10 things I did today that had nothing to do with ministry:
Body Removed. Due to the irreligous content of this post, we, the Canadian Council For Religious Content, have had it removed. We wish to thank those who informed us of the author’s violations of the Religious Blogs Criteria.
Jack Good, in his book The Dishonest Church, says:
“Respect means recognition by the pastor that people have moved beyond the early stages of cognitive development and are ready to think more broadly” (p. 97).
I sometimes wonder if Good makes the assumption that spiritual growth means believing different things… to include other ideas and different facts and theologies. I believe this is a part of growth, but not necessarily. Rather, isn’t it possible that spiritual growth may be thinking the same things more deeply? Example:
“God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself†(2 Corinthians 5:19).
Good seems to me to suggest that for someone to move beyond the “early stages of cognitive developmentâ€, he must realize that, even if there was a historical Jesus, that this statement is not true alone—that God wasn’t reconciling the world to himself through Jesus at all, and if he was, he then reconciles the world to himself through others also. Good suggests that coming to this conclusion may be a traumatic realization. I agree. But is it necessary?
Is it not possible, I offer, that maturity could mean moving from believing that the above verse means: “Jesus is the only way and if you haven’t accepted him as your personal Lord and Savior at the altar, then you’re going to Hell!†to perhaps mining deeper into the text to perceive that in Christ something cataclysmic and universal was accomplished for the whole world? And is it fair to suggest that I can only grow and mature into a better person by rejecting or relativizing this verse?
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I don’t read that much fiction. But, being a fan of John Updike, I had to read his most recent, TERRORIST. I’d recommend it. It kept me turning the pages. It is the story of 18-year-old Ahmad, a Muslim American. As one critic writes, “Ahmad has decided to be purer than the Koran. He will be used by the Yemeni imam who insinuates him through the suras and by the Lebanese furniture salesmen who employ him to drive the truck of fertilizer and racing fuel intended to blow up the Lincoln Tunnel.†You can skim several reviews, from positive to negative, by by clicking on this site.
I read it also because I feel the church needs to understand things that are outside of its traditional worldview, such as Islam and the Muslim community. Although I don’t agree with all that Jack Good has to say in his book, THE DISHONEST CHURCH, I do agree with this:
“No longer is it true, however, that the non-Christian ‘pagans’ are strange people who live in distant cultures. For example, followers of Islam, whose faith, especially after the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001, has been stereotyped as hard and militant, may now live on the same block where I live. In the flesh, they are likely to be as gentle with their children and as caring for their neighbors as any Christian in the same neighborhood. Building stereotypes of Islam is more difficult when the faith is represented by a human face rather than a threatening idea†(p. 87).
Please be patient as I endeavor to get my new blog presentation up and running. It will have a new and frrrrrrrrrresh appearance under the title of “churchpundit: thinking, unthinking and rethinking the church”. Stay tuned. I just started studying another book I’ve been looking forward to reading:
Jim Wallis, God’s Politics. Why The Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It. So far so good! Here’s one excellent quote I wholeheartedly agree with (ya, I read ahead a bit! So what?):
“Gay civil and human rights must also be honored, respected and defended for a society to be good and healthy” (p. 331).
Check it out here:
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VILLAGE MOON (Watercolor, 4″x6″)
You can buy this painting by clicking here.
And, as a good churchpundit should, I am off to church this morning. See you there 
Another conspiracy theory to whet your appetites! Listen on all you evil pastors and stupid lay people!:
“Church officials assume that lay people who are illiterate in scriptural matters will continue (as long as they reamin in the church at all) to be placid, and that they will be satisfied with the often shallow interpretations of preselected scriptures they hear each Sunday… I sense that somewhere, hidden perhaps in the subconscious of church officials, is a fear that lay persons who are truly knowledgeable about the scripture and the history of their tradition will be less dependent upon the ordained leadership of the church. A laity that is well-informed might challenge entrenched bureaucratic priorities and denominational dogma” (Jack Good, The Dishonest Church p. 33).
Okay, I’m for critique, as some of you are painfully aware. And I am aware that with power comes abuse. And I’m aware that with ignorance comes bondage. I am fully aware of that. But can I put a couple of cents in here:
1. Of all the pastors I know (and I know many), almost all of them are genuine servants of the church and not even “subconsciously†hungry for power. They truly love and desire to serve their congregations. Even if they were subconsciously power-hungry, who is going to accuse them of that? And how, if they were so accused, do they defend themselves against such an accusation? “No, I don’t believe I’m power-hungry!†“Ah-hah! But you are, you just don’t realize it!â€
2. I know many lay people too. Most of the ones of my congregation, as well as many others in many other congregations, are genuine seekers after truth. I don’t consider them, nor would they consider themselves, spoon-fed.
I’m not finished the book yet. But when I got to the above paragraph in his book, I again felt like I was in the middle of The DaVinci Code all over again!
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If you want to read a long but excellent essay from beliefnet on How The Gnostic Jesus Became the Christ of Scholars, written by the scholar Philip Jenkins, click here. I think it is important to read this article, especially in light of Harpur’s The Pagan Christ. Take a look from another angle!
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Speaking as a pastor again, here is something I am thinking about: the church. Duh! Yes, I’m still reading Jack Good’s book, The Dishonest Church. But aside from that, I continue to think about the church with love and concern. In an earlier blog, I referred to my teenagers and the younger generation in general. How will they compose the church? Where’s their place? Are we presenting a Jesus that the youth will be curious about? My oldest son, who lives in another city: will he find a church he feels accepted in, and one that he will be attracted to? These are real questions for me. I enjoyed teaching on Sunday because there was lots of feedback and discussion. Even the young people there were engaged because I wasn’t dominating, mumbling alone at the front. It was interesting because of the conversation that was taking place in the community. Martin Luther, way back in the 1600s, said this:
“I have great hope… that as Christ, when rejected by the Jews, went over to the Gentiles, so this true theology, rejected by opinionated old men, will pass over to the younger generation†(Roland Bainton, Here I Stand. A Life of Martin Luther, p. 66).
I don’t want to be an opinionated old man among opinionated old people. Where’s the Christ that the younger generation will receive?
How about in the future, when we have some hot issue to discuss, we use these terms of engagement on how to fight fair:
1. Be respectful. Don’t name-call, use sarcasm, or belittle others.
Example: “I believe there’s a God because he talks to me!â€
“I always thought you were a stupid idiot!â€
2. Focus on the issue. Don’t get personal. Maintain clarity on your view.
Example: “If there is a God, why is there so much evil in the world?†“Ya, well, you’re Satan! That’s why, you stupid idiot!â€
3. Stay on point. Don’t change the subject until you’ve dealt with the original issue.
Example: “I don’t like the church and refuse to attend such an abusive institution!†“Ya, well, you weren’t breast-fed enough! Let’s talk about that, you stupid idiot!â€
4. Wait before writing. Don’t respond when angry. Cool off first. Present a reasoned response. It can be impassioned, but make sure it is not a knee-jerk reaction.
Example: “I love Jesus because he’s my personal Lord and Savior!†“Oh is that right? Then why every time you open your mouth, I smell manure, you stupid idiot!â€
5. Try to understand what others are saying. Don’t write people off, but try to understand where they are coming from. Walk in their shoes for a minute.
Example: “God is your imaginary friend!†“Well, men are from Mars; women are from Venus. But you might as well be speaking from Uranus, you stupid idiot!â€
6. If you don’t understand what they are saying, ask for clarity. Don’t assume you know what they mean. Example: “I don’t believe there’s a literal Hell.†“That’s why I think you’re going to hell!†“Ya, well, I must already be there because I’m talking to you, you stupid idiot!â€
7. Even if we argue ideas, try to respect and appreciate other people, even love them.
Example: “I’ll pray for you, that you will get saved and go to church.†“Ya, well, I pray that you get drilled through the head with a meteor, you brainless moron!â€
Anyway, those are just a few rules to help us fight fair and to encourage everyone to stay in the game. No head-butting! Check out this site for a humorous mixture of advice:
Check out this site for some humorous advice on debating fair!
I want to thank my friend Nate (check out his lengthy response to my “atheist” blog here (comment #37) ) who gave me a book yesterday, The Dishonest Church by Jack Good. Here’s a part of the write-up on the back cover of the book that I think presents some interest:
“Two distinct styles of faith characterize the mainline Protestant churches in the U.S. One is the faith of the academy, theologically informed but arid and intellectual. The other is popular Christianity, an energetic mixture of tradition and superstition that provides fellowship and comfort but cannot answer the challenges posed by historical and scientific knowledge. Mainline pastors tend to hold an academic faith, but, lest they scandalize the laity, they preach a popular one. Meanwhile, those who seek a faith adequate to the modern world are silently disappearing from the pews.â€
Within the book, Good is more direct:
“Members of the laity fear the loss of their faith; clergy fear the loss of their jobs†(p. 4).
Ouch! I’m reading the book with interest because Good and I share a common love and concern: the church.
David Hayward is an artist trapped in a pastor's body, stripping to the essential.
