Monthly Archives:

June 2009

abc

Biennial Reflection & Voting

There have been some surprising developments here at the American Baptist Churches Biennial meeting.  The most pressing and major issue that had to be approved by the delegates (those sent by local churches, which includes myself) was NOT passed.  The motion to amend the bylaws and change the structure of the ABC was narrowly shout down.  The current bylaws require a 2/3rds majority by the delegates.  The motion only received 63% support, which barely fell short of 66% needed.  It seemed that the changes were going to be easily passed, but that was not the case.  Please check out the amended bylaws that did not pass here.  There have been very few bloggers talking about this, but one blog addressed this issue well: Mindi Framingham.  Also, my new friend Tripp Hudgins provided a great video blog of his review.

The general reaction I am hearing here is that during the business/discernment session the denominational leaders did not properly address the questions asked.  There were several clarifying questions raised during the session.  The delegates felt that most of the panel who answered the questions did not provide the needed insight into the “why” or “how” behind the changes.  Having read the changes proposed, I felt that the new bylaws were slightly confusing.  One delegate suggested that these changes should have been shared and given out in a printed document form two years ago at the Washington D.C. biennial.  This year, the changes were available in PDF form on the ABC website.  It would have been more effective to pass the document out two years ago and let the local churches, regions, and committees discuss the changes.  Now, delegates say they are left with feeling that the denominational leaders did not provide the necessary explanation to the delegates.

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abc

Mission Crisis Update

Day two of the Biennial was very productive.  The second day begun again with Leonard Sweet, but this time he spoke about how Jews prayed (and still do) the psalms.  He sought to bring to light the nature of Jesus’ words on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.”  Of course, as most Bible students know, these are words from Psalm 22.  Psalm 22 begins will sad words, but ends with a glorified understand standing of God’s power.   In the ancient world, when you began a song most people would know the entire song.  Today, if you sing “Amazing grace how…” most people could finish that first line because they know the song.  Most Baptists will not understand the nature of a psalter, which many Christians sing on a regular basis in worship, because Baptists threw out any ritual that resembled Anglo-Catholic faith.  I have learned the value and beauty of singing the Psalms as they were intended at the United Methodist congregation I served at for 2.5 years.

At lunch time, I attend the Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board lunch.  MMBB always does a great job of making an event nice.  The MMBB money is well spent… err, I mean managed.  Seriously, MMBB is one of the best retirement organizations for a denomination out there.  MMBB’s performance usually beats the major indexes.  I sat next to some International Mission people from the ABC and got the low down on the missionary situation.

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abc

Biennial Day One: Be Epic

sfs_sweetlen_intro[1]The first day of the American Baptist Churches Biennial in Pasadena, CA began Thursday.  The major events of the day were special General Board events and other smaller group meetings.  The biennial was still coming together yesterday as vendors and workers set up rooms and displays.  I continue to discuss the “Missionary Situation” with many of my friends, colleagues, and other ABC attendees.  In addition, I learned that one of bloggers on my blogroll, Tripp, who is a pastor of an ABC church in Chicago area, is here.   I was able to be in contact with Tripp.  The wonders of the globally connected world.

Day one of the Biennial, which was mainly pre-biennial events, primarily consisted of Leonard Sweet’s speaking session (over 3 hours) in which he contrasted the old world vs. the new.  His phase for this contrast is the Gutenberg world (pre-1973) and the Google world (post 1973).  He picks 1973 as a point of division because that is the year the internet was invented.  Sweet contends that we as churches and pastors must understand that we are the google world.  The google world is a world of Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and the internet.  The google world is a world of information in the form of images.  The Gutenberg world is a world of texts and books.

Sweet related this concept to how churches must understand the world is changing and we must adapt.  The most striking connection he made with this concept was to worship.  He did not advocate for contemporary worship or innovative worship, but rather whatever worship a churches does it must be epic.  He spoke of his congregation and how it was full of 20 and 30 year olds worshipping in high-high liturgical worship.  He encouraged the attendees to see worship as God centered, but to think about how culture is highly image based.

Great stuff here.  More to come,

abc

Missionary Crisis?

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I just arrived in Pasadena, CA for the American Baptist Churches Biennial.  Every year, the ABC gathers as a national body to address important concerns, vote on pressing issues, worship, learn, and celebrate.  This will be my fourth ABC biennial that I have had the honor of attending.  This year’s location is fantastic.

Before I left, I heard numerous comments about a very concerning situation involving American Baptist missionaries.  It seems that that American Baptist missionaries will now be responsible for seeking to secure the majority of their funding sooner rather than later.  As I understand it, in the past, missionaries were not required to raise the majority of their financial support.  Now, due to a variety of reasons, ABC missionaries will now have the burden of asking churches for more money.  These reasons include lower support for missionary giving and lower returns in investments that support missions.

ABC of Ohio has made an appeal to their churches about it.  The letter can be read here.

Missionaries should not have to spend their time lobbying individuals, churches, and non-profits to support themselves.  One of the reasons for being a part of a denomination is to have the national body do some of this administrative/financial work.  I can understand the need to have missionaries to be responsible for part of their funding (say 10%-20%), but the majority?  Many of these missionaries have families and cannot raise enough money to support a family of four for a year or two.

If all this is true, this presents a crisis for our ABC missionaries.  More to be updated later.  I am sure that I will learn more from the denominational reps at the biennial.

blog, Culture

Why I am Going to Watch Jon and Kate Plus 8

UPDATE: Jon and Kate filled for divorce.  I wonder if they tried counseling.  From the looks of the editing in the episode, Jon and Kate cannot come to an agreement.  It seems that ” trying to do the best thing for their kids” does not include trying to save their marriage.

I have resisted blogging about “Jon and Kate Plus 8“, which is the show about Jon and Kate Gosselin and their 8 children, because it has been the “hot” celebrity news item.  I try not to give any attention to “celebrity news” because it is not real news.   The Jon and Kate story is news worthy on this blog because they are professed Christians and their situation is putting Christianity to the test in the eyes of secular viewers.   Part of the show contains scenes of the family going to church, memorizing scripture, and reading Bible stories.    Recently, the couple has gone through a dark time in their relationship, which has made news in just about every news outlet.  Allegations of infidelity have plagued the show since the start of season 5.  Questions have been raised regarding  the couple  staying together.

Tonight’s episode is billed as TLC’s most shocking show announcement, which many think will include the couple divorcing or ending the show.   Many of my friends who are Christians have found themselves in conversation about Jon and Kate and wondering, “What would I do if I were in the situation.”   News outlets have also been talking about how America is watching this train wreck but cannot look away.  There have been reports that Jon has been looking for an apartment in NYC. This show has gone from entertainment to the guilty pleasure of watching a family being torn away from each other.  This family does not need to go through anymore drama, but that is what you sign up for when you do a reality show in your kitchen.  Their children will no doubt watch the show when they are older and be changed for it.

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Pentecost 3b

Caught in a Storm

Meteorology has always been a fascination of mine.  I would watch the TV and check out the internet websites that forecasted major weather events like hurricanes and snowstorms.  Weather storms are an interesting meteorological event.  Storms can be predicted but never do they present themselves as the weather forecasters predict.    Every summer and fall, hurricane predictors try to figure out how many major storms will hit land.  As we have seen from hurricane Katrina, storms can catch us off guard and teach us that we must be careful how we prepare for storms.

I think I loved weather events as a kid because that meant that there would be no school.  I guess I still have a little of that still in me, except I do not go to school anymore.  I remember one storm that hit the Mid-Atlantic with so much ice they closed school for days.  The storm iced everything with a half inch of slippery,cold ice.  All of the kids in the neighborhood broke out their ice skates and we skated all over the roadway!  The only way you could get anywhere was on ice skates.  We loved it because everything was shut down and we were stuck, which meant the school buses could not pick anyone up.

In this week’s readings, we read about two storms: one on land and one on the sea.  In the first storm, we read about David, the young anointed one in 1 Samuel 17.   David comes to the front line of the battle to face the giant Goliath.  This little shepherd boy is mixed up in this battle just as the armies meet.  Nobody thinks that David can beat Goliath, who represents the strength of the Philistines.  David is caught in a political storm as these two nations meet.

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Churches

Young People Don't Go To Church, or Do They?

There is a common misconception that young people are fleeing churches.   So many churches ask, “Where are all the young people?”   My friend Rev. Elizabeth Hagen on her blog discussed a similar topic a few weeks ago and gave some great thoughts on understanding young adults.  Christianity Today published an article discussing the ministry of Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City.   Most of the article is geared toward Keller’s ministry and his bio.  The whole article is great, but the article begins with:

His church, Redeemer Presbyterian, has five crowded Sunday services in three rented locations—Keller dashes between them—with an average total attendance of 5,000. The service at Hunter is the largest, the “tourist service.” (For many years, Redeemer deliberately avoided publicity, but word has spread lately, and Keller estimates that hundreds of out-of-towners show up each Sunday.) Well over 2,000 people—mainly young whites and Asians you would expect to be sleeping off a late Saturday night—have come to this morning’s service.

Wow, “young people” in church… on Sunday morning no less.  What is due to this great success?  It has got to be a young hip preacher and cool band leading worship.  Nope.

Redeemer’s worship is seemly traditional. Instead of using video monitors, casually dressed worshipers follow a 20-page bulletin that includes hymns, prayers, and Bible texts. Organ and a brass quartet lead the music. For evening services, jazz musicians play contemporary Christian songs.

Standing 6’4″, with a bald head, glasses, and a coat and tie, Keller, 58, does not look hip. Nor is his sermon funny, charming, or daring. He preaches from the first chapter of Genesis, on the doctrine of Creation.  Keller speaks like a college professor, absorbed in his content, of which there is a lot

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God

Is God Moody?

Time recently published an article by Robert Wright, which tries to sort out how “the God” of the three Abrahamic religions could start off as violent and then moved to be more graceful.  Wright gives the impression that God is somehow moody.  Wright also attempts to bring together the Christian Old Testament, the Hebrew Torah, and Islam’s Koran.  I found this article to be inaccurate and misleading because the author tries to make sense of God from a logical stand point and not a theological stand point.  Below are five statements from the article and my five reactions.

#1

“The Bible isn’t the only Scripture with such vacillations between belligerence and tolerance. Muslims, who like Christians and Jews worship the God who revealed himself to Abraham, are counseled in one part of the Koran to “kill the polytheists wherever you find them.” But another part prescribes a different stance toward unbelievers, “To you be your religion; to me my religion.”

My Beef: If you want to understand God, you must understand God theologically.  To understand God and compare the God of Christianity to another religion is like trying to compare apples and oranges.  These three religions say three very different things about God.  Most religion professors would tell you that.

#2

“But the fluctuations aren’t really random. If you juxtapose the Abrahamic Scriptures with what scholars have learned about the circumstances surrounding their creation, a pattern appears. Certain kinds of situations inspired tolerance, and other kinds inspired the opposite. You might even say this pattern is a kind of code, a code that is hidden in the Scriptures and that, once revealed, unlocks the secret of God’s changing moods.”

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Pentecost 2b

The Power of Small Things

There seems to be a trend in technology: nano.  Everything smaller, thinner, and powerful.  We even have the Ipod nano.  Growing up in Gaithersburg, MD we had the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST).  Many people from my home church worked there and one gentlemen even had a PhD in nano technology.  He would tell me about things working on sub atomic levels!  I  have a netbook computer that is small enough to fit into my pocket of my cargo pants.  We are coming out the era of “bigger and better” that we inherited from the 1950’s where cars were as big as boats and ladies had big hair.  We are entering into the age of “small things”.

In our two lectionary passages this week, we see that there is power in small things.  First, we have 1 Samuel, where Samuel is grieving over King Saul’s removal from power.  God instructs Samuel to invite Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice.  One of his sons would become God’s anointed and would lead all of Israel.  As the sons of Jesse are presented and none of them, not even the oldest, was the one that would be anointed.  There was one son missing, David who was the smallest and the youngest.  He was ruddy (my nickname), handsome, and full of life.  You can imagine the shock that the brothers and their father felt when Samuel anointed the smallest and youngest son.

In our second passage, we find in Mark 4, Jesus is comparing the ability of a small muster seed to grow into a mighty plant to the amazing nature of planting seeds of spiritual growth within people and reaping the enormous spiritual benefits within the Kingdom of God.  I always thought it was funny that Jesus talked about “shrubs”.  When I think of shrubs, I always think of Monty Python and the evil knights who say “Ni!” asking for shrubbery. Continue Reading…

Churches

Mega Church, Not So Mega Committment

Several news outlets, including the Associated Press and USA Today, are reporting today on a new study published by the the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford Seminary and Leadership Network that found some surprising trends in mega-churches.  In the study they found:

  • Nearly two-thirds of megachurch attenders are under 45 years old, as compared to only one-third for all Protestant churches (62% vs. 35%).
  • Nearly a third of megachurch attenders are single, unmarried persons.  In a typical church, singles account for just 10% of the congregation.
  • Megachurch attenders are both more educated and more affluent than attenders at other churches.
  • The majority of megachurch attenders are not necessarily new to Christianity but nearly a quarter had not recently been in another church before coming to a megachurch.
  • While newcomers almost always attend a megachurch at the invitation of family, friends or co-workers, the real attraction tends to be the church’s reputation, worship style and senior pastor.
  • Long-term attendance flows from an appreciation for the church’s music/arts, social and community outreach and adult-oriented programs.
  • 45% of megachurch attenders never volunteer at the church, and 40 percent are not engaged in a small group, the mainstay of megachurch programming.

As I have commented in the past, mega churches are meeting a need and are leading to people to Jesus Christ.  Two awesome things.  However, this study of 25,000 people at 12 mega churches indicates that megachurch attenders volunteer less and give less money than people who attend typical Protestant churches, although megachurch-goers tend to be wealthier and better educated. This follows the greater cultural trend of people being less committed to things because of their other commitments.  We are over committed and give less energy to our commitments.  For megachurches, this is problematic because it shows that attendees are less commitment to the church and they are not commitment enough to their stewardship through tithing or giving.  Mega churches draw in mega amounts of giving, so it leads me to believe that they can survive on less giving per member.

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NFL

The Celebrities I Met & What I Learned About Their Faith

 

Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger

Earlier this year, a friend and a parishioner at my former church in Maryland asked me if I would like to give the invocation prayer again at the National Football League’s Players Gala and James Brown Awards.  Last year, I gave the invocation prayer at the event and got to meet James Brown (of CBS Sports), Bill Cower (former coach of the Pittsburg Steelers and Super Bowl winning coach), and other NFL players who were nominated for the “JB Award” for outstanding community involvement.  The gala also serves as a fundraiser for the Special Olympics.  This year, I happily accepted the invitation again and got to meet Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburg Steelers Quarterback and Super Bowl Champion), Clinton Portis (Washington Redskin running back and Pro-Bowl starter), and Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinal wide receiver and Pro-Bowl MVP).

As I was traveling to the event, I could not help but wonder what place does a prayer have at a professional sports fundraiser and award show?  Sure, as a pastor I believe that we should desire to acknowledge God at these functions, but what do professional athletes think about prayer and invoking the name of God publicly?  Do these men of mega strength actively seek God out?  Sometimes after professional sports games on television players will mention God in passing as if God was a mere minor character in the player’s life.  Or during an interview, when professional athletes mention God more specifically and in great length the interviewer will cut off the athlete move on to more “important” facets of the game such as what edge the athlete had or what the athlete did before the game.  Still, some acknowledge “The Almighty”, “God”, or just “being blessed” but rarely mention “Jesus.”  In my mind, NFL players were not known for putting Christ as the center of their lives, either privately or publicly.

As I walked around the gala at the Washington D.C. Hilton and started to meet and take pictures with the players, I introduced myself and

John Riggins

John Riggins

mentioned my role in the program.  Most players did not say much, but they did allow me to take a picture with them.  As the time ticked down to my brief moment of prayer, I was ushered backstage and waited for my cue.  As I was waiting, I saw James Brown (J.B.) of CBS Sports, who is the driving force behind recognizing NFL Players and their community involvement at the event.  I decided to introduce myself and what I was doing there.  J.B., a former football player, affectionately embraced me and started to share with me in great length about his involvement with local pastors, local churches, prayer, accountability partners, and working with other religious organizations.  He also opened up about his faith in Christ.

J.B. also said something that got my attention.  In a very humble way, he said, “You know, what we do out there is something that is done only by the Holy Spirit.  You and I, do this for His sake, not ours.” Wow!  Here is a celebrity acknowledging the Holy Spirit.   He continued to speak about his faith in Christ and he said he enjoyed our time together as fellow brothers in Christ.  He also inquired about my journey with God, my ministry, my connection with the event, and my collegiate career in lacrosse.

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trinity

The Trinity: 3 = 1 and 1 = 3

Math has never been a strong subject for me.  I remember dreading  algebra, geometry (not that bad), and algebra II (got C’s and past, barely).  I took at practical math class my senior year in high school where I learn to balance a check book, learned about mortgages, understood the stock market, and all sorts of practical  mathematical concepts.  I got A’s in that class!  The issue I found with mathematics is that the vast majority of equations and problems you have to solve have one answer.  For some reason, my mind was more suited to the humanities like government, history, art, and english (sort of).  In those classes, the answer was usually subjective.   In the humanity classes, thinking and discussing were at the center of learning.  Memorizing math formulas and the rules of math was difficult.  Every time I got a concept in math class we would move on to another concept.  I could not keep up!

Theologically, there is a mathematical concept that has confused scholars, thinkers, and Christians for centuries.  The Triune God: 3 = 1 and 1 = 3.  We Christians are not polytheistic in our beliefs, but many non-Christians are confused by our math.  Many non-Christians see three separate Gods: The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.  How can Christians be monotheistic?

Well, in the 3rd and 4th centuries, Christians were  struggling with their monotheistic concepts with the unity of The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Without getting into the history of the Trinitarian debate there were a few guys who seemed to solve the problem.  The Cappadocian Fathers gave us the understanding of “three hypostases and one ousia.”  This means that there are three substances, but one essence of God.  The Cappadocian Fathers stated that the Godhead (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) exists simultaneously in three modes of being, but are one in essence and unity. They have one nature and one is not subordinate to another.

Confused?  Think about it this one.  The properties of water have three modes or states.  Water can be a liquid, a gas, or a solid.  Water flows as a liquid, can be a vapor as gas, or can be frozen as a solid.  No matter what you do with water it is still water.  The properties change, but water remains as water even though it takes three different modes.  The same can be said of the Trinity.  God is still God, but just in three forms that share similar properties made up of one substance.  It’s crazy, I know.  Similes and metaphors get us close to an idea, but never fully explain it.   Trying to explain God is like trying to explain an emotion.  Words that can fully describe it.  How do you describe the Divine?  How do you describe something greater than ourselves?   We have some pretty good ways of describing God, but nothing can fully explain God.  There is a certain mystery there that we are meant to be in awe of.

In John 3, Jesus is trying to explain to Nicodemus the relationship of the Triune God and how he must be “born of water and Spirit”.  (John 3:5)  As a Jew, Nicodemus was under the covenant of Abraham and was “saved”.  Jesus seeks to introduce the new covenant of Christ’s sacrifice as the Son, the need to be born of the Holy Spirit through baptism, and understanding how the Father sent the Son out of love.  These were all new concepts to Nicodemus and that is why he asks, “How can anyone be born after having grown old?”  (John 3:4)   We, like Nicodemus, sometimes are confused by all the theology.  We need help to understand it.   Though we may struggle, Jesus made one thing clear: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

As we gather on this Trinity Sunday, I pray you will think about how the Trinity is an important understanding as a Christian.  We should seek to understand how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all God.  They are all unified, but each has distinct roles.  How have you connected with the Triune God?  Do you tend to focus on one and not the other?  How do you incorporate the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in your worship, devotional time, and your life?   Last Sunday was Pentecost.  How does the Holy Spirit (often the ignored member of the Trinity) work in my life?

For more information regarding the Christian Calendar go here and here.  For information on Trinity Sunday go here.

For more information on the Trinity check out these books:

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