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2012-02-09T18:58:00.000-05:00

Christian Community without Church

2012-01-23T01:03:00.000-05:00

Maybe the title should read "Your Community is Your Church."

No budgets, no offerings, no buildings, no insurance, no politics.

Meet regularly with those that help you to live more meaningfully, with people who challenge you, and inspire you. Carve out some intentional space to work together on being more loving, to seek wisdom, to pray.

Share your stories. Listen. Serve together. Laugh together. Love and be loved.

Read books, challenge your thinking. Help each other through the hard times, help each other keep perspective.

Try out different churches if you want something to discuss. Or stay completely away from churches. Go camping, hiking, rock climbing.

Church is seeking the most important things in life with others, in community.

Maybe you are doing all this already. The important thing is to be intentional about growth and inspiration. Thats church at its best.

Jesus is still the center of my life.

The Bible is still my favorite book.

Christian community is my real church.

And loving others is more important than ever.

Jesus without Justification

2012-01-23T00:41:00.008-05:00

How does Jesus death change our standing before God? How does the death of the good absolve the guilty? People have given me lots of explanations, but they all seem far fetched, don't they? (If they don't seem so to you, by all means, believe them.) Others say that we just have to accept that it does, even if we don't understand it, because God said so. Maybe He did, but its not clear.

I'm okay with admitting that we don't know how it all works, as long as we're not dogmatic that only Christians will be saved. Because maybe Jesus died to show us ultimate love, and we're meant to follow His example. If the example and teachings of Jesus are compelling, then people who tend to question the magic of justification can still find immense value in Christianity.

Jesus said He is the way the truth and the life, and that no one can come to the father except through Him. He is love, the ultimate truth, the way to live. I believe that. I am a Christian because I believe in the teachings of Jesus and because His story informs my understanding of meaning.

If the life of love that Jesus exemplified through life and death is meant for an example, then those who have had a hard time developing a "personal relationship" with Him can stop guilt tripping themselves into spending more time reading the Bible and praying in order to become His buddy. God will show up in our lives when He wants to, and I believe He does, but not because of some kind of personal piety formula. Maybe God created us primarily for relationships with each other, and it is by serving each other that we serve Him, as Matthew 25 suggests. Then if we don't experience God close we don't have to wonder what's wrong with us, and we won't have to try to convince atheists (who sometimes do a better job of loving than Christians) that their beliefs will damn them. Maybe salvation isn't based on a technicality.

Jesus is still the center of my life.

The Bible is still my favorite book.

Christian community is my real church.

And loving others is more important than ever.

Bible without Infallibility

2012-01-23T00:41:00.006-05:00

People often say, If the Bible is not infallible then what is your standard? You're making yourself your own standard for truth.

First of all, infallibility does not solve the problem, because we all interpret things based on our own upbringing and experiences. Secondly, even if that were not the case, the idea that our standard is either the Bible or ourselves is a false dichotomy. There are other valid external sources that can cross reference the Bible, including our tradition, community, other religions and their texts, and most importantly, God Himself, the Holy Spirit.

God also created us with a conscience, and even though its an internal source, I think its valid to let it weigh in when we question things in the Bible, like genocide.

The Bible is a great book. It is a reliable historic document. It contains narrative that brings meaning to millions, and I'm deeply grateful for it. Infallibility does injustice to the idea of art, and of narrative. We do not ask the painter if what they painted is true, but we ask ourselves if it is beautiful. The Bible is a very beautiful and moving history of ideas about God.

Jesus is still the center of my life.

The Bible is still my favorite book.

Christian community is my real church.

And loving others is more important than ever.

Value in Christianity without Christianity

2012-01-16T11:23:00.005-05:00

I've been having lots of conversations with people who grew up Christians but who are now doing their own thing. I'd say I have a real in depth heart to heart about it with someone at least once a week, often more than that. I find similar themes running through the different stories people are telling. It doesn't scare me that they don't go to church anymore, or they haven't read the Bible in a while. What bothers me is that they tend to see things so black and white.

They mention a few things that bothers them about church or the Bible, (things I agree with) and then conclude by admitting that they just stopped being interested. Stopped attending. Stopped reading. Stopped caring.

I guess I can't blame them. I can't expect them to have the desire to intentionally and earnestly seek for the beauty and value of Christianity when so far in their lives they've found it loud and irrelevant.

But it doesn't have to be so black and white. I'm arguing for a middle way. A way between fundamentalism and agnosticism. It is possible to have an authentic and meaningful Christian experience without holding on to much of what you were taught growing up.

For me, I'm asking the same questions. I've had the same disillusioning experiences. Its what caused me to leave the ministry. But maybe its because I held onto Christianity until so late in life that keeps me searching. That may sound naive, but most people I'm talking with gave it all up in high school, at a time when their critical thinking faculties were not as mature as they are now. They haven't looked back since. If they did, (and its my goal to help them) I think they could find a lot of value in Christianity.

They could find:

Value in Jesus, his compelling example, and his revolutionary teachings.

Without being disillusioned with their inability to build a meaningful personal relationship with him, while being unable to understand the complicated and unlikely magic of how his death supposedly solves the problem of sin.

Value and immense meaning in the Bible, as a historical and literary masterpiece, containing thousands of years worth of different people's views of God, written by people who spent time with Jesus.

Without the contradiction of the love of God with the infallibility of the Bible. Without genocide and the corollary to infallibility that demands that every part of the Bible is equally applicable, valuable, and preachable, as every other part. Without infallibility's demand that God is responsible for some of its despicable material.

Value in Christianity.

Without putting down other religions. Without only Christians being saved. Value in Islam, value in Buddhism.

Value in Christian community.

Without church. Without budgets and bureaucracy. Without obligations and guilt trips. Without lists of complicated and unlikely-to-be-true doctrines. Without opinionated sermons masquerading as God's word for you today. Without expensive buildings and insurance. Without pretentious shows and inauthentic piety. Without petty theological arguments and dysfunctional gossip.

Value in Religion.

Without coercion.

Value in ideas about God.

Without proof.

Value in pursuing the meaning of life that transcends our understanding.

Without arrogance, compulsion, anger, greed, and pretense.

But how? they always ask me, in those conversations. How can you have one without the other?

Thats the topic of my next blog.

2011-11-30T15:43:00.000-05:00

Rock Climbing Gang

2011-11-01T19:13:00.000-04:00

I watched the movie BRA BOYS again, this time with Josh Littel and Travis Pyke. Bra Boys are a surfing gang in Sydney Australia. They are from poor neighborhoods, they get into a lot of trouble, but some of them end up professional surfers.

One neat thing that they do is take at risk kids on surfing trips around Australia. If the kids don't charge the waves, they have to find their own way home.

I guess "gang" is a really negative term. But we're trying to start a rock climbing "club" here in Chattanooga. We want to take kids climbing, hiking, mountain biking, etc., to get them outside and involved with a better community, to teach them skills, and help them fall in love with beautiful Chattanooga.

I was reading a book called "A Framework for Understanding Poverty," and it was saying that poverty is more than a lack of financial resources. Its also a lack of emotional resources and support systems, among other things. The lack of emotional resources tends to prevent them from making good choices in response to crisis. Instead, crisis usually leads to self-defeating behavior like alcohol, drugs, and violence.

The best way for kids in poverty to develop emotional resources is to have caring mentors.

Treetree Rappels After Reaching the Top

Benita is more than halfway up her successful climb to the top

Meemee was the first of the girls to go. She made it all the way!

Thanks to Elisa for her help and the use of her camera. Thanks to Josh Littel and Eric Schnell for equipment and belaying. Hopefully more pictures to come!

Thanks for giving. Sincerely, the IRS.

2011-10-20T11:32:00.001-04:00

Non-profit work with for-profit principles. Thats not a sentence, but I think its a powerful idea.

Its not new, but what if we applied the law of supply and demand to charity? Economics class rocked my world last night.

Charity has existed ever since the caveman caught two rabbits and his buddy caught none. Because maybe next time it will be the other way around. Besides, he kinda likes his neighbor caveman, they've done a lot of stuff together. They've shared the same cave, and the same story, for awhile now.

Government redistribution is based on compulsion. You may not want to help the next guy, but if you don't pay taxes, you'll get a visit from the IRS. I'm not saying thats necessarily a bad thing. Its just not exciting.

You know what is exciting to me? The human story.

Here's the question. Are there incentives that would make people with resources willingly give to someone in need? When do you help others? Most of the time we help our friends and family. Sometimes we help strangers, but we're usually hesitant. What if the stranger takes advantage of us? For us to be willing to help the stranger, we want to hear their story.

For awhile this semester, I've been kind of self-concious about getting an MBA when UTC also has a masters in non-profit administration. I haven't met any other students in my program who want to do non-profit work. Maybe I'm getting the wrong degree?

But last night's economics class changed all that. In the non-profit masters, I'd be learning how to write grants, learning how to get government funding. And I'm sure I'd learn a lot of useful skills. But with the MBA, I'm learning private sector principles.

What makes people want to give? I think the answer is relationships. Relationships are built on the human story. We get together over coffee, we eat a meal together, we hang out after work, and we TALK. But what do we say? We tell each other our stories. Back to supply and demand. What will make you want to give to a stranger? A powerful story. One that helps you relate, that makes you feel like you know them.

I don't want to have anything to do with compulsion. Relationships are the reason I get up in the morning. Story is why I exist.

latest

2011-09-22T13:39:00.000-04:00

I'm talking too much.
I'm meeting new friends.
I went to the best concert ever last night. And it was free.

I'm doing training for work, trying to mentally prepare for the inner city school.
I'm going on a retreat this weekend with a lot of cool new friends.

I'm trying to keep my head above water in Stats and Accounting.
Hoping we can get Zach's store started soon.

I'm in a stellar place right now. Camp removed all depression, and setting up a new life has got my mind off theology, which is really good. Authenticity removes so much conflict from my life!!!

Climbing Life's Mountain

2011-09-13T09:21:00.000-04:00

To claim salvation as the monopoly of any one religion is like claiming that God can be found in this room but not the next, in this attire but not another. Normally, people will follow the path that rises from the plains of their own civilization; those who circle the mountain, trying to bring others around to their paths are not climbing...

It is possible to climb life's mountain from any side, but when the top is reached the trails converge. At base, in the foothills of theology, ritual and organizational structure, the religions are distinct. Differences in history, culture, geography, and collective temperament all make for diverse starting points. Far from being deplorable, this is good; it adds richness to the totality of the human venture. Is life not more interesting for the varied contributions of Confucianists, Taoists, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, and Christians?

"How artistic," writes a contemporary Hindu, "that there should be room for such variety--how rich the texture is, and how much more interesting than if the Almighty had decreed one antiseptically safe, exclusive, orthodox way. Although he is Unity, God finds, it seems, his recreation in variety!"

But beyond these differences, the same goal beckons.

Huston Smith, about Hinduism, in "The World's Religions"

Righteousness by Bible

2011-09-05T15:08:00.001-04:00

I'm at Camp Mohaven in Ohio, summer of '04. I'm struggling with purity issues in a relationship that I claim, dysfunctionally, is just a friendship. I'm plagued with guilt, and seeking answers.
Serving God has always been the most important thing to me. Ever since 8th grade I looked for answers in books by good Adventist authors like Philip Samaan, George Knight, Mark Finley, Dwight Nelson and others.

The book in my hands at the moment, as I lay in my bunk bed, is "95 Theses on Righteousness by Faith," by Morris Venden. He's talking about how to be transformed, and I'm all ears. Romans 12. We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We renew our minds by spending more time reading the Bible, and less time watching TV.

My takeaway: The more we read the Bible, the more we become like God.

I was ready for this idea. I had heard it in many sermons, read it in other books. But I remember this moment because, more than ever before, I took it to heart. If I prayerfully spend time in the Bible, God will use it to work a radical transformation in me. And so for 6 years I was faithful in daily devotions, usually for 30 minutes, often for an hour or more. I also prayed, and shared my faith.

Sometimes I feel like the Bible didn't come through.
Maybe my expectations were exaggerated.
Maybe the equation, "more time in the Bible = more life transformation" is oversimplified.
Maybe I didn't give it enough time.

Right now I think that "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" is more effective at working a transformation in me. On the other hand, I don't regret any of the time I spent in the Bible. It has an effect on me. Who would I be without Isaiah 58 and Matthew 25?
I guess I just thought I'd be further along, so I'm a bit disillusioned. And this doubt has kind of made me doubt other things. So, for an honest confession, I'm still trying to figure out how valuable the Bible is in my life.

But I'm still trying. Right now I'm memorizing Psalms 10.

Hijacking religion in the name of airplanes

2011-09-02T15:59:00.001-04:00

Remember when Harold Camping said that Jesus was going to return in May? If I had been one of those who believed it wholeheartedly, I think that would have been one of the happiest people on earth (before May 21, when Jesus didn't come). Seriously, wouldn't life be filled with purpose? Imagine that it was up to you and a few others to save the world. The few, the proud, the worldsavers.

There obviously is something very attractive about exclusive religion. We all want to be the enlightened few that "get it" among the billions of dishonest and deceived.

What's more important than saving the world? My favorite stories are about regular people who risk everything to accomplish something extremely important. I like these stories because, deep down, thats what I want. I think a story about me and a few friends (the protagonists) going against the rest of the world (the antagonists), to save a few from eternal destruction, would be a very compelling story. Especially if it were true. Everyone wants to be Noah.

But this understanding of our role in an eternal narrative, especially one that demonizes other narratives, can be dangerous. In my opinion, 9/11, the crusades, Waco, and other forms of religious violence and extremism result from exaggerated views of our exclusive role in human history. And I think its why Adventists developed a theology that pegs "other Christians" as babylon, and essentially, in league with Satan. Its why some Adventists think that the 144,000 are vegans. I also think its why I have spent so much time and energy in my life trying to convert people to my point of view. Each convert was proof of my eternal importance.

Its already easy to dislike people who are different from us. How much easier is it to do so if we think our eternal salvation depends on it? Its natural to see ourselves as protagonists. What's dangerous is our tendency to see everyone else as antagonists. Thats the arrogant, divisive, often violent attitude that atheists are so quick (and correct) to criticize.

Before you think I'm only cynical, I don't think the desire to be important is bad. Nor do I think that it is always bad for religion. I think the desire to be significant has been the motivation for some of history's most noble accomplishments. They are well documented.

I know that my search for meaning is heavily influenced by my desire to be important. I also know that sometimes this desire has hijacked my religion and caused me to do all sorts of selfish and arrogant things in the name of God.

My search for significance is what also drives me now to humanitarianism, which I profess to be the most important pursuit in my life. I still see myself as a protagonist, out to save the world against all odds. I'm just praying that I'll do a better job of identifying my antagonists. But what should divide us? To me, love is the only absolute, because God is love. I oppose those who hate. Hate is the antagonist, not Muslims, Jews, Catholics or Baptists.

Harold Camping

something I jotted in church today

2011-08-27T16:13:00.000-04:00

Shine

Shine

Every life is a shining light.
Some pride in shining bright,
others regret that their light is dim, flickering.
But light is so beautiful and needed in dark places
that the amount of light is overshadowed by the importance of shining,
of expression, of the art of uniqueness.
Whether we exist or not is more fundamental than how much we accomplish.
So smile.
Live.
Shine.

Express yourself! Shine the best you know how,
and if people are more interested in others,
don't care. Don't compare.

Someone needs your light.
And so do you.
You need to shine.
You're gifted, inspired.

Everyday is a new day.
Right now is a new now.
Shine while you have time.
Shine shine shine.
Shine if you're bright or dim.
Shine if you're up or down.
Shine by being real.
By frowning. By crying.
Shine by hurting. Shine by healing. Shine by loving.

Carve out space to be you.
Tell someone you love how you feel.
Shine by being real.
Shine by living. Shine by loving.
Shine by being loved.

Yves

2011-05-30T15:55:00.000-04:00

This is Yves, a friend of mine who was baptized on Sabbath.

Eric and Thierry

2011-05-28T23:14:00.003-04:00

This is Eric, another good friend of mine who was also baptized today.

Thierry also had something to say.

Why am I leaving Maine? (1 John 3:16-18)

2011-05-15T22:49:00.003-04:00

I thought they would fire me in December when I told them about my very unorthodox theology. But they didn't, and they still say I can stay on, despite the fact that I haven't since changed my views. In fact, my views have become even more unorthodox, on some of the most fundamental fundamentals.

The pastor, the elders, and the board still say they want me to stay on. Before I let the cat out of the bag about all my questions and apostasy, I felt like I was living a double life and dishonestly failing to fulfill my job description. And I was. I was feeling torn apart inside, but I still wore the plastic pastoral smile.

Now they know and still want me to stay on, and I still desperately want to leave, but I find my reasoning harder to articulate. I thought they would want me to leave more than I wanted to leave, but on the contrary, I feel the need to justify my reasons. I would never have guessed that would be the case.

I think church could be way simpler. No conferences, unions, districts, departments, budgets, insurance, property, risk management, Ellen White Estates, publishing houses, TV ministries, public evangelists, quarterlies, church manuals, etc. So much hype, theatrics, hot air, much ado about nothing.

Instead, how about 2-10 friends getting together and praying for each other and sharing life? Thats church.

How did pastoring ever become a profession? How did church ever become a business with buildings and presidents, bills, hierarchy, rules, and hoopla upon teetering towers of red tape hoopla?

Bureaucracy=Gross!

Thats one reason. I'm fed up with all the ridiculous hoopla. But I'm not out do destroy the structure. I wouldn't waste my youth on that. God bless those treasurers, and risk management red tapers, and bureaucratic number crunchers, and car salesman-esque evangelists.

Its just not for me.

Reason number 2 is that I'm lonely. No community. I'm in the midst of millions of church people, and church events, and church language, and church visioning, and church gossip, and church finances, and church hierarchy, and church everything. But community? I'm on a deserted island. The feeling of isolation is tangible, and I'm depressed for the first time in my life. I'm being strangled, and I have to escape to breath.

The next reason is that I don't know how to get to heaven. I'm not sure its that important. I don't know how to tell people how to get there, and its no longer my mission to show the way. People can go to church or not go to church. They can be Christian or Muslim. They can go to church on Sabbath or Sunday. They can believe whatever they want about the technicalities of religious dogma, and it won't make a difference to me. Because frankly, all of it has become a distraction. We're so "RIGHT" about our religion, and our politics, and our culture, and our worldview, and everyone else is so wrong, that, well, they can listen up or they can go to hell.

People need love, not theology. They need community, not "church." They need God, not theology. Girls are being forced to be prostitutes. People are dying because there's not enough clean water. People in some countries are starving to death while people in other countries spend $20 billion annually on ice cream. 1 John 3:16-18

God is love. Right now, the only thing that matters to me is loving those who are in need. Helping people. Accepting people, not converting them. Loving people, not correcting their theology. I'm fully convinced that its God's will for me to do everything I can to alleviate suffering in this world. To fight injustice. To speak kind words to someone who has only been abused. To provide clean water to someone who is dying for lack of it. To show pure, safe love to someone who has only known lust and rape.

To hell with me if I'm missing something. I know my mission, and I'll give my life for it.

God told me you are wrong, part 2

2011-04-19T00:32:00.000-04:00

There is a difference between being fully convinced and being right. Being right is too much to ask for, but being fully convinced brings meaning to life, gives it purpose, and forms my identity. I want to be willing to die for what I am fully convinced of, but humility demands that I can never know absolutely if I am right.

Some feel that if absolute truth is inaccessible, then we are left to despair. I say no. We MUST be fully convinced of things, and stand for something. But we can also respect the stands others take. We can't both be right, but we can both be honest.

EEEnFFFp

2011-04-13T22:02:00.000-04:00

I'm depressed.

Loneliness is sapping my energy.

Nothing seems worth the effort.

Its an ache, a longing, a desperation.

It feels chronic.

Like anger, but cooler.

Like sadness, but slower.

It feels like frustration, with no explanation.

There's a ton of things I know I could do, that I know I should do.

A whole list that I need to get done.

But if I could just talk with a friend, things would be okay.

If I could go do something with someone,

if we could just talk.

If I could just be myself, and they understood.

If we could get excited about idea.

If we could plan things.

If we could smile and laugh, because we're connecting.

But there's no one.

No one who has time.

No one who isn't preoccupied.

No one who needs me, like I need them.

And so I sit here, wondering what to do,

aching, needing love. wanting love.

I'm never depressed.

I'm always happy.

Thats why all this is tough to admit.

Josh

2011-03-07T11:18:00.000-05:00

“So the Lord gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as He had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.” Joshua 21:43-45

The book of Joshua makes me angry. Yeah, its probably because I'm too immature or narrow minded or whatever, but all the killing seems cruel and seems to reflect badly on God. But this verse is a gem, shining out from the ashes of Caanan's destroyed cities.

This has been my experience with God. God has fulfilled all of His good promises to me. None have failed. Thats true for me. God is good, and to realize that deeply and personally brings me much joy and peace.

6 Steps to Traditionalism

2011-02-13T09:43:00.002-05:00

1. We read the Bible.

2. We confront a current issue and we make a decision about an issue -- like baptizing infants or adults -- or we frame "what we believe" into a confession, a creed, or a doctrinal statement.

3. We fossilize our decision and it becomes a tradition. (Somewhere around here we become absolutely convinced our tradition is a perfect interpretation of the Bible.)

4. We are bound to our tradition forever. (It is now traditionalism.)

5. We are bound to read the Bible through our tradition. (Somewhere around here we become convinced that God's Spirit led us to our tradition and that it is nothing less than an accurate, God-prompted, don't-question-it unfolding in history of what God's word says.)

6. Those who question our tradition are suspect or, worse yet, kicked out of our church. (Somewhere around here we become ineffective in our world and become increasingly cantankerous about how the youth are wandering away from the faith.)

From Scot McKnight's "A Blue Parakeet" in a section where he describes two extreme ways of reading the Bible. One is to make it say whatever you want, the other is to accept whatever tradition says.

I went to a Sufi Zikr last Saturday night

2011-01-31T23:02:00.001-05:00

Sufism is an ancient mystical Islamic path. The Zikr was very different from anything I've experienced. Its kind of like the video at the bottom of this post but different in several ways:

We were all Americans. We didn't have cool robes and headbands and stuff, we were dressed normal, and we were in someone's house. But the songs and actions were similar, except we did a wider variety of stuff than is featured in the video. We did repeat "la ilaha illallah" hundreds of times though.
La ilaha illalla means there is no god but Allah. Allah is the Arabic word for God. Christians is Arabic speaking countries also use the word Allah for God.

I've been taught to avoid mysticism, that its wrong. That might be true, I don't know. All I can say is, even though I had never experienced mysticism, it didn't feel new. It altered my consciousness similarly to how certain songs do, or how driving by myself on a long trip does. The constant drone of the wheels on the pavement and the way my thoughts wander anywhere is like mysticism. And there are other examples. The eye opening thing was to realize that mysticism is everywhere in everyday experiences, its just that mystics are those that do it intentionally.

I got really tired of kneeling and had to sit on a nearby couch some of the time while I chanted and sang. It took me about halfway through before I could pronounce la ilaha illallah like the others in the circle. I don't think I connected to God or anything, but I did come to some random conclusions, like I should run the 10 mile race I signed up for even though I haven't trained for it. I was awake, but sometimes it felt like sleep.

I don't know if I'll go again, but I just don't think we can categorically dismiss mysticism as evil, nor accept it as completely good.

(The video is probably not worth watching all the way through, as you will see).

Crisis Solved

2011-01-02T12:19:00.001-05:00

For the few of you who have not long since tired of this discussion about genocide, existential crisis, the authority of the Bible etc., here are two articles that helped me.

How can the Bible be Authoritative? by N.T. Wright

Good Question... by Glen Miller

God is good. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers.

`ben

God told me you are wrong.

2011-01-01T15:43:00.003-05:00

The Bible doesn't explain how to interpret itself. But the criteria that we use to interpret the Bible has a huge impact on how we understand it. And its hard to be consistent.

Some people demand that the whole bit about women not speaking in church is cultural and therefore inapplicable, while insisting that teachings about divorce are literal. But what criteria distinguishes them? Some people say its obvious that the Bible is against homosexuality, while others waive it off as obscure and therefore unimportant. And those who argue that the instructions about homosexuality are unmistakeable can use the "obscure" argument to waive off genocide in the Old Testament. Suddenly "infallibility" isn't enough. There are many opposite conclusions we can come to, even starting on the foundation that scripture is, in some sense, authoritative.

Mark Twain said "It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand."

When one person wants to convince someone that a particular passage should be interpreted a certain way, to what authority can they turn for back up? Is it possible that our criteria itself becomes more authoritative than the Bible? And since God didn't write a "how to use this book" section in the introduction, we are kind of lost aren't we?

Well, of course, we have to depend on the Holy Spirit.

There is one really annoying thing about that though. Its so subjective. We can claim that the Holy Spirit told us anything! And if we're honest, hearing what God is specifically telling us can be murky, unless thats just my experience.

So if I say I believe that God didn't really tell the Israelites to carry out genocide, that they came up with the idea themselves and claimed God for it, then you can disagree, and hec, you might be right! But what authority do you have to say that the way I'm interpreting the passage is "illegal?" I can just as easily say that your way is illegal!

In the end, we must make decisions about what we believe God is telling us in the Bible. But there is a frustrating lack of the big "P" word: PROOF.

The final authority belongs with God. And we should pray, read, and study, and then make the decision that will help us live the most beautiful way, seeking to be guided by the Holy Spirit. So if someone sees it differently, we can trust the Holy Spirit in them. Evangelism changes from compulsion by weight of evidence to an invitation to a mysterious experience.

I drove to NYC...

2010-12-21T22:36:00.008-05:00

On my scooter. Its true. It took me two days to get there because the scooter only goes 35 mph, unless I'm going downhill, which can get it up to 40. I'm not allowed on the interstate, so it was all back roads. I got lost a few times, and pulled over once. The cool thing was, I got to couchsurf! I stayed with 3 different people, and it was great. I stumbled onto some great social events and met a lot of people who were struggling with the religion they grew up with, which was apt, because so am I, and thats partly why I went on the trip.

I went to New York city to meet Samir Selmanovic, author of It's Really All About God. The book raised a lot of compelling questions. He was hosting a holiday craft event.

I got to NYC on Wednesday night, met Samir at the event, stayed with a couchsurfer host named Sebastian, (nice guy, I gave him a ride on my scooter) and then the next morning I met with the author, Samir, at his house in Harlem for breakfast. Then I headed for home. I stayed with a girl named Stephanie in Amherst Massachusetts. The next morning, it was 2 degrees outside! I had already been developing frostbite the night before, when it was 20 degrees, not to mention the 35 mile an hour windchill I created by driving the scooter. I wasn't going to be able to survive driving home that last day. God knew that, and so did my scooter, because after 600 miles of driving on it since I left Portland Maine, it wouldn't start. Too cold. Thankfully I have loving and generous parents. They drove from Portland to come pick me and the scooter up.

Overall it was a great adventure, although a very chilly one. I'm just thankful I survived!
People ask me if I would do it again. I would, but not when the highest temperature on the entire trip is only 32 degrees. I have to find a warmer time to go... Great memory though.

Total Miles: 600
Driving time: 21 hrs
Miles per hour: 35
Miles per gallon: 100
Cost in gas: $24

I need grace from Jesus

2010-12-02T12:50:00.002-05:00

When one works for the church, part of the job description is having the answers for people's questions. So it is conflicting for me to be the one asking the deep soul searching questions myself. I've never really questioned my church's beliefs growing up, and suddenly I felt very inadequate to be the answer giver when I had never really been the question asker. Thus I became burned out. I felt like I needed to take a break from Christianity to catch my breath.

I kinda did for a couple of weeks. I gave it all up and didn't assume anything. I didn't assume the Bible was true, nor the claims of Jesus, or anything really.

I'm still on some sort of crazy process, but there was something I noticed poignantly within a day or two.

I NEED GRACE.

I don't have to decide whether or not the Bible is infallible.
I don't have to decide whether or not Christians are happier.
I don't have to decide whether or not Christians are the only ones who know how to love.
I don't have to decide if only Christians are saved.
I don't have to decide if what Ellen White said was true.
at least not yet...

But I need grace. Desperately. I guess I had taken grace for granted, and it took not having it to realize how much I need it. Grace is God's most beautiful act of love and friendship for humankind, to accept us in our weakness and to love us despite our failings. "And this is how we know what love is: "Jesus Christ layed down his life for us." 1 John 3:16

Grace comes from Jesus. I need Jesus.

solution for sin

2010-11-26T08:38:00.001-05:00

Suppose for hypothetical purposes that Christians aren't statistically happier than other people. Suppose not even "real Christians" are, if, for the sake of discussion it were possible to empiricalize "real" and "not real." Suppose that there are just as many content, well adjusted, relationally functional Muslims, Jews, Hindus, etc. as there are fulfilled Christians. Would that pose a problem to your view of Christianity?

Because it would me, at least until I grew up and became more mature in my thinking or something.

"Christians are inherently happier" is an idea I've believed and taught. Its an implication of Christianity that I've made explicit on more than one occasion.

But the more happy, well adjusted Jews and Muslims I meet, the more my Christianity is affronted. I must find some way to deny their contentment, demonstrate its shallowness, or find it in some way inferior.

Sure we can get into a long discussion trying to define what happiness really is, and compare it to joy, etc. But can we cut through some of that and try to put our finger on general contentedness and whether or not real Christians tend to have more or less of it?

Because now I'm trying to grow up and have a more mature view of the purpose of Christianity without the whole "its just a better way to live" idea as a foundation.
(Unless that is mature and others are inherently unhappy...)

I need to spend some time and prayer with this because all I got so far is "is it a ticket to heaven...?"

And I think I should spend some more time on the "solution for sin" answer, and try to understand that a little better.

my answers about genocide in the Bible worked for me until I met some Rwandans...

2010-11-13T00:18:00.004-05:00

Over the last couple weeks I've had rather difficult existential crisis. I don't mean to be dramatic, but it was really stressful! My answers about genocide in the Bible worked for me until I befriended some people from Rwanda. My closest friends here in Maine are refugees, fleeing from Rwanda and seeking Asylum here in America. I love them. We hang out, cook meals for each other, and discuss cultural differences. Sometimes they tell me stories. Most of them grew up in orphanages or were adopted into new families after their parents were killed.

Its heart-wrenching (understatement) to hear my friends talk about watching their parents being killed by machete's right in front of them, and how they survived by pretending to be dead among the other lifeless bodies...

As I look into their eyes, my own filled with tears, trying to get a grasp of what they are going through, I cannot come to any other conclusion other than

GENOCIDE IS ALWAYS WRONG.

I may be postmodern, but I'm not a relativist. Sure, some things are both good and bad, depending on the context. Like golf. Some things are always good, and other things are always wrong. Genocide is one of those things.

This conclusion--that genocide is always wrong--pits the character of God against the infallibility of the Bible. If genocide can be okay in some contexts, then there is no contradiction. Sure, genocide may be loving in a way that is beyond my understanding, but I can not move forward with this viewpoint. I'm just not that relativistic.

I wouldn't be able to look my friends in the eye.

Its ironic, because recently I have spent a lot of time advocating for shades of gray, but there are some things that I think are certain. Like genocide. Its wrong.<---thats a period

So when the Bible claims that God told the Israelites to kill all the men, women, children, and animals, I have a choice.

1. I can be very creative (ie. reckless) with my exegesis.

2. I can question the infallibility of the Bible.

3. I can question the character of God.

Its going to be either 1 or 2. Not 3. (Ellen White's answer doesn't cut it for me. I'm sorry, not anymore). But both #'s 1 and 2 have sketchy implications for my fundamental understanding of scripture and how to apply it.

So this is my crisis.

But my favorite verse right now is in John 1. "The word became flesh."

There may be some inaccurate views of God in the Old Testament, but Jesus came to show us what God is really like. Jesus said on the mount, "You have heard it said..., but I tell you..." From whom had they heard it was said? From Moses. Jesus says no, this is what God is really like.

I believe the Bible is inspired. I believe the Bible's claims about itself (that it is God breathed, useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, and that its not myths made up by men). I don't believe that the Bible explicitly claims to be infallible. I believe the Bible has some very beautiful and transformative ideas. But is the Bible infallible?? I don't know. I'll leave that up to people who are smarter than me. (like you)

existential crisis

I don't want to be a Christian just because my parents are... right?

2010-11-10T12:40:00.006-05:00

Not all Christians are into social justice. It just so happens that it's what I find most compelling about the way of Christ--that He exemplified love in the form of helping people in need. Honestly, it has more to do with why I'm a christian than my personal salvation does. "Passionate about social justice" isn't the first thought that comes to mind when you hear the word "Christian," though I think it should be. In general, we're not in the lead when it comes to loving others. A lot of atheists are really good at it. Jews too. And I just read "The Future of Islam," by John Esposito, and he says there are circles of Islam that promote social justice, even pluralism. If I had grown up an atheist, or a Jew, or a Muslim, and I was considering whether stay that way or change, atheistic, or Jewish, or Muslim versions of social justice would probably be the thing I would grasp onto as a reason to stick around. I can't prove it, but what I'm trying to say is that if I had grown up in those contexts, I think I would basically be the same person I am now, assuming I had loving parents, grew up in America, and had a good education.* And maybe, social justice would have been a good reason to stay those things... I don't consider it a bad reason to stay a Christian.

*But who knows? Realistically, when you make one thing in the past hypothetical, everything about the future changes. But I had that train of thought, and I guess I wanted to let you know it was passing by in case you wanted to take a look at it.

car out, scooter in

2010-11-08T21:53:00.004-05:00

tonight I bought a scooter. I know! I know... its winter. Skiing, snowmobiling, ice skating--all of these take place outside during the winter. Why not daily transportation?

Luckily, my dad bought my car, so for times of unscooterableness, I can rent it back for 25 cents a mile.

I only save money when I resist the urge to rent and use the scooter, and I want to use it as much as possible, no matter the conditions. Right now I'm VERY motivated to save money. Hence the scooter.

I also bought 14 reusable hand warmers, the kind you snap and then the chemical reaction, which makes them solid, produces about 130 degree heat. You boil them to reset the chemical reaction.

Right after I finish typing this blog, I'm going to look for a full face helmet on craigslist.

Honda Ruckus

how the sabbath is the opposite of slavery

2010-11-02T21:15:00.005-04:00

In the commandment list in Deuteronomy 5, the main impetus for keeping Sabbath is that the Israelites were slaves in Egypt and God delivered them, while Exodus 20 refers to creation.

I used to think that THIS:

"Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

Really Meant:

"Since I was so awesome to you, you owe it to me to keep Sabbath."

And there might be something to that. But now I think it primarily means something else.

The Israelites had been slaves for 400 years. Slavery is the ultimate dehumanizer. It turns people into a commodity. It says "You are only worth what you can produce." It turns people into machines--human doings instead of human beings.

Creation was a process increasing in complexity, with God creating the land and water and then filling them, and this complexity climaxed with the creation of man. Slavery, on the other hand, is de-creation, going backwards.

What we really need then is RECREATION.

The Sabbath was a beautiful creation of God that reminded the Israelites that they were human beings, not human doings. The rest that the Sabbath provided reminded the Israelites of their origin, that they were created by God for a purpose bigger than making bricks. The Sabbath is a time to regenerate our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls. It is a time to recreate us, to remind us that we exist for a purpose greater than ourselves.

The Sabbath stands inherently opposed to slavery. With more slaves in the world now than ever before, this world needs to be re-created. This world needs Sabbath.

how not to be God

2010-10-26T14:06:00.004-04:00

Religious pluralists, who take a little bit of this religion, and a little bit of that one, according to their preferences, without submitting to the authority of the Bible, or the Koran, or something else, make themselves the center of authority for spirituality. To find God or truth about gods, they look within.

It seems to me that they make themselves god.

Religious fundamentalists, who know all about God, and what to do and what not to do, and how to interpret scripture correctly as God would have them to, end up being managers of God. They feel like they understand God in most of the ways possible, so in the end, the make themselves equal with God. They get to decide who is in with God and who is out, based on criteria they create that they claim comes from God. They become the dispensers of God's favor.

It seems to me that they make themselves god.

And honestly, even though it seems like a happy medium or "balance" is easy to achieve here, I'm not so sure. It seems hard not to fall into one category or the other. If you don't take the Bible too seriously, what will stop you from making yourself the authority when interpreting it? And if you do take it seriously, what will keep you from certainty that you've interpreted it correctly? If there is no certainty in the Bible, then why take it seriously? And if there is certainty in the Bible, we can get a grip on God.

(how can we be certain that God is speaking to us, or how could we be certain that He's not?)

but maybe tomorrow i'll find balance

I drove through Chattanooga last night.

2010-10-04T21:45:00.001-04:00

And now I'm back in Portland Maine. Our church bought a van in Houston Texas, so the pastor and I flew down to pick it up, and we just got back. Our route went right through Chattanooga. I passed Ooltewah at about 1:00 am. It was hard for me to pass by without seeing anyone. I was so close to so many people I love. I'm mostly over it now. I'm still a little sad, but I do have a lot of work to do so it was good to get back fast.

The Matrix

2010-10-01T10:59:00.001-04:00

One of the most telling things you can know about me right now is that I am in quadrant IV. Its not that crazy to be there, a lot of people are. But it has only been through much conflict that I have concluded that its where I am.

Adventist churches in Maine tend to be in I.
Adventist churches are usually either in I. or III.
Many Adventist churches have split over I. vs. III. conflicts, and many more still will.
Most generational conflict is between I. and III.
The Episcopal church agrees that it is in II., keeping the same liturgy, using the common book of prayer, but accepting homosexual bishops.
Mega-churches love III.
Postmodern/Emerging churches are in IV.

Its not that I think quadrant IV. is the best one. I think quadrant I. is. Its just that I think that IV. is the only realistic one. But I like it too. Everything is open for debate. Doing church is more like painting a picture, experimenting with different types of paints, and colors, and seeing if they work better on canvas, or paper, or trees, or metal. Its more like painting a picture than it is doing a math problem.

I'm not very good at math. I don't like it. Maybe that's why I'm in quadrant IV.

Officially on the Website!

2010-02-17T12:38:00.000-05:00

Our team was featured on the Street Soccer USA blog! If you want to, check it out HERE.

Thanks!

A Bad Inciting Incident?

2010-01-21T11:16:00.003-05:00

"I'm afraid that one of the motivations of living a good story is to garner that kind of approval from people around us. While I think this is a natural motivator, I'm not sure its a good one."

Donald Miller tells us that the development of the main character is crucial to a good story. He can make mistakes, but in the end, we stand in awe of the protagonist and all that she has accomplished. Our society worships them. We often comment on how hot they are, and how awesome they we're when they fought off all those bad guys with their bare hands. This is an essential element of a good story, as Miller pointed out. For it to be a good story, we have to like the main character. Now Miller applies this by saying that we too, should be good characters in life.

Our society treats the main characters of good movies like gods. I'm afraid that one of the motivations of living a good story is to garner that kind of approval from people around us. While I think this is a natural motivator, I don't think its a good one.

I know it motivates me. I mean, I don't want people to worship me, but I do want them to stand in awe of my accomplishments, and how much I went through to accomplish them. I think this is rather humanistic and egotistical, self-serving. I do not think meaning is found in life by bringing glory to ourselves. Is it our story, or God's? Who is really the main character?

What good is a great movie that never gets shown in the theatre or printed onto DVD? Wouldn't we all like to be in a movie starring us?

I don't like that I'm motivated to live a good story so that others will think I'm awesome, but neither can I deny that its the case, and I'm skeptical that anyone else who seeks to "live a good story" isn't also, at least in part, seeking this approval from others. They may not even notice it, which is why I think it's especially dangerous. I do think God wants us to live good stories, but not for story's sake. In other words, is it truly a good story if we set out to make it so? I doubt that concept would make a very good movie.

The Safest Drivers on the Road

2010-01-13T15:54:00.003-05:00

The safest drivers on the road are the ones with quick reaction time, alertness, and active peripherals. They are calm and confident in high risk situations.

The best way to develop all of these characteristics is to drive crazy, like I did when I was sixteen. I was once pulled over for going 37 miles over the speed limit. I was just lucky he caught me then, before I could accelerate to the speed I was intending to go.

Now obviously driving that fast is not safe. Its stupid. I was a stupid driver at sixteen. I'm lucky I survived. But since I survived, I'm a better driver for it.

People who have always been cautious drivers are safe too. Usually. They always go the speed limit, and they always leave space between them and other cars. They never play around with their car. They never intentionally hydroplane. They don't do donut holes in parking lots. They don't try to turn their car out of control in the snow for the adventure of trying to regain control. This is basically a good thing and they are generally safe.

They are not as safe, however, as the driver who used to do those things. The safest driver on the road is the one that used to do crazy stuff, but who is now committed to driving slow and safe. Namely me. I am the safest driver on the road. (Tara hated the arrogant way I was writing this blog way before now, but it just became too much for her)

Let me make my case. Its not just me, its also my brother and many other people like us. We're the safest drivers on the road now, not then, because now we have more fully developed all the characteristics of a safe driver. A person who has never put their car into an intentional hydroplane does not know how to regain control of the car. A person who has never slid their car across a parking lot when its icy will freak out and lose sanity when they inadvertently lose control on the road. A person who rarely faces dangerous situations on the road does not have the confidence to deal with them when they arise. Also, they have not developed quick reactions to sudden situations, and they don't know what to do when they are in danger. So in a way, a safe, cautious driver can be more dangerous.

Now, you might say, a slow driver never faces these situations. I agree. Almost. A slow, cautious driver rarely faces these situations. That's why they are generally safe. But thats why a slow, confident, formerly aggressive driver is better, because they too will rarely face dangerous situations. But those dangerous situations demanding instant decisions from confident drivers will arise, and drivers who have always been slow and cautious are less likely to do the right thing than those who have practiced for fun.

A slow cautious driver may become the safest driver on the road by the time they are 45 or 50, because they have had enough experiences to prepare them. But the crazy driver at 16, if he survives, will be the safest driver at by the time they are 23. So it takes risk either way. Either your really dangerous and then really safe, or your moderately dangerous the whole time. What about when the cautious driver gets old? Then they're especially dangerous. Old people naturally freak out, have slow reaction times, and struggle to stay alert. Old drivers that used to be cautious drivers are the most dangerous drivers on the road! They're lucky to survive! Besides, I guess, those teenagers who are soon to be the safest.

Thanks for listening.

The Best Job Ever

2010-01-11T13:24:00.000-05:00

I have it. Sorry to rub it in, but its true. You might want to switch your major, I don't know. I get paid to do what I want to do more than anything else: Promote causes, get people together, run social events, and start a church.

I get to recruit university students for a club, promote that club, get us together to hang out, and run campus wide campaigns to stop sex trafficking, end violence against women, etc, both as a way to benefit those needs, and raise awareness for our club. Also I get to start a postmodern, Adventist church Friday night church on a secular university campus.

I serve a church that is super supportive, with an amazing community services program. Am I in heaven already?

thanks kristina

2010-01-07T23:26:00.004-05:00

Ben...are you still alive?! Do you need something to defrost your eyelashes?! I made some food at Nate's tonight....and it just WASN'T the same thing without you! We were thinkin' of you...

Hope you're staying warm...God bless your ministry!

Kristina

Thanks Kristina, I miss Southern already, but I'm excited about starting up here. I also miss the clothes that I left in the dryer there... haha, oops.

I actually am staying with a lady tonight in her apartment until I figure out where I'm going to park the motor home and stuff, so I'm plenty warm tonight! She leaves Sunday for India for a month, and when she does, I'll probably park my motor home in her garage and sleep there every night and use her shower in the morning. She said I could stay inside all month, but she is an extremely clean person, and I don't think I would be able to return the apartment to the level of cleanliness she would like to see. That might strain the relationship, and seeing that she is an elder in the church, I think just using the bathroom once each morning and night will greatly reduce my destruction of the general cleanliness of the apartment, making it easier for me to return it to standard, thus preserve the healthiness of an important relationship.
God bless you too, Ben

I hope Nick made it home tonight. Weather delays are threatening to keep him in an airport overnight. He is so awesome for driving all the way up here to Maine with me. Thanks Nick!

Also, thanks heaps to everyone who helped me load up the camper last minute in the freezing cold, I really appreciate it. And to the person who wrote "Just Married" on the back of the camper, (Bjorn?) all the honking the next morning made me think I had a flat tire or something. I was so confused. It was funny.

Background on Maine

2009-12-28T11:41:00.000-05:00

I think this blog only may interest a few, but for those few...

I turned down a position to go to Ellsworth Maine after I interviewed there over Thanksgiving break. While I was up there, however, my mom suggested to the Conference President that he create a position in Bangor to reach out to the 30 or so college students with an Adventist background that weren't attending church anywhere. He liked the idea, but it seemed far fetched.

When I called him to tell him I wasn't coming, he asked what would have brought me to Maine. I referenced my mom's idea, and said it would be really great to work with university students. I was so set on being in Chattanooga after I turned Ellsworth down that I said the earliest I would start a position like that would be next August.

A few days later, he called to offer me Camden, which is the location Jeff Tatarchuk had interviewed for and turned down. They wanted to fly me up to interview there. I told them it wasn't worth the money because of the likelihood of me turning it down. In that conversation however, the college position came up again. I reiterated that I would be open to that idea in August. "If its worth doing, its worth doing in January" he replied.

He told me to prepare a proposal for him to present at an evangelism committee meeting the next day. I agreed and promptly forgot. Midnight that night, when I was about to go to bed, I remembered about the proposal. I decided not to write it since I wasn't going to Maine until August, at the earliest. Then I had a second thought. I might as well write something simple and send it in, just to keep options open.

I wrote a page and emailed it off. A couple days later, he replied saying that they really liked the proposal, and that they were arranging funding to make it happen. He also said the pastor in Portland would contact me. I got so pumped by writing that short proposal that I considered going in January if it worked out. "If its worth doing, its worth doing in January" echoed in my head.

Greg Carter, the pastor in Portland, did call a few days later and we had an interview over the phone. His church is awesome! The conference office, which is right next to the church, is moving to Freeport. The church is buying the conference office facility to make it a community center. They already do a lot of service to people in need in the area. I hear that its a rough area, and thats why the conference office is moving.

Its also close to the University where I'd be doing ministry. I'd also follow up on Bible study interests in relation to an evangelistic series they're having.

I was saying goodbye to Tara before she left for Washington when I got a call from a different pastor inviting me to another church in Northern Maine. Maybe God really wants me in Maine. Greg Carter presented the idea to his church. He called on Sunday to offer it officially, and I accepted on Monday.

I leave for Portland Maine on January 5.

Sarcastic Jesus?

2009-12-03T23:38:00.001-05:00

"If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."

What the heck? What does this mean?

I've often heard that it means that you should get rid of anything in your life that is causing you temptation. I certainly cannot say that this interpretation is wrong. Its plausible, but it kind of seems like a cop out. Not to say I think Jesus meant the contrary, that He meant it literally; but, I don't know, I just haven't been satisfied with that interpretation.

"If your right eye causes you to sin..., and if you right hand causes you to sin..."

I disagree with Jesus immediately, with His basic premise! I don't think your eyes or hands cause you to sin. I believe sin begins in your mind, and your hands just carry it out. I believe I would still sin in my mind even if I did gauge out my eyes and cut off my hands.

Wait a second, isn't that Jesus' whole point in this sermon, that sin is primarily and issue of the mind, and only secondarily an issue of the physical action?

Jesus says "if." Maybe He doesn't believe your eye or hand can cause sin either! Maybe He's taking the logic of the teachers of the law to its logical conclusion. If you enforce the letter of the law, and if the law only refers to the physical act and not to our state of mind, then gauging out your eye and cutting off your hand would be an effective way to stop you from sinning! But since the whole point of Jesus teaching is that the law reaches deeper than the physical act, it wouldn't solve the problem at all. By momentarily taking arguing their point, Jesus shows how ridiculous the teachings of the pharisees really are!

This may not be a perfect interpretation, but I like it better than what I've always heard.

House Church

2009-11-30T13:18:00.001-05:00

Some people are always searching for the long lost detail about the early church that would solve all the problems of our modern church and make it take off. Maybe its no paid pastors, no settled pastors, giving up everything we own, house church's and on and on. I don't believe there is one last detail that we can find that will make everything okay, but there still may be some benefits to those ideas.

These are some reasons I think House Church's are cool.

1. It facilitates more effectively church as a lifestyle, instead of an event on the weekend. The mission is the local neighborhood, and its easier to facilitate relationships that can be kept up during the week, because of geographical proximity. Then visiting neighbors to see how work went that day, or helping them grieve the loss of a loved one, is church as much as the meeting on the weekend. Christianity is a way of life, not a series of meetings.

2. It's easier to invite someone to your house than to your church. Especially if the relationship has been built, inviting people to a meal at the house is much less intimidating than inviting them to the church.

3. We can set up churches everywhere! There is no financial risk to the conference, and there can be a church in every neighborhood. Churches can start and close very easily so they can keep up with the changing demands of communities and locations. If every neighborhood is the missionary territory of the Christians who live there, getting smaller is the fastest way to get bigger. We can stop bringing people to church, and start bringing the church to people.

4. House church is highly participatory. Instead of a few doing everything and everyone else watching, everyone plays a crucial role. Finally we can apply the idea of the priesthood of all believers.

5. Bring true communion back. Instead of a symbolic meal with substantial meaning, it can return to a substantial meal with symbolic meaning. Eat lunch together, acknowledge the bread and the grape juice, and celebrate communion every week!

6. Become persecution proof. House church is T.O.T. (time of trouble) church. They can shut down the organization, they can burn the churches, but they can't stop worship. T.O.T. worship will be secret and spontaneous, and it will be easy when church is already in the home.

7. I think it would be more fun!

Ed

2009-11-17T11:13:00.005-05:00

Ed Garcia just told me to tell Beth Brown that if she's going to marry Brad, he's going to skip church. He told me to tell her not to care for him anymore, and not to pray for him. There is going to be a press conference about it on Capitol Hill soon. Bob sleeps, he doesn't go to church. And that is what he is going to do too. He doesn't want to go to church if Beth is going to marry Brad. So many people are telling him different things. He asked me if I got his email. I told him I did, "all five of them" I thought to myself.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't ask me. I have no idea. Ask Ed. Or if you prefer, tune into the press conference about it on Capitol Hill.

Should I have told him to go to church anyway? Maybe. Honestly I don't know what to do. Good thing Brittany Graves is Catholic.

Pop, Trad, and Rad

2009-11-13T10:26:00.008-05:00

Recently I have been enjoying comparing and contrasting these three kinds of Christianity:
Popular, Traditional, and Radical.

Popular Christianity seeks to legitimize itself in the eyes of secular society, and loses its saltiness. "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?" 1 Cor. 5:1,2

The Pharisees are an infamous example of the traditional. Jesus said, "You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." Mark 7:8. Trad Christianity is often a reaction against pop Christianity. Its not popular. Its salty, but do you want a little bit of food with your salt? It often tries to understand what real Christianity is by doing the opposite of what the world is doing.

Radical Christianity is depicted in Acts 2:42-47:
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Radical is used here denotatively, as in true Christianity, not connotatively, as in crazy, weird, or extreme.

Both pop and trad end up being another means of gratifying the sinful nature and feeding the ego. Christianity is meant to kill the sinful nature.

The point is, how do we become radical Christians? I wish I knew... It is my belief that every form of Christianity contains some influence of popular or traditional Christianity. It is helpful for me to delineate the differences between them. Maybe a lot of it comes down to motive? Pop often accuses rad of being trad, and trad accuses rad of being pop. Radical Christianity doesn't accuse it all. It seeks to be a light, not a judge. It seeks to be a model, not a critic. As Shane Claiborne says, "The best criticism of what is wrong is to practice something right."
The place to find radical Christianity is in the Bible, not from criticizing pop and trad. Our interpretation of the Bible is always imperfect, but as we spend time with God, and the Holy Spirit convicts our hearts, we can become more and more RAD.

Pop and trad have little to offer the world. Because of them Christianity has historically been a common cause of war, even genocide. Rad Christianity is beautiful beyond anything the world has ever seen. It has everything to offer the world. Jesus is truly revolutionary. This is why I am in such desperate need of life transformation. The more radical our Christianity, the easier our evangelism, because it speaks for itself. "And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

: (

2009-11-08T19:07:00.007-05:00

I tried to give an old lady a ride home today. I saw her trying to wave cars over, so I knew she was pretty desperate for someone to pick her up. I had seen her walking a few times before, and she is really slow and tired. It must take her an hour or longer to get from Pierson Drive, where she lives, to the VM. She seemed extremely grateful that I had stopped.

As she rounded the front of the van I realized how hard it might be for her to climb into the seat. She grabbed the handle on the frame and had a very difficult time getting her left foot up on the step. Finally she reached it, but then she tried to step up. She pulled with all her might, but her right foot didn't budge. I stepped in close behind her, afraid she might fall backwards. Finally she got her right foot barely off the ground, and I guided it to the step. But she couldn't stand up. She was hanging back from the handle in a sitting position, but she did not have the strength to pull herself into the seat. I knew the only way to help her would be to use my arms to push/lift her up from her bottom. I thought she might not appreciate that, so I hesitated. I stood close behind her, more afraid than ever that she was going to lose her strength and fall back.

Apparently she was too, because at that moment, she began weeping. I think it was more from fear than anything else. I'm going to fall! she cried. Quickly I guided her right foot back to the ground. She screamed "OW!" as I grabbed her ankle. Soon both her feet were solidly back on the road. By this time, many cars were passing. Dr. Lake, his wife, David Macias, and Krystin Erickson all gave me confused stares.

"Maybe I should just walk." she pouted, very discouraged. I wanted so bad to find a way to give her a ride, especially since I felt guilty for the other times I had passed her without stopping. "Why don't we try the back" I offered, "It might be easier to climb into. She agreed and tried to climb into the back, and I tried to help her, but she just couldn't get in! I didn't know what to do. I'll just walk! she said angrily, in tears again. I handed back her purse and a few things as she waddled slowly away. I told her I'd try to have a smaller car next time. That didn't seem to cheer her up. I hope someone else gave her a ride.

There Need Be No Suffering, No Destitution

2009-11-06T23:21:00.002-05:00

"If men would do their duty as faithful stewards of their Lord's goods, there would be no cry for bread, none suffering in destitution, none naked and in want.

It is the unfaithfulness of men that brings about the state of suffering in which humanity is plunged. If those whom God has made stewards would but appropriate their Lord's goods to the object for which He gave to them, this state of suffering would not exist.

The Lord tests men by giving them an abundance of good things, just as He tested the rich man of the parable.

-Ellen White Welfare Ministry p. 16

p.s. AMEN!!!!

Helping Orphans is Distracting

2009-11-02T09:36:00.004-05:00

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

Traditional Adventist culture is strong in the area of "keeping oneself from being polluted by the world."

This list does not characterize current Adventist culture. Many things on the "don't" list are very common among Adventists now. I don't feel like the general culture of Adventism has added many things to the "do" list, however. It is my feeling (and the point of this blog) that Adventism is good at keeping us polluted from the world, but really bad at looking after widows and orphans. ADRA does it very well, but I'm talking about North America. It is not a part of Adventist culture to care for widows and orphans.

In fact, in many circles of Adventism, it is discouraged. It is seen as a the job of the salvation army, and distracting to the real mission of the church. (This is a point that George Knight makes in "The apocalyptic Vision and the Neutering of Adventism", but it is certainly not unique with him among Adventist leaders and authors.) It is my opinion that, instead of being a distraction, it is the explicit command of the Bible, in many more places than just James 1:27.

Post-modernity More Compatible with the Gospel?

2009-07-21T12:56:00.004-04:00

In some ways, post-modernity is a huge asset to Christianity. The idea of God is unscientific. He cannot be proven, and this is a huge obstacle to the modern mind. For the longest time now, Christians have been insisting that God can be experienced in a relationship. He cannot be proven, but He can be known. Many people look at post-modernity as a threat to Christianity. I believe this is only the case because we have done such a good job of “modernizing” Christianity. But to a world that is increasingly questioning the “proofs” that people come up with in a postmodern way of thinking, so that experience becomes the test for truth, isn’t this what we have been arguing all along? Shouldn't postmodern thinking be viewed as a benefit rather than a threat? Modernism, by definition, has no room for a God, because God can’t be proven. Postmodernism, on the other hand, is much more willing to accept the idea of the supernatural. The modern says, it can’t be, I can’t prove it. The postmodern says, who am I to say that the existence of a God is impossible?

Obviously there are aspects of both modernism and postmodernism that are incompatible with the gospel. Postmodernism, however, is more similar to pre-modernism. Christianity began in pre-modern times. The existence of God was assumed. Post-moderns are not ready to assume the existence of God, but neither are they ready to completely deny its possibility, as moderns were more likely to do. Spirituality, as a romantic journey of the soul to seek and make a connection with divine as an experiential basis for life and human existence, is an idea very welcome to many post-moderns.

I feel that many opportunities for the gospel and for spirituality are opening up among postmodern thinkers that was never available among modern ones, but the church has to understand this. The fundamental priority of the Adventist church, at least, is propositional truth, i.e modernism. But the priority of the Bible, I believe, is relational, experiential, spiritual truth that cannot be proven. God is fundamentally not a modern idea, so how did Adventism get so entrenched in modernism? Well, we became really good at proving propositional truth to a modern world that demanded it, and we developed a modern identity. Now the world demands something else. I am a postmodern thinker, and I am thrilled about the many opportunities and advantages postmodernism provides Christianity. I would go as far as to say that modernism is more incompatible with the gospel than postmodernism is. As a postmodern thinker, I am confident that being willing to say “I don’t know” is a more realistic way to view reality than “I can prove.” In areas of spirituality and the supernatural, this is especially true.

The TV is My Shepherd, I shall Want

2009-06-22T23:23:00.004-04:00

My "Go Green, Save Green" book says that the average adult watches more that 30 hours of TV a week, and that the average 70 year old will have watched ten years of television in their life time. That's like a career. I decided that I hate TV. I think it brings us away from God, makes us fat and materialistic, and contributes to destroying the environment.

The TV is my Shepherd, I shall want.
It maketh me to lie down on the sofa.
It leadeth me away from the scriptures.
It destroyeth my soul.

It leadeth me in the path of sex and violence,
For the sponsors' sake.
Yea, though I walk in the shadow of my Christian responsibilities,
There will be no interruption,
For the TV is with me.
Its cable and remote, they control me.

It prepares a commercial before me,
In the presence of worldliness.
It anoints my head with humanism.
My coveting runneth over.

Surely laziness and ignorance shall follow me,
All the days of my life,
And I shall dwell in the house,
watching TV forever.

-Author Unknown

Christianity's False Dichotomy

2009-06-08T14:04:00.005-04:00

There are two distinct categories of Christianity in America. The differences are easy to exaggerate. Generalizations are doomed to be inexact. It’s easy to point at specific instances where it is not the case. Speaking in general terms however is effective in giving us a snapshot of the reality of the division that exists in American Christianity.

A Christian’s spirituality is characterized by one of the above columns because of a “pet Jesus.” If we believe Jesus’ biggest emphasis was on personal piety and individual devotion, we will too. If we believe that Jesus was a revolutionary, and a social activist, we will be in the right column.

Adventism in North America, in general, finds itself solidly in the left column. Growing up as a good Adventist, I too believed that the left column exhausted what it means to be a Christian. Through crisis in my life that precipitated a ton of reading and contemplation, I swung completely to the right column.

Thankfully I have come to realize that Jesus is characterized by both of these columns, and much more. I have come to realize that I too have a “pet Jesus.” I want so desperately to see beyond the boxes we put Jesus in. This is easier said than done.

The truth is, it’s a false dichotomy that you can only be in one column or the other. Jesus taught both. So many people are caught in an either/or mentally. I pray I can embrace a both/and perspective. At the beginning of this school year I found myself solidly in the right column. Over the course of the semester, by the grace of God, I have realized the value of the left column. I have not ceased to believe that Jesus lived a life also characterized by the right column. A message demonstrated must also be proclaimed. The goal of discipleship is devotion to Jesus, and that leads us to serve the poor and oppressed. Theological purity and distinction is vitally important, but the weightier matters of the law are justice, mercy and love. Spiritual disciples are central to a Christian’s life, they are the foundation on which we build our life of service.

This summer I conducted an evangelistic series in Argentina. This trip played a role in helping me see the crucial contribution of the left column. I have seen the vital importance of proclaiming a message of truth for the end time. People are waiting to hear this message. Other people, however, are not interested in propositional, intellectual truth. They need an experience. They need a tangible demonstration of the gospel. This year has played a very important part in my life to help me see beyond my “pet Jesus,” and to create a passion in my heart to experience, demonstrate, and proclaim Jesus, at a vital time, to a world in desperate need of a God who is way beyond our understanding.

The New Post is below the update

2009-05-24T10:45:00.004-04:00

Sorry, this is confusing probably, but that new blog I had accidentally posted is now up and working, but its below the update fixing that problem. In other words, its now the third blog down from the top.

Its a description of many of the wonderful people in my church.

no, i haven't written another blog, but I'm about to...

2009-05-22T22:46:00.001-04:00

I have not posted a blog since "Claro", but some people are getting an update on their dashboard that says that I have. I don't know what it's doing that. I am in the middle of writing a blog, and hopefully will have it up soon, but until then, everything here is going great. Tonight we preached that the Catholic church changed the sabbath. It was an appeal night. I think some people in my group decided to worship on Sabbath for the first time. tomorrow we're telling people not to eat pork, not to smoke, but to give tithe instead. this is for church. Its a weird topic for church in my opinion. Anyway, thanks everyone so much for the interest in the blogs!! You guys rock my world.

Let me tell you about some people in my church

2009-05-20T10:42:00.026-04:00

Johnny is one of the first people I met when I came here. He is very friendly and very kissy. I think he kissed me 4 or 5 times the first time I met him. This was a very quick way to get me accustomed to this culture. He is very funny and he speaks English pretty well.

Keren is very flirtatious. She makes me a bit uncomfortable because she has a boyfriend. I I don't want him to feel threatened at all, but I also don't want to ignore her or be mean to her, so the balance is sketchy. She has given me gifts and written me letters. She drew pictures for me, gave me candy and and she hugs me and kisses me a lot. She is cool and nice, but I want Leandro to know he has nothing to be worried about.

Leandro is her boyfriend. I am trying to establish a relationship with him to show that there is no competition between us. I'm not so sure he's getting the message... Communication is strained...

Jessica is a pretty tour guide who's house we went to on sabbath. David my translator said he is "dazzled" by her. She began by giving me a tour of Argentina, but her and David ended up talking for hours and I was left to my own thoughts.

There is one girl here who speaks German. She speaks more German than English. I speak more German than Spanish. Because of this we thought we could communicate in German. Unfortunately, she speaks German with such a thick Spanish accent, and I speak it with such a thick English accent that our German doesn't connect! We gave it a go for a few sentences, but we stopped short, disappointed.

Ozwaldo is a wonderful old man that speaks English pretty well. He lived in America for a year until he got deported! His stories of avoiding immigration and then finally getting busted are awesome. He is a world traveler, an adventurer.

Gustavo is a carpenter wins bi-athlons! He is very quiet and hard to get to know. After trying night after night I finally got to talk to him. Luckily I had worn my triathlon shirt under my suit, because when he said that he wins bi-athlons and has many trophies, I busted out my triathlon shirt.

Florencia is a twin. I met her sister first, so when I saw Florencia, I called her Julietta. How embarrassing!

Julietta is her sister. Florencia's boyfriend suggests I should date her. He only said, you should date her sister, he didn't say her name. I said, "Oh you're talking about Julietta". The fact that I knew her name made everyone freak out as if I had already decided to. Her mom immediately introduced herself to me.

Angelica is dating a guy named Sebastion.

Sebastion recommends that I date his sister.

The singer lady is very nice. She talks a lot. The other day she gave me a pillow that she made.

Matthias is an awesome 14 year old that I love. He is very nice. I am playing basketball with him this afternoon.

Eliel gave me an awesome blue tie that says Argentina on it. It was his personal tie. Its my favorite souvenir (and only so far).

Time hinders me from mentioning: Natalia, another David, Daniel, Mabel, Ivana, another Mattias and Nicholas. My church members rock.

Claro

2009-05-20T09:10:00.004-04:00

David is my translator. English is not only his major, its his passion. Whenever he hears a new English expression, he asks me what it means. The other day, he asked me what "follow suit" means. I explained that it is an expression that comes from card games.

His vocabulary is quite amazing to me. The other day he said, "the people here are quite amicable." I had never used that word so far while I was here, so I knew he knew it already. The first day I met him, he used the word "ginormous".

I have been able to teach him the expression "I'm down with that." Now he uses it a lot. He also says "real mature" very often, at appropriate moments. He doesn't think she would remember him, but he remembers Sarah Hayhoe from when she was here.

David's favorite North American, however, of all time, is Marjorie Ellenwood. He said over and over, "She is so cool dude!" He loved discussing "To Kill a Mockingbird" with her.

David and I spend a lot of time talking about relationships. He's very funny.

Argentina!

2009-05-13T06:17:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we spent touring Buenos Aires. It's an awesome city! We flew 10 hours over night, which was rough, yesterday was cool. We went to a cemetery, except instead of tombstones, they have mini mansions for every family to be buried in. Many of them were made of Marble and were very beautiful. We walked down some super busy streets. We saw a huge metal flower which has petals that are open during the day and close at night. We ate lunch at a sweet action action Adventist Restaurant. It was an all-you-can-eat buffet, and we stuffed ourselves.

There are dogs running everywhere on the streets. While we were waiting in the bus top to come to Cordoba, we saw and hung out with 4 or 5 dogs that were just randomly roaming around.

We drove 10 hours to get here to Cordoba from Buenos Aires, and so we recently got her to the hotel. No one has showered since Monday morning, or changed clothes. We're about to eat breakfast and then we can check into our rooms.

Our bus last night had seats that lean back all the way into a bed. I slept the entire trip, from about 10:00 o'clock until the attendant woke me up at 5:30 for breakfast.

I'm loving this trip, but I'm already missing the family. I hope everyone is doing well. I can't wait to here more about Sarah's future. Tara, I hope your trip went well, and I hope you're hanging out with awesome Walla Walla friends. Nick I hope the movie is going well.

Chris, Jones, Ben, Amanda, hope you're enjoying some C-dale! Gimbel and Graves, I miss you guys!!

Jones, I'm about to pick some Mate up for you. I mean the straw thingy and the cup thingy. They were really expensive in the tourist areas, but I can get you a heaps cheaper one here in Cordoba.

To all the family I say, "Milieu!!!!!!!!!"

What do you think?

2009-02-18T09:16:00.002-05:00

Ellen White is often the end of theological controversies in Adventism. Have you ever seen it happen? I've seen it many times. Two people will disagree over the meaning of a text or the application of it. They won't be able to come to a conclusion until they see what Ellen White says about it. I have seen this so many times. I have ended disagreements myself by offering Ellen's words.

I talked to a pastor yesterday, and he feels like this violates the key protestant principle of Sola Scriptura.

I want to hear what you have to say on this. Do you agree that Ellen becomes the answer to many Biblical discussions? Do you think it violates Sola Scriptura or not?

I can see both sides. I do feel a bit uncomfortable with Adventists often viewing the Bible through her eyes, and taking her interpretation as the only interpretation. I mean, how can that really be Sola Scriptura? I think that is what is happening when, as happens so often, people end their theological discussion with, "Well, we know the answer because Ellen said..."

On the other hand, maybe thats exactly what a prophet is supposed to do. Maybe thats exactly why she was given so many visions and insights into the Bible.

One thing I'm certain about, and that is that her interpretation of many scriptures has become the Adventist view. One example of that is the Clear Word. Many passages of that book is heavily dependent on or influenced by the Conflict of the Ages series.

Adventists don't claim that Ellen is on the same level as the Bible. At least not very often, and at least not in awhile. I wonder if we do it practice sometimes though, inadvertently. Or is seeing the scriptures through her eyes what God intended?

So maybe I asked more than a few questions here, but if you want to, let me know what you think in a comment. It may be as simple as, "I don't think this violates Sola Scriptura", or you may even want to say why, which would be awesome too. I actually don't have an agenda with this blog. I am seriously asking this question, not knowing what I believe yet.

Thanks!

I love using the sewing machine

2009-02-11T09:40:00.003-05:00

Last night, I was really excited about going to bed at 11:00. But I was making journals, and by 10:30, I had ironed some pretty sweet covers, so I wanted to sew them. I ended up sewing covers until 12:00.

It wouldn't have taken that long except that the sewing machine kept messing up, or I kept messing up, because Tara never seems to have trouble with it, but it was still fun. Stephen Wright is really stoked about the journals, which makes me happy.

Tara leaves for Washington today, I hope she has fun! I'm going to miss her though : (

Jerrod and I got our jam on something serious on yesterday with the band. That was really fun.

This weekend is Big Band Festival at the Tivoli, and I have an awesome date ; )

This week has been really chill for homework, because I got most of it done on Sunday, so life is awesome and I can't think of a time in my life where I was more fulfilled than right now.

K bye.

Ellen White lays the smackdown on the SDA Church

2009-02-04T11:39:00.005-05:00

"The third angel's message calls for the presentation of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, and this truth must be brought before the world; but the great center of attraction, Jesus Christ, must not be left out of the third angel's message. By many who have been engaged in the work for this time, Christ has been made secondary, and theories and arguments have had first place."

Christ said to the people: "For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone" (Matt. 23:2-7, 23).

The love of God has been waning in the church, and as a result, the love of self has sprung up into new activity. With the loss of love for God there has come the loss of love for the brethren.

These quotes are from Selected Messages, Book 1, chapter 61.

It is refreshing and exciting to me that Ellen White considers justice, mercy and love to be weightier matters of the law when compared to doctrines like the Sabbath. This is not to diminish the Sabbath, or doctrines, because Jesus said, you should have done the latter, not leaving the former undone. She exemplified this in her life too. I think the church is at risk of making doctrine more important than justice and mercy. Often the main contact point of evangelism is doctrines, but for Jesus is was love and community.

In John 17 Jesus prays that we would be united, so that everyone would know that what He said about God was true. The greatest evidence for the claims of Jesus are love and unity. While doctrines tend to cause arguments and disagreements, the Holy Spirit brings unity, love, justice, and mercy. I can grab onto doctrines and understand them and believe them, but love, justice and mercy grab me, convict me, and drive me.

What God wants me to do

2009-01-30T11:16:00.002-05:00

In response to Justin's blog entitled "Wrong questions..." (which I thought was really good), I had some questions...

Sometimes I'm thinking about the fact that God wants me to do something that will fulfill me, so I try to think what that is, but then I think I should let Him decide. But then if I don't hear him speaking, telling me what to do, I usually revert to deciding based on what I want to do.

So my question is, how do you make the decision based on what God wants you to do if you don't hear him speaking? The Bible is a good framework, but it doesn't get real specific, so then again, I end up doing what I want...

So whether its my inability to listen to God (probably), or God's willingness for me to do a whole range of things, I have a hard time making a God centered decision. I've definitely recognized God's leading before, but its usually looking back, when it worked out, that I recognize God led. Its rarely during the decision process that I see clear direction from God.

So now I feel like I just sounded super skeptical and unspiritual, but there you have it. I have felt God leading very clearly when I understand a whole new paradigm of God's priorities. Then I sense a general direction to go that is fundamentally different than the direction I was going before, which is key, and I'm very thankful. For example, I feel like God is leading me to do something for the "least of these" because I'm deeply convicted they're a priority of Jesus. As soon as it gets specific, however, about what I should do for them, it gets fuzzy. In those cases it's more likely I see how God has worked in hindsight after I've chosen something. I don't feel like this is how it is supposed to work, but I'm just being honest, thats how I would describe my experience so far.

One wallet option...

2009-01-01T23:05:00.001-05:00

Shopping Bag Wallet - More DIY How To Projects

Okay...

2008-12-30T14:04:00.005-05:00

My grandfather made the most profound statement of the evening when my family argued. He said that if I want to go about changing the church, the worst way to do that is to criticize and attack. He told me my approach needed to be positive, to enact the change I want to see. That was an appropriately timed rebuke, one that I would do very well to heed. After all, "the best criticism of what is wrong is to practice something right". I haven't lived by the principle always, but I want to. The thing the motivates me to criticize is my love for conflict, my love to stir things up. That's not an adequate motivation, however.

Family Argument (so fun!)

2008-12-29T22:29:00.004-05:00

My family got in a big argument today. It started when I said to my mom, in the hearing of my grandmother, that if the Adventist Church is satisfied to merely proclaim a message, it would consign itself to irrelevancy. My grandmother gets upset whenever I say something that sounds like I'm criticizing the church, so I probably shouldn't stress her out by saying things like that. What I meant was that it needs to tangibly demonstrate that message too, and not just tell it (which I know I often fail to do).

My brother and I got into a discussion about the 28 Fundamentals book, whether it was a good idea to have one or not. I thought it was. He said it wasn't, because it all comes down to a relationship with God, and everything else follows naturally. The whole family soon got involved, the most vocal being my brother and my grandfather, with me not so far behind. My grandfather is especially defensive of the church, and anyone who criticizes it is his immediate enemy. He said that himself.

The conversation changed when I said that I thought the 28 fundamentals book is a good idea, but I felt like the priorities of the church recorded therein did not accurately reflect the priorities of Jesus. By that time my dad had left the room, because he cannot stand to be around conflict. Katie, my brothers wife, can handle it, but doesn't enjoy it. Same with my grandmother. My grandfather, brother, and my mom and I thrive on it. We love a heated argument. Soon it became hard for anyone to talk, because we all felt so strongly about what we had to say that we all wanted to say it at once.

The conversation went a lot of different directions, but in the end it was mostly a discussion of my belief that the that the 28 Fundamentals lack a very crucial priority of Jesus. My brother and my mom agreed with me, and that position was hotly debated by my grandfather, with my grandmother in his support. I felt that the Christians relationship to "the least of these" was a huge priority of Jesus, and that the church does not hold this to be of fundamental doctrinal importance. My grandfather argued that it wasn't a priority of Jesus, that it was just in that one chapter of Matthew. The clincher was when I showed that service and kindness to the poor and the "least of these" was a very clear priority of Ellen White, as shown in Desire of Ages and Ministry of Healing. That sealed it. Even though I have no interest in campaigning to make this a fundamental belief of the Adventist church, I do want to make it a priority in my life. Its more than a method, its the inherent identity of true church. My grandfather probably did already believe it was a priority of Jesus, but he couldn't handle the idea that the church may have missed something. At the end of the conversation, there were no hurt feelings. For those of us who enjoy arguing, we felt really bonded. So thats a Schnell family argument.

Easy

2008-12-16T00:32:00.000-05:00

Maybe not, but it seems like to me that the goal of evangelism has sometimes been to tell people how easy it is to be a Christian. I feel like that is how I was taught too, for the interest of my personal spirituality. Just pray and give Jesus your heart, and believe in Him, and you will be saved. Some Bible verses show it to super easy too. "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." I think the gospel is simple, but I don't think its necessarily easy. In other words, while modern evangelicalism promotes the ease by which someone can be saved, Jesus seemed to be interested in warning people about the super high cost of discipleship. That seems to be the message of the last half Luke 14. As I heard in a sermon recently, while evangelists get excited when a crowd gathers, Jesus got skeptical, telling them if they want to be his disciples, they must pick up a cross. Check out Luke 14 if you haven't recently, and see whether you would use it as your final appeal in an evangelistic series.

Lesson from Leviticus

2008-12-05T11:32:00.000-05:00

I don't understand many things in Leviticus, for example, in chapter 19, it records these commands: "Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed", "do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material", and my favorite, "Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." You're doing good Chris.

There are also some very good instructions. "Love your neighbor as yourself" is an instruction first written down by Moses.

Either way, one lesson I have learned from the book of Leviticus is the principle reason God asks the Israelites to do certain things. I may not understand the necessity of a specific instruction, but God repeatedly says why He is giving the instructions all the way through the book. He starts out by saying, "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

He continues, "Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them. I am the LORD. "You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own."

And my favorite, "You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart form the nations."

After some of the instructions it simply reads, "I am the LORD." In other words, "I decide."

What would our lives be like if we were continually conscious of the presence of a holy God? What would change? When I read Leviticus, my prayer becomes, "Set me apart Lord, make me different. Make me holy, because You are holy. When it doesn't seem to make sense to follow You, help me to remember that You are God, and that Your revelation is more trustworthy than my perception. Create in me a clean heart. Work a radical transformation in my life."

I really want my life to be different for living in the presence of God.

Greatness

2008-11-14T11:20:00.001-05:00

When I was in the 3rd grade, I was the fastest runner in the whole grade. That made me great. When I was in 4th grade, I played football with the 8th graders, and they told me I was really good, and all the other kids were amazed that I was playing with them. That was when I decided I was definitely playing for the Denver Broncos someday. I was great. In fifth grade, I had a girlfriend, and she was pretty, and I was popular. I gave a week of prayer for my class, and thats pretty amazing for a fifth grader. Man I'm a great guy. In high school I learned everyone's name. My freshman year I dated a junior. I was an SA officer for 3 of the 4 years of high school, president my senior year.

In college, the great people are those who serve as an SM for a year. I went to Australia. I started a ministry here, and am doing everything I can to be great. Ask any kid what they want to do when they grow up, and they'll say different things, fireman, policeman, football player, and whatever, but its always something that in their mind is great. Sadly, greatness also becomes a competition, if only in my own mind. I'm not as great as other SM's who went to the third world. I know that my year was a little less heroic. Dang it! What am I going to do to make it look like I'm more crazy and adventurous? I'm scared to death of heights, so I can't get that awesome rock climber persona. I have to find something else that makes me look cool, like maybe planning to move into a warehouse? Even when I consider this blog, I want to write something great. Why would even have a blog unless I at least try to do something great with it?

Sometimes its amazing what trivial things I consider accomplishments. There is nothing wrong with greatness, but the definition and motivation for greatness is crucial. Jesus said, "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

There is no glory in slavery. Dear Lord, teach me how to be a slave.

Cause

2008-11-13T09:33:00.000-05:00

The Invisible Children video was amazing. I watched it at Collegedale Church. I was moved again, as when I watched Hotel Rwanda, Sands of Sorrow, and Blood Diamond, by the plight of those in Africa. After the Invisible Children video however, I had a deep longing to find my cause. I think Invisible Children is an awesome cause, but its not mine. I want to support Invisible Children, but I don't see myself giving my life to it (for reasons I won't discuss here). The video was awesome, it was well made, and for an awesome cause, and it rekindled the fire in me to give my life for something of life or death importance.

Leatherman is a radical!

2008-11-11T10:27:00.000-05:00

Dr. Leatherman said today that the very principles of supply and demand are immoral, because they are based on greed, and that unless Jesus was wrong about what he said about greed, the market should not be the basis for every decision, as it is now. The market is mammon. He also said there would be more about this in his class "Money, sex, and power" or something like that, that is meeting next semester.

Kingdom of God

2008-09-29T11:21:00.000-04:00

Jesus preached that the kingdom of God is at hand. In other words it is right in front of you, relevant to you now. In the Lord's prayer Jesus prays "Your kingdom come, your will be done..." In the Hebrew method of stating and restating, "your kingdom come" and "your will be done" are synonymous. God's kingdom is wherever His will is done. That means we can start heaven now. The principles of God's kingdom are available to us now. The radical thing about true christianity is that the principles of God's kingdom are irreconcilable with the principles of this earth. They are contrary to each other, antithetical. Our economy, system of government, and basic society is based on self preservation and self interest. God's kingdom is based on sacrificial love, and putting others first. That is why being different to the world goes beyond morals. Most all christians agree Christians should be different to the world, and they think this means be more moral. This position is shattered when atheists are often as moral or more so than christians. I believe we need to challenge the very foundation of our society. I believe when we truly devote our lives to Jesus, He wants to radically transform every aspect of our lives, even our finances. When it comes to economics however, christians are the same as everyone else. Same size house, amount of cars, and endless stuff. In other words, christians still base their lives on the same selfish foundation that the world does, and so, "moral" or not, were not truly different. Jesus said "Anyone who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." Luke 14

Ben Schnell

2008-09-16T17:26:00.000-04:00

The book Irresistible Revolution changed my life completely. It was a revolution for me, it changed the way I understood Christianity and the Bible. Before I read it, I didn't really understand how truly apathetic and I was and how much my spirituality was a function of my culture more than it was a true Biblical lifestyle.

After I read it, I was thrilled to come to the realization that true Christianity taps my deepest passions and desires and fulfills in me the ultimate adventure of life. Now it is my longing to learn how to truly serve God for real, and what it means for me to give up everything for Him.

The truth I learned has always been in the Bible. Irresistible Revolution is by no means the only way to discover it. But for me, the book served as God's salve to my eyes to see the Bible more clearly. I felt like someone took off my sunglasses so that light poured onto the scriptures, and into my life.

Ben Schnell

What's the point?

2008-09-16T12:44:00.000-04:00

This is a place to talk about what is going on in our hearts and minds as we read and try to apply the things we find in "Irresistible Revolution" and "Jesus for President." It is a forum to challenge us to go back to the basic fundamentals of the Bible and to explore what it means to be a Christian in a society that seeks to change us into its image rather than the image of our Creator.

Soapbox

New blog

Christian Community without Church

Jesus without Justification

Bible without Infallibility

Value in Christianity without Christianity

Rock Climbing *Gang*

Thanks for giving. Sincerely, the IRS.

latest

Climbing Life's Mountain

Righteousness by Bible

Hijacking religion in the name of airplanes

something I jotted in church today

Yves

Eric and Thierry

Why am I leaving Maine? (1 John 3:16-18)

God told me you are wrong, part 2

EEEnFFFp

Josh

6 Steps to Traditionalism

I went to a Sufi Zikr last Saturday night

Crisis Solved

God told me you are wrong.

I drove to NYC...

I need grace from Jesus

solution for sin

my answers about genocide in the Bible worked for me until I met some Rwandans...

I don't want to be a Christian just because my parents are... right?

car out, scooter in

how the sabbath is the opposite of slavery

how not to be God

I drove through Chattanooga last night.

The Matrix

Officially on the Website!

A Bad Inciting Incident?

The Safest Drivers on the Road

The Best Job Ever

thanks kristina

Background on Maine

Sarcastic Jesus?

House Church

Ed

Pop, Trad, and Rad

: (

There Need Be No Suffering, No Destitution

Helping Orphans is Distracting

Post-modernity More Compatible with the Gospel?

The TV is My Shepherd, I shall Want

Christianity's False Dichotomy

The New Post is below the update

no, i haven't written another blog, but I'm about to...

Let me tell you about some people in my church

Claro

Argentina!

What do you think?

I love using the sewing machine

Ellen White lays the smackdown on the SDA Church

What God wants me to do

One wallet option...

Okay...

Family Argument (so fun!)

Easy

Lesson from Leviticus

Greatness

Cause

Leatherman is a radical!

Kingdom of God

What's the point?

Rock Climbing Gang