Sunday, August 2, 2009
Did We Miss a Step?
I foresee an abrupt ending to my current thought on religion. I'm leading a small group in the fall. But in thinking today, I realize I've set my focus to inevitably meet an unwanted and ill-timed end. Maybe it's lack of ministry experience, but my current focus for ministry aims at the idea of questioning (thanks goes to my "post-modern" counterparts). I think too many people have become comfortable with their beliefs and don't desire to re-examine them. A personal relationship with God begins with re-examining the assumed and accepted. Examination eliminates trite religiosity in society and creates zeal for Christians created in and for today's generation. But that's where my thought ends: re-examine, then what? This is where the older generation has more of a voice. They built the foundation of contemporary religion's "how to's". Thinking critically and refreshing belief is one thing, but creating new practices to match the newly acquired insights is another. If my Stage 1 is formed in and for today's society, then why shouldn't Stage 2? Where does the sense of excitement from the newness of belief continue, if not into newer practices formed in the same religion? Unfortunately, it has formed a newer generation's church that lacks the theological-density older churches do/did. In creating a new starting point for this generation's take on religion, we are mandated in refreshing the practices of how ministry is done today. The older generation's answer worked for them. But we're not in the 50s, 60s, or 70s anymore. They created a standard for themselves that we have been unsuccessful in re-working for ourselves. We won't be taken seriously, nor will we be helping ourselves if we do not begin to build newer practices for our refreshed thoughts.
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Great post, Brendan! It was thought-provoking and, for me personally, invigorating to read. It sparked what became quite a few thoughts, all of which I want to share with you:
ReplyDeleteI wonder whether (actually, I do think) we lack not the movement for change, but the desire for discovery in the first place (given that "discovery" of truth, which you mentioned above, leads to "change"). My first impulse (I think in part due to my being a young person) is to agree with you and, as a response to that agreement, rush out to find new answers and resulting practices to replace those carved out by previous generations of believers, many of which are teaching us what they believe is proper Christian lifestyle in today's world. However, I believe (in similar fashion to my response post a few days ago) that we have much to learn from those older and, indeed, wiser than us. We CANNOT hold to them as a perfect standard - but those TRUTHS that they have been shown by the same God that we seek ALONGSIDE them and IN THEIR WAKE should be sifted from the theological chaff and held onto unrelentingly.
I believe that you are right in saying that we are in severe error asking to be led, rather than stepping up in our time and leading. This is NOT to say that leaders can't be led, though ;-) we need that too (hence the second paragraph above). I recently heard something very wise from a good friend of mine (only a few years older than me), passed down to him by the senior pastor of his church (the chain of truth!): "As a Christian, we can know that we are growing when we are discipling AND being discipled." Spun in a slightly new direction, I believe this truth utterly applies to the topic at hand. We are called, as the next generation of believers, who must either stand up to grab the reins of present-day Christianity or fade away and fail our God, our forebears, and our world, to be both LISTENING to truth from those before us and DERIVING truth for ourselves from walking with the Lord and reaching new conclusions from old AND new data - all under His guidance, believing that God gives knowledge of the truth, not man.
The time is now, and I personally want to move forward while we're still capable of doing something. We're insiders, let's abuse the privilege! Carpe diem!
Best,
Anonymous 2
Thanks again for responding. Favorite line: "we're insiders, let's abuse the privilege." I like the saying you gave about being discipled as well as discipling. We should be taking the words of the older generation as inspiration for our own words. The example that jumped to mind is those huge production lines where each person adds one part to the product. Each person has to take into account what the people before he/she received it and then work with what they have. You're not supposed to push the product you're given off the line and start from scratch. You'll piss off everyone behind you, as well as revealing your cheek in the process.
ReplyDeleteSomething else I've come to since posting the blog is that sometimes it's easier to simplify things. I think when we first have the desire and motivation to change things, we draw out extravagant plans that take up an entire notebook worth of thoughts (at least that's what I've done). But how do you translate all of that into action? For the small group I'll be leading next year, instead of going off a twelve-page document I've written up, why not just go with "help others with where they're at" and see where it takes you? It takes a lot less brain power, and will definitely save some headaches compared to the rocket science we were trying to process before.
brendan,
ReplyDeletei assume i am "the older generation" [I am closee to 48, and on this delightful, mysterious, challenging journey since I was 17]
I appreciate your candor, your probing, and mostly the fact that after all the questioning you are still here in this story, in gods hands [can we escape?] wanting to live out the beauty and pain of it all and not simply write and talk about it.....that's what I have gotten from your posts...
peace to you as you continue. most of what i learned in bible school over 25 years ago is up for grabs...and being sorted thru and sifted out for the amazing nuggets [which started at the beginning of the assembly line to use your metaphor] which inevitably get parts added or taken away or mis-attached, with the best of us on the line. The whole journey and story has gotten so much bigger and worth living for [and dying for, though I am not that courageous]
It, for me, has had to get more simple. Mostly so I could just take some actual living steps in practicing, living out the thing. I found it so so easy to take apart, observe, dialogue, criticize [all good things in their place] without actually just tryin to do the stuff.
For me, loving my neighbor as myself is the school of practice I am in, and i feel I could be here for some years. Loving my enemy a bit harder but that too.
Most recently, over the past couple years [during my re-thinking] I have become friends with a homeless man. He lives at my place of work now. He eats with my employees everyday. I have learned more about love, and how little of it I really had, thru my friendship with him....he is demanding, unpredictable, annoying, funny, kind and selfish and schyzophrenic.... I ate dinner with him the other night and felt this wave of gratitude that i was able to do so, to be with him at a meal. We talked about his dreams and so on....he's the guy that people make fun of, and he smells...but the beauty of the moment was saving my soul. The next day he had a massive stroke.I got him to a hospital, stayed with him all day and night while people in the hospital looked at him funny and did not trust him...he had brain surgery yesterday and may be a mess forever now...but years ago i would have missed this...being love to him and being saved from my self BY him in my friendship with him and Jesus. I would have given him a couple bucks and laid hands on him for god to help him and went my way.
This is just one example of what has gone on in my rethinking. It is simpler now, and harder to do, but better by far...I am meeting Jesus alot more...sometimes in church too! This has happened for me with Muslim friends, and gay friends, and angry christian friends....all needing the common denominator of loving, being real.
My main impetus was, the scripture which speaks of "always being ready to have an answer for the hope that lies within you" from Peter somewhere... which was always used to build up apologetics to fight with non believers about bible, jesus, evolution.....but that was wrong I am sure. It seems that those people in that day were to LIVE/ACT/BE/LOVE in such a way that raised questions about why they were Hopeful and so on. Most of my journey encouraged to learn all the right things to believe and the TELL people about the TRUTH. I realized that no one was asking me for any reason for anything...and that perhaps my life was not raising questions...that perhaps good news was not happening in me so it was raising questions. So now I have tried to shut my mouth, not get to crazy with trying to figure all the theology out [which i love to do, and wont stop altogether] and practice loving individuals one at a time, beyond my comfort level, outside my likings...infringing on my schedule...and this for me is/has transformed my theology and life more that anything in years.
I know I went on long here but I havent written in awhile man.
All the best to you and your small group. You sound like a good bunch of people....
peace,
Joel
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