I have this tension inside me when it comes to Christian contemporary music. This tension has to do with the rampant individualism lifted up in the music.
How many of the songs we sing in worship are about "me, myself, and I"? Have you ever stopped to think. Going back to the the Maranatha days there was "Lord I Lift Your Name on High". Then there was "Here I am to Worship" and "I Can Only Imagine" and even favorites today like "Lifesong" (Let your lifesong sing for me). Oh, sure there are a couple of good songs that sing about God and don't constantly use the first person but they seem to be getting fewer and fewer between.
I think we need to be cognizant of this and aware of the cult of individualism that is being reinforced albeit unknowingly I am sure. The community of faith I find described in scripture and throughout most of history is anything but individualistic. The Bible says we need each other. The Bible says to meet together. The Bible says we worship together. In our closed lives of individualism where the world tells us to look out for number one and to buy the package designed especially for you the church and its teaching need to be counter-cultural and thus temper this cult of individualism.
On the other hand, when it comes to music, we want a certain portion of the music to be personal. We want people to be able to appropriate the words into the core of their being and be able to demonstrate and live out those words in their life. We want people to know what it is like to praise God out of their whole being. So there is the tension.
Maybe the answer is to find a balance. One where the music balances the communal and individual aspects of this journey we are on.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Omnipresence
There are three "omni" words traditionally used to define God: omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing) and omnipresent (all present).
For most people who subscribe to a belief in the God of Christianity the first two are not that hard. It is pretty easy to believe that God is all powerful after taking in a waterfall or seeing a violent storm. And it is pretty easy to subscribe to the notion that God is all knowing when we see how things turn out in our life and in the lives of others mostly for good.
We tend to have more of a problem with this God being present everywhere thing. I mean it is easy to affirm and say that God is everywhere but we often forget this truth. Or, we simply do not believe it. Or, we believe that God is only present in the four walls of the church. But God is everywhere and that is what omnipresence is all about.
For most of us though we do not stop long enough to see God's presence among us. We don't see God as we rush from appointment to appointment, errand to errand, soccer practice to ballet, email to cell phone and more. How many times do we walk by, drive by, and pass by the presence of God because we are elsewhere?
God is present and working in all the places we find ourselves in. True enough, God is most powerfully experienced through Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit when the community of faith gathers and breaks bread together, but he is also present in all other places.
For most people who subscribe to a belief in the God of Christianity the first two are not that hard. It is pretty easy to believe that God is all powerful after taking in a waterfall or seeing a violent storm. And it is pretty easy to subscribe to the notion that God is all knowing when we see how things turn out in our life and in the lives of others mostly for good.
We tend to have more of a problem with this God being present everywhere thing. I mean it is easy to affirm and say that God is everywhere but we often forget this truth. Or, we simply do not believe it. Or, we believe that God is only present in the four walls of the church. But God is everywhere and that is what omnipresence is all about.
For most of us though we do not stop long enough to see God's presence among us. We don't see God as we rush from appointment to appointment, errand to errand, soccer practice to ballet, email to cell phone and more. How many times do we walk by, drive by, and pass by the presence of God because we are elsewhere?
God is present and working in all the places we find ourselves in. True enough, God is most powerfully experienced through Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit when the community of faith gathers and breaks bread together, but he is also present in all other places.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
How Big is Your Jesus?
Where are you on your Jesus journey?
When you are up on the ropes, when your faith is tested, when it seems like there is no way out (or in) how big is your Jesus?
As you grow in your faith and discover more and more about what it means to follow this Jesus do you move beyond "Jesus said it, I believe it, and it's so" to knowing the truth of Christ in your heart?
When the proverbial box of your faith is shattered, is your faith big enough that it can handle what your are experiencing or learning that calls into question all you have been taught?
There is no doubt that the Jesus we find in the Bible and who we experience is big enough. The questions is whether we believe the Jesus we follow is big enough. How big is your Jesus?
Next week- Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy!
When you are up on the ropes, when your faith is tested, when it seems like there is no way out (or in) how big is your Jesus?
As you grow in your faith and discover more and more about what it means to follow this Jesus do you move beyond "Jesus said it, I believe it, and it's so" to knowing the truth of Christ in your heart?
When the proverbial box of your faith is shattered, is your faith big enough that it can handle what your are experiencing or learning that calls into question all you have been taught?
There is no doubt that the Jesus we find in the Bible and who we experience is big enough. The questions is whether we believe the Jesus we follow is big enough. How big is your Jesus?
Next week- Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy!
Monday, July 24, 2006
Recon
Yesterday was one of those rare Sundays when I was not teaching and I did not have other worship celebration experience responsibilities. I wondered earlier in the week what I would do. I thought real hard about attending one of the more innovative churches in the Fredericksburg area to get ideas and see how other people were connecting others to Christ.
However I settled on doing a little recon instead. I wanted to see what people were doing who were not in church on Sunday. After all, if these are the people we are trying to reach why shouldn't we learn as much as we can about their Sunday morning habits. While it was strange to be driving around on Sunday morning the learning was invaluable. Here is what I observed from about 10:30 a.m. to noon.
However I settled on doing a little recon instead. I wanted to see what people were doing who were not in church on Sunday. After all, if these are the people we are trying to reach why shouldn't we learn as much as we can about their Sunday morning habits. While it was strange to be driving around on Sunday morning the learning was invaluable. Here is what I observed from about 10:30 a.m. to noon.
- In the neighborhood I drove through there were many garage doors open with people getting ready to mow grass or in the process of washing cars. There was not a tremendous amount of activity but more than I though there would be.
- There were a significant amount of people at WaWa, Food Lion, Wal-Mart, Lowes, Toys R Us, and especially the brand spanking new Target.
- One lady I was next to at a stop light was playing contemporary Christian music while smoking a cigarette. She would fit in well at New Season! Like Jesus, we love smokers though not their habit!
- When I passed the big soccer complex at Loriella Park there were no soccer or baseball games going. Good for you Spotsylvania Parks and Rec.
Here are some take aways from what I saw.
- While all these people were different and no doubt some were regularly connected to a faith community there are still vast amounts of people not connected to a faith community and no doubt vast amounts living without Christ.
- All of the churches in are area could double and there would still be unchurched people in our area.
- Future servant evangelism efforts (passing out free water/ drinks, free newspapers and coffee, free car washes) should take place on Sunday mornings if that is who we are trying to demonstrate the love of Christ to.
- I dream of a day when we will cancel Sunday worship (maybe move it to Saturday) and be out serving in the community on a Sunday morning.
See you in church next week!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Relevance
What does it mean to be relevant when it comes to doing church? Whether that means being relevant in preaching, programming, nurturing, evangelism or anything else the church does? We hear a lot of churches say come and hear relevant messages. Or, we are a contemporary, causal and relevant church. What does this overused word mean?
Relevant is...
Relevant is...
- Meeting people's felt needs and helping them to discover and fill their ultimate need- a life changing walk with Jesus Christ.
- Using methods to present the Gospel that are indigenous to your mission field specially in the area of worship.
- Watching your language and not using Christianese so that persons not "in" have a hard time understanding what in the world you are saying. People have not been to church have nop idea what a narthex, nave, doxology, atonement, or lectionary is.
- Preaching and teaching about relationships, marriage, raising kids, dealing with stress, finding purpose and meaning etc.- all in the context of the Biblical witness and always exalting Christ.
Relevant is not...
- Telling people what you think they need to hear.
- Expecting persons who have grown up with television, computers at age 5, MTV images every three seconds, and surround sound to sit through an hour to an hour and a half of linear worship with one or two talking heads.
- Simply putting up a screen, using movie clips, or playing contemporary Christian music.
- Arguing about the amount of water used in baptism, the color of the new carpet, whether to spend money on a newspaper ad or whether gay people should be allowed to become members of the church. We do this while people in our mission field are dying and going to hell, going hungry and have no place to lay their heads and suffer from physical, spiritual and emotional illnesses.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Nomadic Churches
Nomadic Chruches are churches that for any number of reasons do not have a permanent home. They may meet in schools, community cetners, warehouses, movie theaters or any place where worship can happen "in spirit and truth." Bill Easum and Pete Theodore provide an excellent survey of the special challenges faced by nomadic churches as well as the many benefits the nomadic church has over the established church. As more and more churches are started in areas where land is way too expensive to purchase and build upon and where mission trumps structures we will see more nomadic churches. These churches will be nomadic not for a time, but for their life. Here are some highlights from Easum and Theodore's work some with my comments.
p. 16 To fulfill the Great Commission, the number of new churches that must be planted requires a method that demands less capital than in the past.
We’ve learned that it costs between 500,000 and 1 million to plant a church the traditional way.
We can't keep doing parachute drops if we want to plant 250 new churches in the next 30 years in Virginia.
p. 17 ...having their own buildings may encourage churches to operate with a centripial (come) rather than a centrifugal (go) mentality in mission, inviting non-members to church rather than going into society to meet people on neutral territory, reversing the apparent thrust of mission in the New Testament.
Gone are the days when you could say "hey, here we are y'all come now" and expect people to show up. We need to get the hell out of the church both literally and figuratively.
p. 21 An advantage to the nomadic church is it keeps away some Christians who only want a comfortable church experience.
What a great benefit this is.
p. 123 “My goal was for it to be impossible for anyone in our city to be unaware of our church.”
This is the worthy goal of one leader of a nomadic church and one that is a worthy goal for every church.
p. 139 Simple core value- Christ first, people second, buildings last.
For those who have already built I would add, "Never put up a building until everyone understands we will tear it down in a New York minute if it means reaching more people for Christ."
p. 156 There is much we can do after we pray; but there is nothing worth doing until we pray.
p. 162 Luther- Pray as if everything depends on God. Then work as if everything depends on you.
p. 3 Possible things don’t need God.
A mantra here at New Season these days. If it can be done without God it is not worth doing. That's been said numerous times by many but still worth repeating.
p. 16 To fulfill the Great Commission, the number of new churches that must be planted requires a method that demands less capital than in the past.
We’ve learned that it costs between 500,000 and 1 million to plant a church the traditional way.
We can't keep doing parachute drops if we want to plant 250 new churches in the next 30 years in Virginia.
p. 17 ...having their own buildings may encourage churches to operate with a centripial (come) rather than a centrifugal (go) mentality in mission, inviting non-members to church rather than going into society to meet people on neutral territory, reversing the apparent thrust of mission in the New Testament.
Gone are the days when you could say "hey, here we are y'all come now" and expect people to show up. We need to get the hell out of the church both literally and figuratively.
p. 21 An advantage to the nomadic church is it keeps away some Christians who only want a comfortable church experience.
What a great benefit this is.
p. 123 “My goal was for it to be impossible for anyone in our city to be unaware of our church.”
This is the worthy goal of one leader of a nomadic church and one that is a worthy goal for every church.
p. 139 Simple core value- Christ first, people second, buildings last.
For those who have already built I would add, "Never put up a building until everyone understands we will tear it down in a New York minute if it means reaching more people for Christ."
p. 156 There is much we can do after we pray; but there is nothing worth doing until we pray.
p. 162 Luther- Pray as if everything depends on God. Then work as if everything depends on you.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Mary, Mary, Why You Buggin'?- Da Vinci Code Discourse
Here is the podcast for the final message in the "Da Vinci Code Discourse" series.
To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.
Mary, Mary, Why You Buggin'?
Message
Mary Magdalene is one of the main players in the Da Vinci Code though she never makes an appearence. The claims associated with Mary Magdalene: that she was married to Jesus and had his child, that her bloodline continues, that she is the true holy grail are so absurd that this message focuses on a more important topic. Namely, what we can learn from the fully devoted follower Mary Magdalene that can help us grow and be more commited followers of Jesus.
Series
This message is from the series "The Da Vinci Code Discourse". While the Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, author Dan Brown blurs lines between fiction and truth and makes broad claims that strike at the heart of Christianity. We will look at some of the issues the book raises in an effort to discover what people who follow Christ beleive and why we believe it. We hold that Christianity is not a call to bury our heads in the sand or check our brains in at the door but to engage and redeem such cultural phenomenas as the Da Vinci Code.
Subscribe to this podcast via Apple iTunes by following this link.
Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.
To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.
Mary, Mary, Why You Buggin'?Message
Mary Magdalene is one of the main players in the Da Vinci Code though she never makes an appearence. The claims associated with Mary Magdalene: that she was married to Jesus and had his child, that her bloodline continues, that she is the true holy grail are so absurd that this message focuses on a more important topic. Namely, what we can learn from the fully devoted follower Mary Magdalene that can help us grow and be more commited followers of Jesus.
Series
This message is from the series "The Da Vinci Code Discourse". While the Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, author Dan Brown blurs lines between fiction and truth and makes broad claims that strike at the heart of Christianity. We will look at some of the issues the book raises in an effort to discover what people who follow Christ beleive and why we believe it. We hold that Christianity is not a call to bury our heads in the sand or check our brains in at the door but to engage and redeem such cultural phenomenas as the Da Vinci Code.
Subscribe to this podcast via Apple iTunes by following this link.
Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.
The Truth about the Bible Part 2
Here is the podcast for the fourth message in the "Da Vinci Code Discourse" series.
To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.
The Truth about the Bible Part 2
Message
This message continues to explore the trustowrthiness of the Bible. We can trust the Bible because of its claims to have been written by either eyewitnesses or near eyewitnesses, because the sheer number of ancient manuscripts out there and the small amount of time lapse between when the Bible was written and when we have the first ancient manuscipt. Add to this the sheer number of prophecies that are fulfilled in the Bible and it becomes clear that the Bible is trustworthy.
Series
This message is from the series "The Da Vinci Code Discourse". While the Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, author Dan Brown blurs lines between fiction and truth and makes broad claims that strike at the heart of Christianity. We will look at some of the issues the book raises in an effort to discover what people who follow Christ beleive and why we believe it. We hold that Christianity is not a call to bury our heads in the sand or check our brains in at the door but to engage and redeem such cultural phenomenas as the Da Vinci Code.
Subscribe to this podcast via Apple iTunes by following this link.
Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.
To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.
The Truth about the Bible Part 2Message
This message continues to explore the trustowrthiness of the Bible. We can trust the Bible because of its claims to have been written by either eyewitnesses or near eyewitnesses, because the sheer number of ancient manuscripts out there and the small amount of time lapse between when the Bible was written and when we have the first ancient manuscipt. Add to this the sheer number of prophecies that are fulfilled in the Bible and it becomes clear that the Bible is trustworthy.
Series
This message is from the series "The Da Vinci Code Discourse". While the Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, author Dan Brown blurs lines between fiction and truth and makes broad claims that strike at the heart of Christianity. We will look at some of the issues the book raises in an effort to discover what people who follow Christ beleive and why we believe it. We hold that Christianity is not a call to bury our heads in the sand or check our brains in at the door but to engage and redeem such cultural phenomenas as the Da Vinci Code.
Subscribe to this podcast via Apple iTunes by following this link.Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.
Friday, June 23, 2006
KJV Crater Found According to News Reports
A satire from Christianlogic.com. Long live the true and only word of God!
SALISBURY, UK--British police announced yesterday the location of the KJV crater. The location, explained police captain William Lindt, is where the King James translation of the Bible fell from heaven. "There's this forest, see? Then there's this clearing, and then this bloody hole in the ground," said Lindt. "I saw it and said to myself that it looks like the spot the Authorized Version hit, if it looks like anything at all."
The crater was discovered by a Scottish couple on holiday to England, police said. Lyle and Katie McCrone were strolling through the woods when they noticed a depression in the ground. Upon closer examination, the couple discovered that the depression was actually a hole shaped exactly like the King James Bible. "It was perfectly rectangular," said Lyle McCrone. "And the date 1611 was stamped at the bottom."
KJV-only scholars have been thrilled by the discovery. "We've known for some time that the King James translation is the only legitimate English Bible version. This only confirms it," said Dr. Hank Conrad of the Center for Authorized Version Research. "It's very encouraging," agreed Rev. Jason Delancy. "No modern translation can boast this kind of origin."
SALISBURY, UK--British police announced yesterday the location of the KJV crater. The location, explained police captain William Lindt, is where the King James translation of the Bible fell from heaven. "There's this forest, see? Then there's this clearing, and then this bloody hole in the ground," said Lindt. "I saw it and said to myself that it looks like the spot the Authorized Version hit, if it looks like anything at all."
The crater was discovered by a Scottish couple on holiday to England, police said. Lyle and Katie McCrone were strolling through the woods when they noticed a depression in the ground. Upon closer examination, the couple discovered that the depression was actually a hole shaped exactly like the King James Bible. "It was perfectly rectangular," said Lyle McCrone. "And the date 1611 was stamped at the bottom."
KJV-only scholars have been thrilled by the discovery. "We've known for some time that the King James translation is the only legitimate English Bible version. This only confirms it," said Dr. Hank Conrad of the Center for Authorized Version Research. "It's very encouraging," agreed Rev. Jason Delancy. "No modern translation can boast this kind of origin."
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Annual Conference Day 1
Professions of Faith
Much happened yesterday at the Conference in the way of worship, celebration of different ministries around Virginia and more. But I wanted to highlight a couple of things.
There were two major issues. One had to do with churches who received no professions of faith this past year. The Conference statistician reported that there were more than 500, yes more than 500 churches, that had not received a member by profession of faith. A motion was made for a program to be put in place where help would be given to these churches and also provide accoutnability as to why these churches had not recevied one person by profession of faith last year (profession of faith means that they were not a believer before they came to the church/ had never beloned to another church- not a transfer).
While it seems many of the people at the Conference agree with the intent of the resolution there seems to be legitimate questions around how it will be carried out. Currently the motion calls for the a District Superintnendent from another District and two people from what is called the Common Table (a governing body on the Conference level) to provide consultation and accountability to such churches.
I agree there may be some problems with that set up but I believe we need to do something now and can tweak later. Ths situation is just not acceptable and shame on all of us. The District Superintendents have rightly claimed that they already have too much on their plate. If this is the case, which it appears to be, then they need to clear their plate and get rid of some of the stuff they are doing because this is far more important.
In a related motion, the conference agreed to a goal of planting 250 new churches in the next 20 years. It is about time. While the whole start new churches revitalize existing churches debate is not an either/ or debate (we can do both) I still firmly believe that the most effective way to make disciples of Jesus Christ is to start new faith communities.
Both of these motions were made by Keith Boyette from Wilderness Chruch. Wayto go Keith.
We also received a report from Task Force looking into a new assembly center who suggested another task force look into coming up with a plan for a new assembly center as Blackstone will just not suffice any longer. You would of thought we were attacking the divinity of Christ!! It made me reminiscent of being in a church meeting filled with building worshippers. Many of those who wanted to protect the hallowed grounds of Blackstone spoke of what a spiritual place it was. Jesus had something to say about places like that to the Samaritan woman- "There will come a time when you will not worship on this mountain or in Jerusalem." Buildings are not spiritual!!! I should tell them that New Season Church might be worshipping in the warehouse of an old Southern States store!! More later I hope.
Much happened yesterday at the Conference in the way of worship, celebration of different ministries around Virginia and more. But I wanted to highlight a couple of things.
There were two major issues. One had to do with churches who received no professions of faith this past year. The Conference statistician reported that there were more than 500, yes more than 500 churches, that had not received a member by profession of faith. A motion was made for a program to be put in place where help would be given to these churches and also provide accoutnability as to why these churches had not recevied one person by profession of faith last year (profession of faith means that they were not a believer before they came to the church/ had never beloned to another church- not a transfer).
While it seems many of the people at the Conference agree with the intent of the resolution there seems to be legitimate questions around how it will be carried out. Currently the motion calls for the a District Superintnendent from another District and two people from what is called the Common Table (a governing body on the Conference level) to provide consultation and accountability to such churches.
I agree there may be some problems with that set up but I believe we need to do something now and can tweak later. Ths situation is just not acceptable and shame on all of us. The District Superintendents have rightly claimed that they already have too much on their plate. If this is the case, which it appears to be, then they need to clear their plate and get rid of some of the stuff they are doing because this is far more important.
In a related motion, the conference agreed to a goal of planting 250 new churches in the next 20 years. It is about time. While the whole start new churches revitalize existing churches debate is not an either/ or debate (we can do both) I still firmly believe that the most effective way to make disciples of Jesus Christ is to start new faith communities.
Both of these motions were made by Keith Boyette from Wilderness Chruch. Wayto go Keith.
We also received a report from Task Force looking into a new assembly center who suggested another task force look into coming up with a plan for a new assembly center as Blackstone will just not suffice any longer. You would of thought we were attacking the divinity of Christ!! It made me reminiscent of being in a church meeting filled with building worshippers. Many of those who wanted to protect the hallowed grounds of Blackstone spoke of what a spiritual place it was. Jesus had something to say about places like that to the Samaritan woman- "There will come a time when you will not worship on this mountain or in Jerusalem." Buildings are not spiritual!!! I should tell them that New Season Church might be worshipping in the warehouse of an old Southern States store!! More later I hope.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Annual Conference
Once a year Methodist people in Virginia come together for what is called the Annual Conference. Annual Conference is a meeting of clergy and laity from churches across Virginia that is filled with worship, business meetings, and great opportunities to catch up with old friends you sometimes do not see but once a year. John Wesley said that Christian conferencing was a means of grace like prayer, fasting, scripture reading and communion.
The Conference actually started last night. Steve Kropp and I made our way to Hampton. Soon as we got here we already ran into the trouble. Our hotel reservations were not reserved as the good people at the Ramada said when they went to charge my card that it had been rejected!! So, they cancelled our reservations. No call or nothing- they just decided I guess to leave us in a lurch.
No matter, because we got a much better hotel with the same rate a little bit futher away and this place actually has an exercise room. So there.
Last night was the memorial service. It is always inspiring to celerbate the lives of those who have touched so many lives themselves. The Rev. Young Jin Cho gave the message and talked about servant hood and moving from maintenance to mission. And, he had some good jokes too.
Pray for Steve and I. We need it.
The Conference actually started last night. Steve Kropp and I made our way to Hampton. Soon as we got here we already ran into the trouble. Our hotel reservations were not reserved as the good people at the Ramada said when they went to charge my card that it had been rejected!! So, they cancelled our reservations. No call or nothing- they just decided I guess to leave us in a lurch.
No matter, because we got a much better hotel with the same rate a little bit futher away and this place actually has an exercise room. So there.
Last night was the memorial service. It is always inspiring to celerbate the lives of those who have touched so many lives themselves. The Rev. Young Jin Cho gave the message and talked about servant hood and moving from maintenance to mission. And, he had some good jokes too.
Pray for Steve and I. We need it.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Shame on WaWA
Shame on WaWa.
Let me break it down. We decided to do a servant evangelism ministry (handing out free coffee and papers at our local WaWa) so our ministry assistant Dorothy called WaWa headquarters and got the details about what we would need to do to get permission. They faxed out a form and their policies and it did not seem like it was going to be a problem after reading their policies.
I got the form filled out and took it over to the manager- or who I thought was the manager- they seemed kind of in disarray at their store and largely treated me as a disturbance. When I gave them the form they had no idea what I was talking about and looked at me like I had three heads. Apparently no one has ever done this or even solicted outside the store (we were giving away free stuff we were even going to buy from them!).
They said they would have to check on it. That was fair enough. I didn't hear anything for a few days and called over there. "We will pass on your message to the manager" they said.
Then late Friday I get a call from the manager:
Manager: You cannot do what you want to do here. I brought your request to our district meeting and my district manager denied it.
Me: Uh, O.K. How come it was denied?
Manager: It was denied. (Apparently at a lost really and just repeating).
Me: Do you know why it was denied?
Manager: Um, my District Manager said she had to get better control of what is going on outside her stores.
Me: Alrighty then.
Now, if that was not the lamest load of fecal matter I had heard in a long time I do not know what is. You know I completely understand a business determining who can do things outside the store. But don't put out policies that appear to make it permissible and then deny requests for some enigmatic reason. I know someone handing out coffee and newspapers to share God's love in a practical way would have been such a nuisance and necessitated getting better control of what is going on outside your stores!
I decided I did not want the headache of fighting against these people and the rest of their bureaucracy. I'll just go to Food Lion or Wal-Mart.
In the end, what did WaWa gain?- a post in the blogosphere decrying their poor choices and the fact that they basically blew off a good customer who will tell others of the incident. How is that for customer evangelism.! I guess we won't partner with them to do our gas giveaway event. When is Sheetz coming to town- not soon enough!!
Shame on WaWa!
Let me break it down. We decided to do a servant evangelism ministry (handing out free coffee and papers at our local WaWa) so our ministry assistant Dorothy called WaWa headquarters and got the details about what we would need to do to get permission. They faxed out a form and their policies and it did not seem like it was going to be a problem after reading their policies.
I got the form filled out and took it over to the manager- or who I thought was the manager- they seemed kind of in disarray at their store and largely treated me as a disturbance. When I gave them the form they had no idea what I was talking about and looked at me like I had three heads. Apparently no one has ever done this or even solicted outside the store (we were giving away free stuff we were even going to buy from them!).
They said they would have to check on it. That was fair enough. I didn't hear anything for a few days and called over there. "We will pass on your message to the manager" they said.
Then late Friday I get a call from the manager:
Manager: You cannot do what you want to do here. I brought your request to our district meeting and my district manager denied it.
Me: Uh, O.K. How come it was denied?
Manager: It was denied. (Apparently at a lost really and just repeating).
Me: Do you know why it was denied?
Manager: Um, my District Manager said she had to get better control of what is going on outside her stores.
Me: Alrighty then.
Now, if that was not the lamest load of fecal matter I had heard in a long time I do not know what is. You know I completely understand a business determining who can do things outside the store. But don't put out policies that appear to make it permissible and then deny requests for some enigmatic reason. I know someone handing out coffee and newspapers to share God's love in a practical way would have been such a nuisance and necessitated getting better control of what is going on outside your stores!
I decided I did not want the headache of fighting against these people and the rest of their bureaucracy. I'll just go to Food Lion or Wal-Mart.
In the end, what did WaWa gain?- a post in the blogosphere decrying their poor choices and the fact that they basically blew off a good customer who will tell others of the incident. How is that for customer evangelism.! I guess we won't partner with them to do our gas giveaway event. When is Sheetz coming to town- not soon enough!!
Shame on WaWa!
The Truth About the Bible Part 1- DaVinci Code Discourse
Here is the podcast for the third message in the "Da Vinci Code Discourse" series.
To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.
The Truth about the Bible Part 1
Message
Is the Bible just a bunch of fables? Did the church repress "other" gospels? How did we get our New Testament in the form we have it. These are some of the questions we examine in this message. If the Bible conatins all things necessary for salvation and is the guide for what we believe and how we live our life then we should know how we got it. Come explore!
Series
This message is from the series "The Da Vinci Code Discourse". While the Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, author Dan Brown blurs lines between fiction and truth and makes broad claims that strike at the heart of Christianity. We will look at some of the issues the book raises in an effort to discover what people who follow Christ beleive and why we believe it. We hold that Christianity is not a call to bury our heads in the sand or check our brains in at the door but to engage and redeem such cultural phenomenas as the Da Vinci Code.
Subscribe to this podcast via Apple iTunes by following this link.
Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.
To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.
The Truth about the Bible Part 1Message
Is the Bible just a bunch of fables? Did the church repress "other" gospels? How did we get our New Testament in the form we have it. These are some of the questions we examine in this message. If the Bible conatins all things necessary for salvation and is the guide for what we believe and how we live our life then we should know how we got it. Come explore!
Series
This message is from the series "The Da Vinci Code Discourse". While the Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, author Dan Brown blurs lines between fiction and truth and makes broad claims that strike at the heart of Christianity. We will look at some of the issues the book raises in an effort to discover what people who follow Christ beleive and why we believe it. We hold that Christianity is not a call to bury our heads in the sand or check our brains in at the door but to engage and redeem such cultural phenomenas as the Da Vinci Code.
Subscribe to this podcast via Apple iTunes by following this link.Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Poison Ivy
For the past couple of weeks I have been battling poison ivy. I never had poison ivy until I moved to my new house which has trees with poison ivy vines that are bigger than my leg. I got it last summer pretty mildly, and then some this winter but a couple of weeks ago I got it pretty bad so that it spread all over my body. For those who have had it you know how it goes- the more you itch the worse it gets. Calamine lotion and Benadryl help for a time but they do not treat.
This past Monday I went to the doctor and got a shot and a steriod (not the Barry Bonds kind) and my symptoms have thankfully abated.
All this reminds me of how sin is like posion ivy. It is vicious. It is virulent. The more you scratch it (give in to it) the worse it gets. When it comes to sin though we have to go to the Great Physician who heals our sin and restores our soul. I may get posion ivy again and I know I will sin again but thankfully there is a cure for each!
This past Monday I went to the doctor and got a shot and a steriod (not the Barry Bonds kind) and my symptoms have thankfully abated.
All this reminds me of how sin is like posion ivy. It is vicious. It is virulent. The more you scratch it (give in to it) the worse it gets. When it comes to sin though we have to go to the Great Physician who heals our sin and restores our soul. I may get posion ivy again and I know I will sin again but thankfully there is a cure for each!
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Breakout Churches
I have finsihed Breakout Churches by Thom Rainer and would recommend it. Rainer and his team did their homeowrk in this book. The book does not look at the successful mega churches but churches that have been successful, declined, and successful again. Part of the criteria for the churches selected was that the same pastor had to be there for both the decline and the breakthrough. Here are some particularly interesting tidbits from the book.
It is a sin to be good if God calls us to be great.
We always must seek a reasonable human excellence when doing ministry.
Positive outside influences- breakout leaders had an insatiable appetite to learn and a persistent drive to improve- outside counsel, conferences, books, consultations etc.
There is no excuse in these information days to not have these positive outside influences. This speaks well for the need for a coach as well especially when planting a church.
In the chapter "The Who What Simal-track" Rainer writes about the importance of getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats, and then figuring out where to drive the bus.
This is easier said than done but so necessary. This job is so much harder in an established church. You know, where the treasurer has been the treasurer for eighty years and still types out her reports.
Mission is a general statement of any church’s purpose.
Vision refers to God’s specific plan for a specific church at a specific time in its history.
Jim Griffith says mission and vision are overrated. I am beginning to agree. We all have the same mission. All mission statements say something about making disciples of Chrsit, fully devoted followers etc. I am starting to be believe that vision finds us more than we find it.
In the majority of comparison churches in the study, merchants within a half mile radius of the church couldn’t tell us where the church was located.
The church was irrelevant to the community.
This would be interesting to try. Go and ask the merchants near your church if they can tell you where your church is and what they know about it.
Everything we did revolved around those who were not there yet.
This is the lens through which we must view all decisions so that those far from God might become close to God and glory be brought to God.
Builders of great churches made as much use of stop doing lists than to do lists.
The "Stop Doing" list- great idea. Mine is getting long.
It is a sin to be good if God calls us to be great.
We always must seek a reasonable human excellence when doing ministry.
Positive outside influences- breakout leaders had an insatiable appetite to learn and a persistent drive to improve- outside counsel, conferences, books, consultations etc.
There is no excuse in these information days to not have these positive outside influences. This speaks well for the need for a coach as well especially when planting a church.
In the chapter "The Who What Simal-track" Rainer writes about the importance of getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats, and then figuring out where to drive the bus.
This is easier said than done but so necessary. This job is so much harder in an established church. You know, where the treasurer has been the treasurer for eighty years and still types out her reports.
Mission is a general statement of any church’s purpose.
Vision refers to God’s specific plan for a specific church at a specific time in its history.
Jim Griffith says mission and vision are overrated. I am beginning to agree. We all have the same mission. All mission statements say something about making disciples of Chrsit, fully devoted followers etc. I am starting to be believe that vision finds us more than we find it.
In the majority of comparison churches in the study, merchants within a half mile radius of the church couldn’t tell us where the church was located.
The church was irrelevant to the community.
This would be interesting to try. Go and ask the merchants near your church if they can tell you where your church is and what they know about it.
Everything we did revolved around those who were not there yet.
This is the lens through which we must view all decisions so that those far from God might become close to God and glory be brought to God.
Builders of great churches made as much use of stop doing lists than to do lists.
The "Stop Doing" list- great idea. Mine is getting long.
Da Vinci Code Discourse- The Real Jesus
Here is the podcast for the second message in the "Da Vinci Code Discourse" series.To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.
The Real Jesus
Message
Was Jesus more than just a good man or a mighty prophet or some political activist who had children with one of his followers? This message shines the light of truth on who Jesus was and is- fully God and fully man.
Series
This message is from the series "The Da Vinci Code Discourse". While the Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, author Dan Brown blurs lines between fiction and truth and makes broad claims that strike at the heart of Christianity. We will look at some of the issues the book raises in an effort to discover what people who follow Christ beleive and why we believe it. We hold that Christianity is not a call to bury our heads in the sand or check our brains in at the door but to engage and redeem such cultural phenomenas as the Da Vinci Code.
Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.Subscribe to this podcast via Apple iTunes by following this link.
Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.
The Real JesusMessage
Was Jesus more than just a good man or a mighty prophet or some political activist who had children with one of his followers? This message shines the light of truth on who Jesus was and is- fully God and fully man.
Series
This message is from the series "The Da Vinci Code Discourse". While the Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, author Dan Brown blurs lines between fiction and truth and makes broad claims that strike at the heart of Christianity. We will look at some of the issues the book raises in an effort to discover what people who follow Christ beleive and why we believe it. We hold that Christianity is not a call to bury our heads in the sand or check our brains in at the door but to engage and redeem such cultural phenomenas as the Da Vinci Code.
Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.Subscribe to this podcast via Apple iTunes by following this link.Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Da Vinci Code Discourse- What's all the Hype About?
Here is the podcast for the first message in the "Da Vinci Code Discourse" series.
To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.
What's All the Hype About
Message
It has been at the top of the NY Times Bestseller list for months. It was recently released as a major motion picture. What is all the hype about the Da Vinci Code? Why should people who follow Christ care? Whether a fully devoted follower of Christ or someone seeking answers come "seek the truth" as we examine the claims of the Da Vinci Code.
Series
This message is from the series "The Da Vinci Code Discourse". While the Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, author Dan Brown blurs lines between fiction and truth and makes broad claims that strike at the heart of Christianity. We will look at some of the issues the book raises in an effort to discover what people who follow Christ beleive and why we believe it. We hold that Christianity is not a call to bury our heads in the sand or check our brains in at the door but to engage and redeem such cultural phenomenas as the Da Vinci Code.
Subscribe to this podcast via Apple iTunes by following this link.
Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.
To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.
What's All the Hype AboutMessage
It has been at the top of the NY Times Bestseller list for months. It was recently released as a major motion picture. What is all the hype about the Da Vinci Code? Why should people who follow Christ care? Whether a fully devoted follower of Christ or someone seeking answers come "seek the truth" as we examine the claims of the Da Vinci Code.
Series
This message is from the series "The Da Vinci Code Discourse". While the Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, author Dan Brown blurs lines between fiction and truth and makes broad claims that strike at the heart of Christianity. We will look at some of the issues the book raises in an effort to discover what people who follow Christ beleive and why we believe it. We hold that Christianity is not a call to bury our heads in the sand or check our brains in at the door but to engage and redeem such cultural phenomenas as the Da Vinci Code.
Subscribe to this podcast via Apple iTunes by following this link.Get Apple iTunes for PC or Mac here.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Da Vinci Code Q & A
As we go through the Da Vinci Code Discourse message series attendees are invited to write questions for submission. Those questions are below.
What great questions people had! Many of them were well thought out and deep!! I want to let you know that I tried to answer the questions to the best of my ability. I do not have all the answers. I do not know it all (of course most of you already knew that I just wanted to remind you again!). In some cases I have directed you to websites to check out. While to the best of my knowledge these sites are fairly reputable as to the information contained, always remember that the web is a double edged sword. Always keep in mind who wrote what you are looking at and what their background is when you read. Again, thanks everyone for the questions. I look forward to our journey together as we explore what we believe and why through this message series.
Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute or was that false information?
That is false information. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. We know from the Bible that she was healed of seven demons, that she followed Jesus, was present at his crucifixion and became the first evangelist to tell others that the tomb was empty. But, she was not a prostitute though that would make for a great story of redemption. So where did this idea come from? There are many Marys mentioned in the New Testament. Mary Magdalene became confused with Mary the spiritually "in tune" sister of Martha and another woman named Mary who was described as a sinner in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 7:36-45). Sometime in the sixth century Pope Gregory in a sermon made the claim that these three Marys were the same person thus lumping Mary Magdalene with the woman thought to be a prostitute in Luke 7. In 1969 the Catholic Church corrected this misinterpretation. For more info go here.
Why does making Jesus divine at the Council of Nicea “keep women down” as you mentioned in your sermon?
The reaffirmation of Jesus’ divinity at the Council of Nicea did not in fact “keep women down.” The claim by Dan Brown in the Da Vinci Code and by others who espouse a high view of the sacred feminine is that the church at the Council of Nicea affirmed Jesus’ divinity so that it would be less plausible that Jesus would have been the husband or lover of Mary Magdalene and thus lessen Mary’s true influence and the so called secret that she was the Holy Grail. For those who hold the theory that Mary is the Holy Grail and the mother of Jesus’ descendents this was seen as an attack on the sacred feminine.
Was worshipping women (goddess worship, the sacred feminine) ever practiced? If so, specifically when and why was this practice stopped?
Goddess worship has a long history that predates Christianity. The lines between goddess worship and the celebration of the sacred feminine are blurry. A definition of sacred feminine might be: The veneration in the person of the goddess, who is the Isis of Egypt, and who is embodied by priestesses in sacred rituals. Those who believe that Mary Magdalene is the Holy Grail believe that Mary Magdalene was herself a priestess who embodied the Sacred Feminine. This practice continues today mostly in non-western areas of the world and in cultures that are pantheistic in nature (have more than one god). Even within the Christian Church there would be some who are proponents of the Sacred Feminine and would still call themselves Christians.
Does faith need to be proven?
The Bible defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) While faith in and of itself cannot be proven, it is necessary to know and be able to articulate why you have the faith you have. The Apostle Peter wrote that we should always be ready to give an account of our faith. “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15. And then from Paul’s letter to the Colossians, “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Colossians 4:5-6. While we do not have to prove faith we do have to contend for the faith. Here is a link to a message board discussion you may be interested in.
The Koran was written within 20 years of Muhammad’s death and had to be approved by many people before publication. What took Christians so long to get the word out?
The selection of books that would ultimately make up the New Testament (sometimes referred to as the New Testament canon) were not approved by one person but were only agreed upon at the Synod of Hippo in 393 A.D. It happened over a period of years. Unlike the Koran, the Bible and particularly the New Testament was the witness and collection of many different eyewitnesses, historians and writers. The Koran, on the other hand, is based solely upon what one person (Muhammad) saw and heard. Unlike the Christian New Testament the Koran has less literary variety. In the New Testament one will find narrative prose, parable, poetry/hymns, letters, and a history. The Koran on the other hand is a collection of prose and poetry thus allowing for an easier compilation. Lastly, while the writing of the New Testament appears in the first century in very much an oral culture where important teachings and stories were passed down verbally, the Koran was written in the 7th century.
What about those missing years of Jesus’ life? Why wasn’t his whole life important enough to be written about if he is the savior of the world?
The only record of Jesus’ life before his public ministry began, apart from the birth narratives, is a story in Luke about Jesus conversing with the religious leaders/scholars in the temple after his parents had left the Passover Festival. Luke 2:41-52 It has been speculated by some that Jesus learned the trade of carpentry from his father during this time though there is no direct corroboration of this in the scripture. Though we have little about Jesus’ boyhood in scripture this should not surprise us for a couple of reasons. One reason has to do with God’s timing. Jesus began his public ministry at thirty years old when the appointed time had come. The Gospels present a clear time line of events controlled by God. Secondly, we must understand that the Bible was not written as a history book like we would have for a 10th grade ancient history class. It was a religious text that for the most part used story to convey meaning. The purpose of the scripture was not to convey dry facts or every detail or provide a step by step timeline. To expect the Bible to do such is to impose upon the text a modern day assumption of how we gauge the validity and veracity of texts.
Did Jesus have any children?
No. There is no credible, verifiable or substantial evidence that Jesus had children. The claim of Dan Brown in the Da Vinci Code is that Jesus had a child with Mary Magdalene and that Mary and the child fled after Jesus’ crucifixion. The contention is that the blood line continues today.
Is this your idea to address the subject matter or is it a requirement by the UMC (United Methodist Church)?
This was my idea to address the issues of faith brought to the surface by the Da Vinci Code. I usually plan the message series at New Season months in advance after prayerful consideration always allowing for exceptions because of unplanned events or the leading of the Holy Spirit in planned series or messages. The subject matter of messages (sermons) is never dictated by the United Methodist Church but is left up to local pastors in the local church.
Why even address or devote worship time if the UMC (United Methodist Church) position is “the book is a work of fiction.” Are we truly worried about believers will change their minds? Any “hype” about Christian beliefs should be welcome. It will open doors to share the truth.
One of the values we have at New Season is that we would know why we do the things we do and why we believe the things we do. I believe that it is important for all followers of Christ to know about who Jesus is. Likewise it is important to know if the Bible, which is the rule and norm for our faith and life, is reliable. And if we claim it is reliable then why do we make such a claim. I would hold that those are issues that are appropriate to address and devote worship time to. After all, we should know the best we humanly can the one we worship and know about this book we read out of every Sunday. The United Methodist Church does not have an official position on the Da Vinci Code. In fact, the only group that can make official statements for the United Methodist Church is what is called the General Conference which meets every four years and is composed of persons elected to attend the Conference from across the world. The worry is not that believers might change their mind in light of the Da Vinci Code, though that would be a shame, but that believers and those curious would have reliable evidence from many sources instead of just accepting the claims of the book and movie which blur the lines between historical fact and fiction. I agree 100% that the “hype” should be viewed as a positive thing and as an opportunity to share truth. I strongly support redeeming the “hype” for the purpose of sharing faith and truth to the glory of Christ. Good questions!!
The Koran states that it’s preposterous that God would have any use for a son. Can it be that millions of people (Muslim, Jews, etc.) would not also be loved unconditionally by God? Why is it that Christians are the only group allowed “entrance” into heaven? So…God’s original “chosen people,” the Jews, will be left behind unless they believe in Jesus? How can God have changed his mind in the New Testament?
Wow!! What great questions that we could spend hours discussing. I will do my best in this short space and in this forum to address some of these. First, God does love all people unconditionally. Whether they choose to accept that grace is another story. As to the Koran, I would suggest that God does not have any use for a son but we do: that it was through his son that God moved in salvation history to reconcile the world to himself. In the end, as a follower of Christ, I respect the Koran as a religious writing for Muslims but I do not view it as authoritative for my faith and life- though I recognize for others it is authoritative or at least considered one among many texts of authority. The question of salvation for those outside the Christian faith is one that many Christians struggle with- including myself. In our modern and enlightened politically correct world we will do all that is possible not to exclude or even have the appearance that we are excluding people. However, we must be informed by things other than the latest fads of cultural expectation. Know that people in the church are not of one mind when it comes to this question. In my view, the way one answers this question is not an essential to the faith. In other words, you and I can disagree about whether “Jesus is the only way” and still both leave as followers of Christ. Having said that, I am happy that in the end salvation decisions are made by God and not me- phew! However, from my tainted, sinful, fallible and limited knowledge and understanding of scripture, tradition experience and reason I believe that Jesus Christ is the one and only way to eternal life. See John 14:6 among others. I have trouble accepting that God would empty himself out of heaven, take the form of a man and subject himself to being fully human, be spit upon, cursed, beaten and mocked, hung on a cross to die if there were all these alternative ways. The multi-way view also troubles me as an evangelist. How can I proclaim the necessity of turning one’s life over to Christ, accepting his love, and living for him if he is just one of many ways? Shall I say that he is just “one” of the ways and the best way for me so I think you should go this way too? There is a ton more that could be said to describe both views. As to the question of the Jewish people as God’s chosen people I do not think that it is God who changed his mind as much as his people rejecting the continuing unfolding of his love and grace in the person of Jesus Christ. I invite people to read what Paul had to say about this issue in Romans chapters ten and eleven. This particular question of Jewish inclusion in the new covenant is one I am still resolving in my mind and continue to wrestle with in the scripture and through prayer.
What specifics books were left out of the Bible and why?
For a list of books that did not make the cut go here. There are a variety of reasons that books were not accepted. One main reason had to with their date of composition. Was the date early or late? The books of the New Testament were all fairly early. The books that did not make it were fairly late. Second, what did the books say? Some of the claims of the books are outlandish and do not agree with the general tenor of the whole collection of writings. For example, the Gospel of Mary, among other things claims that there is no sin. Many of the books rejected were works traced to a cultic group called Gnostics. The early Christian community dismissed the Gnostics, their theology, and their literature. The reasons books were rejected are much more nuanced than this but these are the main reasons.
What is the historical evidence to verify about the writers of the Bible? How do we know the Bible is the truth?
While there is some debate among Christian scholars as to when certain New Testament books were written, the debates center around issues of whether a book was written ten years earlier or later as opposed to centuries earlier or later. The Gospel of Mark is usually dated somewhere between 50-70 A.D, the other Gospels between 50-66 A.D. and the Gospel of John as the latest around 80-90 A.D. We know that Jesus died somewhere around 30 A.D. Therefore, it is very plausible that the writers of the Gospels were eyewitnesses or near eyewitnesses to the events and teachings of Jesus’ life. As to the veracity of the Bible I suggest you check out this link- they say it better and more concise than I ever could. Also be there in two weeks when we address the question in the message "The Truth about the Bible."
Are Dan Brown’s assertions/ claims the first time in history that these claims have been made?
No, Dan Brown is not the first to make these claims. The whole Holy Grail legend has a deep history going back to Joseph of Arimathea who used the chalice to capture some of Jesus’ blood as it fell from the cross. The quest to find the Holy Grail (whether the chalice itself or some other powerful items like the documents that the Da Vinci Code claim exist showing Mary as the Holy Grail and exposing the secret that she and Jesus had children) is what the legend of King Arthur, the Knights Templar, the Knights of the Round Table and countless movies are made of. Perhaps the most well known people to make the claims and assertions that Brown makes are Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, whose own 1982 work Holy Blood, Holy Grail made similar claims. Baigent and Leigh’s book was a scholarly look at the issue (not a novel) of which they have accused Brown of lifting large tracts of their research without permission for use in the Da Vinci Code. Creatively, Dan Brown names the character in the Da Vinci Code who is an expert on the Holy Grail Leigh Teabing- a code using the authors Leigh and Baigent’s last name.
What great questions people had! Many of them were well thought out and deep!! I want to let you know that I tried to answer the questions to the best of my ability. I do not have all the answers. I do not know it all (of course most of you already knew that I just wanted to remind you again!). In some cases I have directed you to websites to check out. While to the best of my knowledge these sites are fairly reputable as to the information contained, always remember that the web is a double edged sword. Always keep in mind who wrote what you are looking at and what their background is when you read. Again, thanks everyone for the questions. I look forward to our journey together as we explore what we believe and why through this message series.
Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute or was that false information?
That is false information. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. We know from the Bible that she was healed of seven demons, that she followed Jesus, was present at his crucifixion and became the first evangelist to tell others that the tomb was empty. But, she was not a prostitute though that would make for a great story of redemption. So where did this idea come from? There are many Marys mentioned in the New Testament. Mary Magdalene became confused with Mary the spiritually "in tune" sister of Martha and another woman named Mary who was described as a sinner in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 7:36-45). Sometime in the sixth century Pope Gregory in a sermon made the claim that these three Marys were the same person thus lumping Mary Magdalene with the woman thought to be a prostitute in Luke 7. In 1969 the Catholic Church corrected this misinterpretation. For more info go here.
Why does making Jesus divine at the Council of Nicea “keep women down” as you mentioned in your sermon?
The reaffirmation of Jesus’ divinity at the Council of Nicea did not in fact “keep women down.” The claim by Dan Brown in the Da Vinci Code and by others who espouse a high view of the sacred feminine is that the church at the Council of Nicea affirmed Jesus’ divinity so that it would be less plausible that Jesus would have been the husband or lover of Mary Magdalene and thus lessen Mary’s true influence and the so called secret that she was the Holy Grail. For those who hold the theory that Mary is the Holy Grail and the mother of Jesus’ descendents this was seen as an attack on the sacred feminine.
Was worshipping women (goddess worship, the sacred feminine) ever practiced? If so, specifically when and why was this practice stopped?
Goddess worship has a long history that predates Christianity. The lines between goddess worship and the celebration of the sacred feminine are blurry. A definition of sacred feminine might be: The veneration in the person of the goddess, who is the Isis of Egypt, and who is embodied by priestesses in sacred rituals. Those who believe that Mary Magdalene is the Holy Grail believe that Mary Magdalene was herself a priestess who embodied the Sacred Feminine. This practice continues today mostly in non-western areas of the world and in cultures that are pantheistic in nature (have more than one god). Even within the Christian Church there would be some who are proponents of the Sacred Feminine and would still call themselves Christians.
Does faith need to be proven?
The Bible defines faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) While faith in and of itself cannot be proven, it is necessary to know and be able to articulate why you have the faith you have. The Apostle Peter wrote that we should always be ready to give an account of our faith. “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” 1 Peter 3:15. And then from Paul’s letter to the Colossians, “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Colossians 4:5-6. While we do not have to prove faith we do have to contend for the faith. Here is a link to a message board discussion you may be interested in.
The Koran was written within 20 years of Muhammad’s death and had to be approved by many people before publication. What took Christians so long to get the word out?
The selection of books that would ultimately make up the New Testament (sometimes referred to as the New Testament canon) were not approved by one person but were only agreed upon at the Synod of Hippo in 393 A.D. It happened over a period of years. Unlike the Koran, the Bible and particularly the New Testament was the witness and collection of many different eyewitnesses, historians and writers. The Koran, on the other hand, is based solely upon what one person (Muhammad) saw and heard. Unlike the Christian New Testament the Koran has less literary variety. In the New Testament one will find narrative prose, parable, poetry/hymns, letters, and a history. The Koran on the other hand is a collection of prose and poetry thus allowing for an easier compilation. Lastly, while the writing of the New Testament appears in the first century in very much an oral culture where important teachings and stories were passed down verbally, the Koran was written in the 7th century.
What about those missing years of Jesus’ life? Why wasn’t his whole life important enough to be written about if he is the savior of the world?
The only record of Jesus’ life before his public ministry began, apart from the birth narratives, is a story in Luke about Jesus conversing with the religious leaders/scholars in the temple after his parents had left the Passover Festival. Luke 2:41-52 It has been speculated by some that Jesus learned the trade of carpentry from his father during this time though there is no direct corroboration of this in the scripture. Though we have little about Jesus’ boyhood in scripture this should not surprise us for a couple of reasons. One reason has to do with God’s timing. Jesus began his public ministry at thirty years old when the appointed time had come. The Gospels present a clear time line of events controlled by God. Secondly, we must understand that the Bible was not written as a history book like we would have for a 10th grade ancient history class. It was a religious text that for the most part used story to convey meaning. The purpose of the scripture was not to convey dry facts or every detail or provide a step by step timeline. To expect the Bible to do such is to impose upon the text a modern day assumption of how we gauge the validity and veracity of texts.
Did Jesus have any children?
No. There is no credible, verifiable or substantial evidence that Jesus had children. The claim of Dan Brown in the Da Vinci Code is that Jesus had a child with Mary Magdalene and that Mary and the child fled after Jesus’ crucifixion. The contention is that the blood line continues today.
Is this your idea to address the subject matter or is it a requirement by the UMC (United Methodist Church)?
This was my idea to address the issues of faith brought to the surface by the Da Vinci Code. I usually plan the message series at New Season months in advance after prayerful consideration always allowing for exceptions because of unplanned events or the leading of the Holy Spirit in planned series or messages. The subject matter of messages (sermons) is never dictated by the United Methodist Church but is left up to local pastors in the local church.
Why even address or devote worship time if the UMC (United Methodist Church) position is “the book is a work of fiction.” Are we truly worried about believers will change their minds? Any “hype” about Christian beliefs should be welcome. It will open doors to share the truth.
One of the values we have at New Season is that we would know why we do the things we do and why we believe the things we do. I believe that it is important for all followers of Christ to know about who Jesus is. Likewise it is important to know if the Bible, which is the rule and norm for our faith and life, is reliable. And if we claim it is reliable then why do we make such a claim. I would hold that those are issues that are appropriate to address and devote worship time to. After all, we should know the best we humanly can the one we worship and know about this book we read out of every Sunday. The United Methodist Church does not have an official position on the Da Vinci Code. In fact, the only group that can make official statements for the United Methodist Church is what is called the General Conference which meets every four years and is composed of persons elected to attend the Conference from across the world. The worry is not that believers might change their mind in light of the Da Vinci Code, though that would be a shame, but that believers and those curious would have reliable evidence from many sources instead of just accepting the claims of the book and movie which blur the lines between historical fact and fiction. I agree 100% that the “hype” should be viewed as a positive thing and as an opportunity to share truth. I strongly support redeeming the “hype” for the purpose of sharing faith and truth to the glory of Christ. Good questions!!
The Koran states that it’s preposterous that God would have any use for a son. Can it be that millions of people (Muslim, Jews, etc.) would not also be loved unconditionally by God? Why is it that Christians are the only group allowed “entrance” into heaven? So…God’s original “chosen people,” the Jews, will be left behind unless they believe in Jesus? How can God have changed his mind in the New Testament?
Wow!! What great questions that we could spend hours discussing. I will do my best in this short space and in this forum to address some of these. First, God does love all people unconditionally. Whether they choose to accept that grace is another story. As to the Koran, I would suggest that God does not have any use for a son but we do: that it was through his son that God moved in salvation history to reconcile the world to himself. In the end, as a follower of Christ, I respect the Koran as a religious writing for Muslims but I do not view it as authoritative for my faith and life- though I recognize for others it is authoritative or at least considered one among many texts of authority. The question of salvation for those outside the Christian faith is one that many Christians struggle with- including myself. In our modern and enlightened politically correct world we will do all that is possible not to exclude or even have the appearance that we are excluding people. However, we must be informed by things other than the latest fads of cultural expectation. Know that people in the church are not of one mind when it comes to this question. In my view, the way one answers this question is not an essential to the faith. In other words, you and I can disagree about whether “Jesus is the only way” and still both leave as followers of Christ. Having said that, I am happy that in the end salvation decisions are made by God and not me- phew! However, from my tainted, sinful, fallible and limited knowledge and understanding of scripture, tradition experience and reason I believe that Jesus Christ is the one and only way to eternal life. See John 14:6 among others. I have trouble accepting that God would empty himself out of heaven, take the form of a man and subject himself to being fully human, be spit upon, cursed, beaten and mocked, hung on a cross to die if there were all these alternative ways. The multi-way view also troubles me as an evangelist. How can I proclaim the necessity of turning one’s life over to Christ, accepting his love, and living for him if he is just one of many ways? Shall I say that he is just “one” of the ways and the best way for me so I think you should go this way too? There is a ton more that could be said to describe both views. As to the question of the Jewish people as God’s chosen people I do not think that it is God who changed his mind as much as his people rejecting the continuing unfolding of his love and grace in the person of Jesus Christ. I invite people to read what Paul had to say about this issue in Romans chapters ten and eleven. This particular question of Jewish inclusion in the new covenant is one I am still resolving in my mind and continue to wrestle with in the scripture and through prayer.
What specifics books were left out of the Bible and why?
For a list of books that did not make the cut go here. There are a variety of reasons that books were not accepted. One main reason had to with their date of composition. Was the date early or late? The books of the New Testament were all fairly early. The books that did not make it were fairly late. Second, what did the books say? Some of the claims of the books are outlandish and do not agree with the general tenor of the whole collection of writings. For example, the Gospel of Mary, among other things claims that there is no sin. Many of the books rejected were works traced to a cultic group called Gnostics. The early Christian community dismissed the Gnostics, their theology, and their literature. The reasons books were rejected are much more nuanced than this but these are the main reasons.
What is the historical evidence to verify about the writers of the Bible? How do we know the Bible is the truth?
While there is some debate among Christian scholars as to when certain New Testament books were written, the debates center around issues of whether a book was written ten years earlier or later as opposed to centuries earlier or later. The Gospel of Mark is usually dated somewhere between 50-70 A.D, the other Gospels between 50-66 A.D. and the Gospel of John as the latest around 80-90 A.D. We know that Jesus died somewhere around 30 A.D. Therefore, it is very plausible that the writers of the Gospels were eyewitnesses or near eyewitnesses to the events and teachings of Jesus’ life. As to the veracity of the Bible I suggest you check out this link- they say it better and more concise than I ever could. Also be there in two weeks when we address the question in the message "The Truth about the Bible."
Are Dan Brown’s assertions/ claims the first time in history that these claims have been made?
No, Dan Brown is not the first to make these claims. The whole Holy Grail legend has a deep history going back to Joseph of Arimathea who used the chalice to capture some of Jesus’ blood as it fell from the cross. The quest to find the Holy Grail (whether the chalice itself or some other powerful items like the documents that the Da Vinci Code claim exist showing Mary as the Holy Grail and exposing the secret that she and Jesus had children) is what the legend of King Arthur, the Knights Templar, the Knights of the Round Table and countless movies are made of. Perhaps the most well known people to make the claims and assertions that Brown makes are Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, whose own 1982 work Holy Blood, Holy Grail made similar claims. Baigent and Leigh’s book was a scholarly look at the issue (not a novel) of which they have accused Brown of lifting large tracts of their research without permission for use in the Da Vinci Code. Creatively, Dan Brown names the character in the Da Vinci Code who is an expert on the Holy Grail Leigh Teabing- a code using the authors Leigh and Baigent’s last name.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Da Vinci Code Starting This Week
On May 19th the Da Vinci Code will be released in movie theaters. Based on the New York Times best seller by the same name the movie stars Tom Hanks and is directed by Ron Howard. The movie, like the book before it, will raise questions for both believers and non-believers.
While the Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction (it is on the NY Times Best Sellers List under fiction), Dan Brown does a convincing enough job of blurring historical fact and historical fiction. The book and movie makes some interesting claims about who Jesus is, the authority of the Bible and who Mary Magdalene is.
We have a value at New Season that we are called by Jesus to redeem culture for his glory. That will be our aim in our upcoming message series "The Da Vinci Code Discourse" that starts this Sunday. We firmly believe that God is always working to bring good out of what on the surface seems like difficult situations. I believe we have an opportunity to present the true Jesus because of the Da Vinci Code. While we always have this opportunity before us and should be taking advantage of it, through this book persons who would not even consider giving Jesus a second look will now.
Here are the messages we will be doing in the next few weeks at New Season. Don't miss them and bring a friend, relative, co-worker or neighbor to hear them with you.
May 21st What's All the Hype
May 28th The Real Jesus
June 4th The Truth about the Bible
June 11th Mary, Mary, Why You Buggin?
While the Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction (it is on the NY Times Best Sellers List under fiction), Dan Brown does a convincing enough job of blurring historical fact and historical fiction. The book and movie makes some interesting claims about who Jesus is, the authority of the Bible and who Mary Magdalene is.
We have a value at New Season that we are called by Jesus to redeem culture for his glory. That will be our aim in our upcoming message series "The Da Vinci Code Discourse" that starts this Sunday. We firmly believe that God is always working to bring good out of what on the surface seems like difficult situations. I believe we have an opportunity to present the true Jesus because of the Da Vinci Code. While we always have this opportunity before us and should be taking advantage of it, through this book persons who would not even consider giving Jesus a second look will now.
Here are the messages we will be doing in the next few weeks at New Season. Don't miss them and bring a friend, relative, co-worker or neighbor to hear them with you.
May 21st What's All the Hype
May 28th The Real Jesus
June 4th The Truth about the Bible
June 11th Mary, Mary, Why You Buggin?
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Open Communion
My posts have been few for a while. I was busy last week with a project that was part of my continuing studies. I had to write a twenty page paper for a class I was taking. The paper had to do with what is called open communion. Those of you at New Season know we practice a weekly communion and that we invite all who want to experience the presence of Christ to come and receive.
There is great debate among people in churches that hold the Lord's Supper in high regard like we do at New Season about who should be welcomed to come and receive communion and who should not. Open communion used to mean that people from different churches could go to each other's church and receive no questions asked. Today, the definition of open communion has expanded to mean not only that but also that unbaptized people can receive and even non-believers.
My paper examines these issues and arguments and argues for an open table where all are welcomed recognizing that this was a practice of Jesus and key to his ministry of hospitality with sinners and outcasts like you and me.
I invite you to read the paper here. It is a good read if you are interested in that type of issue or having trouble sleeping. As you will see writing is not my gift so all you English teachers do not need to hand me back a copy all marked in red!!
There is great debate among people in churches that hold the Lord's Supper in high regard like we do at New Season about who should be welcomed to come and receive communion and who should not. Open communion used to mean that people from different churches could go to each other's church and receive no questions asked. Today, the definition of open communion has expanded to mean not only that but also that unbaptized people can receive and even non-believers.
My paper examines these issues and arguments and argues for an open table where all are welcomed recognizing that this was a practice of Jesus and key to his ministry of hospitality with sinners and outcasts like you and me.
I invite you to read the paper here. It is a good read if you are interested in that type of issue or having trouble sleeping. As you will see writing is not my gift so all you English teachers do not need to hand me back a copy all marked in red!!
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