wonders and reflections in God's presence

At a consultation with a church session (governing board) a couple of weeks ago, I was asked about the end times … what does the Bible say we should expect of the church during the end times?  Being a good Presbyterian, I evaded the question, thinking it came from a “Left Behind” mindset and not well grounded in Reformed Theology.  But, I have to admit, despite the fact that the whole end of the world thinking is not considered orthodox by most Presbyterians, I do sometimes wonder … the things going on in the world today make our time seem so … dangerously potent.  Change is occurring more rapidly than ever before, and there are now global implications for decisions we make … if not the “end times” we are definitely living through a time pregnant with possibility.

We’ve all heard that we’re in a time of “emerging”, both in the church and in the so many other aspects of our culture.  This week’s Futuring study brought about a huge “ah ha” for me … if it’s a time of something new emerging, then it’s also the time of something old dying.  I know … it takes me a while sometimes   One of our leaders presented some information from a book about the natural cycles of generations, with the opinion that we are currently in the “fourth turning”, a time of crisis.  But times of crisis are always followed by the birth of something new.

Everything has a season the verse says in Ecclesiastes.  Everything runs in cycles.  There is time of birth and a time of death, but the death always leads to a new birth.  There was a huge transition from the hunting/gathering/tribal times to the agricultural times which was the birth of “civilization” as we know it.  We are now in a similar shift from “civilization” to “globalization.”  If he’s right, then we are at the end of civilization.  The question I raise, though, is that so bad?  I think globalization is where we ought to be headed,  Knowing where we’re headed means we have the ability to not just forsee the future, but to shape the future … and how we shape it is so vitally important.

But … I am also very much aware that for some who don’t embrace change and who can’t see a glimpse of the global/Kingdom vision of the new millenium, the end of civilization as we know it, IS the end of the world.  It’s catastrophe; it’s the end times; it’s judgment day.  Perhaps that’s why fear and violence are so rampant.  Perhaps that’s why there are so many in our churches hoping to wake up tomorrow in 1959.  Because the future will be so different; the end of civilization means the end of christendom, the end of denominationalism, the end of the Christian Empire … but I’m wondering … even with that, could our future be just a little closer to the Kingdom?

So,  I’m wondering … what do the “end time” Bible readings have to say to us in this time of re-birth, transition, paradigm-shifting, a new millennium?  Maybe The Book of Revelation and other apocryphal passages are meant to be metaphorical and speak directly to all of us going through “the fourth turning.”  Or any “end time” such as the fall of Jerusalem, the fall of the Roman Empire, and, now, the fall of the American Empire.

It’s funny … when I read the first few “Left Behind” books, I thought it would be a huge responsibility as well as a great adventure to be left behind … to be the ones interpreting, discerning, and leading into a new future … but isn’t that what we’re doing now?  The emerging church movement and others … we are the shapers of the new age.  It’s time to pray.

Shae’s comments on Brian’s A Generous Orthodoxy about orthodoxy and orthopraxy reminded me of what I read in Marcus Borg’s The Heart of Christianity about the meaning of faith.  If I can put it simply … he said that christianity is as much (or more so) about the way of Christ as it is about intellectually affirming certain beliefs about Christ.  It is more about practice than belief.  It is more about where we place our heart than about what we think in our mind (though, hear me and Borg clearly … our mind matters, our thoughts and understanding matters … we just need to be careful that our thoughts are not separate from our heart and our actions.)

Too many people are too concerned with what we believe … do we believe homosexuality is a sin, for instance … than in how we live and act and have our being.  My faith is not about affirming one set of doctrines over another, but in trying my best to conform my life and my ways to the way and life of Christ.  And by understanding the truth of all of the many strands of Christianity, we get the benefit of all of those perspectives on the one Christ.

Shae, I’m in the final chapters of A Generous Orthodoxy … and I have to say that it’s great to hear all the different nuances of faith that have a real impact on how we live ours. 

Technorati Tags: http://shaeman-x.com/blog/2006/01/30/orthodoxy-and-orthopraxy/

Technorati Tags: http://shaeman-x.com/blog/2006/01/30/orthodoxy-and-orthopraxy/

I found this on Alan’s blog and I had to post it. Don’t hit the play button if you are easily offended, don’t like bad words, or like to eat your weiners cut up in sauerkraut.

I think it says a lot about evangelism and the way we engage people in talking about the Gospel. Any comments?

Interesting, I read the latest email leadership newsletter from Christianity Today this afternoon … and there was an article from Brian McLaren talking about why we (pastors) shouldn’t answer the “homosexual question” directly.

Usually when I’m asked about this subject, it’s by conservative Christians wanting to be sure that we conform to what I call “radio-orthodoxy,” i.e. the religio-political priorities mandated by many big-name religious broadcasters. Sometimes it’s asked by ex-gays who want to be sure they’ll be supported in their ongoing re-orientation process, or parents whose children have recently “come out.”

The question itself is complex. Either it’s a political questions seeking to separate “us” from “them,” or it’s a deeply personal issue that needs to be addressed through a deeper pastoral relationship, not a quick answer. And we are trying to reach real people with Christ, not making a political statement.

Most of the emerging leaders I know share my agony over this question. We fear that the whole issue has been manipulated far more than we realize by political parties seeking to shave percentage points off their opponent’s constituency. We see whatever we say get sucked into a vortex of politicized culture-wars rhetoric—and we’re pastors, evangelists, church-planters, and disciple-makers, not political culture warriors. Those who bring us honest questions are people we are trying to care for in Christ’s name, not cultural enemies we’re trying to vanquish.

The truth is the issue of homosexuality is much more complex that most of those on two “sides” will ever admit. Read the recent comments on the Harbour Blog and we see that illustrated time and time again … it’s just wrong, no question. Well, most of us realize that to take an absolute stand for or against homosexuality only divides us from the people we are called to serve. And even more than that … Brian admits that for many emerging church leaders … they just don’t know.

Frankly, many of us don’t know what we should think about homosexuality. We’ve heard all sides, but no position has yet won our confidence so that we can say “it seems good to the Holy Spirit and us.” That alienates us from both the liberals and conservatives who seem to know exactly what we should think. Even if we are convinced that all homosexual behavior is always sinful, we still want to treat gay and lesbian people with more dignity, gentleness, and respect than our colleagues do. If we think that there may actually be a legitimate context for some homosexual relationships, we know that the biblical arguments are nuanced and multilayered, and the pastoral ramifications are staggeringly complex. We aren’t sure if or where lines are to be drawn, nor do we know how to enforce with fairness whatever lines are drawn.

He suggests we put a five-year moratorium on making pronouncements. I don’t know how sucessful that would be … the Presbyterians have been trying that … and after two moratoriums, we are still in the same bloody fight. What’s wrong with just putting aside the question for now … and focusing on building our relationship with Christ and in community with all those who want the same relationship. I believe that over time, Christ will lead us all to the answer that is best.

That is why Eklektos is not making pronouncements saying homosexualty is good or bad any more than we say sexuality is good or bad. We realize that there are layers of complexity which go beyond our understanding, there are Biblical and pastoral issues that are beyond giving the “right” answer, and too many of us just don’t know for sure.

I am forty-four years old, I have been ordained for nearly 18 years, and I continuously lament over the fact that when I attend Church gatherings, I am still one of the “young” ones – often being the youngest in the room. It was different last month when I attended the Emergent Convention in Nashville. For the first time, I was actually one of the older ones in the room. Hundreds of pastors and church leaders – and I was in the oldest quartile of participants! It felt good – but odd; hopeful – but unfamiliar.

Emergent is a conversation regarding the characteristics, thoughts, and shape of the emerging Church in North American and, actually, around the world. It started with a few people realizing that the younger generations are becoming lost to the church, but still very interested in Jesus, God and spiritual things. Church-going parents and grandparents used to console themselves with the assurance that when the younger generations grow up, settle down, and have kids of their own, they’d come back to church. But they’re not. And now we are more than one generation into this trend, meaning that today’s young adults are very often total strangers to the church – they didn’t even attend Christmas and Easter services as children. They sometimes don’t even know that Christmas or Easter are religious holidays. Yet, they long for spiritual experience and meaning in their lives.

Many young adults are cynical of the institutional church. After a book-signing at which she was the guest musician, a young woman asked Brian McLaren, a Christian author, if he really believed the stuff he wrote or if he was just trying to sell books.* Fortunately, McLaren heard the deeper longing in that question – a curiosity about what difference faith makes in his life. And, fortunately, he was able to respond with an authentic articulation of the path of discipleship he was following. I think that’s our biggest challenge in evangelism, in church transformation, in new church planting – we need to hear the questions which may not even be posed as questions, and respond not so much out of our answers, but out of our journey … sharing together, living together, and loving together.

Our culture has changed. Stanley Hauervas claims that anyone over the age of 40 is an alien in our own culture. At Emergent, though, we’ve learned that it’s not so much about a person’s age as it is about their mindset. It’s more than a generation-gap – it’s a different way of experiencing the world. Some church members are convinced that if we’d just change the style of worship music, they would come. No, say the people I met in Nashville, it goes much deeper than that. Contemporary music, relevant sermons, casual dress, friendly greeters, or icons and candles don’t attract young people to the church. No, it’s changed lives that attract. What is appealing to the younger generations of adults is seeing how discipleship in Christ can make a difference in our lives, in their lives, and in the world.

*to know more about the spiritual relationship which developed between Brian McLaren and this young woman, see his book, More Ready Than You Realize, which I review on page of this issue of Connections.

Printed in the July 2005 issue of Connections, a publication of the Presbytery of New Covenant.