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U2 and the failed rapture - such a disappointment

The rapture has come and gone. Harold Camping and his Family Radio franchise predicted a massive earthquake that would roll across the planet corresponding to exactly 6:00 PM in every time zone on May 21. At the same time Christians were to be raptured up into the air, finally being delivered from the evils of the world and ushered into the presence of God in heaven.

Such a disappointment.

Not that the rapture didn’t happen—that’s not the disappointment. The disillusionment comes from watching the whole farcical, tragic mess unfold. The heartbreaking reality is that Christians, fueled by a media that almost solely looks for sensationalism in a story, often miss the meaning and purpose of the church and God’s kingdom for this not-so-late-great-planet Earth.

As a kid I lived through the 1970s and was influenced by the hysteria of end times doctrine. I read Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye and other popular authors who created a new genre of Christian horror/sci-fi/fantasy. I went to a camp where the speaker explained all of the mystical peoples, signs and places of the Bible by careful isolating and then linking individual verses, with the end result of teaching us who Gog and Magog were, what the antichrist and the beast would do and other concepts like tribulation, millennium and rapture. I saw my share of scare-the-hell-out-of-you plays, skits and movies. All of us Evangelicals thought the end was at hand.

And then, a few years later I realized that this whole convoluted scheme for understanding Christ’s return was actually less than 200 years old. It was only introduced and then popularized by people like John Darby (considered the father of dispensationalism) in the mid-nineteenth century and C.I. Scofield (author of the Scofield Reference Bible which emphasized dispensationalism) in the early twentieth century. This type of systematic teaching was further formalized by Lewis Chafer, the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary, in the mid-twentieth century, and teachings on the rapture and the millennium gained wild popularity in the seventies through Lindsey’s and LaHaye’s writings (even though the terms are never even found in the Bible). None of this was even thought of for the first 1800 years of the Christian Church.

Such a disappointment.

Because of our modern focus on leaving Earth (yes, I said “our” focus), Evangelicals have missed out on one of the greatest truths of scripture: the Kingdom of God is among us. It’s not here or there, Jesus said, it’s in your midst and it continues to come. The “eternal life” of John 3:16 is something that starts in the here-and-now. He prayed, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus illustrated the kingdom with metaphors of a tiny seed growing into a huge tree and yeast that permeates the rising dough. When he left this world his disciples were deeply concerned about knowing when he would return. His answer? “That’s none of your business, you belong here so get busy doing the work of my kingdom.” In seeking to evacuate this planet we forget that the church is a beautiful sign, testimony and witness of God’s great kingdom. Well... it's supposed to be.

Such a disappointment.

May 21, 2011 was not just an epic fail for the rapture, it also marked the return of U2 to the United States. Those who follow the theological threads of U2’s work know that one of the more consistent themes found in their songs is that of eschatology, or in other words, a theology of end times (see "My U2 Rapture Playlist" here).  
 
As a quick illustration, check out the title and album cover for their most recent project No Line on the Horizon. Undoubtedly, the title represents a view of the kingdom suggested by Jesus’ prayer, “on earth as it is in heaven.” The cover art is a beautiful black and white photo of the ocean meeting sky with the horizon running perfectly through the middle. Superimposed on the clear wrapper of the CD is an equal sign arranged in such a way that one bar of the sign straddles heaven and the other rests on earth. It's a beautiful representation of a holistic biblical concept of heaven and earth. One is not evil and the other good; both are avenues through which God brings his kingdom.

During the concert (remember, it’s the night of the supposed rapture), the band played the song “Until the End of the World,” a marvelous apocalyptic tune in which they retell Judas’s story of betrayal and ask the hypothetical question of whether God’s love and grace are big enough to redeem Judas (their answer is unequivocally, “Yes!”). But, on this night, Bono had a variety of comments to make about the hype and hysteria of the day. Here are some of his remarks.

In the intro to the song Bono announces, “This is for the reverend Harold Camping” and then a bit later, “Such a disappointment.”

Such a disappointment.

Why? Because the rapture didn’t happen? No, that’s not the reason. The disappointment lies in that so many have misunderstood what the kingdom of God is and have been shifting the focus to some kind of earth-equals-hell-and-I’m-outta-here plan. The disappointment is that we have, all of us, including the non-Christian media outlets, turned a beautiful truth into a horror story. The disappointment comes from being unable to recognize that God is at work in his wonderful creation and that we have the opportunity (the responsibility?) to join him.

In the middle of the instrumental bridge of UTEOTW Bono brings it home. “God is in the house,” he says/admits/admonishes. He is here! He has come, he is coming and he will continue to come!

During the grand chaotic cacophony of the song’s final few strains, Bono screams with the conviction of a man that knows heaven is not just some distant ethereal place, “Somewhere! Somewhere! It is… it’s heaven!” And then in a beautiful poignant act of symbolism he reaches down, picks up some roses and one-by-one throws them to the impassioned crowd, shouting, “We bring peace! We bring peace!” The peace that Bono references is not some kind of fleeting 70s-style flower power, nor is it the forceful coercion of law and order, or even the absence of violence. It is the shalom of God’s kingdom, the entire story of the gospel including salvation, rescue, redemption, righteousness, justice, freedom and restoration. This is the stuff of heaven!

But the drama isn't over, and in a twist of irony so common at a U2 concert the band leave us with one more image. In the last moment of the song, in a scene played out on two bridges above the screaming crowd, Bono stretches across the chasm between he and The Edge and offers his fellow band member a rose. The trusses they stand on move closer and closer together but just inches away and unable to reach far enough, Bono drops the flower to the audience below. Is the peace of God's kingdom at hand? Yes. Is it here in its perfect and fullest form? Not yet. There will be days when we will recognize God's kingdom and reign over his beautiful creation and we will celebrate. But there will be other days when we acknowledge its incompleteness and continue to run, crawl, scale, climb and search for any glimpse of its glory. That is the tension in which we live.

The whole scene during UTEOTW is a cathartic, moving, grace-filled corrective to the escapist mentality of a rapture-centric American population. The kingdom of God is here, but not yet. It is now, but still to come. It is among us, but not completed. And U2, once again, masterfully and artistically have reminded us so.

Check out a couple of videos of "Until the End of the World" from the May 21 show.

Here is the whole song from a distance.

 

Here is a close-up of the stage. The footage of Bono is very impactful, particularly starting at 3:40. Highly recommended viewing!

 

Lyrics to the song here at the @U2 website.

(Here is another postI did on Bono's use of C.S. Lewis in which I mention the song "Until the End of the World.")

 

No more altar calls

While I have been doing doctoral work I had to give up something I really enjoyed: speaking at summer youth camps. It was a deal I made with my wife to try and bring some sanity to our home and protect our family (and, no, I don't have a demanding wife, I have a very smart wife). But now that five years of hard work and a dissertation are done, I've accepted an engagement this summer.

A few weeks ago the program director from a nearby camp in the Sierra Nevada mountains called and asked if I'd speak to 300+ junior highers. I was honored that he still thought well enough of me to ask. And I was curious (if not a little nervous) to see if this 48-year old college professor still had the knack for making biblical teachings accessible to teens. After the usual discussion of details about camp size, number of sessions, theme, purpose, etc., I let him know that I was interested but that I had some reservations about one particular component of the typical summer camp: the altar call.

Let me back up. I spent nine years working at one of the largest Christian youth camps in America in the 1980s and 1990s. I love children and youth, I love teaching the Bible and I love camp ministry. It was formative in my life and as a youth pastor I've seen it transform countless students' lives. Though many would argue that camp ministry is on the decline in a postmodern culture (at least the entertainment-driven model), it still has a valid place as a transformational component of adolescent faith development.

But, as I told the director of the camp, I now know so much more about the emotional, psychological, physiological and spiritual development of teenagers. I realize now that I and so many others have been guilty of manipulation when it comes to teen conversion. In his book Hurt: Inside the World of Today's Teenagers, Chap Clark brilliantly demonstrates that teens have an innate tendency and desire to please the adults around them. So when a caring and influential counselor asks a question like, "You want to become a Christian tonight, don't you?" the teen is inclined to say "Yes" just to please the adult. (By the way, the previous question is a horrible one in that it is leading, closed-ended and manipulative.) The motivation for a conversion experience is driven by approval from the counselor rather than a personal desire to follow Christ in a transformed life.

Added to the pressure to please adults is often some type of emotionally-charged environment such as, low lights, music, campfire and passioned pleas all after an exhausting week in which students are tired, stressed and easily manipulated. Tony Jones refers to this as "emotional rape." The altar call becomes nothing more than a chance to take advantage of adolescents who are already susceptible to poor decision-making. Teens often agree to some kind of commitment, usually in the form of a series of steps/laws or a formulaic prayer (which can be eerily similar to one of Harry Potter's magical incantations), without the adequate opportunity to understand what it is they are committing to. As the secular musician Maryn Cadell once recorded, "Invite Christ into my heart? How surreal. How serene. I didn't even know the man."

Does this mean that there is no room for a call to salvation at a summer youth camp? Not necessarily, but the method should be closely scrutinized. After assuring the camp director that I still believe in personal salvation I offered an alternative to the altar call (maybe I should call this an "alter call"). I propose that we begin to view salvation as a much more communal process rather than an isolated event. In the New Testament we find people joining a movement called The Way as they commit to following Christ. For these people there was no sense of personal salvation outside of the Christian community. This is why the unity of Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave and free is such a huge deal to the Apostle Paul. Recently a missionary I know by the name of Phil Bergen commented on the process of salvation, "In Burkina Faso becoming a Christian isn't a conversion. It's trading one community for another." Phil gets it because he's a missionary. Community is the place and means of salvation. This is first-century Acts stuff!

Danny Carroll has written a fantastic text on immigration called Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible. In commenting on the Hebrews' understanding of community as it relates to salvation and acceptance of the foreigner, Carroll states, "In the ancient world, to leave one's gods was to renounce a crucial element of national and cultural identity. To believe in the deity of another people, and all that would entail, meant to enter into the very core of their existence and adopt their worldview." Salvation in both the Old and New Testaments usually means leaving behind one community and entering into a new community of brothers and sisters.

So what does this mean for the typical summer youth camp and a call to salvation? I am eager and excited to present the Gospel, review the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and teach about the saving grace of God. But after that presentation has happened from the stage (and not just in one meeting--it's certainly a fallacy to think that the entirety of the Gospel can be presented in one thirty-minute sermon), it's my job to send the student who has questions about God back to his or her youth leader. It's the individual youth leaders, counselors and pastors who know the context of their students the best, and therefore know how to best lead a student further on in the conversation about God. I'm just the one who primes the pump. The youth leaders are the ones who fill up the bucket. An abstract decision made by a student at my request will never be as strong as the decision made through intimate and personal conversation with a caring mentor in the youth group.

So, no more altar calls for me. (Furthermore, the altar call is an invention of nineteenth-century American revivalists and is not found in the Bible). From now on it'll be a deal-breaker as to whether I'll agree to speak at a camp. I'll gladly call students to a deeper commitment and understanding of God, but I won't use manipulative tactics. Salvation is a process (sometimes a very long process) that happens best in the context of relationship and community and family. I hope the staff and counselors I work with this summer agree. It'll be interesting to see if this camp invites me back.

"God in the Neighborhood" #6, observing the neighborhood

 
We continue to be surprised by God through the stories of engagement in our neighborhoods. Maybe we shouldn't be--after all, we told him we'd be looking for him. Our "God in the Neighborhood" class has been helping us see and hear what he is doing.

Sharing

Paul went into his neighborhood this week ready to ask good questions and listen to those he encountered. He noticed his neighbor working on a motorcycle so Paul simply asked about it. The neighbor began to tell stories of life which eventually led to sharing about his involvement in the National Guard. Stunned by Paul's interest in his life, the man made a telling comment: "Thanks, no one just listens to me."

Aaron was running before he came to church on Sunday, though he couldn't have imagined the situation God brought him to be a part of. Since he was feeling a bit ill he decided to take a shorter route than usual and also changed his routine by not wearing his iPod ear buds. He just wanted to enjoy the sunshine and listen to the sounds of the city on this particular run. What he heard shocked him.

 

F-bombs were flying. The young woman looked in trouble and Aaron had to quickly decide whether to intervene.

 

Not far from his home he noticed a car parked in the middle of a residential street. Though he thought it was a bit odd, he jogged on. Soon, however, he heard shouts of anger as a man and woman in a heated argument jumped out of the car. F-bombs were flying. The young woman looked in trouble and Aaron had to quickly decide whether to intervene. "Alright, God," thought Aaron, "Let's go over there and see what's going on."

Aaron spent the next twenty minutes calming the couple down and using his best conflict mediation skills, which felt woefully inadequate. The man soon walked off down the street and Aaron became the hands and feet of Jesus as he reassured the young woman, helped her find her car keys (which the man had thrown) and tried to temporarily fix the damage the man had done to the car door. In a final gesture of compassion Aaron offered his cell phone number to the distraught woman and prayed with her.

Aaron's story demonstrates what we've been learning together in this class--when we ask God to reveal himself in our neighborhoods we will most likely see things we never would have seen otherwise. So much of life is being lived all around us and until we become intentional about seeing and listening, we will miss the complex stories that happen every day. I'm reminded of Jesus' words in the Gospels, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

As I write this I'm listening to Arcade Fire's album called Funeral.  A significant set of songs on the album are simply titled "Neighborhood." The songs seem to represent various characters who describe and encounter life on the block. Sometimes bleak and cold, often filled with lament and pain, this young, raucous and abrasive group speaks to the realities of home life that many of us forget or don't know about. Arcade Fire's music is full of passion and empathy; they lay down poignant and emotional brush strokes on the canvas. The only way they can capture such a sonic portrait of real life is to watch and listen with the eyes and ears of a prophet. Though not Christian (to my knowledge) they demonstrate for me a way to be aware of and alert to life in my neighborhood.

When daddy comes home, you always start a fight
So the neighbors can dance in the police disco lights

The police disco lights
Now the neighbors can dance!
The police disco lights
Now the neighbors can dance!

-Arcade Fire, “Neighborhood #2”

Resource: Observation in the Neighborhood

Praying to see what God is doing in our neighborhoods means that we need to develop skills for seeing what is actually going on. This week the class members are going to walk around and observe what they can. Here is a list of things to consider.

Space: the physical place of places. How are buildings, homes, features arranged?

Objects: the physical things that are present. What items do you see? Trash bins, sidewalks, trees, fences?

Actors: the people involved. Who is out and about? What ethnicities, ages, types?

Actions:
Acts: single actions that people do. What are individuals doing?
Activities: a set of related acts people do. What do people get together to do?
Events: a set of related activities that people carry out. What do people do that is part of a larger project?

Sounds: action on the block that can be heard. What are the sounds? Dogs, trash pick up, motorcycles?

Smells: the types of smells. What aromas come from cooking, gardening, waste?

Time: the sequencing that takes place over time. What cycles are evident? Gardeners, trash pickup, comings and goings?

Feelings: the emotions felt and expressed. How do different people feel about their neighborhood?

Goals: the things people are trying to accomplish. Is there a common cause?

For another great guide to walking and observing in the neighborhood see “An Exegetical Walk” by Simon Carey Holt (from the book God Next Door: Spirituality & Mission in the Neighbourhood).

Participating and observing the structures, people and activities in a neighborhood will lead us to a much better understanding of what God is doing and how we can join.

(Update: a great article here about the spirituality of Arcade Fire's music, especially their last album The Suburbs.)

"God in the Neighborhood" #5, asking good questions

Sharing

Sunday’s “God in the Neighborhood” gathering encouraged and inspired me once again. We now routinely share about what we’re learning and seeing in the places where we live. Though this time of sharing is common it is, nonetheless, still exciting and Spirit-filled. (Click here for an introduction to this Sunday school series I’m leading.)

Paul learned this week in his neighborhood that God was already there. He discovered that a number of people who attend another church host a weekly Bible study for those who live on the block. He was excited to see another group of Christians already at work where he lives.

After being challenged to think about demographics last week, Melody did a little internet research. She accessed the website of the local elementary school and learned that the school's overall academic performance was in the bottom 10% of California. She also noticed that the school's enrollment was predominantly Hispanic. This raised all kinds of concerns and questions for Melody about ethnicity, poverty, education and more. She leads a tutoring club in NFC's neighborhood and is wondering what God is doing or might want to do where she lives.

Marcy began investigating the difference between two elementary schools her children have the opportunity to attend. She learned that the school with better scores and performance had a higher population of white students (as compared to the other school with less white students), even though the school touts multiculturalism as one of its benefits. She was left wondering why poverty and ethnicity are so closely associated with poor school performance, and why the educational system perpetuates this cycle.

Jamie has been working for a year on getting sugared drinks like chocolate and strawberry milk removed from the meals of the neighborhood elementary school. She is concerned about the negative physical and mental consequences these drinks bring. She has learned that almost a quarter of the school's students eat three meals a day on campus. Many of the food options are unhealthy and detrimental to a positive school experience. She continues to work toward healthier options, has earned the respect and support of her school, but has been met with resistance from a system that is very difficult to change.

Paul, Melody, Marcy and Jamie have all researched and investigated their neighborhoods in an attempt to know their neighborhoods better. They are on the lookout for what God is doing and discovering how they might join him.

Dwelling in the Word

Another routine we have is to read and listen to a passage of Scripture, specifically Luke 10:1-12. Today we spent some time thinking about Jesus’ instruction to accept hospitality. Jesus tells his disciples to enter homes and “stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you.” A second time he emphasizes, “Eat what is offered to you.”

Americans are often the bearers of hospitality, help and benevolence, but we have a much harder time accepting the kind and gracious acts of others. We are good benefactors, but not very good beneficiaries. Why is it so hard to receive hospitality? Maybe we don’t like the feeling of being dependant on someone else. Maybe we can’t handle not being in charge and in control. When I invite someone into my home, the visitor is on my turf and thus I hold the power and influence over what is done and said. When I enter another person’s home I am the recipient of whatever my host imparts. Americans do not like the vulnerability that comes when they are on the receiving end of hospitality.

Competent missionaries know that they must accept the customs and practices of the native culture if they are to have an effective presence. Speaking the language, eating the food and wearing the clothes of the people is essential. These acts signal that the missionary has something to learn from those he or she has come to live with and serve to establish relationships of trust and respect. We need to see our neighborhoods the same way a missionary sees the mission field—a culture to be explored and engaged while giving up control and our preconceived notions of what it means to “bring the Gospel.” We must learn to be recipients in our own neighborhoods. In the end, maybe the most hospitable thing—the most Christ-like way to behave—is to receive what is being offered.

Resource: Asking Good Questions

The resource I presented this week focused on asking good questions. Many of us think that our job as Christians is to give advice, offer help and tell people how to be saved, when simply listening might be a better way to gain respect in the neighborhood. In fact, asking questions—and being ready to receive the words of those we live with—could be viewed as a form of hospitality.

Proverbs offers a wealth of advice on the skill of listening. Drawing on the image of a well, Proverbs 20:5 reminds, “The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.” When I see a person standing in front of me and open to dialogue I see a deep well. My job as a listener is to ask the kinds of questions that will draw out the depths of the person’s soul, just as a bucket thrown into a well draws out life-giving water. Each person I come in contact with is filled with stories of hope, despair, joy, and pain. The right questions can draw out the narrative of my neighbor.

Proverbs 18:13 advises that “To answer before listening—that is folly and shame.” Often times in a conversation we are not really listening. Particularly when a conflict is emerging or when we feel the need to defend ourselves, rather than hearing what the other person is saying we are quietly formulating what we are going to say next. The worst thing a person can be called in Proverbs is a fool; a sure way to attain this status is to talk more than listen, give hasty advice and be more concerned with telling others what to do than hearing what they are saying.

Asking questions builds trust. An old phrase I’ve often used with ministry teams is a bit trite, but sums up the importance of attending to the needs of others: People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Of a similar nature, the instruction of Young Life’s pioneer Jim Rayburn to his staff and volunteers was, “You have to earn the right to be heard.” We earn the right to speak into a person’s life by listening with genuine warmth and authentic concern.

Asking good questions is not always easy. It’s important not to ask leading questions. These are the kinds of questions that imply an answer. For example, when I speak to youth groups about alcohol use I could easily ask, “You know drinking is a bad idea, right?” or, “You’re not going to drink anymore, correct?” There’s only one way to answer those questions and a teen would be stupid to respond counter to what I want them to. Unfortunately these types of leading questions are also used in evangelistic efforts. “You want to pray the prayer and receive Jesus into your heart, don’t you?” Saying something like this to a child or young teen is manipulative and borders on emotional abuse of power.

Good questions should be “open” rather than “closed.” Closed-ended questions require single word answers such as “yes” or “no.” Examples of closed questions one might ask a neighbor include “Do you like living in this neighborhood?” “Do you enjoy your job?” or “Are you married?” Rather than ask a closed-ended question like “How many kids do you have?” it would be better to use an open-ended question such as “What do you and your children like to do together?” This kind of question will help draw the deep water out of a soul. The questions above could all be restated as open questions: “What do you like or dislike most about this neighborhood?” “How does your job make you feel?” “How did you meet your wife?”

If we relate this discussion again to evangelism, we find that a really bad question to ask would be “If you were to die tonight do you know where you would go?” or “Do you know Jesus as your personal savior?” These are both closed questions. A much better question would be “What do you think happens when a person dies?” or still better, “If you could ask God one question, what would it be?” These questions have a much greater potential to spark authentic and caring conversation.

For a good summary of open vs. closed questions follow this link.

Our assignment for the coming week is to go into our neighborhoods, not trying to fix something or solve a problem, but to simply ask good questions and listen for responses. Caution: this can’t be done quickly. This takes time and effort. It requires walking off of our property and onto someone else’s. It means we must enter the world with eyes wide open ready to find God and join him when we do.

"God in the Neighborhood" #4, reading the neighborhood

Continuing on in our Sunday school series “God in the Neighborhood,” we had another great class together. We are learning to see what God is doing in the neighborhood and asking ourselves how we might respond. In previous sessions I introduced the topic, discussed technical and adaptive challenges in the neighborhood and taught how to prayer walk on the block.

Sharing

We started this session by sharing about our prayer walking experiences this last week. A prayer walk engages us in the places where we live in two ways. First, obviously, we walk (or jog or ride or drive) with the intent of lifting up our neighbors. We pray for the salvation of those who live around us, but we do more than that. We pray for health, safety, family relations, marriages, jobs and anything else God brings to our hearts and minds. 

Margie went prayer "jogging" on Sunday morning. As she was consciously thinking about and praying for the homes on her block, a woman on a bicycle came alongside and began a conversation. The woman told a story of losing an envelope with $2000 in it. The money was supposed to be used for a car and now that dream was shattered. The woman shared openly and honestly about her significant loss. So right there, jogging down the street with a stranger bicycling at her side, Margie let the woman know that she would pray for her.

Praying for our neighbors is certainly the primary outcome of a prayer walk, but there are also other benefits. A second advantage of this exercise is that we learn to see the neighborhood in new and challenging ways. We look at the homes on our block with different eyes, asking God to help us see, hear and learn things that were previously unknown. We intentionally ask, "God what are you up to in my neighborhood?" And we are blessed and changed by what we discover.

Terron was taking the garbage out where he lives, a simple, ordinary task of apartment living. When he arrived at the community bin he encountered a man rummaging through the trash looking for aluminum cans. Prompted by the Spirit, Terron asked the man if he knew who Jesus was? The man excitedly responded that he did. He then told Terron about his faith in Christ, his ill fortune in the downturned economy and his struggle to make a living. But his faith was strong (probably stronger than those of us with good paying jobs!). Terron discovered a person loved by God and in deep relationship with his Creator. Terron's view of poverty, homelessness and people who dig through the trash was transformed. In offering to pray for this man, Terron was the one who discovered a blessing.

Dwelling in the Word

After some discussion about the neighborhood we shifted our thoughts to a passage of Scripture. Every week we practice a modified form of lectio divina. We open Luke 10:1-12 and read it out loud two times, meditate on the text and then share a simple word or phrase that stands out to us.

Today we spent a fair amount of time asking why the seventy disciples were sent out as “lambs among wolves” with instructions to “not greet anyone on the road.” Why is this ominous language used? Why would the disciples be told to lighten their load and not take “a purse or a bag or sandals?” We often spiritualize this entire passage and attribute nice platitudes to it such as, “Jesus’ method of ministry was to go in pairs and so should we,” or, “Jesus tells us that there is an urgency to the gospel so we must ‘go’ before he returns,” or, “Jesus shows us that we will be persecuted for our faith.” These are nice sentiments, but is that what the text really says?

If we place this passage back into its original context, if we stand “behind the text,” we may find some clues. A key to understanding Jesus’ strange instructions is found in remembering who controlled the land of Israel. Jews did not have self-rule; they were under the heavy hand of the Roman government. The Herods ruled long and hard over the land. Herod the Great was known for his colossal building projects, including the reconstituted Temple in Jerusalem. Son and successor, Herod Antipas, ruled Galilee and Perea and had a similar penchant for building, most notably his capital city of Tiberias on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He was also responsible for the murder of John the Baptist. Herod Agrippa, Herod the Great's grandson, is the Herod we read about in Acts and was also known as “King of the Jews.”

When Jesus sent the disciples out to prepare towns for his coming visit, he was sending them to scout out friendly allies. The massive building projects of the Romans daily reminded every Jew of the supremacy of Rome. The disciples were, indeed, lambs among wolves as they roamed through occupied territory. And what was their message? They proclaimed not the kingdom of the Herods, but a new kingdom demanding a new allegiance. “The kingdom of God is near!” This was very dangerous work. Some villages would open their arms in joyful acceptance of this new message, but others would reject it for fear of the reigning powers and principalities. The disciples’ message was traitorous. Any town accepting this message was declaring a new king and rejecting the government of the status quo. The potential response from Rome could be devastating. No wonder Jesus told his disciples to move stealthily across the countryside as they went in search of friendly communities.

What does this mean for us? How might knowing the disciples' context shape our involvement in our neighborhoods? Moving through a culture of commercialism, materialism and individualism is tricky business for the believer. There are times when we are called to speak in a way that is counter to the status quo. The reigning cultural, social and political paradigms do not always fit comfortably with the values of the kingdom. Yet amidst the conflicting and sometimes hostile territory we traverse, our message is clear: "The Kingdom of God is near!"

Resource: Reading the Neighborhood

We concluded our time together with the presentation of another resource. This week I showed how some simple internet research can help a person better understand the community in which he or she lives. Two websites are particularly helpful for "reading the neighborhood." First, the US Census Bureau offers an abundance of data that can be viewed for every census tract in the United States. Second, the local school district's website will give a wealth of information about students and their families.

Using theses two sources one can gather helpful information for understanding the surrounding community, which in turn leads to a fuller picture of life. What ethnicities are represented in your neighborhood? How many residences are owned and how many are rented. What is the percentage of single parent homes? What is the average income? How many languages are spoken? Awareness and understanding are the first steps in learning what God is doing in the neighborhood. Click here to download a document with instructions for accessing and using these two sites.

 

Where was God at Panda Express?

I was on my way to a rather unique event. Last night a small group of us from the seminary community gathered at Dr. Mark Baker’s home for an evening discussion. Our topic? Songs from the U2 catalog. On my way I stopped for a quick fast-food-fix at Panda Express. But what I experienced in the parking lot left me asking questions of God in a way the Psalmist (and Bono) might have – “How long, oh Lord, how long?”

Strolling through the dark parking lot I saw a man and a woman shouting and arguing as they stood next to their vehicle. The woman was holding a car seat with a tiny infant in it. The man came over and grabbed the car seat from the woman, who in turn tried to steal the carrier back into her possession. Adrenaline surged through my system as I watched the angry couple literally use the car seat as a kind of rope in this inhumane tug-of-war. My only hope was that the carrier might actually be empty. Nope—the helpless child started crying as the man finally wresteled away the car seat and threw it in the back of the vehicle.

I kept my distance and had my phone handy in case the situation turned even more violent. “Please be careful, don’t hurt the baby,” I shouted two or three times. I went unnoticed as the couple continued fighting. Several people walked in and out of the restaurant barely aware of what was transpiring. I turned my eyes away briefly to scan the scene. Was I on one of those reality shows? Was John Quinones going to jump out of the bushes and explain this was just a set-up for a news program? Not this time.

The man tried to leave without the woman, but after several more minutes of shouting and another attempt on the woman’s part to take the child from the car, they all (including the woman) got into the car and sped away.

Though I didn’t have much of an appetite anymore, I ordered some orange chicken and sat down to reflect. Full of both sadness and anger I quickly pulled out my bible and turned to a Psalm I had read a couple of mornings ago.

Psalm 94
1 The LORD is a God who avenges.
   O God who avenges, shine forth.
2 Rise up, Judge of the earth;
   pay back to the proud what they deserve.
3 How long, LORD, will the wicked,
   how long will the wicked be jubilant?
 4 They pour out arrogant words;
   all the evildoers are full of boasting.
5 They crush your people, LORD;
   they oppress your inheritance.
6 They slay the widow and the foreigner;
   they murder the fatherless.

21 The wicked band together against the righteous
   and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the LORD has become my fortress,
   and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
23 He will repay them for their sins
   and destroy them for their wickedness;
   the LORD our God will destroy them.

There are times when I want God to do the thing that his very nature calls him to do but he chooses not to do for reasons that at times like these make no sense. How long, oh Lord? When will you judge those who are evil and oppress the helpless? When will you repay them for them for their selfish acts of violence and wickedness?

At the Baker’s house we reflected on theology, liturgy, politics, history and more as we listened to music from U2. Each person brought a selection to listen and think through. It’s pretty hard to talk about U2’s extensive collection of songs without talking about lament. Matthew brought us one that became timeless for me in that moment. “Mothers of the Disappeared,” from The Joshua Tree, tells the story of women who lost their husbands and sons under the brutal dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in Chile. For fifteen years (1974-1990) the US-backed ruler suppressed political opposition by arresting and torturing dissidents and their families. These agitators were often taken in the middle of the night and became known as “the disappeared.”  In an awe inspiring moment, the band played the song in Santiago, Chile, in 1998, at which time the actual Mothers came on stage and called out the names and held up the pictures of their missing loved ones.

Midnight, our sons and daughters
Were cut down and taken from us
Hear their heartbeat
We hear their heartbeat

In the wind we hear their laughter
In the rain we see their tears
Hear their heartbeat
We hear their heartbeat

Night hangs like a prisoner
Stretched over black and blue
Hear their heartbeat
We hear their heartbeat

In the trees our sons stand naked
Through the walls our daughters cry
See their tears in the rainfall

The infant in the car seat was no less important to me that night than those who had suffered under the violence of Pinochet. And my angst for one small human being was an attempt to validate a life that, according to all statistical analyses, will encounter great difficulties and never amount to much. “We hear their heartbeat.”

As I sat in the Panda Express wondering where God was in all of this, I nibbled at my food and decided to take most of it home for another meal. Walking through the exit door and returning to the chilly air of the parking lot, I was immediately approached by two small boys, about 10 years old, on bikes. “Mister, do you have any change? My brother and me are hungry.” Really? The same parking lot? Two more neglected children? I sat them down at an outside table, gave them my leftovers, got them some drinks and napkins and talked with them for a few minutes. It’s all I could do. I was completely spent. I got in my pickup and headed out of the parking lot, winding my way to the corner street light. And there the two boys were, already back on their bikes heading down one of the busiest streets in Fresno, covered by the black and blue of a dark night.

We hear their heartbeat.

 

 

"God in the Neighborhood" #3, prayer walking the neighborhood

 
Our “God in the Neighborhood” Sunday school class met for the third time this week. Our task has been to learn how to see God at work in our neighborhoods and then join in. For further info on the purpose of the class see my first post here.

As usual, we began by sharing about our neighborhoods. This week we were to observe the technical and adaptive challenges of our neighborhoods. Several participants in the class were able to see issues on the block that called for new learning and engagement. We are seeing how simple interactions with neighbors can lead to amazing opportunities for mission and ministry in the neighborhood.

Randy was returning a furniture dolly he had borrowed from a man who lives a few houses down, but when he got to the owner's home no one was there. A second neighbor was watching form his front yard and told Randy to just put it on the side of the house. Randy left the dolly in the owner's backyard but then also took time to start a conversation with the neighbor in his front yard. The man almost instantly broke down in tears and began to share about his lapsed Christianity and the need for God in his life. What precipitated this meaningful conversation? The man was just leaving to visit a dear friend in the hospital who only had 24 hours to live and was faced with the reality of death. Randy took hold of the opportunity, made time for a relationship and is now planning a bible study with both of these men--all because he took the time to walk down his block.

TJ and Kristina have met the married couple living next door. Kristina discovered that she and the other woman have amazingly similar stories of life, motherhood, broken relationships and marriage. And now they are both at nearly the same stage of pregnancy! A coincidence? Certainly not. TJ and Kristina were looking for what God had been doing on their block and they found it in the people next door.

Dwight had a very different experience. He has made multiple offers to help a neighbor in need but was refused on every occasion. Dwight told about the disappointment that came from reaching out and being rejected. When we serve our neighbors, we are not guaranteed we will be received. God never promises success, but he does call us to be faithful to his mission.

After a wonderful time of sharing and the dwelling in Luke 10:1-12, we moved to consider a new resource for ministering in our neighborhoods: Prayer Walks. Walking and praying through the neighborhood is a powerful way to engage our neighbors, often without them even knowing it.

In the New Testament Paul ended several of his letters with pleas to pray ceaselessly and in every situation (Ephesians 6:16, Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:17). He admonished the Colossians to pray and intercede for each other with a further instruction: “Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6 NLT). A prayer walk in the neighborhood is a chance to make the most of every opportunity in the midst of non-Christians.

Prayer walking happens when we intentionally move out into the neighborhood and speak words to God on behalf of those who live there. Keep moving, or, stop in front of specific homes if you choose. Since childhood we are taught to keep our eyes closed and hands folded when praying. But please don’t do this when prayer walking (or prayer driving!). Go with eyes wide open to see all that God has for you to see. Pray quietly or pray out loud, but don’t do a prayer walk with the intention of being noticed; stay inconspicuous and observe everything. If you get the chance, stop and talk to someone and if the further opportunity arises, ask them if they have something you could pray for.

There are many things to pray about on a walk like this. Certainly, pray for the salvation of those who live near you. But don’t forget to pray for things that commonly seem unspiritual like health, safety, family relationships, marriages, children, parents, strained relationships, job security, etc. Go on a walk with the desire to pray for all facets of life on the block—physical AND spiritual.

The biggest hindrance to prayer walking is not that we don’t have the desire to do it, but that we don’t have the time to do it. I had to be honest with myself in the last few years and ask why I was so involved at church but didn’t have time to stand in the driveway and talk to my neighbors. I was guilty of hypocrisy at the highest level.

I found a good metaphor for the way I was living as I helped my son blow up balloons for his science project (we tested whether balloons would explode easier in cold temperatures or warm ones). A balloon has a bursting point and so does each one of us. Too many of us are living life at the breaking point, with the balloon blown up as much as possible, so that any additional pressure in life causes us to explode. The remedy is to deflate the balloon and create some margin in our lives. I recently deflated my “balloon” by saying “no” to several ministry opportunities (yes, that is okay to do!). Now I have time to walk down the block and greet neighbors and actually have conversations with them. Keeping the balloon deflated a bit allows us to have room for all kinds of encounters that the Spirit might bring our way.

We closed our session this week by praying the Prayer of St. Francis (13th century). It’s a marvelous way to think about incarnational ministry in the neighborhood. Another meaningful prayer is the Breastplate of St. Patrick (5th century). Both of these are wonderful prayers to have on the lips when walking down the block.

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi (13th century)
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

Breastplate of St. Patrick (5th century, excerpt)
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of the Christ.
May your salvation, Lord, be ever with us.

Can Mennonite Brethren be Missional? (repost)

"What is the missional church?" This discussion has recently picked up on Facebook and specifically on Tony Jones' blog. In this post (reposted from July) I offer a definition and a connection to my denomination, the Mennonite Brethren, an offshoot of Anabaptism.

Direction Journal, a publication of Mennonite Brethren higher education institutions, recently published an article of mine titled, "Can Mennonite Brethren be Missional?" The issue it appears in addresses the theme, "The Emerging Church: Critiques and Appreciations" (Spring 2010). The issue and article are now available online.

In the article I give a brief overview of North American church culture, define the missional movement and suggest nine points of similarity between the historic Anabaptist church, specifically the Mennonite Brethren, and the missional movement.

Here's a quick summary of those similarities:

1. A distrust of creedal and dogmatic formulations and a reliance on the biblical witness.
2. A corporate hermeneutic that honors the local community rather than an institution.
3. A holistic witness incarnated as a liberating gospel in both word and deed.
4. The "priesthood of all believers" -- the belief that all followers of Christ are active participants in God's mission.
5. Loyalty to the kingdom and the grand narrative of God's story rather than to an earthly nation-state.
6. The ability to live and worship in a place of exile, persecution, and dislocation.
7. The congregation as the place to live a life of witness and service while being a counter-cultural presence engaged with the world.
8. A community ethic of love and accountability.
9. Voluntary, non-coercive membership in the church community.

And here's a teaser that might get you interested in reading the full article.

What is the missional church? This question is being asked by churches across North America. Is it a new fad? The latest “new and improved” technique for attracting a younger generation? An innovative program for evangelism? Or is it a new way of doing mission work? The word “missional” is used in many different ways: some people understand its historical and theological origins, and others flippantly use it as a label for a new marketing scheme. The purpose of this essay is to answer the question by first examining twenty-first-century North American cultural shifts, then by locating the place of the church within those shifts, and finally by identifying some ways that Mennonite Brethren might resonate with and learn from the missional conversation.

Here's the article. Do you have thoughts, corrections, rebuttals? I'd be glad to hear them.

 

"God in the Neighborhood" #2, technical and adaptive challenges

Sunday marked our second week in the Sunday school class, "God in the Neighborhood." Our purpose in this class is to learn to see what God is up to on the block where we live. Our church has been working at the missional conversation for a number of years and it's now time to transfer what we have learned in our church's neighborhood to the ones in which we live. (See the first post here.)

Each session we open by sharing about the things we are seeing in our neighborhoods.  Aaron told how his reclusive neighbor had been in the hospital for a pacemaker implant. The neighbor's body rejected the pacemaker and doctors had to do CPR for fifteen minutes before he was revived. Aaron's family visited the man when he came home and learned that the only other family or friends he had caring for or visiting him was a girlfriend. The lesson for our group: we might never recognize how many people living near us have similar stories of loneliness and isolation unless we reach out and get to know them.

As we were talking about our Christian witness in the neighborhood Latoya mentioned how many people on her block have Christian license plates and symbols on their cars, yet they aren’t friendly, don’t drive Christ-like and never stop to meet her. On the contrary, she spoke fondly of Elmer, a retired seminary professor who does little to outwardly display his Christianity but invites neighbors and children over for a weekly Bible class. He patiently and tenderly opens God’s Word and meets people where they are at. Here is a man who is known, respected and listened to by his neighbors.

In every class session I teach one resource through which people can learn to know their neighborhoods better. This week we talked about the difference between technical and adaptive challenges. Ronald Heifitz (lecturer at Harvard University and son of famed violinist Jascha Heifitz) suggests there are two types of problems that leaders will have to address: technical and adaptive.

Technical challenges are those dilemmas that are met with known, tested and predictable answers. These are situations that have been encountered numerous times and require common responses. Technical challenges usually require quick fixes, problem solving, consultation with experts, application of models, etc. Examples of this include taking a car to a mechanic when it starts making a strange sound, an accountant doing your taxes, institutions developing five year strategic plans, and churches that go to trendy seminars to learn how to grow.

Adaptive challenges refer to those situations that present new dilemmas; this is territory that has not been traveled before. Adaptive challenges require not the predefined answers of unengaged experts, but the hard work of discernment by those who are impacted by the problem (i.e. a church congregation or people who actually live on the block). Adaptive change assumes that change comes primarily through internal means including understanding the history and culture of a system, assessing the context, and using the creative imagination of participants alongside leadership.

Our church faced an adaptive challenge when kids started showing up several hours early for our Wednesday night youth programs. This presented a problem we hadn’t encountered before. In assessing the situation we found that kids were lonely and bored, ill-attended to by parents (often single parents) and lived in the church’s neighborhood but would rather be at church than at home. Out of this need was birthed something new—a weekly tutoring club and meal that precedes the children’s program and is hosted by church members.

 

There’s also an important warning that comes from this discussion: adaptive challenges cannot be met with technical solutions. One of the great mistakes of the contemporary church is trying to solve the emerging issues of a post-Christian context with the same old systems and programs (but trying to do them bigger, harder and better). Adding drums and a video projector to a worship service doesn’t guarantee increased attendance. Requiring evangelism training of leaders won’t necessarily lead to new conversions.

Next week members of the class will return ready to discuss both the technical and adaptive challenges they see in their own neighborhoods. What do you see in your neighborhood?

"God in the Neighborhood" #1, an overview

 

Through the next ten weeks I’ll be teaching a Sunday school class at my church (North Fresno Church) called “God in the Neighborhood.” I’ll try to provide summaries from week-to-week so that those who attend will be able to find the resources we discuss. Other readers are welcome as well. The following is a wrap-up of today’s session.

NFC has been on a journey for a couple of decades. We have been learning to know the neighborhood around our church campus and asking how we might interact with and serve that neighborhood. This has all come very intuitively for our medium-sized group of Mennonite Brethren (a branch of the Reformation known as Anabaptism), but in the last few years we have begun to think more intentionally and have identified ourselves on a missional journey. As a result we have mobilized and equipped the congregation to serve the community. Some of the projects we have engaged in include tutoring and helping at the local elementary school; providing support, Bible study, counseling and other services at a nearby apartment complex; offering sports clubs in our gym; hosting community nights and meals; and much more. This has provided great joy and given our church family mission and purpose. Members of our congregation are engaged in ministry and growing in their commitment to God and each other. And we have seen many people begin a relationship with Christ and be baptized.

But a question has emerged: How can we help transfer these kinds of practices to the neighborhoods of NFC’s congregants? We have begun to ask, “What does it mean to be missional, not just where we worship, but where we live?” These are the questions I deal with in the doctoral dissertation I just completed, and these are the questions that led to the formation of a group of people that covenanted together to experiment missionally in their own neighborhoods last year. The lessons learned from that group are now being brought to this Sunday school class. The participants of that covenant group will help me teach the sessions.

Each time this class meets over the next ten weeks we will do three things. First, we will share about and pray for our neighborhoods. The goal of this class is to help each attender ask, “What is God up to in my neighborhood and how can I join him?” As people begin to see their neighborhoods with new eyes they will be invited to share what they see. Second, we will engage in a group form of lectio divina. A Latin term, this is a sacred or “divine” reading of Scripture that involves reading and praying through the passage (for a description of lectio see an earlier article I wrote here). We will be focusing repeatedly on Luke 10:1-12. Finally, I will present a resource each week that will help members of the class return to their neighborhoods with new skills. I won’t tell people what they should do in their neighborhoods, rather I’ll give them some skills for deciding what God is calling them to do.

We are expecting a great time as we share and pray with each other. I know that we will all be better friends once we’ve walked this road together. Our goal is not to limit ministry to random cold-contact witnessing with a tract, four questions and a packaged prayer. Seeing God in the neighborhood is so much bigger than that. I can’t anticipate what God will call each member to do where he or she lives, but I can promise an adventure with God, a deeper understanding of ministry and place to process what’s being learned with other brothers and sisters.

Along the way, please leave comments, please try new experiments and please, please ask, “What is God up to in my neighborhood and how can I join him?”