God should answer in the conversion of her brother.  One month later the Lord was pleased to turn me from darkness to light.

Brought up in such a circle and saved in such circumstances, it was perhaps natural that from the commencement of my Christian life I was led to feel that the promises were very real, and that prayer was in sober matter of fact transacting business with God, whether on one's own behalf or on the behalf of those for whom one sought His blessing.

To have that kind of grasp on prayer...

J. Hudson Taylor: God's Man in China

One of my mights for the new year was to read more biographies.  This past Friday, a missionary couple that Every Nation is sending to China dropped off a box of books for me to hold until they return in three years.  I rummaged through the box to see what they had that I might want to read and found J. Hudson Taylor: God's Man in China, by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor.

I had recently been told that I would love Hudson Taylor because he was the kind of man who was willing to push the limits of conventional wisdom all for the purpose of advancing God's kingdom.  Sounds like my kind of guy.

All of this to say, I plan to read this biography and I plan to post an excerpt or quote or comment from each chapter.  Hope you don't mind...

 

Good cop/bad cop…

Page 186 of The Shack has a conversation between Mack and God that beautifully captures something so many of us struggle with.  For a little setup, let me share who Mack is from the back cover of the book:

Mackenzie Allen Phillips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon Wilderness.  Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare.  What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

The conversation begins with Mack…

But I always liked Jesus better than you.  He seemed so gracious and you seemed so…

Mean?  Sad, isn't it?  He came to show people who I am and most folks only believe it about him.  They still play us off like good cop/bad cop most of the time, especially the religious folk.  When they want people to do what they think is right, they need a stern God.  When they need forgiveness, they run to Jesus.

Exactly, Mack said with a point of his finger.

But we were all in him.  He reflected my heart exactly.  I love you and invite you to love me.

But why me?  I mean, why Mackenzie Allen Phillips?  Why do you love someone who is such a screw-up?  After all the things I've felt in my heart toward you and all the accusations I made, why would you even bother to keep trying to get through to me?

Because that is what love does…

I'll stop there, but know that the rest of God's answer is beautiful.

Don't we do this?  Don't we think of Jesus and God as good cop/bad cop?  I know that I did, and still do from time to time.  This mentality leads us to a performance based walk with God, in which we seek to impress God with our good behavior.   We constantly seek God's approval.  We live defeated lives because we are such screw-ups and we don't really believe that God could love someone like us.  Anyone relate?

Breaking through this lie is, to me, the first and greatest step in our spiritual growth as disciples.  For us to walk in freedom, we must believe that there is not one thing that we can do, say, not do or not say that will cause God's love for us to change.  We cannot cause God to love us more than he already does.  We cannot cause God to love us less than he already does.  God's love for us never changes.  What changes is our belief about God's love for us.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)

The Shack...

I finished reading The Shack this morning.  I really liked it.  I am not going to do a review, as there are several good ones already out in the blogosphere; like here.  Go here for an interview with the author.

Matt, my friend who gave me the book, has arranged for me to have a cup of coffee with the author later this month.  I am looking forward to meeting him.

I am also going to try and organize a weekend reading by the 8-10 of us in the faith community I do life with.  I hope for us to sneak off to some hole-in-the-wall retreat center and read through the book together; out loud.  I think it would do us all some good.

I am recommending that you read this book.  I am recommending that you read it as it was meant to be read; a conversation starter.  It was not meant to be a theological textbook.  It was meant to challenge many of our deeply rooted assumptions about God, God's love for us and how we relate to God.  Read it, let it speak to you and then take the questions it raises to God...

Tribal Leader Joe...

I have another question from a good friend.  She asked this question:

This is completely "out of the blue", I know, but I seem to be working in that fashion lately...  I have this question that I am trying to answer about what I believe...it is...what if someone dies who has NEVER had the opportunity to hear the name of Jesus?  This is sad...but I have not given that much thought really until recently.  I know we are to go unto all the earth...I get that...but what if between now and then...Tribal Leader Joe out in the middle of nowhere land who has never heard the name of Jesus dies?  I am not sure what I think about this?  Part of me knows that everyone in some way has the opportunity to know God...whether through seeing creation and such...but how do they hear about Jesus...dreams...yes???  Okay...I know you all have a million things going on so just when you have a chance to share your thoughts.  Thanks! 

The following is my quickly drafted reply as I was on my way to China the next day.  Let me know your thoughts on my answer...

I think the first thing I think when asked this question is something like this:

"Hey, where is Tribal Leader Joe?  Let's go find him and tell him!"

I guess that is just the missionary in me.  But, it is a real question and one that most of us have wrestled with.  So, here is my take.

First, I think the Bible is very clear that Jesus is the only way to the Father:

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  John 14:6

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Even for the folks in the Old Testament, faith in Jesus was the only way to the Father:

Just as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." Galatians 3:6  (see the rest of chapter 3 for Paul's discussion on what Abraham's faith was in; the promised seed of Genesis 12:3)

Faith that leads to righteousness has always been in and though Jesus.

So, what about those who have never heard?

Well, some would suggest that a positive move toward a supreme being is enough.  This might be called general revelation.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made... Romans 1:18-20

God has revealed who he is to all of creation.  Yet, verse 20 concludes like this: 

So they are without excuse. Romans 1:20 

And, verses 21-23 go on as follows: 

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

So, general revelation is not enough.  Everyone knows there is an eternal, all-powerful God, even if they won't admit it or deny it.  Because we have ALL denied it, God is justified in his eternal wrath.

OK, what about some other way besides having Jesus preached to the man in the jungle?  This might be called special revelation.  A definition of special revelation would be:

God's communication of himself at specific times in specific ways with specific truths in order to reconcile specific individuals and communities with himself. (The Revelation of God Among the Unevangelized: by Christopher Little - page 47 - I would suggest you purchase book if you want to dig a little deeper.)

Some examples of God revealing himself in a special way, for the sake of salvation, are:  Eve - Genesis 3:15; Abraham - Genesis 12:1-3; Paul - Acts 9:1-9; and I'm sure there are others, but probably not very many.  I have met Muslims who have had dreams in which Jesus appeared to them and said to follow him, not Muhammad.  However, most of these Muslims end up hearing the gospel from someone else before they come to faith in Jesus. 

Let me sum up this rapidly written and disorganized answer.  I think that God can do whatever he wants.  If God wants to reveal Jesus to the man in the jungle, he can do it.  This is mysterious, sure, but God is God and he can do what he wants.  However, this mystery does not excuse us from what we know we are to do.

What we do know for sure is that we have been given the opportunity to join in God's work of revealing Jesus as the way, the truth and the life.  I also believe that we will be held accountable for what we do with this knowledge. 

Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.  If you say, "Behold, we did not know this," does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?  Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?  Proverbs 24:11-12

Finally, a couple of my favorite quotes on this subject are as follows:

No one has the right to hear the gospel twice, while there remains someone who has not heard it once. -- Oswald J. Smith

Someone asked, "Will the heathen who have never heard the Gospel be saved?"  It is more a question with me whether we, who have the Gospel and fail to give it to those who have not, can be saved. -- Charles Spurgeon

Hope this helps.  Keep asking these kinds of questions.  It is good and wise.

Until ALL Have Heard,

Eric

Simply Church...

In the past seven years, I have traveled to more than twenty countries and been a part of missional work among all of the major religious blocks; Tribals, Hindus, Nonreligious (Chinese), Muslims and Buddhists.  I have been a lot of places and seen a lot of things.  I say all of this not to boast, but to establish a level of expertise.  Let me follow that sentence by saying that I have made a lot of mistakes and that I still have an incredible amount to learn.

I have noticed, over those seven years, that we Western missionaries are often guilty of exporting our Western way of doing church.  We do not want to do this and we do not think we are, but we often do.  We go with a God-sized vision of starting a church planting movement among an unreached people group.  We truly seek to allow the Holy Spirit to work among the unreached people and we get excited when a few become Jesus followers.  Then we do all we know to do, we start having church.  And this is where we may be missing the mark. 

Our new church often looks just like the church we left back in the US.  Well, not entirely, but it is often the same in form and function.  We meet for singing and prayer and preaching.  We establish time limits or time suggestions.  We get upset when things last longer than planned.  We do things in a very linear way.  Usually, a plateau comes and the church stops growing and we do not know what to do.  We often come back to the US feeling like a failure and even bitter toward the people we were trying to reach with the gospel. 

I have seen this so many times.  I know there is no simple answer, but I do have a thought on at least one reason why this may be.  I have a friend, Gene Daniels (not his real name), who has written a great book on this very issue.  His analysis is much deeper than mine and I highly recommend his book.  In fact, I ask everyone who goes out long-term with our ministry to read it.

My main thought on why this might be is that we don't really know how much of what we call church is cultural and how much is Biblical.  In other words, how much of what we do on Sunday mornings is Biblical and how much is a collection of cultural things and traditions.  I have to be honest that I had never thought about this until I began to travel.  Church was church.  We must be doing it right, because it has always been that way...

As a result of this, I have been on a quest for the past few years.  My quest is to learn what the Biblical model or expectations of church are.  What is the church in its simplest form?  What are the bare minimums?  My quest has led me to read a lot of books on the church and on church life.  The latest of these is Life After Church: God's Call to Disillusioned Christians, by Brian Sanders. 

Sanders does a tremendous job of narrowing things down to "three essential elements of what it means to be church" (page 63).  These three elements are worship, community and mission.  He defines worship as "the offering of one's life to God in total surrender in proportion to the revelation of his worth" (page 64).  Community, for Sanders, is the process of being reconciled with each other.  Community is "people relating to other believers in light of the other components: worship and mission" (page 65).  Finally, mission is our collective pursuit of the kingdom of God through making disciples (page 69). 

Sanders argues that if any of these three are not in the equation, then the sum is not a church.  Worship alone, without community and mission, is not a church.  Community alone, without worship and mission, is not a church.  You get the picture. 

He gives several examples to explain what he is saying.  I liked his examples and will share them here.  They can be found on pages 69 and 70.

• A group of men who meet in a bar after work to talk about living deeper, more surrendered lives in which they take time to pray for their families and invite their non-believing friends to share a meal and the gospel would be church.
• A Sunday morning service where a great organ resounds the glory of God and the music and preaching move thousands of unrelated people, who return the next week to have the same experience, never engaging the mission or each other - this is not church.
• A group of mothers invites other mothers to a park after school and builds relationships with them and their kids, hoping to share Jesus with them.  They also meet to pray for each other, listen to struggles, cry together and recommit to the goal of living for Jesus and reaching every mother at that school.  That is church.
• The church softball team plays in a church league, worships together on Sunday and even enjoys good fellowship before and after the games with Christians from their own team and from other churches.  This is not church.

I really like this simple description of church.  The presence of all three elements is what I think may be missing as we seek to facilitate multiplying churches, both overseas and here in the US.  I plan to use this filter as I walk with others who are working to plant churches.  I only want what is simply church.  Anything else, I just don't think I have time for.

Until ALL Have Heard,

Eric

The glorious scandal of eating with sinners...

I

have been reading Jacob & the Prodigal: How Jesus Retold Israel's Story, by Kenneth E. Bailey.  This has been an incredible read and the insights Bailey offers from his more than forty years of living in the Middle East have changed the way I look at Luke 15.  I would highly recommend this book.

I came across this while reading the other day and thought it was more than worth a share:

The Pharisees went to Jesus complaining "This man receives sinners and eats with them" (Luke 15:2).  When the Pharisees say, "This man receives sinners," they mean Jesus, who replies and says, as it were,

You accuse me of eating with sinners.  You are absolutely right.  That is precisely what I do.  But as a matter of fact I not only sit down and eat with sinners, I rush down the road, shower them with kisses and drag them in that I might eat with them.  It is much worse than you imagined!  Let me tell you a story to explain how this happens.  (pages 61-62)

I was sitting in a doctor's office with my mother-in-law when I read this.  I started to cry.  Then I laughed. 

I cried because I knew that I have often been a Pharisee, looking at others and thinking, I can't believe they do that or go there or... 

I laughed because I knew I was one of the sinners who had been chased down and dragged in to the party. 

The glorious scandal of eating with sinners.  I pray that I will be more like Jesus and the sinners and less like the Pharisees...

Eric

Holiday reading...

These are the books I hope to read over the Christmas holiday this year:

 

     

Have you read any of these? 

jeg

The Good News of the Kingdom: Mission Theology for the Third Millennium

Van Engen, Charles E., Dean S. Gilliland and Paul Pierson, editors. 1999. The Good News of the Kingdom: Mission Theology for the Third Millennium. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers.

This book is a collection of essays on the theology of mission from a kingdom of God hermeneutic and was published in honor of Arthur F. Glasser, Dean Emeritus of the School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary.  The editors all have ties to both Fuller and Glasser.  The collection opens with a tribute to Glasser, who served at Fuller for 29 years, followed by a bibliography of his writings.  These are followed by twenty-five essays which have been categorized into six different areas:  1. Biblical Foundations; 2.Theological Reflections; 3. Ecumenical Relationships; 4. Evangelical Concerns; 5. Missiological Issues and 6. Contextual Considerations.  The book’s conclusion was written by Van Engen.  The essay contributors “are a Who’s Who of mission scholars and practitioners” (Van Engen, xi). 

The editors compiled this book to fill what Van Engen calls a void in the availability of texts focused on the global issues facing the theology of mission.  The essay contributors represent a broad range of perspectives including reformed, evangelical, highly contextual and ecumenical. (Van Engen, xiii)  For the purposes of my current course of study, the Biblical Foundations of Mission, this has been an excellent text book.  As a missions practitioner I greatly appreciate the varied perspectives on the theology of mission that this book offers.  It is always good to see how others are thinking and working as it serves to both confirm one’s direction and stretch one’s understanding and praxis.  My reading of this book has served in both capacities. 

The essay I enjoyed the most is titled The Biblical Notion of Kingdom: Test of Validity for Theology of Religion and was written by Johannes Verkuyl. (Van Engen, pages 71-81)  One of the arguments he makes is that there is a need for a kingdom-oriented dialogue when we engage with people of other faiths.  Such dialogue must be centered in a Trinitarian “theology which has God the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Comforter at its very heart” (Van Engen, 72).  The goal of this type of dialogue is “to convince the other of the worthiness and truth of the core message to which he or she has given assent” (Van Engen, 78).  Verkuyl refers to this type of dialogue as a trialogue, where the Holy Spirit represents the third partner. (Van Engen, 78)  He also says that such trialogue only happens in “encounters founded in deep, personal and lasting friendships” (Van Engen, 79).  This has been my personal experience as well.  I have found that listening is just as important as sharing in this kind of trialogue with people of other faiths.  The other person can sense insincerity.  When I truly listen to them, I am giving them an opportunity to convince me of what they believe.  This, in turn, earns the right for me to share with them and opens the door in their hearts for a sincere listening.  My role is not to convince.  My role is to listen and to share.  It is the role of the third Person in the trialogue to do the convincing.  We need to see more of this kind of trialogue in today’s mission practitioners.

Will the Christian Church fail?

I have been catching up on some reading for my Biblical Foundations of Mission class this afternoon.  I am reading a short book called The Bible and Missions, written in 1920 by Helen Barrett Montgomery.  Montgomery, 1861 - 1934, was a social reformer, educator, women's rights advocate and       church leader.  She was a contemporary and co-worker with Susan B. Anthony.  She is well known among American Baptists.  From what I have seen this afternoon she was an amazing woman.

Anyway, as I read I came across the following couple of paragraphs.  I found myself giving Montgomery audible grunts of approval that grew in volume until at the end I was on my feet walking through the house to find someone to share it with.  Tell me what you think!

Will the Christian Church prove another tragic instance of a thwarted purpose of God?  Walking not by the flickering torch of the Old Testament, but in the full blaze of light that streams from the Cross of Christ, inheriting his promises, his commands, his love for the whole wide world, the Church has failed, up to the present moment, to interpret her own worldwide mission.  She has spent her strength on definitions while the world lay in agony, has prated of "lesser folk without the law," while millions were denied their birthright in the gospel, has wrapped race prejudice about her like a garment, and from her coffers of abundance flung a few coins now and then, with which to finance the army of the Prince of Peace for the winning of the world.  She has withheld her sons and daughters, denied her oath of allegiance, and all the while the Bible she professes to believe has been summoning her to abjure self and take up her cross of sacrifice and follow Jesus for the salvation of the world.

The gospel will not fail.  The Lord Jesus shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied.  The kingdoms of this world shall become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.  But the Church may fail, may be set aside for another instrument.  Today is the day of salvation for our Protestant churches.  If we harden our hearts and close our eyes and refuse the plain call of God, other generations may see in us another Israel whose narrowness of vision was condemned by the very Scripture in which is our boast.

Until ALL Have Heard,

jeg

The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission

Newbigin, Lesslie. 1995, Revised Edition. The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission. Grand Rapids, Michigan. Eerdmans.

Lesslie Newbigin was one of the greatest influences on the theology of mission in the twentieth century. He was educated at Cambridge and served as a missionary to India for thirty-eight years. Newbigin served, after retiring from his work in India, as general secretary of the International Missionary Council and associate general secretary of the World Council of Churches. He also wrote The Gospel in a Pluralist Society and Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel and Western Culture. Newbigin passed away in 1998. [1]

The thesis of this book is that the church in mission abides by the authority of the Triune God through proclaiming the kingdom of the Father, sharing the life of the Son and bearing the witness of the Spirit. (Newbigin, 29) In doing such the church is acting out in the whole life of the whole world the confession that Jesus is Lord of all. (Newbigin, 17)

Newbigin takes ten chapters to defend his thesis. The first three chapters develop the thesis with Chapter 1 being an examination of historical development behind the question of the mission of the church, Chapter 2 looking at the question of the origin or source of authority in regards to the mission of the church, and Chapter 3 examining the mission of the Triune God and the church’s relation to such. Chapter 4 discusses the church’s working out its proclamation of the kingdom of God as faith in action. Sharing the life of the Son as love in action is the topic of Chapter 5. The next chapter examines the work of the Holy Spirit in the mission of both the Triune God and the church. Chapter 7 discusses the universality of the gospel in connection to its historic particularity. The final three chapters cover the topics of the pursuit of God’s justice in the world as mission, the growth of the church through conversion and how that plays out in various cultures, and the gospel in dialogue with the world religions.

I liked this book very much and would suggest that it is a must read for anyone who wants to better understand and align with the work of the kingdom. Newbigin’s discussion of the missio Dei through the lens of Trinitarian theology helped to weaken what has always seemed to have been a dichotomy in the church; that of pursuing mission through actions that seek God’s justice in the world in contrast to pursuing mission through evangelism resulting in personal conversions. My experience has been that one is typically pursued at the expense or neglect of the other; yet this has never seemed to be a true representation of the Father’s kingdom coming and his will being done, on earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10) Newbigin argues that the dichotomy should not exist.

For Newbigin, mission “is the acting out by proclamation and by endurance, through all the events of history, of the faith that the kingdom of God has drawn near” (Newbigin, 39). Mission is “the presence of the kingdom in the form of death and resurrection” (Newbigin, 52), as lived out through love in the community that bears the name of Jesus. Mission is “the whole way of living, acting, and speaking that arises from the fact that we have already received the first installment of the promised treasure, the first fruit of the promised harvest, and can therefore work and wait with both eagerness and patience for the fullness of what God has promised for his whole creation” (Newbigin, 63).

We must learn to proclaim and expect the kingdom of God, which includes a pursuit of both justice and reconciliation. We must learn to walk in love, as a community, embodying the presence of Jesus in the world. We must learn to trust the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth including new ways of ministry among the plurality of cultures and religions known as the world. As we do this, we will be joining the missio Dei. We will be instruments in the building and fulfilling of the kingdom of God. We will bring glory and honor to our Triune God. We will be found to be faithful stewards, having risked everything for the sake of the gospel.

[1] Website: http://www.newbigin.net/general%5Cbiography.cfm (accessed November 5, 2007)

New Testament and Mission: Historical and Hermeneutical Perspectives

Nissen, Johannes. 2007, 4th edition. New Testament and Mission: Historical and Hermeneutical Perspectives. Frankfurt, Germany. Peter Lang.

Johannes Nissen is Associate Professor of New Testament Exegesis at the Department of Biblical Studies, University of Aarhus, Denmark.  He is a prolific writer, having written such titles as:  Cracks in the Walls:  Essays on Spirituality, Ecumenicity and Ethics; New Readings in John: Literary and Theological Perspectives: Essays from the Scandinavian Conference on the Fourth Gospel in Aarhus 1997; Poverty and Mission: New Testament Perspectives on a Contemporary Theme and New Testament and Mission: Historical and Hermeneutical Perspectives. [1]
    
The thesis of this book is that a missiologically relevant reading of the New Testament can only be found through a conversation between text and context, between biblical scholars and missions practitioners.  When this happens, the goal shifts from an attempt “to imitate the specific things Jesus and the first Christians did” (Nissen, 15-16) to an adoption of “the model of incarnation itself to hear and discover anew, as they did (the first Christians), how to express and embody the gospel in our context” (Nissen 15-16).

Nissen takes nine chapters, including the introduction, to defend his thesis.  Each chapter, except the last, is divided into two sections.  The first section evaluates the “historical description of the theology of mission” (Nissen, 14) for the various New Testament texts.  The second section “consists of hermeneutical reflections” (Nissen, 14).  Chapter 1 is the Introduction, in which the author defines his thesis and goals for the book.  The next chapter is an analysis of the Gospel of Matthew.  Chapter 3 looks at Mark’s Gospel and Chapter 4 examines the writings of Luke; the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.  Nissen evaluates the Gospel of John in Chapter 5.  He begins his analysis of the Apostle Paul’s missional practices in Chapter 6 and continues in Chapter 7 by examining Colossians and Ephesians.  Chapter 8 looks at mission in 1 Peter and the Book of Revelation and the final chapter addresses three issues which have implications in our current context.  These issues are “plurality and unity in mission, …gospel and culture and …the Bible and dialogue with people of other faiths” (Nissen, 157). 

I liked this book very much.  In particular, I liked how Nissen merged historical analysis with the missiological hermeneutic.  I appreciated his discussion of the need to challenge the command idea behind the great commission.

Protestant mission has often emphasized in a one-sided manner obedience as a motive for mission.  However, the parallels in Luke 24 and John 20 are not to be interpreted as commands.  If the last commission is interpreted thus, it is easily placed in the context of legalism.  Mission is then depersonalized and the “command” soon becomes a marching order of a Christian militia, engaged in a holy war (Nissen, 21).

I have been guilty of this and needed a new perspective.  I love how Nissen concludes that “when the first Christians did engage in mission, it was simply an expression of the inner law of their lives” (Nissen, 21).  My own experience has been that the most effective mission is motivated by love rather than obligation.  Properly discipled Jesus followers will be so motivated and mission will naturally flow out of their transformed hearts.  Our time would be better spent in making disciples as opposed to manufacturing guilt.

I also appreciated how Nissen presented a two-tiered approach to mission, proclamation of the gospel in both context and dialogue.  Context meaning we “should not speak of an objective (or neutral) gospel which has the same form irrespective of time and place” (Nissen, 61).  We must learn to meet people where they are and to present the gospel in ways that fit their context without changing the message.  Dialogue, meaning we take a risk and allow the agenda and terms of reference of the conversation to be set by the other parties. (Nissen, 70)  Nissen points out that “we tend to invite people to come into our structures where they will be able to listen to monologues of proclamation in an environment where we are totally at home.  In Paul’s approach depicted in Acts, dialogue becomes a venture” (Nissen, 70).  We must be willing to meet people where they are and let them set the tone of the dialogue, always looking for ways to proclaim the gospel in love in a language that will actually be heard.  I have experienced this in Muslim lands as we engage in dialogue using Islamic language and terminology.  The results and openness are amazing and living proof that Nissen is making a strong argument. 

This book was very informative and confirming of ideas the Holy Spirit had recently brought to my attention.  My reading was timely and I am sure that I will refer to Nissen often as I seek to make disciples who have a heart for mission.

[1] Website:  http://person.au.dk/en/jn@teo.au.dk (accessed October 31, 2007)

Mission in the Old Testament: Israel as a Light to the Nations

Kaiser, Walter C., Jr. 2000. Mission in the Old Testament: Israel as a Light to the Nations. Grand Rapids, MI. Baker Academic.

Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. is the Colman M. Mockler distinguished Professor of Old Testament and President Emeritus of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. He served as president of Gordon-Conwell from 1997-2006.  Prior to coming to Gordon-Conwell, Kaiser taught at Wheaton College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.  Kaiser has written many books, including: Toward an Old Testament Theology; Hard Sayings of the Old Testament; The Messiah in the Old Testament; A History of Israel and Mission in the Old Testament: Israel as a Light to the Nations. [1] 

The thesis of this book is that the source of world missionary activity is rooted in God’s Old Testament call to the nation of Israel to extend his blessings of redemption to the Gentiles by actively sharing with them the Man of Promise who was to come. (Kaiser, 9)

Kaiser takes six short chapters to defend his thesis.  He begins in Chapter 1 by discussing God’s plan for missions through the promise of the Seed or “the person of the Man of Promise, the Messiah” (Kaiser, 27).  Chapter 2 looks at God’s purpose for missions in the Old Testament by reviewing the Psalms and the repetitive calling of “all the peoples of all the lands and nations to praise the Lord…and make known the mighty deeds of Yahweh…and to join in singing praises to God from all the nations” (Kaiser, 37).  In Chapter 3, Kaiser looks at how God used individuals to reach Gentiles.  Kaiser looks at Melchizedek, Jethro, Balaam, Rahab, Ruth and Naaman.  All of these individuals were used by God to reveal to the Gentiles that “Yahweh was truly calling all the families of the earth – even one’s enemies – to the same Savior and salvation” (Kaiser, 50).  Chapter 4 examines Israel’s call to be a light to the nations.  Kaiser argues that “the case for an active missionary call to Israel is exceedingly strong in the two Servant Songs of Isaiah 42 and 49” (Kaiser, 62-63).  Jonah and several other prophets of Israel are discussed in Chapter 5 as evidence that God had called the nation of Israel to be an active witness to the Gentiles.  Kaiser concludes in Chapter 6 with an examination of how the apostle Paul used the Old Testament to support his call to evangelize the Gentiles.   For Paul, “the case for evangelizing the Gentiles had not been a recently devised switch in the plan of God, but had always been the long-term commitment of the Living God who is a missionary God” (Kaiser, 82).

I liked this book and think Kaiser did a good job of defending his thesis.  He begins in the beginning and shows how God “guaranteed that the coming Man of Promise, from the male line of Eve, would once and for all settle the issues that the sin of Adam and Eve had raised” (Kaiser, 16).  He points to the consistent Old Testament themes of blessing and seed as evidence that God was working through his election of Israel, suggesting that “election was not a call to privilege, but a choosing for service” (Kaiser, 22).

I found the most convincing of Kaiser’s arguments to be his discussion of the Servant of the Lord as found in Isaiah 40-53.  Kaiser suggests that “the Servant of the Lord is a corporate term that embodies at one and the same time a reference to the One, who is the representative of the whole, and the whole group that belongs to that single whole” (Kaiser, 56).  God had chosen and appointed the nation of Israel to be his light bearer to the nations.  This was to be accomplished through being a “kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:6), meaning they were to be a mediator between God and “the nations and people groups around them” (Kaiser, 23).  The fact that Paul took on this calling to be a light for the Gentiles (Acts 13:47, 26:22) confirms that “he did not see himself as an innovator, or as one who introduced meanings that were not already in the text” (Kaiser, 61).  This suggests that the people of Isaiah’s day had the same understanding.

What does this mean for us today?  The consistent theme of the Old and New Testaments is God’s activity to reconcile the created with the Creator through the promised Seed, meaning both the Man of Promise and the People of God.  We, as part of the People of God, have the same responsibility as Old Testament Israel had; to be a light to the nations, even to the uttermost.  For the most part, Old Testament Israel failed.  King Jesus pointed this out and said, “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.” (Matthew 21:43)  If we fail, as the People of God, to align with God’s activity are we also at risk of the kingdom of God being taken from us? 

[1] Website: http://www.gcts.edu/faculty/kaiser.php (accessed October 1, 2007)

Jonah and the Worm

Briscoe, Jill. 1983. Jonah and the Worm. Nappanee, IN: Evangel Press.

Jill Briscoe is a native of Liverpool, England.  She is an accomplished writer with more than forty books to her credit, including children’s books, Bible study guides and devotional material.  She serves on the Board of Directors of World Relief and Christianity Today, Inc. and is Executive Editor of Just Between Us, a magazine focused on encouraging women in leadership and ministry.  Briscoe also serves with her husband, Stuart, and her son, Pete, as a host of the daily radio program Telling the Truth. [1]

The thesis of this book is that God works in many different ways to provide an opportunity for all peoples to become right with him, including offering us a chance to be used by him in his mission.

Briscoe retells the story of Jonah from the perspective of Little Worm, her fictional name of the worm God appointed to eat the plant God used to shade Jonah. (Jonah 4:6-7)  She takes ten chapters in this short children’s book to retell the story of God’s great desire and work to reach the people of Nineveh.  The book begins with a letter reading party at Little Worm’s pond.  The letter was from Wonder Maker (God).  The letter reveals that “God has prepared a worm” (Briscoe, 12).  The Wind blows the letter from the hands of its reader and it lands at the feet of Little Worm, making it clear that he is the one who has been prepared.  Briscoe then tells the story of Worker (Jonah), who is afraid of the people of Nineveh so he runs from Wonder Maker’s request to go there.  Wonder Maker really wanted Worker to go to Nineveh so he used the Wind and a Whale to get Worker to Nineveh anyway.  Worker then reluctantly warns the people of Nineveh and they listen and are “really, really, really sorry” (Briscoe, 90).  Briscoe ends the book by telling how Worker was upset by the response of the people of Nineveh as well as Wonder Maker’s mercy.  Worker leaves the city and waits in anger, hoping that Wonder Maker would still punish the people of Nineveh.  Little Worm then learns why he had been appointed and in his final act of obedience he begins to do what Wonder Maker had sent him to do; eat the plant.  Briscoe concludes the story with an implication that Worker finally understood the depth of Wonder Maker’s desire for all peoples to become right with him.

This little book is an amazing glimpse into God’s heart.  Briscoe captured the depth of God’s desire to be worshiped by all peoples and the extent of his activity to make this happen.  She does this better than many of the “grown-up missions” books I have read by doing a wonderful job of showing how many ways God worked to reach the people of Nineveh.  God worked through the worm, the seed, the plant, the wind, the sand, the whale, the reluctant Worker and the sailors, just to name a few.  She leaves the reader with the clear understanding that this level of deep desire and activity on the part of God is the way he feels toward all who have not heard.

One of the insights that deeply resonated with me is how Little Worm wrestled with Wonder Maker’s way of only revealing his plan one step at a time.  At one point, a disappointed Little Worm wonders when Wonder Maker would tell him “the reason for this great journey.”  Wonder Maker simply asks Little Worm to “trust him.”  To this, Little Worm replies, “All right, what is the next thing You want me to do?” (Briscoe, 69)  This is such an important truth of the reality of following God.  He responds to our obedience with guidance on the next step, but rarely more.  This keeps us focused on him and his activity.

This book should be read by children and adults alike.  But, let there be a warning:  Do not read this book unless you are willing to hear Wonder Maker say, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8)

[1] Website, http://www.tellingthetruth.org/about_us/about_us.asp (accessed September 24, 2007)

This book can be purchased here.

The Globalization of Nothing

Ritzer, George. 2004. The Globalization of Nothing. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

George Ritzer is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland. He received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1968 with an emphasis on Industrial and Labor Relations. He is a prolific writer and has published several textbooks in the field of sociology. He is also known for his “McDonaldization theory,” which addresses the applied sociology of consumption and globalization. Ritzer has written several books addressing this topic, including The McDonaldization of Society, Enchanting a Disenchanted World, and The Globalization of Nothing.

The thesis of this book is that the grand narrative of the global proliferation of nothing in the realm of consumption is in constant interplay with something resulting in a significant reduction of such which could ultimately lead to a substantially less creative and diverse world (Ritzer 2004, ix-xvii). Nothing is defined as “a social form that is generally centrally conceived, controlled, and comparatively devoid of distinctive substantive content” (Ritzer 2004, 3). Something is defined as “a social form that is generally indigenously conceived, controlled, and comparatively rich in distinctive substantive content” (Ritzer 2004, 7).

Ritzer uses eight chapters and an appendix to develop his thesis. The first three chapters provide a detailed description of what is meant by nothing. Chapter 4 covers the topic of globalization and further defines such through the related lenses of glocalization and grobalization. The thesis of the book begins to take shape in Chapter 5 as Ritzer discusses the relationship between nothing and globalization. Chapter 6 looks at large-scale “Internet consumption sites as particularly good examples of nothing” (Ritzer 2004, 118). The final two chapters and the appendix are used to address several secondary issues related to the globalization of nothing including a discussion of “loss in the midst of monumental abundance” (Ritzer 2004, 143).

I agree with Ritzer’s analysis. I have traveled to more than twenty countries in the past ten years and have personally witnessed a dramatic growth in the acceptance of nothing. I have watched conservative Muslim men and women in places like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Palestine shake their heads in disgust as young Muslim women walked by wearing designer jeans and carrying the latest Gucci handbag. This could be chalked up to simple rebellion by the young if the disgusted men and women didn’t routinely turn back to watching the daily cricket match from the UK on the satellite television or to calling their children in London or Detroit on the latest in GSM cellular technology. Nothing is taking over the world in a big way.

Ritzer’s book has expanded my understanding of globalization. Approaching the topic through the lens of consumption has caused me to reflect on how the global body of Christ is being impacted and how we may need to respond. Could we be seeing elements of nothing in the growth of the mega-church in the West, South America and even parts of Asia? If so, is there an alternative to the nothing that is often present in the mega-church. I think so.

I see a need to foster communities of substance, communities of something that are seeking to follow Jesus Christ together. The more the church seeks to follow Jesus in community instead of following the machine of nothing, the more the world will see the church as it has always meant to be seen; a contrast society that models the present and coming kingdom of God.

Announcing the Kingdom: The Story of God's Mission in the Bible

Glasser, Arthur F. 2003. Announcing the Kingdom: The Story of God's Mission in the Bible. Edited by Charles E. Van Engen, Dean S. Gilliland and Shawn B. Redford. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Arthur F. Glasser is Dean Emeritus of the School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he served for 29 years. He also spent time as a missionary in China, worked as Home Director for Overseas Missionary Fellowship and was heavily involved in InterVarsity’s Urbana Missionary Conferences. One of Glasser’s major contributions to missiology is a Kingdom of God perspective (Glasser 2003, 12-13).

The thesis of this book is that the central theme of the whole Bible is the narrative of God’s plan and activity to call out a transformed people from all nations to participate in the present and dawning Kingdom of God.

Glasser uses six parts to fully develop his thesis. Part 1 addresses creation, the rebellion of humanity, the flood and Babel as well as God’s election of Abraham and the patriarchs, through whom all nations would be blessed. Part 2 discusses the election and growth of Israel and its exodus from Egypt as well as Israel’s establishment as a nation and subsequent rejection of the Kingship of God by requesting and following earthly kings. Part 3 covers the exile of Israel among the nations and the development of the anticipation of a coming Messiah. Part 4 discusses the coming of Messiah Jesus and his inauguration and demonstration of the Kingdom of God as well as his initiation of God’s Kingdom mission for all who would follow him in anticipation of the coming of the Kingdom in all its fullness. Part 5 covers the development of the apostolic church and its Kingdom mission to the nations through the power and work of the Holy Spirit. Part 6 discusses God’s final and complete victory over evil as well as a discussion that faith in Jesus Christ alone is the only way to enter the Kingdom of God.

This book is one of the best I have ever read on the subject of the Kingdom of God. Glasser fully develops his thesis and provides convincing evidence that the Kingdom of God motif is consistently present throughout the whole Bible. This results in a powerful argument that God’s activity to re-establish his Kingdom among all nations is the major theme of the Bible.

My exposure to and study of the church in the United States has convinced me that the primary focus of our evangelism and missionary work is that of either saving the lost from an eternity in hell or the pursuit of social change through good works or more recently the exertion of political pressure. While saving the lost and social change are noble goals and desired results of our focus I fear that the pursuit of such often eclipses the transformation of the people of God through discipleship which is what the Bible demands of those who would follow God in faith (e.g., Deut. 4:1-8; 5:31-33; 6:4-9; 2 Kings 23:1-3; Psalm 1; 19; 25; 119; Matt. 5:2-7:27; 28:18-20; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 24:13-35; John 15:1-17; 2 Tim. 2). I would suggest that we are treating the symptoms and not the disease. Finding and saving the lost and the righting of social wrongs are natural reflections of life in the Kingdom of God, for surely this is what Jesus meant when he said, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10 ESV). My prayer is that the church in the United States will rediscover the abiding call to the ekklesia, the people of God, to “seek first the Kingdom of God” (Matt. 6:33 ESV). I believe that Glasser’s book presents the argument we need to hear and obey if we are going to stand before our King one day and hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21 ESV).

Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ

Willard, Dallas. 2002. Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.

Dallas Willard is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California. Willard’s academic work has centered primarily in the field of phenomenology through extensive translation of German philosopher Edmund Husserl’s work. Willard also writes and lectures frequently on Christianity and Christian living. Renovation of the Heart received Christianity Today's 2003 Book Award in the category of Spirituality.

The thesis of this book is that “spiritual transformation only happens as each essential dimension of the human being is transformed to Christlikeness under the direction of a regenerate will interacting with constant overtures of grace from God” (Willard 2002, 41-42).

Willard uses thirteen chapters to develop and defend his thesis. The first five chapters begin by examining “the radical evil of the human heart – a heart that would make me God in place of God” (Willard 2002, 55). After establishing the desperate need for transformation in all of humanity Willard builds the case that such need has been met in Christ. “Spiritual formation in Christ is the process by which one moves and is moved from self-worship to Christ-centered self-denial” (Willard 2002, 77). Willard then completes his discussion in this first section by presenting what he calls “the general pattern of personal transformation” (Willard 2002, 85). This pattern involves the implementation of “the appropriate vision, intention, and means” (Willard 2002, 85) of pursuing spiritual transformation. Willard then transitions to a discussion of the practicalities of such transformation. He takes the next six chapters to discuss what he briefly introduced in chapter 2 as the “six basic aspects of a human life” (Willard 2002, 30). He discusses the holistic nature of the transformation of our thoughts, feelings, choices, bodies, social contexts and souls. The final two chapters center on the results of transformed lives as well as how this process of transformation can and should take place “in those gatherings of disciples of Jesus…we call ‘churches’” (Willard 2002, 233).

I agree with Willard’s thesis. His discussion of our fallen nature which results in our denial that God is God and that we are is one of the best I have ever read. I also appreciated Willard’s insistence that each of the six areas of our life need to be transformed but that such transformation is something that occurs in a holistic setting as we intentionally cooperate with the generous outpouring of God’s grace. “The vision of life in the kingdom” (Willard 2002, 86) is the gift that “makes it possible to live in the kingdom” (Willard 2002, 87). As we learn to intentionally walk in grace we discover that “we are not left to ourselves but have rich resources available to us in the example and teachings of Jesus, in the Scriptures generally, and in his people” (Willard 2002, 89). This description of the discipleship process is right on target.

Willard’s discussion of personal transformation in the context of the church spoke to me the most. The church, at least in the West, is distracted. We have focused on the vessel and not the treasure. We have lost sight of our primary mandate, to “make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20, ESV). Instead, we seem to be more interested in teaching them to be just like us. Willard seems to have a glimmer of optimism that the Western church can shift its focus from the vessel to the treasure. I tend to think that the structure of the Western church works against such change in that church leadership must constantly defend the vessel for fear of losing all they know. Perhaps the time is near for God to change this by either doing a new thing or by breaking the vessel.

The Ascent of a Leader: How Ordinary Relationships Develop Extraordinary Character and Influence

                Thrall, Bill, Bruce McNicol, and Ken McElrath. 1999. The Ascent of a Leader: How Ordinary Relationships Develop Extraordinary Character and Influence. 1st ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Introduction

I like this statement; “character – the inner world of motives and values that shapes our actions – is the ultimate determiner of the nature of our leadership” (Thrall 1999, 1). It seems to me that too much emphasis is placed on outward things, such as appearance and credentials, as if that is all it takes to be an influential leader. It will be interesting to see how the authors address both the need for and the development of character.

Chapter One: A Different Ladder to Success

The story of Captain Edward J. Smith of the Titanic is a great intro to the idea that many in leadership positions are feeling “a certain futility in climbing the ladder they have chosen” (Thrall 1999, 11). The authors use the image of climbing “a different kind of ladder” (Thrall 1999, 11) to seek out and find the plan that God has for our lives. I think the ladder analogy is a bit overused, but probably effective.

Chapter Two: Big Leaders on Short Ladders

I was impacted most by Dr. J. Robert Clinton’s thesis “that more than 70 percent of leaders do not finish well” (Thrall 1999, 14). He argues that there are primarily six shifts that can happen to any leader over time: 1. They lose their learning posture. 2. The attractiveness of their character wanes. 3. They stop living by their convictions. 4. They fail to leave behind ultimate contributions. 5. They stop walking in an awareness of their influence and destiny and 6. They lose their once vibrant relationship with God (Thrall 1999, 14). I will use this list as a reminder to myself and to those I disciple.

Chapter Three: Creating Environments That Uphold and Empower Us

I like the term environment of grace. This sounds like what the church is supposed to be. The authors state, “To take risks, we need to feel a certain degree of safety and security in our environment” (Thrall 1999, 29). When an environment of grace is present, we are more likely to take the risks required for excellence. I can’t help but think about the friction inherent in this statement. We are seeking an environment of safety so we are comfortable in taking risks. This environment of grace, or the safety we need, is not present unless someone is first willing to risk creating such an environment. This is a sign of true leadership. Am I willing to take this risk by giving grace to those around me?

Chapter Four: Nurturing Relationships That Ground and Sustain Us

The authors suggest that relationships based on grace are just as important as an environment of grace. In fact, the two are interrelated. One does not exist without the other. Learning to meet the needs of others is an important step in nurturing grace filled relationships. We must also learn to accept grace. If we want to be a grace giver, we must first be a grace accepter. Of course none of the above is achievable on our own abilities, which is why the authors teased us at the end of the chapter by asking if we are ready for “a climb that takes you above and beyond your best to find God’s best” (Thrall 1999, 59). I have experienced both an environment of grace and grace filled relationships, but I know that these are neither attainable nor sustainable through my own efforts. I look forward to seeing how the authors teach us to reach beyond what we can do.

Chapter Five: The First Rung – Stepping Up Through an Act of Trust

In this book the authors are contrasting two ladders to success; the capacity ladder, which is a path that focuses on what we can do through our own efforts and the character ladder, which is a path that focuses on what can be done through us as we center on God. The first rung of the character ladder is “trust God and others with me” (Thrall 1999, 66). If we don’t trust God, we will not be able to trust others. The authors address what they call the “myth of self-sufficiency” (Thrall 1999, 68). Until we realize that the idea of self-sufficiency is a dead-end, we will never be able to trust God or even those closest to us. Learning to fully trust God in all areas of our life will open us up to a path that leads to true success and fulfillment.

Chapter Six: The Second Rung – Choosing Vulnerability

The second rung of the character ladder is choosing vulnerability. The authors define vulnerability as coming “under another’s influence” (Thrall 1999, 77). Vulnerability is dependent on trust. Many leaders often protect themselves through isolation. The result of isolation is a loss of influence. As leaders we should seek out individuals we trust and allow them to speak into our lives. Of course, this is more difficult than it sounds because it requires us to open up and let people know about our fears and struggles. The authors share a story of how one of them had started to open up to an individual only to realize that vulnerability was not being reciprocated. I recently experienced this in my life and can attest to the truth that trust is critical when it comes to vulnerability. This person lost the influence they were beginning to gain in my life.

Chapter 7: The Third Rung – Aligning with Truth

The third rung of the character ladder is aligning with truth. The authors suggest that aligning with truth “distinguishes between those who use transparency to manipulate and those who submit in vulnerability to live lives of integrity” (Thrall 1999, 94). Each rung seems to lead to greater difficulty. Each rung leads to greater interdependence with those we are seeking to live in community with. Aligning with truth calls for us to dig deep and decide if we are going to listen to and adjust to the truths that others speak into our lives as a result of our becoming vulnerable. If we do, our integrity grows and shows. If we do not, we stop our climb toward true character.

Chapter 8: The Fourth Rung – Paying the Price

The fourth rung of the character ladder is paying the price. Are we willing to pay the price? Paying the price is an inevitable part of climbing the character ladder. There will be times when we are forced to make decisions that may jeopardize our status or our position for the benefit of others. We will be faced with opportunities to “make profound differences in the lives of others” (Thrall 1999, 110). Yet, these opportunities always come at a price and the question is, are we willing to pay the price. The subject of interdependence comes up again as it is clear that the only way we will choose to pay the price is if we trust God and not ourselves, if we are walking in vulnerability with others whom we trust and if we are willing to align ourselves to they truth they share. As we maintain consistency in the earlier rungs we will be able to withstand the pressures that will inevitably come.

Chapter 9: Chutes and Leaders – Stories from the Fourth Rung

In this chapter the authors share several stories of leaders who have paid the price. “Paying the price either tests and proves our character or scares us back into a frantic search for significance” (Thrall 1999, 130). As I read these stories I was reminded of a few of my own. Recently I was having lunch with a financial supporter of our ministry. He told me of a recent decision he had to make. He was faced with loosing one of his larger clients which represented over ten million dollars in annual business. As he worked to replace this line of business he found a new situation that looked like a great fit. In the final stages of negotiations the potential client asked him to make some changes in the financial information he had submitted. This would require him to “doctor” the books. If he did this, his employees would be covered and the business would be replaced. It would also require him to sacrifice the integrity he had built his business on. He chose to decline and the new client chose to come on board anyway. To this day he does not know if the new client was testing his integrity, but he knows that he made the right decision.

Chapter 10: The Fifth Rung – Discovering Your Destiny

“God places people he can trust into the right places at the right times” (Thrall 1999, 146). Finding our destiny, our purpose, is not something that we pursue. It simply happens when we pass the test of life. God chooses and we are placed into the leadership roles he intends for us to fill. Our role is to stay on the character ladder and to always be in the process of preparing ourselves for the destiny God has planned for us. We are not to pursue the destiny. We are to pursue the God of our destiny.

Chapter 11: Keeping Your Balance – Seven Challenges of the Fifth Rung

The authors present seven challenges that often occur when one reaches the fifth rung. To combat these challenges fifth rung leaders must: 1. Confront complacency. 2. Intentionally express compassion and conviction. 3. Be teachable teachers. 4. Avoid comparing themselves to others. 5. Allow others to benefit from our fifth rung influence. 6. Learn to be fluid with relationships and responsibilities. 7. Continually tackle their unresolved issues. Not that I am claiming fifth rung leadership, but the area that I relate to the most is number 6, learning to be fluid with my relationships and responsibilities. I have been learning over the past few months that flexibility is a key to relational success. I have also learned that I often put ministry before family. I am learning to be more flexible, to the point of being willing to take my 10-year old son to an afternoon movie this week even thought I had more work to get done than time to get it done. However, it was more important to spend that time with my son, who had taken the brunt of my recent busy schedule.

Chapter 12: Becoming the Kind of Person Others Want to Follow

For several months now I have been coming to a deeper understanding of our need to always have Christ at the center. He must be our primary focus. All that we do, say and are must be Christ centered. But, it is so easy to lose focus and center on other things. We can center on ministry. We can center on others. We can center on our family or our nation or our community. However, when we center on these things first, we lose our focus on Christ and things get shaky. I think the kind of person others want to follow is that person who consistently has Christ at the center. When Christ is the center, motives are pure and everyone benefits. It is truly my hope that I can continue to learn to live in a Christ centered way. Perhaps those I am in community with will help me?

Jesus and Community: The Social Dimension of Christian Faith

Lohfink, Gerhard. 1984. Jesus and Community: The Social Dimension of Christian Faith.  Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press.

Gerhard Lohfink served as Professor of New Testament at the University of Tübingen. In 1986 he resigned to work as a theologian with the Community of Priests, a ministry of the Catholic Integrated Community in Munich, Germany. The Catholic Integrated Community was formed by young German Catholics in post World War II Germany with the vision of seeking the meaning of living in community. Lohfink received a Th.D. from the University of Würzburg. He was born in 1934.

The thesis of this book is that the church, as the people of God, represents the new Israel and thus carries the responsibility to live in community as a “sign of salvation” (Lohfink, 1984, 28) to the nations. The church is to live as a “contrast-society” (Lohfink, 1984, 72) that models the Kingdom of God to the world.

Lohfink uses an introduction and four sections to make his argument. The Introduction is a discussion of how the focus on the individual in the past century has resulted in a “supermarket-church, which takes care of individuals, provides for them, and leaves them in their anonymity” (Lohfink, 1984, 4). Section I discusses “how much Jesus was concerned with the gathering and restoration of the people of God” (Lohfink, 1984, 26) which “automatically implied the gathering of Israel" (Lohfink, 1984, 26). Section II covers the idea that when it was clear that Israel was going to reject the messiahship of Jesus, his disciples took on a new role of depicting “symbolically what Israel was to become” (Lohfink, 1984, 35). Section III examines how the New Testament Church embraced a self-identification as the “ekklēsia of God” (Lohfink, 1984, 77), which suggests that they considered themselves to be “the true Israel” (Lohfink, 1984, 77). Section IV discusses how the “foundational reception of Jesus’ praxis of the reign of God continued beyond the New Testament Communities into the age of the ancient church” (Lohfink, 1984, 149). Lohfink concludes his argument by examining Augustine’s City of God to show that the church lost its identity as a contrast society during the reign of Constantine.

I agree with Lohfink’s thesis. In particular I appreciate the concept of the “ekklēsia of God” and the implications of the church being the new Israel. Not that the nation of Israel has lost its ultimate place in the eschatological plan of God, but that the church is to be the light to the nations that Israel failed to become. In addition, I think his focus on the church as a “contrast society” opposed to the individualistic “supermarket-church” we have become is timely and prophetic. It is time for us to become the church we have been called to be by learning to live in community and to love our enemies so that the world will see the miraculous grace of God being played out through our lives.

The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity

Jenkins, Philip. 2002. The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Philip Jenkins is Distinguished Professor of History and Religious Studies at Pennsylvania State University. He received his PhD from the University of Cambridge and has written more than 20 books throughout his career. Jenkins is a popular lecturer on topics such as global Christianity and the expansion of Christianity in the global South. His latest book is titled, God’s Continent: Christianity, Islam and Europe’s Religious Crisis.[1]

The thesis of this book is that “the era of Western Christianity has passed within our lifetimes, and the day of Southern Christianity is dawning” (Jenkins, 2002, 3). Jenkins argues that “the center of gravity in the Christian world has shifted inexorably southward, to Africa, Asia and Latin America” (Jenkins, 2002, 2). This major shift in the makeup of global Christianity will have a dramatic impact on global politics and life as we know it.

Jenkins uses 10 chapters to develop his thesis. The first four chapters are a sweeping discussion of the historic expansion of Christianity on a global scale. Chapter 5 takes a detailed look at current statistics and demographics regarding the expansion of Christianity in the South. Chapter 6 seeks to explain and interpret these statistics and demographics and Chapter 7 addresses what impact the new face of Southern Christianity will have on global politics. In Chapter 8 Jenkins presents evidence that there will be a worsening global conflict between Christianity and Islam. Chapter 9 is a discussion of the “Coming Home” (Jenkins, 2002, 191) of Christianity, or the movement from the South to take the gospel back to the West. Jenkins concludes the book in Chapter 10 by encouraging readers to seek a deeper understanding of what Christianity in the global South looks and feels like and how it differs from the Christianity we are familiar with in the West.

In my opinion, Jenkins did a wonderful job of developing his thesis. Of greatest interest to me was Jenkins’ discussion of the growing conflict between Christianity and Islam. He says that “the long-term prognosis for interfaith relations is not good” (Jenkins, 2002, 169). Both religions “have potent traditions of seeking to implement their views through political action” (Jenkins, 2002, 169). This does not bode well for the future.

Southern Christianity will be decidedly more “fundamentalist and charismatic by nature and theologically conservative” (Jenkins, 2002, 137), which could lead to a much more polemic approach to relations with Islam. If this be the case, I see a strong need to disciple our sisters and brothers in the Southern church in matters of contextualization; to come along side to help them see the need to allow the Holy Spirit to develop the church among Muslims in ways that will not force a betrayal of their culture.

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[1] Wikipedia contributors, "Philip Jenkins," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Philip_Jenkins&oldid=142375112 (accessed July 6, 2007).

A Community of Character: Toward a Constructive Social Ethic

Hauerwas, Stanley. 1981. A Community of Character: Toward a Constructive Christian Social Ethic. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.

Stanley Hauerwas is the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke University. He was named “America’s Best Theologian” by TIME in 2001 and has written numerous books throughout his career. Hauerwas has been influenced by the teachings of Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder and Catholic philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre. He is a Christian pacifist; is opposed to nationalism within the church and is associated with narrative theology.[1]

The thesis of this book is that the Christian’s “most important social task is nothing less than to be a community capable of hearing the story of God we find in the scripture and living in a manner that is faithful to that story” (Hauerwas 1981,1). Hauerwas argues that we as the church must not only know God’s story, we must be God’s story.

A Community of Character: Toward a Constructive Christian Social Ethic is presented in three parts. Part I “introduces the basic methodological claim that every community and polity involves and requires a narrative” (Hauerwas 1981, 4). Hauerwas uses four chapters to present this idea, including an analogy from Watership Down. Part II is a three chapter discussion of the working out of the narrative in the church, in the world, in history and in our growth as Christians. Part III is four chapters covering issues of family, sex and abortion; in particular how these issues should be played out in the culture as Christians live the narrative.

Parts I and II spoke to me the most.  Part I includes a discussion of Jesus being the story of the Kingdom. This discussion deepened my current understanding of the Kingdom in that it showed that not only is Jesus the story of the Kingdom, he is the Kingdom, and we are too as we live out the continuing story. Hauerwas argues that “Christian discipleship creates a polity” (Hauerwas 1981, 49) and “the kingdoms of the world derive their being from our fear of one another; the rule of God means that a community can exist where trust rules, trust made possible by the knowledge that our existence is bounded by the truth” (Hauerwas 1981, 49). This understanding will help me to make better disciples as I teach not only to follow Jesus, but to live as a citizen in his Kingdom.

Part II includes a discussion of the role of the church in the world. Hauerwas argues “our task is not to make these nations (western democracies) the church, but rather to remind them that they are but nations” (Hauerwas 1981, 110). This new understanding will help me to disciple people away from nationalistic idolatry and into true Kingdom life.

This was my first exposure to Hauerwas. It was also my first exposure to narrative theology. I feel compelled to dig deeper into both.

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[1] Wikipedia contributors, "Stanley Hauerwas," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stanley_Hauerwas&oldid=135796169 (accessed July 3, 2007).