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...

 

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...

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.

 

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...

If you can't say something nice...

Yesterday I introduced the concept of ethnocentrism by asking the question, “Is it wrong, or just different?”  Today I want to dig a little deeper.  By the way, much of this information is being adapted from the book, Anthropology for Christian Witness, by Dr. Charles Kraft.

Another word for ethnocentrism is monoculturalism.  One of the major ways we know if we suffer from monoculturalism is through our language.  If we use pejorative terms to contrast the ways of others with our ways, then we are probably guilty of monoculturalism.  Let’s look at some examples.

Advanced and primitive.  When we compare our culture to another we often say that ours is advanced and theirs is primitive.  What does it mean to be advanced and who gets to decide this? 

Civilized and uncivilized.  Who gets to decide what it means to be civilized?  We, in the West, have the capacity to kill millions of people through our nuclear arsenal and smart bombs and such.  Is that civilized?

Developed and underdeveloped.  What does it mean to be underdeveloped?  Who gets to decide this?  Aren’t we just judging other cultures in the areas we excel while ignoring the areas where we are weak?

Religious and superstitious.  Every culture has religious and superstitious elements.  To call one culture superstitious while ignoring the superstitious elements in our own is monoculturalism.

As you can see, a simple examination of the language we use when talking of other cultures can test our level of monoculturalism.  If we want to be the cross-cultural ministers that God has called us to be we must learn to look at others through a lens that does not make these kinds of differentiations.  We must learn to look at others as God does.

Is it wrong, or just different?

Ethnocentrism is one of the major hurdles of effective cross-cultural ministry.  All of us suffer, at some level, from this because it is what we have been taught to be.  We are taught from day one that our culture is the best, that our way of doing things is the right way and that we are more sophisticated, smarter and more advanced than others.  This teaching may or may not be overt, but, it is there. 

My anthropology professor, Dr. Charles Kraft, says that “ethnocentrism is at the cultural level what egocentrism is at the individual level.”  None of us like to be around an egocentric person.  Surely this is the same for people from other cultures when it comes to any ethnocentrism we are hanging on to.

Ethnocentristic people are not able to appreciate or even begin to understand other points of view.  My favorite example of this is the use of a toilet. 

In much of the world, a toilet looks like the one here in the picture.  You can imagine how difficult it is to squat over this thing and actually not make a big mess.  We, in the West, think that this is an inferior toilet.  Trust me, I’ve heard this from so many Westerners that I think I can safely say that most of us would feel this way.  However, how do you think those from other cultures feel about our Western style toilet?

Most would feel that our way is inferior because we actually allow our body to come into contact with the surface of such an implement.  I once saw an Asian man run into an airport men's room after a long flight from somewhere in Asia.  I watched as he opened door after door, looking at the Western style toilet and in frustration moving on to the next stall.  I could tell from his facial expressions that he was disgusted when he finally realized that an Asian toilet wasn’t available. 

It’s all about perspective.  We, as cross-cultural ministers, must learn to view others and their ways as not wrong or inferior, but simply different.

Forms and Meanings

Cross-cultural ministry can be a daunting task.  This is especially true if we are unable to differentiate between forms and meanings.  When we assume that our forms, i.e., preaching, baptism, dress code, worship style, meeting time, use of buildings and other church rituals or ceremonies, are sacred in and of themselves we are flirting with idolatry. 

What we must remember is that it is not the form that is important, rather, it is the attached meaning that results from such form.  We, as guests in another culture, have neither the right nor the ability to attach meaning to forms.  Therefore, we must approach the use of forms with great caution because it is highly probable that the receptor culture will attach a meaning to our form that is different from what we intend. 

An example would be monologue preaching.  In the West, great value is placed on monologue preaching.  It is the central point of most church worship gatherings.  Because of this, we have often made the mistake of assuming that monologue preaching is sacred rather than simply being a cultural form of communication.  In reality, monologue preaching is nothing more than a lecture. 

Most cultures are significantly more communal in nature than that of the West.  In such cultures, communication typically happens in the form of communal dialogue rather than monologue.  Lectures are rare and foreign.  When we insist or carry the unquestioned assumption that monologue preaching is sacred, we run the risk of having the receptor culture attach a meaning that we don’t really intend.  Instead, we need to learn how the receiving culture communicates and adapt and adopt their methods.  This will better assure that the proper meaning is attached, and that is what is really important.  This is just one example of many, which is what makes cross-cultural ministry so much fun.

some thoughts on conversion...

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the term “conversion” and all that goes with it.  I’m wondering if what we mean when we use the word is what is heard by others.  I’m also wondering if we are even sure of what we mean when we talk of conversion.

My thoughts reminded me of a scene in The Princess Bride:

[Vizzini has just cut the rope The Dread Pirate Roberts is climbing up]

Vizzini - “HE DIDN'T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.”

Inigo Montoya - “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

The simple idea behind conversion is that of the process that one goes through when he or she changes his or her beliefs, views or faith.  It is a process of making a fundamental shift. 

The problem that I see, however, is twofold.  First, how is the idea of conversion received by those we desire to see follow Jesus.  Second, what is the object of the conversion.

In my experience, most people who are not following Jesus don’t hear what we want them to hear when we use the word conversion.  They hear something more along the lines of “conformism,” which is the idea that one must conform to the ways of a system or certain rules of behavior.  They hear that they must fall in line with an often foreign way of doing things.  They hear that they must leave their culture for a new one. 

I once visited a very remote island in the southern regions of Bangladesh, which is nearly 90% Muslim.  As we walked toward the center of the island and found the local market we were soon surrounded by a mob of curious onlookers.  One of the older men spoke a little English and he immediately asked me if we had come to force them to convert to Christianity.  My response was to quote him a verse from the Qur’an:  “There is no compulsion in religion.  Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path.”  (2:256)  I then told him that we were there to share with them what we had learned about the Right Path as well as learn from them what they had learned.  This set them all at ease and we had a couple of days of great ministry before we had to leave to head back home.

Virtually no one wants to change their culture.  I don’t, and, honestly, didn’t when I became a follower of Jesus.  Why is it, then, that others think that what we are looking for when it comes to conversion is a change in culture?

I think it may be because that is exactly what we really mean, whether we have thought about it or not.  Is it possible that the object of the conversion that we desire for others to go through has become Christianity instead of Jesus?  Is there really a difference between a conversion to Christianity and a conversion to Jesus?  I think so and I think that this is the problem behind the word conversion.

Conversion to Christianity is a change in culture.  Christianity, as it has developed over the past two thousand years, is both a religion and a culture.  I don’t think you can truly separate the two.  Too often, when we present Jesus, we present Christianity.  Most of us can’t even differentiate between the two.  However, again, my experience as a missionary has shown that there is a difference.  For example, the western concept of church, which falls under the umbrella of Christianity, is often seen as the “right” way of doing church.  We meet at a set time on a set day for a set period.  We have organized meetings where we know what is going to happen and who is going to do it.  I’m not saying that this understanding of church is necessarily wrong.  However, it is cultural, not biblical.  It is one way of doing church.  There are many cultures around the world where this form of church would never work or be embraced and to expect it to be so is to expect a conversion to our way of doing things, which is simply another way of expecting others to convert to our culture.

Jesus never told us to convert people to a new religion.  He never told us to have people change their culture.  What he did tell us is to make disciples of all nations by going to them, immersing them in the reality of the Trinity and teaching them to obey all that he had commanded.  In other words, Jesus is to be the object of the conversion we seek, not Christianity. 

Instead of the word conversion I have been trying out the concept of a change of allegiance.  The process of making disciples is more like the process of helping someone change their allegiance to Jesus by turning away (repenting) from their allegiance to themselves, their religion, money, power and so on.  I like this so far because it seems to carry far less baggage. 

What do you think?  Does the word conversion have too much baggage?  Are conversion to Christianity and conversion to Jesus always the same thing?  How do you feel about the concept of changing allegiance instead of conversion?  Is it just a play on words or is it a better way of expressing the desired result?

the karma police...

I’ve been taking a course on Hinduism this term.  What a fascinating study.  Hinduism is virtually impossible to define because there are so many different branches and streams and lines of thinking.  I’ve been saying, since starting the course, that Hinduism is post modernism on steroids.  In other words, literally anything goes.

One of the main streams of Hinduism is the concept of karma.  I’ve talked about karma before.  Karma is that belief system centered in the concepts of “reaping what you sow” and “what goes around comes around.”  The more I think about karma the more I am convinced that most of the world is under the control of this way of thinking.

I saw this even today as I read my Bible.  I was reading in Genesis, chapters 42 and 43, the story of Joseph’s brothers traveling to Egypt to get food for the family.  If you haven’t read the Joseph story (Genesis 37-50) in a while you should go read through it as it is full of some amazing stuff.

So, where did I see karma in this story?  Look at Genesis 42:21...

Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen.  That is why this distress has come upon us.”

The distress they were talking about was that Joseph was requiring them to return home to their father and bring back their youngest brother, Benjamin.  They had no idea that Joseph was their long, lost brother.  In other words, they saw their current predicament as payback for what they had done to Joseph when they threw him down a well and then sold him into slavery.  Karma had found them and payback was coming.

Joseph, who had every reason to take advantage of his political power to exact some karmic revenge on his brothers, chose a different path.  He chose the path of grace.  Before his brothers left to go get Benjamin, Joseph arranged to have the money they had used to purchase food placed back in their traveling sacks.  When the brothers discovered this it only added to their distress.  When they returned with Benjamin they told Joseph about the money and his response was one of grace.  His actions and his response show that he had broken free of the karmic stronghold.  We see Joseph’s response in Genesis 43:23...

He replied, “Peace to you, do not be afraid.  Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you.  I received your money.”

Do you see it?  Joseph’s brothers were living a life of fear, one in which karma (can God be thought of as a form of karma?) punishes when we do bad things and rewards when we do good things.  Joseph was living a life of freedom from this kind of fear.  He was walking outside of karma.  He had broken free.  This meant he was able to show grace to his brothers.

What happens when we seek to follow God but do so through a karmic lens?  Do we not end up with a God who punishes us when we do bad things and blesses us only when we do good things?  Do we not end up with a performance based religion that is driven by fear?  I’m not saying that there aren’t consequences in life.  Clearly there are.  However, consequences and punishment are not always the same thing.

Jesus broke the karmic cycle.  His path is one that walks outside of karma.  That’s the path I want to be on.  What about you?

Another step in going green...

I took another step in going green today.  I signed our little community (our house and the discipleship house we own) up for a Community Supported Agriculture program.  This will give us an opportunity to support local growers as well as eat healthier food.  We joined the Cherokee Farms CSA program.  This is what we get for our $35.00 per week membership:

Each basket will contain a minimum of 15 lbs of fresh vegetables in season, a fresh flower arrangement, a fresh selection of herbs, a jar of canned or preserved food item, fresh home baked cinnamon rolls, cookies or muffins, and a bar of our featured goat milk soap of the week.

We are excited about this new step.  Has anyone else joined one of these?

Going green...

I recently completed a seminary course at Fuller called Christian Ethics.  My final paper for this course was called The Christian's Care of Creation.  In this paper, I addressed some of the issues Christians often face when it comes to our care for creation.  If you would like to read it, click on the title and you will be taken to the paper in pdf format.

My conclusion can be summed up as follows:

I now understand that my pursuit of God's kingdom and his righteousness and justice must include a pursuit of both the redemption of humans and the reconciliation of the rest of creation.

So that was my conclusion, but how am I fleshing this out?  Well, for starters, we are using the mower you see above.  I have also been riding my bicycle, when it isn't so stinking hot.  I'm praying/thinking about buying a scooter.  We are truly trying to purchase less stuff and when we do go to the store, we don't use a bag to put our stuff in unless we have too much stuff or even take a bag with us.

That's about it so far.  What are some other ways to go green?  What do you do? 

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)

Please go take this survey and help my friend Tamara with her seminary class...

My friend, Tamara, has posted a research survey for her Theology and Pop Culture class at Fuller.  Tamara and I are in the same small group in the class I am currently taking at Fuller, Lifelong Development.  Tamara is a good friend.

Please go here to take the survey and help her out with her research...

U23D

Took small-boy, Grant, to see U23D today.  He has been asking me to take him since it came out but we have been a bit distracted with his grandmother being in the hospital.  Anyway, I decided that today was the day and we took in the late afternoon showing.  It was us and about 14 other people.  We loved it.

Yahweh

Take these shoes
Click clacking down some dead end street
Take these shoes
And make them fit

Take this shirt
Polyester white trash made in nowhere
Take this shirt
And make it clean, clean

Take this soul
Stranded in some skin and bones
Take this soul
And make it sing

Yahweh,
Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh,
Yahweh
Still I’m waiting for the dawn

Take these hands
Teach them what to carry
Take these hands
Don’t make a fist

Take this mouth
So quick to criticise
Take this mouth
Give it a kiss

Yahweh,
Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahewh,
Yahweh
Still I’m waiting for the dawn

Still waiting for the dawn,
the sun is coming up
The sun is coming up on the ocean
This love is like a drop in the ocean
This love is like a drop in the ocean

Yahweh,
Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh,
tell me now
Why the dark before the dawn?

Take this city
A city should be shining on a hill
Take this city
If it be your will

What no man can own,
no man can take
Take this heart
Take this heart
Take this heart
And make it break

Bono

Fantasy dinner party...

Have you ever played the Who would you invite to a fantasy dinner party game?  We were tossing this around yesterday.  What five people would you like to sit down with over a meal?

Here were our rules of engagement:

1.  They can be dead or alive.
2.  They can be fictional or real; for example, you can invite a character from a movie, not the actor who played the part, but the character.
3.  My wife, Staci, is a Koko the gorilla fan, so your guest can be an animal (this rule is where I cave to my wife).
4.  Sometimes we exclude Biblical people because we don't want to feel guilty if we forget to invite Jesus; but today we didn't.
5.  Translation is not an issue.  Somehow, all attendees would speak the same language, after all, this is make believe.

Here is Staci's list:

1.  Koko the gorilla
2.  John Denver
3.  Augustus McCrae, from Lonesome Dove
4.  Tony Hillerman
5.  Pearl S. Buck

Here is Rebekah's list:

1.  My grandfather
2.  John the Baptist
3.  Harriet Beecher Stowe
4.  Daniel, from the Bible
5.  Gandhi

Here is September's list:

1.  My husband's mother, who died before I met him
2.  Robert Redford
3.  Ruth, from the Bible
4.  Anne Shirley, of Green Gables fame
5.  Tasha Tudor

And mine:

1.  Bono
2.  George Mueller
3.  Jesus of Nazareth
4.  Hudson Taylor
5.  Muhammad (because I would love to see how Jesus engages with him)

What about you?

This post is for you Dave, just because I think you are right on about this...

From my good friend Dave, who lives in the UK and knows a lot about sport...

I am a little disappointed generally in the lack of SUPER BOWL fever that isn’t emanating from the world of the blog. Come on Eric – it's the world series, championship of the world, cup final etc blah game – the Unpatriotic versus the self proclaimed Giants (I bet their smaller without all the body-armor) – come on this is a big deal in the rest of the world.

The advertising budget alone could alleviate world debt in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Anyhow – I am going against the flow and predicting a Giant win in the second innings by 5 and 3.

I'm with you brother, pulling for the Giants that is...

Oh, that debt thing too...

Kiva...

I just made my fourth loan to someone in the developing world using a revolutionary new website called Kiva.

You can go to Kiva's website and lend to someone in the developing world who needs a loan for their business - like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks. Each loan has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent - and you get updates letting you know how the business is going. When the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back - and Kiva's loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.  My plan is to leave the money that is paid back with Kiva and loan it out again.

I just made a loan to an entrepreneur named Hameedan Allah Rakha in Pakistan. They still need another $225.00 to complete their loan request of $1,125.00 (you can loan as little as $25.00!). Help me get this business off the ground by clicking here to make a loan to Hameedan Allah Rakha.

It's finally easy to actually do something about poverty - using Kiva I know exactly who my money is loaned to and what they're using it for. And most of all, I know that I'm helping them build a sustainable business that will provide income to feed, clothe, house and educate their family long after my loan is paid back.

I hope you will join me in changing the world - one loan at a time.

Thanks!

Eric

---------------------------------------------------------

What others are saying about Kiva:

'Revolutionising how donors and lenders in the US are connecting with small entrepreneurs in developing countries.'
-- BBC

'If you've got 25 bucks, a PC and a PayPal account, you've now got the wherewithal to be an international financier.'
-- CNN Money

'Smaller investors can make loans of as little as $25 to specific individual entrepreneurs through a service launched last fall by Kiva.org.'
-- The Wall Street Journal

'An inexpensive feel-good investment opportunity...All loaned funds go directly to the applicants, and most loans are repaid in full.'
-- Entrepreneur Magazine

What are we going to do today?

This cartoon, from the crazy folks at The Ongoing Adventures of ASBO Jesus, reminded me of something that happened several years ago.  I was in a position of needing a fairly large sum of money for a ministry project.  My former life, as a banker, meant that I had several friends and acquaintances who had access to large sums of money.  I made an appointment with one and went to visit him in his office.

We caught up on things and I shared my need.  He then looked at me and said something like this:

I like what you are saying, but before I can give I need to know your five-year ministry plan and how this project works to fulfill your plan.

I was shocked.  I didn't have a five-year ministry plan.  I had never even thought about having a five-year ministry plan.  I didn't know what to say.

I took a deep breath and offered up a quick prayer.  I opened my mouth and out spewed something like this:

My five-year ministry plan is this, to do my best to wake up every day and ask God what he wants me to do that day.  I figure if I am able to do this on a fairly consistent basis I will be exactly where God wants me to be in five years.

My friend smiled and said that he both understood and didn't understand, all at the same time.  He then pulled out his checkbook and wrote a check for a sizable donation.

This is still my five-year ministry plan.  Some days I am more successful than others.  I have learned that God is always waiting for me to ask, and as depicted in the cartoon, God is continually asking me to join him in what he is already doing...

The person who trusts me will not only do what I'm doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I've been doing.  You can count on it.  From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I'll do it.  That's how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son.  I mean it.  Whatever you request in this way, I'll do.  John 14:12-14 (The Message)

2008 Resolutions?

In 2008, I resolve intend hope might:

1. Exercise
2. Watch what I eat
3. Spend less time on the computer
4. Write more, while spending less time on the computer
5. Read more biographies
6. Start wearing socks
7. Plant a vegetable garden
8. Wash my vehicle with something besides rainwater
9. Take more naps
10. Start caring about sports

What about you?

Joel and Tom...

Did you catch 60 Minutes last night?  There were two interviews that caught my attention: one with Joel Osteen and one with Tom Brady.  The transcripts of these interviews can be found here and here, respectively. 

I have never been a fan of Osteen, the pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas.  My take, based only on the few times I have tried to watch his broadcast, is that he is more of a pop-psychologist than a preacher.  I fear that his feel-good, prosperity message is leading more people away from than to the Kingdom of God. Perhaps his message is aimed at the itching ears of our materialistic culture. 

I came away from the interview thinking that Osteen genuinely believes he is helping people.  The problem is, his message of health, wealth and prosperity is empty.  Isn't it interesting that it is only the preachers of health and wealth who seem to be prospering?

Tom Brady could be the poster-child for Osteen.  Brady is the quarterback of the undefeated New England Patriots.  He has won three Super Bowls and is having one of his best seasons yet.  He seems to be truly experiencing his best life now.  Yet, in the interview he said this:

Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there's something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, ‘Hey man, this is what is.’ I reached my goal, my dream, my life. Me, I think, ‘God, it's got to be more than this.’ I mean this isn't, this can't be what it's all cracked up to be.

The interviewer asked, What's the answer?

I wish I knew. I wish I knew. I love playing football and I love being quarterback for this team. But at the same time, I think there are a lot of other parts about me that I’m trying to find.

Looks like health, wealth and prosperity may not be all its cracked up to be. 

Thoughts?

Eric

Happy Thanksgiving...

Celebrate Buy Nothing Day!

Can you do it?  Will you?

jeg

the devil or a politician...

Derek Webb is one of my favorite artists.  He recently released a new recording, The Ringing Bell.  I downloaded this recording a few days ago and have been listening to it as often as I could.

There is one song that I have really enjoyed.  It is called A Savior on Capitol Hill.  Webb is making a strong statement about "Churchianity's" trust in man and the way of the world, which is often evidenced through a strong belief that all will be right with the world if we can only elect the right person. 

Anyway, I was listening to this song while driving the other day and my 10-year old son asked me to repeat one of the lines.  It goes like this:

you can always trust the devil or a politician,

to be the devil or a politician

I repeated the lyrics and my son thought about them for a moment and then asked the question of his 10th year...

"Dad," he said, "what's the difference?"

for to such belongs the kingdom of God...

Karma is a good thing?

Have you ever seen My Name is Earl?  Our friend Sara D. loaned us the first season DVD recently.  My wife and I watched the first couple of episodes together.  Two were enough for her.  I kept watching.  The show is a bit crude, but I think it is an incredible commentary on our culture and on the worldview of most people.

Earl J. Hickey is a jobless, petty crook, deadbeat and all around redneck.  One day, he wins a small lottery prize of $100,000 only to lose the ticket when he is hit by a car while doing a celebration dance in the middle of the street.  During his hospital recovery time, while under the strong influence of morphine, Earl has an epiphany.  He realizes that his wrong ways have come back to bite him and if he wants to experience good things he needs to do good things.  This revelation comes to him while watching an episode of Last Call with Carson Daly.  A guest on the show explains the concept of karma, you reap what you sow, and Earl becomes a believer. 

Earl makes a list of all the bad things he has done and begins to set them right.  While picking up litter Earl finds his lost lottery ticket.  Earl was picking up litter to compensate for number 136 on his list; “I’ve been a litterbug.”  Now that karma has rewarded him with the recovery of his lottery ticket, Earl is fully convinced that karma is real and that he can set things right and be a good person simply by doing good deeds.  Each episode is about Earl seeking to mark off something on his list.  Good TV.

I think that karma is deeply rooted in the worldview of most people, both in and outside the US.  If I am bad, bad things will happen.  If I am good, good things will happen.  If I obey the rules, God will be pleased with me.  If I don’t, God won’t.  Do you see this?  Isn’t this the way the majority of folks think?   

In Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas, there is a wonderful dialogue about karma and grace. 

Assayas: I think I am beginning to understand religion because I have started acting and thinking like a father. What do you make of that?

Bono: Yes, I think that's normal. It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.

Assayas: I haven't heard you talk about that.

Bono: I really believe we've moved out of the realm of Karma into one of Grace.

Assayas: Well, that doesn't make it clearer for me.

Bono: You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics—in physical laws—every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It's clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff.

Assayas: I'd be interested to hear that.

Bono: That's between me and God. But I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I'd be in deep shit. It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity.

Assayas: The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.

Bono: But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there's a mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and, let's face it, you're not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That's the point. It should keep us humbled…. It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.

From Bono:  Grace over Karma

Karma is the proper worldview.  The world has it right.  Yet, God With Us destroyed karma.  Grace is sufficient.  This is the Good News; we are no longer subject to the law of karma.  We have been set free.  Our position with God has nothing to do with our work and everything to do with the completed work of Jesus.  This is what our world needs to hear.  This is what our friends need to hear.  This is what we need to hear.

More to come…